Terisha Lee is a native of Kentucky and a Ph.D. candidate at St. Thomas University in Florida. As a speaker and researcher, Lee’s focus has been in the areas of faith, purpose and resiliency. She is currently conducting research on the resiliency of African American women.
As a Black woman, what do you consider your superpower to be?
Resilience! My ability to adapt, adjust, maintain and redirect. Black women have always mirrored strength and resilience amid adversity. My Mother was an amazing example to me of resilience, but it is from my daughters that I learned we are born with it. Even as children they are already showing me their powers and revealing my own power more and more.
What thoughtful or encouraging piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
“Learn all you can learn and when you know better, do better.” – Dr. Maya Angelou. Soak it in. Soak it up. Instead of being ashamed of what you don’t know to take advantage of every opportunity to learn new ways. Don’t let them fool you, they don’t know it all either.
If you could thank any Black woman history maker for her contributions to society, who would it be and why?
Maya Angelou, Michelle Obama, Fannie Lou Hamer [and] all the nameless women whose faces we see that make up the multitudes marching during the Civil Rights Movement. I would thank them all for their courage and tenacity to step out and do things no one else had done. They dared to be role models and set a standard of excellence that many strive for but few attain.
What are your thoughts on taking risks? Making mistakes?
I once had a conversation with a close family member about my fears going into a new season, and I will never forget his words: “Go and fail if you have to, but you can not stay where you are.” The notion to go and fail if I must but go knowing that I will gain knowledge and experience I would not otherwise gain simply staying put was an amazing revelation to me that I never forgot. It helped me to realize that even in mistakes there is a purpose and some risks you simply must take if you truly desire to excel.
Tell us about your business and why you chose this.
Propensities by Terisha Lee is a platform for empowerment and purpose. As a speaker and as an advocate, I work with individuals to introduce new propensities (habits, characteristics) that assist in propelling people to the next level. For people feeling stuck, stagnant or lost, through my workshops and speaking platforms, I focus on three areas: faith, purpose and success. When partnering with Propensities by Terisha Lee, we define and redefine purpose, increased faith, how to find purpose, walking in success and what may be holding you back from walking in purpose.
What innovative techniques do you apply to your craft?
What makes me innovative at my craft is that I am passionately curious. I am always looking to grow, learn and expand. I use a multi-discipline approach. Because I come from a varied academic and professional background, I am not approaching things from one dimension. … I’m not just providing inspiration I am assisting with change, defining and redefining things that aren’t working in your life so that you can excel in life, in faith and in purpose. That is a true success.
What are the three most important factors in being a successful woman?
– Not allowing anyone else to define success for you. It’s a personal journey that shouldn’t be tainted by others’ standards of who they think you should be.
– Being able to celebrate others as they excel is very important.
– Not being dependent on the applause of others. It will be a difficult journey if you are doing it for the praise. Just as quickly as it is given it can be taken away by the same people.
