How to Get Over Yourself & Show Up Authentically ft. Tiana Patterson, Esq. | Ep. 97 Artwork

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How to Get Over Yourself & Show Up Authentically ft. Tiana Patterson, Esq. | Ep. 97

March 09, 2026 • Aliya Cheyanne • Season 6 • Episode 97

0:00 | 1:33:35

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What if choosing yourself made everything lighter—your work, your health, even your glow? That’s the energy we bring to this conversation with Attorney and Founder Tiana Patterson, Esq., who walked away from a demanding leadership role to build two ventures that feel wholly like her: Twelve Point Strategies, consultancy for mission-driven nonprofits, and Old Dog New Treats, a research-backed treat line designed especially for senior dogs.

If you’ve been waiting for permission to pivot, consider this your green light. You’ll leave with tangible steps: read your labels, use free resources like the SBA, ask your network for help, price with confidence, and build community around what you love.

Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who needs courage to switch lanes, and leave a review with the one fear you’re ready to release next.

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Choosing Freedom Over Titles

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 0:35

So it's ironic, but the less I try to define myself in a any particular term or uh industry, the more I felt like, oh, I I do have the freedom to do this. Nobody's telling me what I can and cannot do. So just do it. And and that has kind of been the mantra that's created more of this spark, I think, that I have. A lot of folks have told me I have a glow that they haven't seen in me in years. I joke that it's retinol, but I do get what they mean. And I feel it. I I feel lighter, I feel smarter, I feel less unencumbered. And so that's kind of where that was part of the creativity in old dogney treats was there's a lot of, oh, they're getting old, it's a sad time of life. And I wanted to push that off and say, you know what? It's it is a hard time. I know that this is her final chapter, but I also have the privilege of being, having been her mom since she was eight weeks old.

Aliya Cheyanne 1:40

Yeah.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 1:40

And that is something that I still want to honor. And in her last stage, this is kind of a love letter to ghosts, but also to all senior pets out there. They are still loved, they are still around, and they should still be celebrated.

Meet Tiana: Lawyer Turned Founder

Aliya Cheyanne 2:03

Hi everyone. Welcome back to the show. Thank you so much for being here. And I'm so excited today to be joined by a very special guest, Tiana Patterson Esquire. We cannot forget to put the Esquire on that because that's a big deal. Hi Tiana, how are you? I'm good. How are you? I'm doing well. I'm super excited to be chatting with you today. I'm really looking forward to our conversation. Tiana is doing some really cool work, some really important work, some really cool things. We're going to be talking about not one, but two of her businesses. So before we jump into that, though, I wanted to share a little bit with our audience about how I know of you, Tiana, how I met you and our work. And we were just talking briefly about how in our past we worked at a national affordable housing nonprofit. And Tiana was on the Denver team. I was on the New York team. And we met a couple of times in the DC area at the company's DC office because of lobby days, policy days. And that's how I first met Tiana. But then I saw some really cool posts on LinkedIn recently of not one, but two of her businesses. And I said, okay, I have to reach out to her to see if I can get her on the show to see if we can talk more. So I'm really excited to jump into 12-point strategies and old dog new treats. But before that, Tiana, I want to kick it over to you to share a little bit more about who you are in the world today and how you'd like to be known. Yeah.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 3:37

And so simple question. For me, when I was thinking about that, it really came to I want to be someone who feels content and happy and fulfilled. And that really is in the building of the those businesses. I've really had to, you know, confront some things about myself, people-pleasing tendencies and a tendency to kind of dim my own light to make other people feel comfortable, particularly as a lawyer, a black woman in a in Colorado, which is not the most diverse state in the world. And I realized I had really been making myself sick doing that all the time. The person that you see now is a person who lost 70 pounds, who reconnected with my husband of 15 years as the person I wanted to be. And even though all of this has been scary and we're going to dive into how sometimes insane I feel, ultimately I don't regret one day of this. And I just feel like I'm a happy, content, calm, stronger person. And that's how I want to show up in the world.

The Birth Of Old Dog New Treats

Aliya Cheyanne 4:56

Yeah, that's so beautiful. Thank you for sharing that with me. I know like there are obviously hard parts to that, but that's so deeply vulnerable. And it's so important to like live a life that feels authentic and aligned. And I love what you said about being a calmer version of yourself and wanting to have a calmer life, but also how you've had to dim your own light. I feel like so many black women, especially, have had to do that, but particularly, like you said, in a place like Colorado and beyond, and what a profound accomplishment it is to have esquire the end of your name, to be an accomplished lawyer and to be in spaces where you feel like you have to tone it down or dim it down to be likable for others to accept you. So it's really wonderful to see you on the other side of that navigating those changes. Congratulations on losing losing weight, 70 pounds down. That's a big thing. I know it might be scary if it's like health-related, but at the same time, there's so many people like me who are struggling with weight loss. So to hear that is just like, ooh, that's very powerful. And I love that through doing this work, it has allowed you to reconnect with your husband, reinvigorate your marriage in some capacity too. And I'm really eager to jump into everything. So thank you for setting the stage for us so so wonderfully. But yeah, let's let's talk about everything. So I'm gonna try to make this flow as smoothly as possible. But I kind of want to start with old dog new treats just because I too am a dog mom. I have a dog named Storm. So I'm really excited about like what kind of inspired you to create old dog new treats. So I've seen a little bit about that backstory online on LinkedIn, but for people who are not familiar with Old Dog New Treats who haven't heard your story before, can you share a little bit more about how it started?

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 6:56

Yeah. I think anyone who knows me knows that I I'm a pretty big dog mom myself. I wear that badge proudly. And for me, I have a 15-year-old dog named Ghostface. Uh, you probably heard about her back in the Enterprise days. I think I heard about Storm. That sounds really familiar to you. But, you know, she's getting up there. She's she's past senior, she's actually a geriatric at this point. Um, which is really when your dog reaches 10 plus years. So after I decided to leave my job, I was kind of like, Well, what do I do? At first, I was like, oh, I'll just do all these interviews, I'll get another job. And I didn't really want to. And my husband was just like, Well, you've been talking about a dog treat company for 10 years. Why don't you try that? He's like, You make treats for our dogs, you you care about them, you care about their nutrition. I definitely use my legal skills and research to make sure I'm giving my dogs the best. And so from that, I kind of started looking around. Dog treats are uh everywhere. But what I didn't see were seniors. I didn't see senior treats that still celebrated how fun they are, how unique they are, it, but also had really functional ingredients. So I felt like a lot of senior stuff is kind of all about their ailments, like here's our joint, here's this, here's that, but not about like celebrating what it is we're giving them to make their lives better. I started looking at making two formulas. I have two formulas right now. I have six in the pipeline. And the first one is called Brain Boost, and it has lion's mane mushroom and turmeric to support brain health and focus. Tenderheart was inspired by Ghostface. She has a heart condition, and it has hawthornberry and beetroot and taurine in it. All those things help circulation and help your heart beat stronger. I looked at human and canine peer-reviewed studies about those ingredients, and I wasn't seeing them incorporated into treats. Again, they were an additional supplement you could buy or just something else you could buy for your dog. And I thought, wouldn't it be nice to know that I'm gonna give them something anyway, and it has good ingredients in it and it has functional ingredients in it. And so from there, I kind of just started experimenting in my kitchen. Well, my kitchen was a mess for quite a while, but I did it. But I I really found a formula that worked. I wanted to make sure it was soft. You know, I really was trying to think about every piece of a senior help that I had this little girl at my feet all the time wanting to try and be my test taster. She was a very is a very good one. And once I got her seal of approval, I was like, I think I have something. So I actually ate those treats myself. They're human grade. They taste like like a cliff bar, kind of like a blander cliff bar. I had that in Colorado for a long time. I'm like, what is that reference anyway? Um, but they're soft, they're chewy. And actually, most importantly, in my research, I learned a lot of dog treats have sugar in them. Cane sugar, molasses, honey. They'll dress it up however they want, but it's in there, and it's usually in the top three or four, three to five ingredients, which means there's a quite a bit of it in there. So my thing was no added sugar in my treats. And I realized it was you got me started. I realized the reason why sugar's in some of those treats is to make it soft. It's a texture thing, it also helps preserve them. But I was like, but it's not necessary. So I figured out a way to make the treats, keep them soft, make them shelf stable without adding any sugar in there.

