When we first met with Tia Rochelle, it was the beginning of 2020, just before all of our worlds upended. On the very last day of 2021, I spoke with Tia and we were at the height of the pandemic, unsure if things would ever return to “normal.”

Tia will tell you herself that when Women of Cincy first interviewed her, she wasn’t exactly sure where her business, JahniSpot, was heading. She was adjusting to being an entrepreneur, balancing work and home, and ensuring her family was secure even though she was taking a risk.

A lot has changed with Tia.

As you will read, her household looks different now; her businesses have grown and expanded, and she’s ready to show the world Tia 2.0. She was in her kitchen cooking food for her family as she spoke with lively enthusiasm, but that’s just who Tia is – she makes it work.

Rest assured, Tia Rochelle has a plan for the future… even if the rest of us don’t.

On Second Thought is a chance for us to rediscover and catch up with past interviewees.

Interview by Olivia Taylor. Photography by Angie Lipscomb.

It's been over a year and a half since we talked to you. Can you give us a little bit of an update on yourself and your business?

A lot has changed with Tia Rochelle, with JahniSpot, and with my family. The last time we spoke we had just launched JahniSpot and a few weeks later, COVID hit. I shared some resources and areas that I tapped into as an entrepreneur and some benefits I tapped into. It was quite a journey, right?

I hit a wall, to be frank with you. I hit a wall that took me to a scary place as an entrepreneur. This is a real place as an entrepreneur. And I want to share this as a part of my journey because I'm now on the other side of that. I hit a bit of a depression. I hit a place where I no longer knew what I was designed to do. I didn't know what my purpose was. We were full-fledged in the pandemic. I didn't know who my customer was, what I was supposed to be doing, how I was supposed to penetrate. I was winging it. I had back surgery, my grandmother passed away, and life in my household took a drastic turn – my husband and I separated. I was taking professional and personal hits.

Things were happening left and right, outside of my control. You never really know how you're going to respond to that. As an entrepreneur, when you're hit with variables that are all outside of your control, it's tough. You're in a world where you have no control over how much money you're bringing in. You have no control over how many clients you're bringing in. You have no control over anything. I hit a wall, and it was a very scary time for me. I had to tap in and wave my flag for myself and say, "Okay, let me hit the reset button."

I had to seek help. I had to get counseling, and I had to reach out to my mentors. A lot of those women I talked about in the previous interview. I had to reach out to my village, and I heard, "You carry a lot. You carry a lot on your shoulders. You're responsible for a lot of people." Because of this, when stress shows up, it has a different effect on me. So, I had to dig deep and access a different level of faith this year. This year was a different level of activation for me. I'm now on a new level, a new journey of Tia.

I'm not perfect by any means, but I am working on rebuilding my life on my terms.

I'm reimagining who Tia 2.0 will be now: Think about writing a contract with yourself, and remember to renew a contract with yourself. I had to write a new contract with myself. I had to look at it as, "Okay, Tia, you know what, you've been through a hell of a lot. You are one tough cookie. Everything you've been through, none of it has broken you. None of it." You went through major back surgery and were down for 12 weeks. You went through a period where you had clients filled to the mountaintops and a period where you had no clients. You went through a period where you could pay your bills for six months straight in advance, and then you went through a period where you had no way to pay your bills. Yet, you paid your bills every month and had no idea how to pay your bills. It was nothing but God. That's faith.

So, I encourage everyone who has fallen into a rut to write a contract with yourself and includes the terms you will never doubt yourself again, you will always believe in yourself, you will always honor yourself, and always make sure your cup is full first. That's what this year has been about for me. I'm not perfect by any means, but I am working on rebuilding my life on my terms.

You mentioned making sure that you're serving yourself before you serve others, making sure that your cup is full before you pour other cups. So what does that look like for you? How do you make sure that you're not over exerting yourself and pushing yourself too far?

This is one of the biggest areas that I am working on in my life. I participated in a masterclass with Ms. Iyanla Vanzant during the first year of the pandemic. One of the primary learnings that I received from her is to make sure that our cup is full. What is in the cup is for us. What runs over (the overflow) is for everybody else. I can't give to anybody else unless my cup is full and overflowing. When she said that, I realized that I had been giving from an empty cup. When I realized that, it was life-changing. What's in the cup up to the tippy top is for me, and the overflow is for everybody else. I've literally been operating on fumes, and I've still been giving, giving, giving to everybody else. When she said that, my life changed. What that looks like for me now, I'll give you a recent example.

