Our conversation with Tastey Blackman was a breath of fresh air. Her humility, confidence, and focus on who she is as a woman is outstanding and rare. She is that sister you know will have your back and push you to the highest point of greatness. Her drive and passion for helping people and businesses grow are stand-out qualities. Tastey grew up with a deep family bond that taught her the values of nurturing, independence, and what she describes as “ultra-confidence”.
Tastey grew up in rural Jamaica, St. Catherine to be exact, in a community that she adored, she considers herself an authentic country girl, where growing up she had the firsthand experience of a true Jamaican childhood; one that taught you the basic values in life, of kindness and people caring and sharing with each other. She described those days as the good old days, where her kindness was displayed in her household, her community, and her school.
It was while at school that she decided on a career path in medicine, having discovered a love and a strong desire to care for people. With this strong conviction, she pursued the sciences and was accepted to a University in the USA, but fate would send her life in a different direction. Life has a way of opening opportunities to us or moving our lives in a different way than expected, and it is when we move in rhythm with it, and that puts us on our life’s journey.
In her words:
I am a mother of two lovely young women. I went to St. Jago High School, where I formed many friendships and developed an outgoing personality that facilitated the extrovert I am today. My unusual name also forced me out of being a shy country girl into a more extroverted person because I often found myself the center of many conversations as persons wanted to know the story behind the name. I had to learn how to graciously respond without getting upset by the nature of the questions. I definitely know I am sociable; I love exercising, and cooking which also means I love to entertain friends and family at my home.
My passion— raising or supporting children, not just my own children, but sharing my knowledge with them, and seeing them develop through mentoring and coaching. I love to support businesses also, to facilitate their revenue growth and expansion into new market markets and territories. I love a good challenge, so I will seek to collaborate with businesses that are either not doing well, want to grow, or haven’t yet realized their true potential and work with those businesses to get them on a growth path.
TBWM: I hear a lot of nurturing, whether it’s children or businesses. Where did that come from?
Tastey: My mother and grandmother, both Baptist preachers, would take in several children from the community and help to steer them and provide opportunities where they may have been none. I was raised in a household with many children, I actually thought they were all my brothers and sisters until I knew the difference. So, nurturing came naturally because of what I witnessed as a child. With those positive female role models, my actions were founded in this potent sense of equality, giving back, supporting others, and expecting nothing in return. It was purely on a love basis, and a desire to build up others. It became a part of me then, consciously, or subconsciously, I am the environment in which I was raised.
Her Influences and Passion and The Importance of a support system.
My Influences were definitely my mother and my father, they had two different outlooks about life. My father was all about integrity, discipline, values, morals, and justice for all because he believed strongly in an egalitarian system that looked out for others. My mother, on the other hand, is the one who spent more time nurturing. I received a blend of both outlooks that now influences my perspective and has directed my life. I always ask the question—is this the right thing to do? I’m unwilling to move ahead if I am unable to validate my decisions, or, answer in the affirmative that the action I am taking is ethical, morally right, and good for society. I feel accomplished when children develop and grow to their full potential, fulfilling their dreams and ambitions. I have had the pleasure of raising my two daughters and several of my nieces, nephews, and younger cousins and seeing them through school to the college level, including a niece, who went to medical school. I will continue to support them through their young adult life.
I received countless support in different ways throughout my personal and career life, so I am very aware of the benefits of having that solid support system. As I look back on the many times I decided to switch careers, my support came from those who have either done it before me and from those who were also willing to show me the pathway that enabled my success. Even in my business success, I’ve had the benefit of great mentors, coaches, great business leaders who have shared their know-how and successes with me. True leaders to me are very liberal with sharing their experience and knowledge.
TBWM: Having many mentors and coaches suggests that you are coachable. I recently had a conversation where the matter of vulnerability came up. What are your thoughts on vulnerability, and how does it lend itself to being coachable?
Tastey: I am not embarrassed or ashamed to say, I do not know, I need your help. It speaks volumes when I demonstrate vulnerability because, I am saying to the coach, mentor, or whomever that knows more than I do, that I respect your experience or expertise and that I want to benefit from what you are willing to share. I declare this upfront with others so that they are consciously aware that I have a genuine need and that I equally respect all that they bring to the table.
I think pride plays a part in our inability to be vulnerable. People are, I think, afraid of saying, I do not know, they’re not comfortable, they feel there will be a judgement that shows them up as lesser, incapable, or incompetent. I think the opposite, I think if someone says that they do not know, that is actually showing a strength, I do not think about it as a weakness. My interest is in learning from you, to be coached by you. So, even if you are overly critical, I do not take it personally. I don’t want to reinvent the wheel if there is no need, I do not want to learn from my own mistakes if I do not have to make them. It costs nothing to be your authentic self- vulnerabilities included. Persons are working for 10 years with only one year of experience, and I believe that is partially a result of not being vulnerable and not willing to admit that they do not know. Their unwillingness or feelings of embarrassment are the very obstacles that holds them back and will keep them stuck in that position for another 10 years. If we are going to stay quiet for fear of embarrassment or to avoid criticism, I can only say that there are more people out there who are willing to help you than to be critical of you. It pays to say “I need your help”, or “I do not know” you will get the help, and you will be better off.
Tastey on challenges faced in a male-dominated space
I have faced fewer of the obstacles that other women have had to deal with, but I am very aware of all that we face. I’m passionate about female empowerment in business, so I look forward to a space where men and women are treated equally and have equal opportunities to advance their ambitions.
So, what do you do when you are the “only” woman in the room, and you immediately become the exception? You feel the bias because you are in the minority, and there may be covert discrimination. It is a challenge, but one that we must confidently and boldly face because, if you are in the room, you are there for a reason, so speak up, don’t just lean in…make your presence felt!
Another challenge I have experienced that is common among women is trying to create a work-life balance in a predominantly male space. In most instances, women are still the caregivers who have to balance the home and multitask at many different levels. Single moms, raising their family and trying to succeed at the corporate level to grow their career to be successful in business or to operate their own business.
In the business workspace, there’s a stereotype that says women are more emotional than men and less decisive. I would like to redefine emotional, from emotional to emotionally intelligent. Being emotionally intelligent is not a flaw or a disadvantage, I believe it has its advantage by bringing diversity to discussions and processes that we engage in. As for men being more decisive, because it has taken us so long to be in positions of power, those before us had less room to fail forward! Decisions may have taken longer, but I am also sure they were usually also more accurate. And then, there is setting the standards a little lower for women to make it easier because we will never get to the bar or the male standard—it is going to be hard for us. They then look down on us and write us off…
Read more of Tastey Blackman’s feature/story in our 12th issue of TheBeyondWoman Magazine…