Formulating Functional, Sugar‑Free Treats

Aliya Cheyanne 11:02

Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Like there are so many like thoughtful elements to that, but also so many practical ones too that I think are really inspiring. And you're making me think about like, look at my dog's treats and ingredients. And like, I just she's a very picky girl. So I have to pick what she even likes to eat anyway. But um, you know, as folks who listen to this show know I spend way too much time on TikTok, but also the amount of it has that name for a reason. The amount of people I've seen who are coming out and talking about like how harmful certain foods and treats actually are for our dogs, and how we need to be more mindful of the ingredients that are going into these products that we're buying for them. And you talking about all of the sugar that's in dog products makes me think about like human food too. There's so much unnecessary sugar in so much of our food as well. Like, it only makes sense that they're pumping our dog food up with sugar too. And it's interesting to me that you said all of your stuff is also human grade. So you've tested it as well. And I have a best friend who's also a dog owner. She's a Rottweiler and a corgi. And I told her about these sweet potato treats that I get from my dog. She's like, Why don't you just bake real sweet potato and give? I was like, sometimes I do like the potato skins and sweet potato, but she likes these like dried ones. She was like, Would you eat it? I was like, no, girl, it's dog treat. She's like, Why would you give it to your dog if it's not like good enough for you to eat? And I was like, you know, I don't have the budget to be out here giving my dog like these premium uh, you know, some of the things I see online sometimes, like fresh steak and like whatever every day. But I can be more mindful about like making sure I'm picking healthier treats. And I love the ingredients that you listed for the treats that you're creating with old dog new treats that are mindful of brain health and heart health, like knowing that Ghostface has a heart condition. That sort of thoughtfulness and mindfulness is really beautiful, but I also love that you're building in a lot of like practical needs for dogs and just this niche of like specifically senior dogs or what we would consider geriatric dogs and like their needs, because a lot of times people are focused on puppies or like younger dogs, and it's like, hello, we want them here as long as we can have them. Like, why don't we still care and why aren't we thoughtful for that stage of life too? So I want to talk a little bit more about the creativity of this work because, like you said, your kitchen was a mess for a while, but I could imagine that experimenting and trying new things like brought out a little bit of a creative side that maybe you were tapped into, maybe you weren't. So I would love to talk a little bit more about what old dog new treats has taught you about, like creativity and and entrepreneurship.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 14:46

Yeah, those are great. First, I would say I encourage everyone to turn over their bag of treats and look at the ingredients. Not every treat brand has them, but more than I was expecting, and even premium ones had them. And that is where I was like, huh, okay. I don't, I don't love this. So when it came to the creativity part, though, I it's funny, I never really considered myself a creative person. Or maybe just creative in the context of like, what's a policy or what's something, what's a new way to look at something? But I never thought of myself as like a maker or an artist in that kind of sense, you know. But what I started with was just what would I like? What are the kind of treats I like to buy for my dogs and what are kind of the base ingredients of it? So for me, it was like, well, I gotta do oat flour, because senior dogs have sensitive tummies. We all do as we get older. Oat flour is good. I don't really subscribe to like you need to give your dog steak or human-grade ingredients all the time. But I do think it's important that you be able to recognize the ingredients. And there is heart in what I was doing. So instead of trying to define myself as an artist or as, oh, I don't normally do this, I was trying to embrace a different label, which is I care about something, I want to bring it into the world, and I want it to feel authentic and fun and like me and like Ghostface. I started from there, and then I was like, well, what are the ingredients I really like? Like Tenderheart has apple, carrot in it, and blueberries. All great. They all also serve purpose beyond flavor of like fiber and antioxidants, things like that. So it would be amazing to just start there. I tried not to give myself a label. I only tried to work from what is it I want and what is it I want to see. Because I think sometimes we can all get wrapped up in that. So that was really the creative part of the creative process, which I surprised myself with was pushing away any sort of label and just wanting to do something good. And from there I was like, now I feel like I can do anything. So I started thinking about at first they were just simple, more simple treats. And then I started thinking about like, oh, well, what if I added in these functional ingredients, the beetroot and all of that, as I was studying good ingredients, I started learning more about the dual benefits of food. Uh and it was probably it was also informed by my own health journey, as I mentioned before, but food and medicine go together in my mind. Yes. And I wanted something that would be that would serve that purpose, that would hopefully be gentle enough for most dogs to enjoy and consume, even if they're medically complex, like my little ghost face is. She's on a lot of heads.

Aliya Cheyanne 17:52

Yeah.

Creativity, Packaging, And Joyful Branding

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 17:53

And that is what I was trying to go forward with. And once I kind of gave myself that permission, I found the ideas flowing. And then I started thinking about like lion's main mushroom. And my next formula is it's a mobility treat because a lot of people asked me about that. And I was like, well, I don't want to just do the glucosamine traditional thing. So I started looking into like tart cherry. It actually has joint cushioning properties. Um, using turmeric and black pepper, that anti-inflammatory piece as well. That's where my creativity came from, really, was I know that there are supplements and things already available that have those common ingredients in them. What if I just took a slightly different path and said, we can look at food and traditional supplements as a part of my dog's overall health? And so, yeah, it was really the formulations were really where it started. And then I'd say the packaging is actually where I allowed myself to be a little bit more like, you can be fun. Uh, because I was looking at other senior dog treats, and a lot of them kind of come in these neutral, kind of boring colors. It's all about like their gentle time or whatever they call them. And I was like, well, I think having a senior dog is a colorful experience. It's no day is ever the same. They keep you on your toes, whether it's their health, their attitude, whatever, their bossiness. So I made sure that each of my treats are packaged in really bright or at least colorful colors. So Tenderheart is red, as you might imagine, but it's this lovely like coral red that I love. And then uh brain boost is in this like deeper green that I just love. And it it stands out when my treats are in your pet codes or whatever. Speak it. I was really thinking about how I would want someone to stop and go, oh, what's that? Just because it looks a little different, it has joy in it. It's a little cheeky as well. And actually, I have a package sitting right here. Like on the back, this is Brain Boost. So I have a cute little rendering of an older dog. Um, and then on the back, I actually put me, my husband, Riza, our five-year-old, and Ghostface, who's the inspiration and actually is the logo for old dog and treats on the back. Yeah. Because I also wanted to create that connection. So it's ironic, but the less I try to define myself in any particular term or uh industry, the more I felt like, oh, I I do have the freedom to do this. Nobody's telling me what I can and cannot do. So just do it. And and that has kind of been the mantra that's created more of this spark, I think, that I have. A lot of folks have told me I have a glow that they haven't seen in me in years. I joke that it's retinol, but I do get what they mean. And I feel it. I feel lighter, I feel smarter, I feel less unencumbered. And so that's kind of where that was part of the creativity in old dog me treats was there's a lot of, oh, they're getting old, it's a sad time of life. And I wanted to push that off and say, you know what, it's it is a hard time. I know that this is her final chapter, but I also have the privilege of being, having been her mom since she was eight weeks old.