My very best friend – you know how you have a best friend that is a friend in the midnight hour – she reached out to me just yesterday. Now, this is my friend who could call me at three in the morning. I'm going to jump up. I don't care what she needs, and I will be there and vice versa. And she said, "Hey, sissy, time for a chat." And I was so overwhelmed yesterday, and my response was, "I can't right now; I'm so overwhelmed. I just need to disconnect right now. Meditate and pray. I need to reboot. I promise I'll follow up with you this week." I felt so jolted because I'd never said no to her. And guess what her response was to me? Her response was, "Absolutely. There is power in saying no." This may sound small to you, but it was major to me, because I am always so used to being always on and immediately available for everyone. At this moment, I choose to be available for me.

This is a major part of taking care of myself. Even just establishing boundaries with my family and with my children. I can't be everything to everybody. I have to learn how to exercise my "no" muscle. My "no" muscle is there for a reason. I've had to learn how to say it in different languages for different people at different times.

Can you tell us a little bit about what kind of services JahniSpot offers and the Tia Rochelle Agency?

Our services have really grown and evolved. We truly operate in our lane and focus on hospitality and event management. I have to say that we take care of people like none other. Our hospitality game is on point. The people I have had the pleasure and privilege of serving and supporting around the world will tell you that I support people in a way that no one else can do. When you do what God has created you to do, your spirit will only allow you to do it with excellence. I'm operating in my lane, and my lane is serving people with excellence in the realm of hospitality. For my team and me, we curate experiences.

With the experiences that we curate, they're like none other. I have two personal chefs who work with me on my experiences. I have an event designer that leads all of our design and decor. I have our hospitality concierge hostesses who will ensure that you and your party are taken care of with white-glove service. I have a preferred D.J. who will play any music you and your party need. I have my preferred photographers and videographers that will come in and give you the most amazing pictures and capture the most beautiful videos from your experience.

Let me tell you something: This world was meant to be disrupted. To do anything in this world, you have to be a disruptor.

As I mentioned operating in my lane, I am also preparing to launch JahniBlaq, an exclusive, high-end, membership-only concierge experience.

The Tia Rochelle Agency is a firm that develops and cultivates people, resources, businesses, and opportunities – purposefully connecting and aligning them to produce strategic, flourishing, and prosperous relationships.

And then there's the Power Plug. The Power Plug is a bi-weekly small business showcase and resource connector. We provide a platform for growing businesses and entrepreneurs to share their products and services, network, and increase and improve their business skills. This is a hybrid platform of both virtual and in-person events.

Can you tell us about an experience JahniSpot curated that you really enjoyed?

We had a recent experience that was simply divine for Denisha Porter, Executive Director of All-In Cincinnati. All-In Cincinnati is a racial equity coalition working to dismantle racial inequities in health, housing education, economic mobility, and justice with the goal to uplift and elevate Black women. Their end-of-year event was called “Queendom in the Queen City” and it was celebrating the power and the magic of Black women in Cincinnati. The event celebrated the advancement of Black women in their five focus pillars. So many beautiful, amazing and inspiring women were in attendance. Leading women in the nonprofit space, women in politics and government, women in education, women in business, entrepreneur-focused women, and professional women was powerful. At one point, I had to stop, sit back, watch and say to myself, "look at what came together because of the work of my team." It brought goosebumps to me. And then I saw Denisha in all of her glory. I saw her be honored and receive her flowers, and she was able to give honor and flowers to these amazing women. It just brought tears to my eyes because I did that, we did that.

Then just the other day, Denisha sent me a message. She said, “Hey, I watched the recap video of the ceremony, and it put a smile on my face. Thank you for being a part of this event, Tia. You are such an amazing person." It warmed my heart because it let me know that I still had a lasting impact on her even after her event.

I wanted to ask you what advice you would give a young woman wanting to become an entrepreneur or get into business because it is challenging, especially for young women of color, to break that ceiling.

The advice I want to give women today about breaking into entrepreneurship: get out of your way. Stop being so careful. Let me tell you something: This world was meant to be disrupted. To do anything in this world, you have to be a disruptor.

What I'm learning now is that nobody will allow you to come and just sit at their table. So Tia is going to build her own table. Write the vision, make it plain. Make a plan. Write it on a tablet and run with it. You have to be humble to get certain levels of access, but you also have to have a certain level of boldness. Perfection is irrelevant; instead, build up a team of people that will follow you, that will trust your vision, and that will support you to the end.

Can you talk a little bit about that community of support in Cincinnati, especially among Black entrepreneurs?

