Meet LaVonia Tryon | Author. Counselor. Fellow Journeyer

We had the good fortune of connecting with LaVonia Tryon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi LaVonia, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
I would truly say that the single most important decision I made other than starting my business, was deciding to niche down to a very specific target audience and then sticking with it. There is a lot of rhetoric that says that we can do it all, have it all. And I agree – once we define what ‘all’ is, on a personal level. When first starting out, it’s hard and it’s lonely. And it’s very difficult not to compare your day 3 with someone else’s year 3. And then you see other people seemly blowing up in other industries and you say, well maybe I can add that too. So, I tried that. I tried to diversify my brand before I actually solidified the foundation of my brand, and that doesn’t work. If I’m not convinced of my product and my services enough to stick with them, even when I don’t see the growth that I would like, then I can’t expect someone else to buy into it. So I niched down and set my focus and ministry to target Single women – divorced, single again and single for longer than they had invisioned – empowering them to heal their hearts of trauma, overcome trust issues, restore & revive their faith in God and be ready to love again, by first loving themselves. And that has made ALL the difference. When things get tough, when I’m not seeing the growth that I would like, when I’m not bringing in the clientele that I think I should – I don’t have to check my brand – I know that the problem may be in my marketing, finding my target audience, maybe a lull in activity or consistency – but it’s not my messaging. And there is a peace in that.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
‘Art imitates life far more than life imitates art’- Oscar Wilde. I believe this to be true. Many of us are walking around imitating a lifestyle of what we believe it means to be healed, healthy and whole – but never truly getting there. We imitate what we believe we should be doing, how we should be living, and we base it on what we see instead of uncovering the true meaning of it for ourselves. We are wearing masks and imitating the lives we think we should be living and many of us don’t even know it. Our true selves are even hidden from us. Michaelangelo said ‘Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.’ I take this same approach with every Journeyer that I encounter. I call my clients ‘Journeyers’ because I recognize that we are all on a discovery of our own unique path in this life, and finding the purpose in it. I believe what But-I-FLY Ministries and Single NOT Alone seeks to accomplish is to uncover the true beauty that has always been there. My proudest moment is also found in my biggest challenge. When I get to journey alongside a woman as she braves the areas of trauma, hurt, pain, neglect, disappointment and pain that she’s been living with for far too long and truly takes off the mask to allow those areas to breathe and come to the light to heal – this is the most beautiful experience. But it is also one that many don’t often get to discover for themselves. In order to be healed, we must first believe that we need to be healed, and then do the hard work of moving from the comfort of our pain, to the reward of our healing – which isn’t an easy process. My business and my ministry were birthed out of my greatest pain of trusting and waiting for my happily ever after, only to go through a gut-wrenching divorce 4 years later. Learning to heal my own wounds and see the beautymarks in all my scars – I did mostly alone because I was too scared, embarassed and ashamed to allow someone else into my pain. Now my desire and hope is to ensure that no other woman has to heal alone. As a Coach, Counselor and Author – I journey alongside of women from an ‘if I healed, so can you’ honesty and I empower them to do the same. Singleness is a status, but loneliness is a choice. And we can choose to Journey together.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Spending majority of my life in Houston, I am always a bit nervous when a friend comes to visit and wants to go to all the hotspots, becuase that’s a lot of pressure, lol. What makes Houston, Houston? The people, the culture. If I had someone visiting me – I would want them to experience Houston in a way that is authentic. Based on their personality and interests we would build an itinery to get the most out of the visit. Visiting the Galleria, City Centre for great food and live music, Discovery Green for a concert on the hill and walking through the Japenese Garden. We would do a Museum haul on Thursday and discover the hidden gems of smaller niched artistry, including the American Cowboy Museum, Buffalo Soldier Museum, Art Car Museum. We would visit Emancipation Park and Kemah. We would spend the day in Galveston checking out local attractions. And we would eat – Sunshines, Harry’s, Hungry’s, Black Walnut Cafe, House of Blues (and check out a concert there too), Lucille’s, Soul Food Vegan, Ray’s BBQ, The Breakfast Club, This is IT, Telewink and more. Coffee at Throughgood Coffee. We would drive through neighborhoods in River Oaks and 3rd Ward to see the beauty of the diversity of the city that I love.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My girls – the Affirmation Aunties under House of Influence on Clubhouse, and The Krave Fitness Glow-up Squad based in Australia. These ladies have literally changed my life in the past 2 years, and most of them I’ve never met in person. Genuine support and unconditional positive regard makes people family more than blood ever could. These ladies daily support, encourage, inspire and empower me. We celebrate each others wins, we mourn with each other when life gets hard, we focus on the good and journey through the not so good days. Together. I’m grateful that God placed these two groups collectively and each individual woman in my life. When the world was shutting down, my heart opened to a group of ladies spread all over the US and a tribe in Australia – and for that I could never express my gratitude. I love you ladies.

Website: www.lavoniartryon.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lavoniartryon

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lavonia-tryon-1b914a243/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lavoniartryon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lavonia.tryon/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClvDbaYRqvq94mW1nyX0K4w

Image Credits
Vandi Moore Photography