Aliya Cheyanne 22:21

Yeah.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 22:21

Aliya Cheyanne 22:36

Yeah. Wow, why am I getting emotional? That's so sweet. I'm just like, especially in this era where like so many of us are so chronically online, you see everything. Um, and there are a lot of people sharing really sad aspects of that stage. And it kind of gives a lot of people, especially me, like anticipatory grief. And I'm just like, why am I like getting caught up in that? Like instead of just enjoying the time I have, like, with her and enjoying her now. And I love the way you framed Old Dog Nutrients as a love letter to Ghostface. Like, I feel like that's so powerful and so profound, and what a beautiful way to like honor her life and to still be pouring into her and like, you know, treating her in such a wonderful way, like from the liveliness and youthfulness of the packaging to the nutrient-rich ingredients that you're putting into the treats themselves, and to just the mission behind it. And I know I'll be looking out and I'll be very excited to see your brand in the pet stores. I can't wait to be able to order it off Chewy. Like, we're picking all these things into existence. Like, this is so exciting. And I love the way you framed how your creative life and your creative journey has evolved and how you've given yourself the permission to create what you want to see in the world and and think about what you want. To do and how that's also being reflected in your skin, your face, your body too. Like people seeing that you've gotten a spark back to that's really powerful. And it's just a testament. Like, I will die on the hill, that creativity is a huge aspect of who we are as human beings. And so many of us are denied that side of ourselves because of other constraints in life. So when we are able to find our way back to that true essence of us, it brings us back to life in ways that we didn't know were possible. So I'm so excited to see that happening in your own life. That's really special. Thank you. So this question actually wasn't on our list of like framing questions for our conversation, but I feel like for creatives and entrepreneurs who are really thinking about an actual product that you package and sell, like some people get so confused and stressed out when it comes to like figuring out those kinds of details. So how did you go about in your own process, like looking into how do I not only bake and create these products in my home, but how do I go about packaging them and being able to like sell them? Like what was your process in terms of research and like how you went about looking into that aspect of packaging your treats to be able to sell them to market?

From Kitchen Mess To Market Readiness

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 25:24

Yeah, I I would say to anyone thinking about that, reach out to your network. Um, and also look at what free resources are available. I cannot speak highly enough about the small business administration here in Colorado, specifically Denver Aurora. They were how I understood like this is what you need to do with packaging. I have a I have an SBA mentor. Her name is Stephanie. She's lovely. And when I told her about this, she got really, really excited. And I was like, oh, well, your SBA mentor, you get excited about everybody. And she's like, well, I love everybody to try. And she was like, but I'm really excited about yours and I believe in your mission. I can see your passion. And she was the one who helped me with kind of the practicalities. I did as much research as I could and I found like, you know, state regulations I had to follow and how I wanted them to be packaged to make them shelf stable. Also, testing I needed to have done by an outside laboratory to make sure that they were free of germs. You know, that they were free from all of all of those things and that they would be shelf stable enough that they wouldn't mold. They'll go stale like anything else if you leave a package open after a while. Learning more about what food manufacturers have to think about. She was really helpful in getting me to not only her, but the SBA librarians, which I didn't even know there were those folks. I also connected with the marketing at SBA. And they gave me tips and tricks. I also met with an accountant who told me how to set up my books and how I needed to be structuring things to ensure that I would be solvent and not spend all my money in in idiotic ways, right? Yeah. So that is really something I would say is I think a lot of us, I would say, in particular black women, I I love us, but we have a tendency to try to figure it all out by ourselves or think that we have to. I'm as guilty of that as anyone. But eventually you get to a point where it's confusing, you don't actually understand what's the difference between this and that. And it's not a it's not a treatise on your intelligence. It is kind of a bell that you need to go reach out and talk to someone. And whether it's SBA, I also sent out an email to uh a network, a leadership Denver. I did that program. I know a lot of different folks from different industries there. As soon as they found out about old dog nutreats, they were like, oh, well, here's a good place for to look for insurance. Here's a good bookkeeper I know. These are all very, a lot of them are very successful business owners. And even they didn't come to my mind first. I was like, oh, I don't want to burden these folks. But once I put it out there, the the folks that are willing to pour back into you are amazing, right? And so that was really, I feel like this a lot of this was a lesson in like getting over yourself and and kind of embracing your uh limitations so you know when to go reach out to someone. Like I did my own books for a while, then things started getting really complicated. So I found a bookkeeper. Like I'm not in a level that I need like a CFO, right? But these expenses, what's business, what's not, who helps categorize all that so I don't get in trouble with the IRS. That is a level where I was like, okay, I've reached a point where it would make sense to go ahead and pay this monthly fee for someone to do this for me. Particularly because I hate that the most as well. So if there are things you don't want to do, someone else will do them. And so it was it was those types of things that really gave me the space to then think about like, oh, packaging, oh, regulation, oh, I need this license or that thing or this other thing, which at first felt overwhelming. But then it was really, really clear, particularly once I moved these other things that were just causing me stress out of my mind.

Asking For Help And Using The SBA

Aliya Cheyanne 29:41

Yeah. Yeah, that's so powerful. I love what you said about it, it was a lesson in kind of like getting over yourself because I agree with you. Like as black women, we do struggle with asking for help. And it it never ceases to amaze me when we say we reach out to our networks and we share what we're doing, how many people are willing to like pour back and support. And it reminds me of something I keep hearing more and more is that you know, people who know what it's been like to build something from the ground up will never look down on the next person trying to do the same thing. If anything, they want to help pull you up in whatever way they can, whether that's like putting you onto a connection, giving you some helpful advice, maybe investing in you, whatever the case may be, like they want to help. And I think that's so important and so true. And I love what you said, even bringing it back to the small business administration because every every state has that. Like for my fellow New Yorkers, if you're listening and you want to start something, check it out here too. But like every state has that. That's like a great place to start. So I think that's really great advice. So thank you for sharing that. And I'm glad that you have a mentor and you've been able to put things in place to continue supporting you. I'm also a firm believer of outsourcing what you can, when you can, especially the things you don't want to do. So even down to the bookkeeping, like that's such an important thing, but it's so tedious to master. So if you can find the right person to support you in that capacity, a CPA, a bookkeeper, whatever, an accountant, if you can do it, get them because it saves you a lot of stress. So that was so good. So thank you for sharing that. Okay, so this is not gonna be the smoothest transition ever. And I know we'll come back to old dog new treats, but one reason why I was definitely like, okay, we have to talk is because I saw that you were juggling not one new business, but two or two ventures. And I'm just sitting here like, when does my good sis sleep? Please share with us a little bit more about 12-point strategies. So I kind of want to talk about the duality of having like a product-based business, which we talked about with old dog new treats, but now you also have this element that's like a service consulting-based business. And I want to talk a little bit more about like what was the drive to start that? Like, how did you also end up developing this business too? Yeah.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 32:56

Well, 12 point strategies is a little bit easier than old dog new treats because I was just like, well, people pay for this. They pay for lawyers, they pay for policy experts. Every nonprofit I've been in, we've had, you've seen consultants come in and do their thing. And I always wondered, like, oh, how do people get started? And I just realized, oh, you have a skill. People see that you have that skill and they'll hire you. And so for me, I initially thought of Twelve Points as a way to invest into old dog new treats, right? Just practicality-wise.