I would not be anything without my village. My village is so strong. This is my favorite topic, talking about all of my favorite women.

Let me start by honoring the queens that are part of JahniSpot.

Jasmine Parks is the passion and drive behind JahniSpot. She is the woman that will make sure that everyone is where they need to be and that everything gets done correctly. Jasmine is a mother; she is a career woman; she is an entrepreneur, a health and fitness coach. She is one of our two lead concierge hostesses. I couldn't do this business without her.

Lutriece Lewis is the fire, woman of faith, and motivator behind JahniSpot. She is our customer satisfaction leader. She will work with each customer to ensure that they are satisfied with every aspect of their service. Lutriece is a mom, a career woman, an entrepreneur, a speaker, a coach, and empowers young women and youth. This woman also prays for the success of our business like none other. She is one of our two lead concierge hostesses. I couldn't do this business without her.

Let's talk about Ms. Simone Charles. She is my preferred designer and the owner of Luxe + Noir Designs. Simone is the designer to the stars, honey. She is the best at her craft and in her lane. I rarely curate an experience without Ms. Simone Charles. She is truly the best in the business. You will rarely find someone who can listen to your ideas and your client's needs and come back with a design concept that fully captures what your client represents and has communicated.

Queens Village is a collective impact organization that fights high rates of infant mortality that disproportionately affect Black women in Cincinnati and beyond. Queens Village is a supportive community of powerful Black women who come together to relax, repower and take care of themselves and each other. I love this entire team. Meredith Shockley-Smith, Lucia Palmarini, Josselyn Okorodudu, Danyelle Bush, Dahlia Gulley, Crystal Brown, and Antwon Watson. They have been on this journey with JahniSpot since the very beginning. From the very start of JahniSpot, they've never left my side, and I have never left their side. Not only have they supported JahniSpot, but they have supported Tia Rochelle. And I will forever be a part of their extended team and family. It is such an honor and privilege to help this team. I will always support the Queens.

April Hurst of Great Lives Work and author of Woman on Fire is one of my sister-friends and business partners. We have the pleasure of working together with the Trio Consulting Group and P.P.L.S.I. April is my sister and my friend. She is one of the most driven women I have ever had the pleasure and privilege of meeting. She has motivated and inspired me in ways that you would never imagine. She has pushed me. She has supported me. She has challenged me. You need sister-friends that will not only love you, help you, uphold you but also challenge you. You need people who are going to say, "Hey, sis… I don't agree with that, or you can do better." I want to honor her and let everybody know you need an April Hurst in your life.

One lady that I must honor this time, who has made a huge impact in my life this year, is Renee Mahaffey Harris. She is the president and C.E.O at the Center for Closing the Health Gap. Renee Mahaffey Harris has changed my life. I was introduced to Renee as an executive liaison to assist her with a couple of projects at the end of 2020. She impacted me in a way that I was just in awe of the woman that she was. She's such a powerful woman. She has a quiet spirit – a very gentle but powerful spirit. That woman has such influence; she is a mover and a shaker. She cares about the people in such a way and at an unmatched level. She has become my mentor. I look up to her so much.

SheMoolah has changed my life. SheMoolah is reinventing the relationship between money and the women who make it. The ladies behind SheMoolah are Liz Kitchell and Dawn Parks. These women have supported me without end. They have changed my life regarding money and changed my relationship with money. They have helped me tap into my innermost emotional being related to my relationship with money and my emotions with money. We've had calls in tears about money and about the blocks that have gone on down to emotional childhood trauma. They have helped me tap in.

It’s the last day of 2021. What are you manifesting for 2022 for yourself and your businesses?

I am healing and becoming whole. I am growing and glowing. I am finding, and more importantly, loving, Tia. I'm going to be bigger and better in 2022 and beyond. JahniSpot is going to be bigger and better than we have ever been. 2022 is going to be my breakout year. I'm so excited. God has already shown me everything. He has blessed it.

I am beginning my transcendental meditation again, 20 minutes a day, twice a day. I'm getting back to my workouts because I was down for 12 weeks, but now I'm clear to work out, and I love to dance. I realize that God has taken me to the next level of excellence. I am on my journey to my next level of greatness, but if I don't take care of myself, I can't get there. My physical health and fitness are extremely important to me now, and my spiritual space is of the utmost importance. Prayer and meditation are a top priority for me now. Without it, I cannot get to my next level of excellence and greatness.

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On Second Thought: Tia Rochelle on Reaching the Next Level and Building Your Own Table