Community Highlights: Meet Tawanna Tyson of Breaking All Barriers LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tawanna Tyson.

Hi Tawanna, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story is one of transformation, resilience, and purpose. Fifteen years ago, I was struggling with substance use and experiencing firsthand many of the barriers that can keep people trapped in difficult circumstances. Recovery gave me the opportunity to rebuild my life, and education gave me the tools to turn my lived experience into advocacy. I went on to earn my Master of Social Work and build a career serving and advocating for people who are often overlooked by traditional systems.
I founded Breaking All Barriers LLC because I understand that changing your life takes more than simply wanting something different. People need access, information, support, dignity, and someone willing to help them navigate complicated systems. Breaking All Barriers provides re-entry navigation, peer and recovery support, harm-reduction education and resources, Narcan distribution, assistance with record sealing and Certificates of Qualification for Employment (CQEs), court-related education and referrals, notary services, fingerprinting and background-check services, and connections to community resources and treatment providers. My goal is to help people address the practical barriers that can interfere with recovery, employment, housing, successful re-entry, and long-term stability.
My past is not something I hide from, it is part of what gives my work purpose. I know what it feels like to encounter barriers, and I also know what can happen when someone has the right information, resources, and support to move beyond them. I have experienced barriers, overcome barriers, and now I help others break theirs.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. My journey has included overcoming substance use, navigating the consequences of choices I made earlier in life, rebuilding my life in recovery, raising a family, pursuing higher education, and learning how to navigate systems that are not always designed to make second chances easy.
One of the greatest challenges has been refusing to allow my past to determine my future. There were spaces where I had to work harder to prove that my lived experience was not a weakness, it was an asset. I continued my education, earned my Master of Social Work, developed professionally, and turned many of the barriers I once faced into areas where I can now help others.
Building Breaking All Barriers LLC has brought its own challenges as well. Creating a community based business means continuously developing partnerships, resources, credibility, and sustainable ways to provide services to people who may not have the financial means or knowledge to access help elsewhere. At the same time, those challenges keep me connected to the reason I started this work.
I know what it is like to need a second chance, to rebuild, and to have to figure out systems that can feel overwhelming. That is why I approach people without judgment and focus on solutions. The obstacles along my road did not disqualify me from this work, they helped prepare me for it.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Breaking All Barriers LLC was created to help people navigate the barriers that can stand between them and stability, opportunity, recovery, and successful re-entry. Our work is rooted in meeting people where they are, providing practical support, and helping individuals understand and navigate systems that can often feel overwhelming.
We provide re-entry navigation, peer and recovery support, harm-reduction education and resources, Narcan distribution, assistance with record sealing and Certificates of Qualification for Employment (CQEs), court related education and referrals, notary services, fingerprinting and background-check services, and connections to treatment providers and other community resources.
What sets Breaking All Barriers apart is the combination of lived experience, professional education, and real-world system navigation. I understand many of these barriers personally, but I also bring professional social work training and years of experience helping people access resources and advocate for themselves. I believe people deserve accurate information, dignity, accountability, and meaningful opportunities, not judgment based solely on where they have been.
I am most proud that Breaking All Barriers has grown into a resource that can meet people at different points in their journey. Someone may come to us because of a criminal record, recovery needs, harm-reduction resources, employment barriers, or simply because they do not know where to start. They do not have to have everything figured out before asking for help. Helping them identify the barrier and find a path forward is exactly why Breaking All Barriers exists.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was smart, creative, curious, and naturally helpful. I was the kind of child who loved using my imagination, I would play news reporter and teacher, which looking back says a lot about who I eventually became. I enjoyed communicating, sharing information, and helping others understand things.
I was also very generous and always willing to help someone. At one point, I wanted to become a sign language interpreter because I was interested in helping people communicate and making information more accessible. My career ultimately took me in a different direction and led me to social work, but the purpose behind it really wasn’t that different.
Looking back, many of the qualities that define me professionally today were already there. I wanted to inform, advocate, teach, connect and help people. I just didn’t know yet what that would eventually look like. Social work and later creating Breaking All Barriers LLC gave those parts of my personality a purpose.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://breakingallbarriersllc.square.site
• Instagram: Breaking All Barriers LLC
• Facebook: Breaking All Barriers LLC