Aliya Cheyanne 33:34

Yeah.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 33:34

A product-based business isn't going to make a huge profit its first year out. And I realized that I could actually swing both things. My client list is not big by design. That's part of why I'm able to sleep, I promise. And it's very, very specific. So I knew I didn't want to be someone's lawyer, but I did know, because that's like a 24-7 job, quite frankly, particularly if you're a big law lawyer, like a lot of my friends are from law school. They're they're always answering emails and calls and that kind of stuff. And that was kind of an environment that I came from that I got burnt out from that I did not want to impose on myself. So um I reached out again to my network just saying, here's something I'm doing now. I have legal expertise, I have policy expertise, as we talked about. Um, I'm well known in that both of those field fields in Colorado, and because I've done a lot of statewide work here as well. And so I just put it out there and I got some bites, and I got someone who I'm going to be helping this session. I think that's one of the LinkedIn posts you may have seen, is that I am basically serving as their lawyer in terms of does this bill say what I want it to say? And what is the precedent of doing this? What does a home rule mean in terms of this bill I want to push? And I remember answering those questions a lot when I was working for Enterprise or other places. And I realized it could be easy enough for me to be your on-call legislative. Our legislative session here is only like six or seven months. So I was like, yeah, I could actually do that. Six or seven, no, four or five months. Um and so I was like, four or five months, yeah, I can do that. And once I put it out there, they were like, oh, this is exactly what I've been wanting. And tell me about this bill. Tell me, like, and it's not just reading bills, it's also vetting ideas like, could rent control happen in Colorado? What were what would the pitfalls be? What would we have to uh watch out for? And I was like, I can do this. I can talk, I can still help organizations that I believe in their mission, but I don't have to be available all the time. And I can do it for this very specific purpose. And I can use probably my favorite part of policy, right? Was digging in, figuring out where the loopholes were, figuring out how to circumvent what feels like impossible political situations or precedences, right? And you connect with that, people connected with me with that. And that was amazing. And I got to bring in all of my skills and another client I'm gonna help with a major fundraising campaign they're going to do.

Aliya Cheyanne 36:38

Yeah.

Launching Twelve Point Strategies

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 36:39

I realized I really had to take like inventory of the things I consider to be skills, or I had to admit that they were skills, not just like what you do when you're in a nonprofit, but actually knowing how to talk the talk in the rooms with the big donors and how to convey your mission, but in a way that connects with someone wanting to invest in your organization is not always it's not something that's taught to every executive director, right? I find that a lot of folks come from a certain world, and then when you're the ED, you already talk to the talk and walk the walk, you have that credibility. But if you're coming from a different place, or maybe just you've just been bootstrapping your organization, and now you're at a place where you need that legacy investment. If you don't know how to talk to the largest foundations around, they'll think, oh, that's nice, but they're not gonna get the connection of how they're going to help you achieve your mission. So once I realized that too, I was like, oh, that I have written those grants. I have talked to program officers and grant managers and all of that, and gotten helped organizations get that. Yeah, actually, and I enjoyed that too. So I'm really being very selective. I'm just working with things that feel interesting or exciting for me. And then to be honest, again, just a large black woman thing. I wrote up my initial like proposal, and I was like, oh, is this I actually ran it through Chat GPT and I was like, is this a is this how much I should be charging for my services? You know, comparing me, compare me to blah blah blah. And it was like, give me your resume. So I did, and it was like you are undercharging, like way. And so I thought, in my mind, I was like, well, I've never been a consultant before, so or at least not officially, so I I won't charge that much. And it was like, no, you need to triple this. Yeah. So the first time I put out that larger hourly rate, I expected people to be like, what are you talking about? No one blinked an eye, right? It was I understood my worth, I understood my value. I am an attorney. I do have all this experience, I do have all this policy. Uh, I have over 10 years experience in this realm. Have successes. Why was my first instinct to go, well, I shouldn't shouldn't charge too much. Like so and in doing that, then I was like, well, oh, I I don't have to hustle to try to find five or six, two or three can sustain while I can continue to keep building and you know the privilege I'm married, my husband has a job with great health insurance too. I won't overlook that. But like that is something that I was just like, okay, then I've always lived pretty simply. I'd probably spend the most money on my dogs. Yeah. I I can do this if now I don't have to scramble and feel like, oh, I'm only charging this person a hundred dollars an hour. Um that's not really sustainable for me. Now I gotta scramble up and get like five or six more. I don't have to do that. And so that is that is probably one of the biggest lessons for me was you you have to state your value, and whether or not people agree with it, it that's not your problem. Uh and if they disagree, then you move on. And that wasn't something I really had thought about because I, you know, it's always like I was always chasing a title, a higher salary, that sort of thing. And then I was talking to my friend and I was like, I I don't know why I was so afraid of striking out on my own. I can make a lot more money doing something independently than relying on the whims of the political social climate, like i.e. the workforce, right? So it was just it was really eye-opening. Yeah. Yeah.

Aliya Cheyanne 41:11

Yeah. What a powerful story. And I also just want to affirm you as a non-esquire, a non-attorney, non-lawyer. As a consultant that works with nonprofits particularly as well, but I'm also open to for-profit organizations, and I have worked with for-profit organizations. It's very hard sometimes to figure out your skin in the game and understand your value and your worth. And I recently, I mean this year, and I've been doing this on and off, and then on and off since 2020, and then consistently since 2024. I had to start having conversations with other people, particularly other people who don't look like me, to better understand what they are charging, to better understand what I need to be charging, and to make sure that I'm not undervaluing myself too. So I commend you for doubling and tripling your rate and understanding your value, understanding your experience, the depth of experience that you have and expertise that you have. Chat GBT too, because I had to ask Chat GBT one time, like, hey, like, I've spoken to this many people. These are the rates that they're telling me. Like, you have people out here charging a lot of money, especially after a certain threshold of their time. Like, if you go over that, their rates double, sometimes triple. Like, what should I be doing? Here is my resume. Here's what I've been charging. Am I in the right place? Do I need to be charging more? But also having conversations with real people and seeing what they're doing as well, so that you can better place yourself. And I learned that from a mentor who is also a black woman who was figuring it out as a consultant for a while, figuring it out blindly. So I think it's so smart and courageous and brave to really figure that out for yourself and really lean into your brilliance and charge what you're worth and be smart about it too, because that's also something that I value as a consultant, like not burning myself out. Like I love being able to work seasonally. I love being able to take on a few clients at a time or a few clients within the year. As long as it's enough that I can pay my bills, be comfortable, maybe take a vacation, I'm good. And yeah, I know the economy is in flux. I don't want to sound insensitive. I know there are a lot of black women who are being let go left and right too, but these are spaces that we cannot navigate and occupy. As a collective, we are brilliant and we are capable. And when we have to pivot and adjust, we can, we do, and we will. So just want to say that. Yeah. Preach on that one. Yes. Yeah. Um, so I actually want to take it a step back with 12-point strategies because I think that name is so cool. And I haven't heard you talk before about sort of like the philosophy or like the meaning behind it. So I would just be curious if there's a story to tell about how you came up with that name. I would love to hear a little bit more about it.

