Black women today often feel the pressure to be strong and to do everything for everyone. It can be challenging to find a space to connect with others and feel free to let go in order to heal and grow. Twyler Jenkins, founder and owner of Strategic Event Services, an event planning company, and the I Am That Woman Movement, has created that space through her retreats. She recently sat down to share not only how she became “That woman,” but also how every woman can become “That woman” and live her best life.
Chante’ Gamby (CG): How did you come about getting into this work?
Twyler Jenkins (TJ): I did not necessarily think that I always wanted to do it. After about two years of hearing no, I resigned from my job. I went back to Indiana to be with my father while he was sick, and when he was better, I never took a job again. I did not necessarily think that I would be an entrepreneur. However, some opportunities presented themselves, and I took advantage of them. I went to the Women’s Development Center, took a class on how to jumpstart my business, and learned the business.
Then, when I turned 43, I had a private dinner for 43 women who inspired, influenced, and were important to me. I wanted to do a check-in about life. I moderated a conversation with my Life Coach, Sharon Franklin Heal, about our sisterhood, health, our spirituality, love. After the dinner, Mrs. Jackson, Reverend Jackson’s wife, encouraged me to grow the concept. She said, “When you get a group of women in the room, something powerful happens. I would encourage you to think about what you can do with this concept.” Thus, after praying and meditating on what my next move, God showed me that I could create this healing space.
CG: So, it came from having a conversation?
TJ: Yes, Mrs. Jackson’s wisdom about the power of women coming together and then me witnessing that power starting from the first retreat in Mexico in 2018, I knew it was divine. When Susan Taylor mentioned it was the best thing she had ever experienced, that let me know that I had tapped into my purpose.
CG: What have you discovered from those conversations and putting on these retreats?
TJ: What I found was, there are multiple stages of our life, and earlier, you start working in your purpose, the better life you live. So, I wanted to encourage any woman that this resonates with.
It is really for women who want to live holistically, mind, body, and spirit and finding out how to live in the best way you know-how and be intentional about the life that you are living. We start the day in mindfulness-yoga, prayer, meditation. It give you the time to slow down, to breathe to connect with your source, to find yourself, and to center yourself. It is designed for women of all ages who are ready to do some soul searching.
CG: What have been some of the challenges that you have experienced?
TJ: Our first retreat was going to be in August 2017 in St. Croatia, then the hurricane hit. Then in November, a colleague mentioned opening a resort in Europe, and I asked him if he had a place for a women’s wellness retreat, and he did. I did a site visit, and when I walked in there, it hit me. I knew it was it. I did not have money; I did not have a speaker; I just had a concept and an idea. We ended up with a stellar lineup, such as Susan Taylor, Kim Cole, etc. and it was more than I could have imagined. There were women from all over the United States. God used that challenge to create something amazing.
CG: I imagine when that hurricane hit, there was a moment of discouragement. How did you overcome that?
TJ: By divine intervention-this work is relentless. God does not let me quit. The same faith that I need today is the same faith that I needed then. I could have given up, but then I got the email. I am literally putting one foot in front of the other. I have learned that if you keep taking a step, God will keep making the way. I keep going by His grace and His mercy and His will.
CG: It sounds like you are comfortable taking risks…
TJ: Yes, I get that from my father. With 11 children, my father was called to preach at a small all-white church in rural Indiana. I grew up with parents who had to have faith to work in purpose. I remember people putting sugar in our tanks, killing our animals, but nothing stopped my father from living his purpose. Being an entrepreneur in a big city and founding a women’s wellness retreat and movement without seeing all the resources, that same faith that my parents had carries me to do what I do.
CG: What are your hopes for the women who participate in your retreats?
TJ: It has to be for women who are willing to show up and dig deep. My hope is that the retreat takes women through a transformational process. After the retreat, I have seen these women start the business, they write the book, and they really activate what they desire to do.
CG: Sounds like a lot of vulnerability, how do you create that space for women that may not have had that opportunity to share in the past?
TJ: We work to break through that by creating a safe space; we are all here for each other; it is a no-judgment zone. The preparation of the speakers help create that sacred space. Everyone is there with the same purpose and energy.
CG: What has been the biggest challenge in your work?
TJ: Finding sponsors, being a little fish in a big pond, funding. Getting more women. Birthing a movement. Keeping the faith.
CG: What are you most proud of?
TJ: Every testimonial that I have received tells me how the retreat changed their life, and now they are able to walk in their destiny. Knowing that what God told me this was going to do is happening.
CG: In honor of women’s history month, could you tell us who are your “She-ros”?
TJ: My mother, she had 11 children and was the first lady of a church, my sisters- for their words of encouragement and support, and also Mrs. Jackson. She is a woman of so much strength. She has seen me become who I am, and she tells me all the time that she is so proud, and that lets me know that I am getting something right.
CG: What advice would you give to someone who would like to start their own company?
TJ: Trust God. It is not going to be easy, but what you learn and how you grow in the process is priceless. When you know it in the gut of your stomach, you do it.
“I Am That Woman” is a health and wellness movement that uses inspiration, information, and events to help women experience both personal and professional development using a holistic approach so that that mind body and spirit can be revived, renewed, and restored. Services are provided through social media, community outreach, events, and programs locally, nationally, and internationally. More information can be found at https://iamthatwomanretreat.com/.
To find out more about Strategic Event Services, visit https://strategiceventssolutions.com/.
By: Chante’ Gamby, Contributing Writer