Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Tanica L. Morant

We finally caught up with Winning Woman Tanica L. Morant. We located her in Wilmington, NC at a local Beauty Salon. However, this diva wasn’t there getting her hair done. She was there working, making someone look like a new woman. That’s right. Tanica is a Hair Stylist and she’s been doing it for over 17 years. But there’s much more to Tanica than smocks, shears, and shampoo. Tanica will not only make your head look pretty, but she’ll also fill it with wisdom. And if you follow the ‘Winning Woman’ Page on facebook or twitter, then you’ve already had a taste of the knowledge she shares. Majority of the status updates are done by her. For the most part, Tanica is ‘Winning Woman’. Though she runs the Winning Woman page, she’s the creator and founder of a local woman’s group called “Ladies Loving Life”, she’s putting together a 3-day Women’s Conference this year… we finally squeezed in an appointment to get this powerful interview. So we hope that you’re just as excited as we are about this interview. Let’s get started.

WW: Hey Tanica, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. So you’ve been doing hair for a while. Does being a Hair Stylist expose you to a lot of what’s going on with women?

TANICA: I minister on a daily basis and it does expose you to a lot. Because being a Hair Stylist you take on a whole lot of caps; you become a psychologist, you become a mama, you become a friend… It’s just amazing the amount of confidence people put in you when they actually sit in your chair.

WW: So your clients get ministered to?

TANICA: My clients actually get ministered to. I don’t just do their head, but I put something in it.

WW: So Tanica, what makes you a Winning Woman?

TANICA: I’m a Winning Woman because every morning I wake up with a determination to do whatever I have to do to please God. It’s my love of working with people and children, especially women. It’s the impact I want to give to individual lives. I want to make a difference.

WW: There are a lot of women in the world. Do majority of women win?

TANICA: To be honest, it’s a lot of us who don’t win. That’s my main focus – to grab a hold to them, to pull them to where I am, and once they get to that point, prayerfully they’re going to pull other people. I mean we can all go higher just pulling on each other…trying to reach a goal.

WW: What is one of the biggest reasons that a lot of women don’t win?

TANICA: They don’t have confidence in themselves. They feel like they can’t make it. Someone told them somewhere along the road that they can’t do it. Some of the situations that they’re in they just feel they can’t make it. I know that’s part of the reason that I was put here – that the things I’ve been through in my life, it’s not for me, but it’s for somebody else. Just to be able to share my story, to just be able to help somebody else, to help women… that’s my ministry. And not only women, but females in general. They’re my passion. That’s what cleaves to me.

WW: What are some of the most common frustrations women are facing today?

TANICA: I would have to say finances and relationships.

WW: What are the most common frustrations with relationships?

TANICA: When I say “relationships”, I’m not just talking about with men, but also their friends and family. A lot of single women say that they’re lonely. Many of them have poor self-esteem. A lot of the married ones feel that their husbands are not doing what they’re supposed to be doing. Or they feel they’re incomplete or they haven’t arrived in a certain area that they think they should be at a certain time.

WW: And what’s the common problem with finances?

TANICA: Everybody’s broke! (LOL)

WW: With everything that’s going on – society downfall, the economy, divorce rate is on the high, etc. I guess my question is, ‘Can a woman still win?”

TANICA: YES! Every morning that I wake up, though everyday is not always peaches & cream, I rest on the assurance that – GOD’S GOT IT! I don’t have to worry. He got it. Even though it might not be what I want it to look like or seem like I want it to seem, He got it. I trust and depend on Him totally. There is nothing else. I have a daughter who’s almost 20 and I’m also teaching her how to lean and depend. I don’t want to be a crutch to her. I want to be an inspiration. I want her to look at me and say, “You know what, my mama got through this and she got through this because of Jesus.” I want her to realize that Jesus is all she has too.

WW: So where do you get your encouragement from?

TANICA: The Word of God encourages me. Also my life’s connections with people I surround myself with. Another one of my biggest encouragements is having a mother that’s saved. And she encourages me on a daily basis. She’s not just my mother, but she’s my best friend, she’s my prayer partner… she fills a really big role in my life. She’s truly a blessing, because so many people are not blessed to have parents that are saved who are walking the same walk that they’re walking.

WW: What if a woman came to you today? She’s been down and out, she feels whipped and ready to quit. But she heard about the ‘Winning Woman’ Page and she wants to be a Winning Woman. Where does she start? What would you tell her?

TANICA: That would totally depend on who the woman is and what my spirit guides me to do. Because in some situations when a woman approaches you, you can’t just pour. Sometimes they just want that listening ear. Sometimes they just want you to pray for them. Sometimes they just want a hug. It just depends on how this woman approaches me. Is this woman saved? Is this woman not saved? So it will totally depend on how the Holy Spirit directs me.

WW: Besides running the ‘Winning Woman’ pages through Social Network, you also created a local group called ‘Ladies Loving Life’ within your community. What is that all about?

TANICA: ‘Ladies Loving Life’ is a vision that was planted inside of me. I knew where I was 10 or 15 years ago. I know the different levels I went through. I wanted to bring a group of women together with different backgrounds and different things going on in their life, to let them know that “You’re not going through this by yourself. Somebody else is either going through it or gone through it.” We can lean on each other. I’m trying to build a community of females that can lift each other up, because so many of us are hurting. You often just take yourself and put yourself in a cocoon, because you don’t want to tell someone else your story. You fear they’re going to tell somebody else. But even when we come together: if you only attach to one person, that’s one person in your life that you didn’t have before.

WW: I heard that you’re also putting together a Women’s Conference for your local church. Tell us about that.

TANICA: I’m doing a Women’s Conference titled “Responding to Life’s Situations”. It’s a 3-day event that will elevate you in the areas of spirituality, health, finances, and relationships. Because in today’s society, these are the main things that are affecting women today. This will take place August 5-7, 2011

WW: When it’s all said and done, what do you want people to say about Tanica L. Morant?

TANICA: That I gave it my all. My main focus was to please God. To be a light that shines so much that I don’t have to verbally express out of my mouth what my beliefs are, who I trust in, you just know it. Just my presence itself will let you know that God is first in my life. No matter what I touch, I just want you to see Him; through all of my actions; no matter what I do; through all of the conversations; my work; whatever I do, I just want His Light to shine.

~ Tanica L. Morant is a mother, teacher, Hair Stylist, and Winning Woman Administrator. She's the creator and owner of 'Ladies Loving Life'. You can connect with Tanica by joining the Winning Woman's Page on facebook - http://facebook.com/WinningWoman