Pricing Your Worth Without Apology

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 44:20

Yeah, I was trying to think of something that represented balance or harmony without it being like a specific kind of spiritual symbol. And because one of the first things I did was like, what's my logo? I I don't know why that was where I went first, but I was like, every consultant has one. What's mine gonna be? And so I was like, well, I really like the idea of a like a compass like star. Uh so first I was looking at compasses, and then I felt like a really complicated compass. I don't know what you call that. But once you take out those uh directions, you're left with like a 12-point star. And so, and then when I looked up the 12-point star, I was like, I wonder if that means anything. It does actually mean different things in different religions, but generally it also can mean balance and harmony and cohesion. And those are the types of things that I knew I was reaching for, searching for. And so I thought my experience, my skills are multifaceted. I can help an organization figure out where they want to go next, what they're trying to do, what they're trying to solve for. And then it's just like a little thought experiment. I tried to see if I could fill out each one of the points of the star with a skill that I have, and I realized I could. So my logo is really small on LinkedIn, but on my website, I believe you can see that it says like housing, law, policy, legislation. I'm not gonna go through all 12, but those were those were things that I was like, not only this, not only does the core of it represent what I'm seeking, these points are literally things I can point to as skills, or maybe as you could also see it as like directions that you want to go for. Do you want to go the legal route? Do you want to do a legislative advocacy? Do you want to do community engagement? All three, whatever. Those options are there in one person, me, right? And I just thought actually, this all comes together. And my husband, I think, thought I did 12 point strategies because like Tiana Patterson strategies. And I was like, I honestly. I didn't even think about the connection between my name and or my initials and 12 point strategies. It just was like kind of a happy accident thing.

Aliya Cheyanne 46:53

Yeah.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 46:55

But I was like, I hadn't, but I like the correlation. It was like, okay, all right. So it's it's that's really where it came from, and that's really the symbolism behind it. And just everything felt like, I have to tell you, uh, after leaving my job in January of last year, I really, really wanted to seek balance, harmony, and calmness. It has been my guiding principle through everything. And another one of my friends was like, okay, so you decided to take a step back from a really demanding job and open to businesses. He's like, okay, yeah, that sounds thank you. And I was like, okay, well, I didn't say I was gonna like go live in a hut in Tibet. I just knew that if I was going to work this hard, I wanted it to be for something I believed in. And I wanted it to be for me. And now I realize that, yes, I do work hard, but not as not nearly as hard as I did when I had like days filled with meetings, and then I couldn't do my work until later in the night. I didn't have to deal with office politics or any of that. I could just be in my office, and now, talk to people online or go meet people in person, but I was only gonna do something that I wanted to do. And that was the I feel like in the that's the first time in my life I really felt like everything I'm doing is because I want to do it. So even if a job opportunity came up later, if you talked to me six months ago, I was like, I'm never working out a job again. But if if one comes up, it's going to have to be on terms that make sense to me as well. And yes, changing that that shift for me, more than I know it sounds like I've been through a lot of transformation and I have, but that was probably the most like I don't have to put up with this. I don't have to put up with stuff I don't want to put up with. And it's not just having my own businesses, it's really like embracing that within myself. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, other than the things we all have to do. But the things that drain you, you don't you don't have to do that. And I feel again, everything comes back to being a black woman, but I feel like we are often mules, the the expectation of she'll do it. And if you're people pleasing, dim your light, okay. I I'll do whatever it takes to get to this next level because maybe I'll be happier then, it eats away at you. So you know that. We know that. And it that is where I was just like, no matter what I do next, it's going to have to be on things that fuel me, that serves me, that is in furtherance of me. And so taking that on and looking at so many things through that lens, whether it's a meeting, whether it's someone who wants to bring me on as a consultant, I'm really like, I'll make that decision. It's not a, I'm not gonna jump at every opportunity. It really has to go through a filter of mine that I've really stuck with and I think has been transformative for my life.

Why The Name: Twelve Point Strategies

Aliya Cheyanne 50:21

Yeah. Wow. You first of all, you said so much there. Love the origin story of how you came up with 12-point strategies, even from the compass and taking the compass apart and like you naming these different 12 areas that you as a multifaceted human being can do. You have this knowledge, this experience, this expertise. You want all 12, you want three out of 12, you want six, we can talk. I think that's so cool. And like you said, a happy coincidence that it aligns with your initials too. Like that's so cool. Um, I just love stuff like that. But even thinking about this era of your life that you're in, you've made all of these personal changes and now looking professionally walking away from a space that may not have appreciated you or affirmed you the way you deserved, or that was just very demanding in a way that was impacting your health, and coming out on the other side and saying, like, hey, I am very clear about who I want to work with, what I want to do, and what it has to be like going forward is just so profound and important. And I think we all hit that point at different stages in our lives and our careers. But when we do, it's so necessary because it provides so much clarity about how we've been operating, how we've been functioning, and how we absolutely need to move going forward because our lives literally depend on it. Our health, our sanity, all of these different things. And I I just applaud you. I think it's so cool. Um, not that it's easy to do or figure out, like I'm not making light of any of that because sometimes the process honestly is downright ugly and scary as you're figuring out certain parts of it. But when you do arrive to the place where you are very clear, it makes all of it worth it. Makes all of the confusion, the uncertainty, that did I make the right decision, it makes all of it worth it because you arrive at such a place of clarity that it makes every decision going forward much more clear. You have better discernment. Um, you have better decision-making skills, you know yourself more deeply. So you're able to make decisions that serve you and the life that you want to live. So I think that's so powerful and like exactly what you said, transformative. And yeah, I really applaud you for taking the taking the space and making the decision to choose better for yourself, to choose what feels right and to choose what feels aligned. And whatever comes next, whether that's more consulting or another role in the future that feels aligned, at least you have the the clarity now to know whether or not it's the right decision for you. Yeah. And what it feels like to walk away if it's not.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 53:15

So now you have these ventures.

Aliya Cheyanne 53:18

Yeah.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 53:18

Consulting uh old dog me treats.

Aliya Cheyanne 53:21

Yeah.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 53:21

If I do need to walk away, it's not scary. It's not as scary because you're already building something outside of and also defining yourself outside of work too, which I realized I had done. Like I was a VP. That was my identity, that was my job, but it was something where I I I really really have connected with folks who've said I couldn't, I couldn't separate myself from m my work. That really is a dangerous game to play in terms of if anything goes um differently, then who are you without it? Yes.

