Dr. Tanya Davis | Women Who Rock Nashville
Founder of Women Who Rock Nashville
Dr. Tanya Davis, an accomplished author and entrepreneur, is the founder of Women Who Rock Nashville, an established organization with the aim of recognizing the achievements of women from all walks of life, from hidden figures to high profilers. Their goal is to provide a platform that brings awareness to the incredible women who make Nashville rock, spanning various fields such as entrepreneurship, education, healthcare, politics, activism, cancer survival, domestic violence survival, recovery, entertainment, organizations, and more.
What businesses do you run?
Dr. Tanya Davis is an entrepreneur, realtor, author, and the visionary behind Women Who Rock Nashville. This initiative celebrates and honors women from all walks of life, from the streets to corporate boardrooms, who give back to their communities while striving to improve their own lives.
How did you get started as an entrepreneur?
Dr. Davis’s entrepreneurial journey began during a tumultuous period marked by addiction and homelessness. For over nine years, she faced unimaginable hardships—living in abandoned buildings and enduring trauma. Despite having a home to return to, she chose a different path at the time.
Her turning point came when she was arrested and found herself in federal custody. As she navigated the challenges of withdrawal, she noticed women in prison who took pride in their appearance. Inspired, she experimented with cutting hair using toenail clippers, igniting a passion that would shape her future. After being encouraged to pursue cosmetology, she attended Michigan College of Beauty, graduating in 1990.
How do you think about growth in your current business? How do you plan for the future?
Dr. Davis’s success is built on a foundation of exceptional customer service. She believes that prioritizing client satisfaction is essential for long-term success. Her commitment to making things right, even when clients were dissatisfied, helped her establish a thriving clientele without the need for traditional marketing.
As her career progressed, opportunities for teaching and promoting arose organically. She embraced these roles, driven by her desire to meet the needs of her community. Reflecting on her growth, she recognizes that every interaction behind the chair was not just a business transaction, but a chance to uplift others.
Looking ahead, Dr. Davis is excited about the future of Women Who Rock Nashville as they approach their fifth anniversary. What began as an initiative to honor a handful of women has grown into a movement that has recognized nearly 285 individuals for their contributions to society.
What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Dr. Tanya Davis encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to focus on the needs of their communities and to embrace their unique journeys. She emphasizes the importance of resilience, sharing that her path was not always clear, but each experience added to her growth.
Her advice is to prioritize customer service and be adaptable in the face of challenges. By remaining open to opportunities and staying connected to the community, aspiring entrepreneurs can find their own paths to success. Ultimately, she believes that giving back is the greatest reward of all.
“If you are doing anything in the community to give back... those are the people we want to hire”
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Dr. Tanya Davis 0:00
My name is Dr. Tanya Davis. I am an entrepreneur. I am a realtor. I am an author, and I do a lot of production crack the Christ started with me being on crack, of course, being out there for nine years, practicing homeless, kidnapped, raped, stabbed, living in abandoned buildings, sleeping in alleys. And that was my choice. Of course, I did have a house to go to, but I chose. That was my choice at the time. I think I stayed out there nine plus years, and they came to the house that day and arrested me. I got to the car, and I turned around and looked at the police. I said, what took y'all so long I wanted to be arrested from what I was going through going into the federal prison at that time, you're still going through withdrawals, and when the smoke clears, is what I say, um, I got up and I saw these ladies walking around with makeup, their hair being done, and I was like, who's doing this? And so I went back to my cell, and I looked over at the stand, and I said, I wonder, can I cut with those toenail clippers because scissors were contraband. And I got up and I cut my bangs straight across. And I couldn't wait to get up the next day and try it on somebody else and use them as a guinea pig, right? And I did that, and I started cutting so many cuts, they thought we had scissors somewhere, and they told me, when you get out of here, you need to go to cosmetology school. And I heeded to the car, and my career soared for 34 years, man. So I went to Michigan College of beauty. They were starting the program, and I started, and I graduated in 1990 got my license and everything. And my career started before I even graduated. Well, first and foremost, I would say I built it on customer service. That's what going to have you last long in the business, even if you don't like their hair, do it over. Even if they don't like the hair, do it over. And I pride myself on that. So that's what built that huge clientele. I would be lying if I said I knew, even knew I was an entrepreneur at the time. I'm just moving. I'm just creating different avenues that were a part of where I was. It was so much opportunity open. You know, just standing behind the chair, you already have the clientele. I don't even have to go get it. I don't have to go door to door. I don't have to do all of that. I just present it and people see it and they will buy it. The other thing is that, moving forward, people would have me come and teach. So I became an educator. I became a promoter. And didn't even know I was doing that. I'm just doing what I feel the people needed and wanted, and trying to bring it to them, and then you give back. You know, from day one, it was such a touching moment, when you can go back into a prison, not handcuffs, not to stay, but to walk in freely and give back what was freely given to me, because there were people ministries and everybody that came in when I was there. And I always said that I was like, when I get out of here, I'm coming back. So of course, we've done the hair, we've done shows. We've given back, we've been back in the prisons and the whole nine yards, and I still have a passion for women. But how the name came about women who rock is because I have too many friends that are of other cultures, right? So I was like, can't be a black thing. And so God gave me women who rock Nashville. We honor women from all walks of life, and in layman's terms, from the hood to the boardroom, but if you're doing anything in the community to give back, of course, elevating your own situation and then turning around and making that platform be able to help others, those are the people we really want to honor. So our next year is our fifth anniversary, and I am excited about it just to last that long with the ideal of wanting to just celebrate and give back to about 12 people. Turns around, we've honored almost 285 women in the process.
