Today we’d like to introduce you to Tianisha Payne. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Tianisha Payne is a Dayton, Ohio native, a graduate of Belmont High School, and an alumna of The Ohio State University (B.A. Psychology ’13).
While working a full-time corporate position, she also became the Founder and CEO of Girls Emerging into Maturity (GEiM) 501 3c, established in 2016. Less than 5 years later, she left the corporate world to invest in her passion full-time. Since then, Tianisha has become the co-owner of GEMS Group Home, Inc, established in 2022.
She also serves as a board member for West Ohio United Methodist Youth Ministry Board.
As a leader, creative, and forward thinker, Tianisha has created curriculum and community service ideas to better equip future female leaders of the world! By manufacturing a new avenue for young girls to express themselves, we see our girls, in the now, feel safe, heard, and inspired! Girls Emerging into Maturity was voted Nonprofit of the year in community outreach by Dayton Magazine. GEiM is not stopping there. Girls Emerging into Maturity has been featured in The Grio, Good Day Dayton, and the Dayton Daily News. With Tianisha’s vision and efforts, it will surely grow from a community staple into a resource for afterschool programming as the group home develops our young girls into independent ladies with transformative leadership skills.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Working toward my goals to start a non-for-profit organization was not the easiest. It was not my first thought in helping with youth. I actually wanted to start a group home for teenage girls, which I eventually did, but it came 6 years later. I had no experience in working with this population, but I felt as though, from my life experiences, I could be relatable. In 2015, I was living in Columbus, Ohio. I was trying to create a catchy name that used “GEM” because Dayton is known as GEM City. Thus, Girls Emerging into Maturity was born! For two years, I wrote and researched information for the curriculum for our program. Our curriculum is called Express Yourself Manual! In 2017, I received a terrible call that my mom was in a bad accident. I wanted to come home (Dayton) to help take care of her. Luckily, my position was able to be transferred to Dayton! Moving back to a city I haven’t lived in almost a decade to help take of my mom and launch a business was insane! However, I did it! I researched how to start a 501c3 submitted my paperwork, and it was originally declined. I had no idea what I was doing, honestly. I had no formal business training. With great thanks, my sister-in-law worked on the application with me, and it was approved. The struggle didn’t stop there how could I get 25 girls to show up to an event planned while living out of the city? Thank God for social media and word of mouth. Our first Express Yourself Event, we had 17 girls! Finding the funds to support this growing organization has been a struggle as well! We have 100 young ladies in the Dayton, Ohio, area that have been a part of GEIM. We have opened a sister chapter in Cincinnati, Ohio. This chapter currently has 17 girls.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work is preparing our future leaders to become who they need to be in this world. I work with young ladies 10-18 years old in Ohio. I specialize in teaching communication skills, healing trauma, using peer support to help find common ground between young ladies to build a strong sisterhood. I am known for my creative skills and quick thinking. I love to write! I have written plays and created board games in which is all used for our curriculum. What makes me most proud is doing it for the home team (God, Family, Friends, and community). What set me apart from others is how I was raised; I was very fortunate to have 3 great grandmothers, 2 grandmother, and 2 grandfathers all living to give me valuable information to help me throughout my lifetime. Intergenerational wisdom and love are rare, and I am blessed to have felt it. Work ethic is something that will always allow people like me to prosper. I don’t mind doing the work, building, and rebuilding to be better and do better. It doesn’t feel good to fail, but failing gives you information on what to do or not do.
How do you think about luck?
Faith has played a major role in my life. I had to lean on the idea that my dreams were true. I had to trust God that no matter my failures or shortcomings in this field or in life, it was working out for my good. I used to be afraid to speak about how mighty God is how powerful the Universe is. What you put out is what you get. I was afraid until the impossible became possible, and I had to spread the word about the miracles I began to see in the children/ teens that I worked with. It didn’t matter that I was writing 2 years in advance for an invisible audience that I could only imagine. In 2017, I was struggling and about to move to Dayton to care of my mom, and I didn’t have the money or credit to start my business and get a loan. In 2013, when my father passed 5 months before I graduated from college, I thought my world was ending because my dad and I was finally building a relationship that I understood. The next year I lost my papa to Alzheimer who practically raised me and took care of me financially. I was lost, emotionally/spiritually broken, and now in a place I had to be financially responsible. This was building up on a time that my mom and I needed them the most. I could call that unlucky or a series of unfortunate events. Then a few weeks before moving day, I felt like everything was hanging over my head and weighing on my shoulders. Early March 2017, I received notice my dad left an inheritance to me. I know my dad in his earthly form, could barely support his children. Proper preparation prevents poor performance. – is a saying that remind me of my dad. He was a thinker. We related everything to basketball. If you do it right in practice in the game, it’s muscle memory. You know if you prepare yourself properly for life little things in the long game things will fall into place. In this moment when I thought everything was going to be hard to do and I didn’t know where the money was going to come from. All I could do is be faithful to my late-night writing, my passions, and my family.
I asked God, knowing it would already be done, and it was. I had the money to move host our first Express Yourself Session March 27, 2017, and I purchased My great grandmother’s house to start GEMS Group Home Inc. est November 1, 2022!
Contact Info:
- Website: girlsemergingintomaturity.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlsemergingintomaturity/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GirlsEmergingIntoMaturity/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6El_4MVQXZ9Pv82uecYUpg