Aliya Cheyanne 54:02

Yeah. Yeah. That's so important what you said too, because for so many people, their ident identity really is just tied to work. They don't. So you heard so many stories of people who like retire, and some people really lean into it and enjoy it, and other people feel lost and confused because they just don't know who they are outside of what they've been doing for the last several decades. And I'm just like, I at my age, I'm so defiant that I have to know who I am outside of a role in a title. Cause that's a topic for another day, my thoughts around all of this stuff. But I wholeheartedly agree with you on that front. But yeah, I wanna talk a little bit more about what it's been like because this is very much a prime example of not waiting for a seat at the table, but building your own table. What has all of this taught you just about your own resilience, learning to pivot, becoming even more of the leader you already were in your own right with your own work, not under the title of VP at another company, but like leading your own companies. What has all this taught you? Forming 12-point strategies, forming old dog new treats and about resilience and pivoting and leadership.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 55:26

Yeah. I'd say it goes back to something I said earlier, which is really first how important it is to get over yourself. And I think the way I interpreted that when I first heard it was no one's coming to save you. Everything you've been taught about don't make waves, keep that job, blah, blah, blah. Okay. But now you've made a different decision. What's next? Yeah. And so it really was for me like um, I think with every job interview I panically did after in those first few months of me leaving. And I every interview I was like, kind of bombing this. And I'm usually pretty good at these things, but I think it's because I don't want this job. Nothing against these people, nothing against this organization. But I don't, I don't actually want to do this. And even though the the natural step for me was a lot of like ED roles or deputy director or high-level positions, managing director or whatever, I thought those are all the titles I want. But I I keep sitting in these interviews and even getting to final rounds and being like, I don't want this. That was the first question was, what do I want? And then if that is what I want, then I have to get out of my own way and do it because nobody else is going to do this. And if that is the decision I'm making and the path I'm deciding to go down, then I can't be as rigid, I can't be as perfectionist as I admittedly am. Experimenting in my kitchen, making those messes, having realizing, you know, the formula was off, or it wasn't working what I was doing, and finally being like, okay, time to let that go, just because it was how you thought it was going to be. And if that was the only bar that I was working towards, as opposed to what will people think, or what will people in my industry who know I'm doing this think? That none of that matters. So becoming your own cheerleader I think is wrapped up in being able to pivot, being able to kind of shake off mistakes, or I wish I hadn't done that moments. I'll say it's no small feat. I had the privilege of having savings, so I self-funding old dogman treats.

Aliya Cheyanne 58:21

Yeah.

Redefining Work, Identity, And Balance

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 58:21

That was a lesson in like sometimes you're gonna waste your own money, your own time. That sucks. But okay, no big deal. You learned your lesson and you won't do it again. It felt a lot like reparenting myself, if that makes sense. I think many of us have old school moms. Mine is just you go to work, you do this, on time is late, you get to work five minutes, you know, blah, all that stuff. And I did all that. And I achieved all the education I was supposed to get, and I had the Esquire after my name. And then when I was like kind of just looking around and being like, but is this it? Is this what my life is? Yeah, I was like, it it can't be. It shouldn't be. So really also then after making a decision of what I want, yes, I'm gonna invest in this because I believe in myself. Probably the hardest part, which is what I I think I opened with was that inventory of what do you need to just shed and what you need to like build up and cultivate so that you are a woman who is doing this and you're not waiting for another shoe to drop, you're not waiting for someone to swoop in and fix it all for you. You're doing this. You you are a CEO, you own your own consulting business. That those are titles, wonderful, but what are you doing to get it done? That is where I was like, I gotta shed this stuff, this need for uh a gold star, this need for uh someone to for me to meet in person that thinks, yeah, thinks that I am important. You know this work, you're you're by yourself quite a bit. There is no one else who's going to tell you to get out of bed at your desk and do what you need to do, other than you. So if that's it, then I have to find my own motivation. I had to find my own passion. I mean, I had it, but I had to find my own reason beyond old reasons I had, which were industry respect or admiration of my peers or whatever. Uh and I don't know if you've noticed this, but the more I've embraced all of this, the more I'm seeing how hard it is for other people to root for you when you do something out of the door, like start a dog treat. Right. Like the consulting thing, folks were like, yeah, that makes sense, but old dog new treats. And I was like, Yeah, this is and you're not doing that. You're you're I loved your questions. I was like, she gets it. She gets that this was this was a dual purpose thing for me.

Aliya Cheyanne 1:01:11

Yes.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 1:01:13

But it was interesting how how many folks who I didn't think would go radio silent did.

Aliya Cheyanne 1:01:20

Yeah.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 1:01:20

And how awkward they would feel when I would just be happy and just not be willing to kind of get down in the muck and the mud of stuff. I was just like, well, that sounds hard, but what else are you doing? Right. And then the conversation would kind of fizzle because they're wanting the vent for 45 minutes. And I'm like, you can, but like, but what else is going on?

Aliya Cheyanne 1:01:41

Yeah.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 1:01:42

Yeah. And when you realize that a lot of other folks are still kind of married to that ideal or that idea of work, maybe kids, sleep. It's I don't judge, I'm not better than, but I just realized it wasn't a place I ever wanted to be again. Because I heard the sadness, the misery, I felt it, and I was like, you gotta do something for yourself. And it was, I could see the looks of like well, it's easy for you to say it was actually it was it. I question myself from January to October. Am I doing, am I crazy? Is this is this but now it moved from like, should I be doing this to I'm actually doing this? And yeah, you know, I I went to puppy events, uh, because Colorado's a state that loves dogs. Mm-hmm. I sold out of my treats. Wow. You know what I mean? Like, so there was that kind of stuff that it was like you're not only doing it, you're you're thriving in it, and it feels like the universe is saying keep going. Yeah. You gotta keep going. But it's it's it's not an it's by no means an easy path. And I think the the crux of it for me is you still have to check in. You can't assume anything, you have to be willing to think really far forward, but also stay present. And fear is normal, but it shouldn't be your main driver. And I feel like before my main driver was, well, I don't want this to happen, right? So I won't do this. But now I'm like, that might happen. And if it does, I can figure it out. It's it's it's not about like being naive, right? It's just about being realistic of I can do it, I have done it, and if something goes wrong, I can probably figure out a way to resolve it, right? And that hasn't been my mindset for probably since I was really young. I remember feeling this light and like audacious when I was like late teens, early 20s, and then life happened, law school kicked my butt, and I don't know, and then I just became so focused on well, this is my path now, this is what I have to do. Uh that I didn't even notice how much sicker I was getting, how much heavier I was getting, and how much less like myself I was becoming. I was becoming really high strung, I was really irritable all the time. I thought it was perimenopause because I'm over 40. But part of it is, but it it's not, it's not just that, right? I was I had already, I had strayed pretty far from myself. And I think I reached a point where I had no choice but to take a huge step back and decide what I actually wanted to do next. Yeah.

Resilience, Pivoting, And Self‑Trust

Aliya Cheyanne 1:04:58

Yeah. It sounds like both of your ventures, both 12-point strategies and old dog new treats have brought you home to yourself in a way. Like you said earlier in this conversation, like giving you your spark back reconnected you with your inner child. And something that came up just now while you were speaking, and also when we were talking before about taking that leap of faith and starting your own thing, is to summarize it or rephrase it in a way is the way that different spaces separate us from ourselves, and we don't always realize how deeply they're impacting not just our physical health, but our psyche. So even in spaces where you may want all of the accolades or the admiration or the validation, whatever that might be, how stepping away from that can make you question everything and develop this sense of imposter syndrome in a way. And I've spoken about imposter syndrome on the podcast, and I'm even trying to reframe my own thinking around that because one of the many black women scholars that I really like is uh Trisha Hersey, who's the you know, founder of the NAT ministry, who's always like, black women lay down. We need rest. Recently she made a post on Threads, and she was like, Black women, stop adopting this language of imposter syndrome. You are not an imposter. Like that is white academic language. That's terminology that they came up with. It don't have anything to do with us. And all of a sudden, we all start feeling like we're the imposters and we're struggling with imposter syndrome. Something you have to remember about corporate is that these spaces were never designed for any of us to thrive or do well. When you see us doing well, just know that it's because we continue to be exceptional, but don't take away the fact that sometimes our mental health struggles in these environments, let alone put aside the fact that some of us are neurodivergent. So that makes it even worse in these environments. So sometimes stepping outside of that, taking a breather, really doing the deep, deep reflective work to like decondition what you've been taught to do your entire life, having achieved all of it and still not feeling satisfied or fulfilled and getting clear about what actually makes you feel happy, what actually makes you feel like you're living in your purpose. Sometimes it looks different. It just feels uncomfortable at times because it deviates from what we understand as the norm. And I totally relate to you in stepping away. Yes, consulting might make sense, but some people are like, well, you're giving up the security of this position, you're giving up this title, like you're spending your days figuring out certain things and working for your clients in a way that doesn't demand you necessarily be at your desk between particular hours. You have a little bit more flexibility. It looks different. And for a lot of people, because it doesn't look like the norm, those projections, the fact that a lot of people sometimes are living not in alignment with what they actually want to do, but because they are still sticking to the plan, those projections sometimes get put on us and it makes us question the decisions we're making. I think it's even more powerful and even more important for us to step outside of that and show people that there is another way, there is another path. You can choose yourself. It might not be easy, but you can also live in alignment with your purpose and what lights you up and what reconnects you to your inner child and what reminds you of your value. Outside of just that traditional role. Sometimes holding up a mirror or being a reflection for people can be uncomfortable in many ways. Can be you can be that reflection or that mirror, and other people can be that reflection or that mirror to you too. It's up to us to get curious about that and think about it a little bit more deeply and figure out what's going on with us and what our bodies and our minds are trying to tell us about what we're seeing and how we need to adjust the way we live to make sure that we are living more authentically for ourselves. So I think what you shared is really powerful and really important. And like I said, we do these things in different times in our lives, but it's nonetheless important that we do it and we figure it out at some point because I I say all of all the time, like all of this is finite. You don't want to get to any point in the future and you look back and you did not do the things you wanted to do. Do them before you can't. And I think you're a testament to doing that, to choosing yourself, to choosing something different, to living in your truth, to being having a more authentic life that looks like the one that you probably imagined when you were little, and making the decisions that support you and your family and building a legacy that matters to you. That's the most important thing. So I feel like your two ventures definitely align with where you are right now, what you envision for yourself, for your future, what you're trying to cultivate and create in this world. I know you said in one regard that 12-point strategies practically also helps to fund what you're doing, what you're creating with old dog new treats, in addition to savings, in addition to hopefully getting the investments and all the things that you desire, looking forward to an episode of Shark Tank, maybe you never know. We'll see. But I would love to know in what other ways your two ventures complement each other. Like, is there any through line between the two of them that we haven't discussed that you think would be important to share?

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 1:10:51

Yeah, so I would say that they both are just both sides of me, right? And I, like I mentioned earlier, I thought, if I'm a lawyer, then I'm a lawyer, then I'm a lawyer. I'll just let people think I'm the weird, crazy dog lady, and that'll just be like my secret passion, no big deal, right? But again, getting over myself, embracing who I am fully. I view both of these not only as two sides of me, but as two parallel paths. Another part of me wanting to create old dog new treats was actually what I mentioned earlier about there being such a stigma or an overlooking of senior pets and people not wanting to face that final chapter. So for me, selfishly, I am looking to have old dog nutrients become a community of like-minded folks who love their old dogs, who want to celebrate that stage. But then honestly, that support of you've had something for it doesn't matter if it's been five years, a year, 10 plus years, that little being in your house is your family member. It is, and it is something that you willingly brought into your home that you know is going, their life is going to end before yours does, more than likely. Right. And so that I think is a testament to the love we have for our pets, the strength it takes to actually be a pet owner. And so I did it, yes, as a love letter to Ghost, but also a love letter to those of us who understand. This is an amazing chapter, it's a difficult one, and it's one that I feel really honored to have. And so I have her and I also have a five-year-old. And I told Bill, my husband, that when Ghost Space, you know, reaches the end of her life, I'm probably gonna want to adopt almost right away. And not as a replacement for her, because there could never be a replacement.

Aliya Cheyanne 1:13:09

Yeah.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 1:13:10

Just because I have so much love, I want to give it to other puppies like her, right? And so when I think about that and I thought about why I started doing 12-point strategies, yes, the practicality. It's always easy to talk about the practicality, but it was also because there are so many folks who don't have access to someone like me. It is mainly why most of my clients are nonprofits, nonprofits that are serving organizations and people of color. Yes. And it was, and it was that same like, there's a community here. There's a privilege, there's, and I feel honored to be a part of this ecosystem of yours that I can help your organization reach that next level. So for me, that kind of continuity of I'm passionate about this, I care about this, and I want a community within this. That is where those two intersect, I should say. And it's great to just kind of be a part of an organization's life for a little while, watch them get their policy wins, reach their fundraising goals, know that I was a part of it, and that I'll always be a part of their legacy in some way. And then I can step out and go help another organization. The same way I feel that honor, that privilege, that community of being a pet mom, a dog mom. Honestly, even embracing the dog mom thing, because people get so banana shape when you define yourself as a mom in that way. Again, that was me getting over myself, getting over that, those notions that people want to bestow upon you. I know I I'm not a human mom. I didn't want to be a mom of humans. Same girl, same girl. But I still have a love to give. I still have um a connection with animals, in particular with dogs, I grew up with them, that I wouldn't trade for anything. But I'm not comparing our motherhoods. But I do think owner doesn't encompass what I do for my pups. Yes. Being a lawyer isn't all I am. I'm not just a consultant either. You probably know this. Folks are venting and they need to get stuff off their chest to you that they can't talk to anybody else about while they're trying to work through an issue or a problem. I find myself sometimes also being almost of a a career coach for folks.

Aliya Cheyanne 1:15:49

Yeah, yeah.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 1:15:51

And so in both TPS and ODT, I could be myself fully. Yes.

Aliya Cheyanne 1:16:00

Yes.

Community As The Throughline

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 1:16:01

And I welcome everybody else in those spaces to also come fully, authentically their selves. Otherwise, I'm not gonna be a great consultant for you. Otherwise, how can you embrace this difficult part of being a dog mom if you don't understand how it's a part of their journey, how it's a part of being in this community? All I keep thinking is I get to be this passionate about both these things all the time. And I get to build these communities and I get to just share this love in whatever form I can share it, whether through my intelligence or through my treat formulas. But if you are engaging with me in either or both, you're also saying this is this is something you connect with too. And I think, again, I keep using community because I I realized the underpinning of both of those was we need to come together. There's so much isolation. And it's this isn't like a kumbaya, I'm not talking about politics. Just just in the essence of we can do so much more if we embrace who we are fully. And by doing both of these things, that is what I'm doing. And then I'm getting that back from folks as well. And I just get to share it as well. So I can't overstate how just content I feel every day, even on the days that I'm like, my God, did I just burn a whole batch of treats? Yes, I did. Or like, you know, dang, I missed that part of the conversation. I need to follow up, I need to figure that out. They asked me this and I didn't answer it quite the way I would have liked, or whatever.

Aliya Cheyanne 1:17:52

Yeah.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 1:17:53

Yeah, it that's that's how they intersect. And I don't think I could do one without the other. I think I needed to say this, these things are equally important to me, and I'm gonna invest equally in them.

Aliya Cheyanne 1:18:06

Yeah. Yeah, I think that's so profound. While you were speaking to it reminds me of another scholar that I really like, Ebony Janice Moore, who's a hip-hop womanist scholar and talks a lot about how our only purpose in life is to be our full selves. And I love the way you describe like being able to show up as yourself and be yourself in these ventures that you've created and how profound that is. So thank you for for sharing that and the fact that you're building on the importance of community. Again, not to get political, but given the times that we are in, it's very important. I'm hearing more folks from a marketing perspective talk about how the word community is being co-opted in a lot of ways by these marketing companies that actually don't care about community. They're just trying to like pander to people who do. So when someone is authentically showing up and saying, actually, this is important, this is how I'm going to show up as a good member of the community, and here's how I can contribute to bringing us together, I think that's even more important and even more profound. So I love the way that you describe that. Thank you. Before we wrap up, I would just love to ask you, as someone who has grown so much in creating your ventures, who has pivoted so much and doing all the things, taking all the right steps and like being clear about what you need and you want now and going forward. What advice would you share to someone who is thinking about pivoting to, who's craving a change but feeling scared and unsure? Like, what would you say to that person who, after this whole conversation, is still questioning whether or not they should make the pivot? What advice would you give? Good question. Get over yourself.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 1:19:56

But not just not just that, but staple that point. Tattoo it on your forehead. But honestly, that there is no right time to do this. I mean, obviously, it would be good to have savings, to have some financial cushion. Yes. Right, absolutely. Sometimes things just happen. I would say to probably, you know, black women have been laid off in record numbers. A lot of them weren't expecting it. A lot of them are on the job market. Uh, the job market is brutal, and that's coming from someone who got a lot of interviews. But if it doesn't feel right, if it doesn't, if you're like, still wish I could start that, you know, hat business or whatever, you got nothing to lose right now. And honestly, in general, you don't have a lot to lose. You you can think about everything that could happen. But what if it does work out? If it does happen. And that's not to say you're desperate, just start a new business. But if there's been something that you're passionate about, you'd be surprised at how many people are willing to invest in you, either by purchasing your product or giving you advice or connecting you with the right people. But I feel like there's kind of this cliche that we always hear you when you're on your deathbed, you're never going to be like, oh, I really wish I had worked 60 hours a week versus 30, right? In that same vein, I didn't want another year to go by where I looked back and wondered, why didn't I just do that? Yeah. Instead of like stacking up all those, why didn't I just do it? Maybe just do it. And then you'll see. And if it's not right, pivot. But at least you tried. At least you gave it a shot. Otherwise, you're just kind of sitting there unfulfilled with this kind of peace that's still waiting to be fulfilled. And I think that is something that when you're on your deathbed, you will regret not just going for it. And so that's what it feels like for me. And I think that is what I needed to hear when I had been thinking about my treat business for forever. Like, oh, I work a lot, I don't have time, I'm always sleepy, blah, blah, blah. Okay. And like, yeah, it's true, but it's not, it's not the excuse you think it is. It's actually more, I'm really, really scared to do this. Okay. Do it anyway, right? Get over yourself. So that that is that is what I would say, because that's what I needed to hear. And then eventually that's what I ended up having to say to myself constantly, particularly at the beginning, when I was like, oh, I'm doing something so different. People were willing to set me up with coffee dates to, you know, to network for a new job. But when you're like, actually, I don't need that anymore. Tell me if anybody knows of a shared commercial kitchen I can use. Then that's a different, that's a different story. So it'll be something you end up telling yourself anyway. So just do it. Yeah. That's what I would say.

Aliya Cheyanne 1:23:08

I love that. Do it scared, do it alone. Do it anyway. You'll find your people along the way. They'll help you and yeah, get out of your own way. Get over yourself. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes, that's it. That's it. What is next for 12-point strategies and old dog new treats? What's next? What are you hoping for? What are you dreaming of?

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 1:23:30

Yeah, I think both of my projects are starting in 2026. So I'm just looking forward to seeing what these folks do. And I get to sit back like a proud mom and be like, look, I help them do that. Um I just I just want to see them thrive and feel good and know that it was a smart decision to hire me. But also that despite this really tough climate they're in, that all these nonprofits are in, none of them have given up. And each one of them is still working towards community, making Colorado a better place. And I just I wish them nothing but success. Obviously, if other folks are interested in working with me, they always can. But those two, I'm just excited to see what this year brings. And then for old dog retreats, I'm excited to be launching my mobility formula.

Aliya Cheyanne 1:24:27

Yes.

Do It Scared: Practical Advice

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 1:24:27

I have some pup up events I'm doing. I love that. Yeah. And I look forward to just continuing to connect and talk with folks. I have to tell you, sometimes I forget to tell people the price. I just get so into like telling them why I did this. It's helped that my husband's usually there, and then he's like, so it's yeah, it's small dollars. That's right. Because sometimes it is it's these moments that you never even dreamed of that can be really impactful. So it kind of goes into the the last question too. But when I'm talking with someone about old dog new treats, like when I've done at these pop-up events, and I watch them nod and reach into their purse or their wallet, it because that they're about to buy it. That moment for me, I'm always like in awe, like, oh yeah, okay, great. And that's not something that was ever in my head when I started doing old dog meetreats. And the first time someone was like, Yeah, send me a contract with 12-point strategies, I was like, Oh, okay. Similar thing. You you know it's good, you think it's good, but when you first are putting yourself out there, not every client's gonna sign, not every person's gonna play. But when they do, when you watch them connect with you in either form, it is so, I don't, I don't know how to describe it other than validating, but not like in a gold star sort of way, just more like uh, I am being 100% myself right now. We are connecting on that, and you are literally investing your money in me in my ideas. I can't describe it. There's no feeling like it. Yeah. And I think if that's a feeling that someone would like to feel, they should give it a shot. Yeah.

Aliya Cheyanne 1:26:31

I love that. It's being seen, it's deeply affirming.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 1:26:36

Yes, deeply affirming. Thank you.

Aliya Cheyanne 1:26:37

That's all like there's something in there. But yeah. Yeah. And just like being being valued for what you know to be true and like having that moment of like someone else recognizing that in you too. Like it's I get it. I got you. Yeah. What is keeping you grounded in this season of your life? Good question.

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 1:26:58

Really connecting with family and friends. And being able to show up like this has been like authentically with you. I've always been an overthinker, but it's not quite how I would describe it anymore. But always wanting to go more in depth. I'm not as interested in surface level conversations. If I want to get to know you, I want to get to know you. And you need to get to know this new version of me. And every time I bring her out, every every bring her out, every time I'm me. That has it has been another validating experience. I do a lot of walks. Actually, baking has become kind of meditative. You get in a zone when you're doing it too, even though I'm I'm doing it for my business. It is, it's different though. It's not the same. I love the way the kitchen smells. I love like that I'm working up a sweat by doing something that I love. And then also just getting outdoors more. For someone who's lived in Colorado for so long. Well, I'm not an outdoorsy person, but I wasn't getting out as much as I should because I was so tired. I was so exhausted all the time. So reconnecting with that too, doing the hikes, doing the walks around the neighborhood, reminding myself I'm this little human on a floating rock rotating, hurling through space, is really grounding in terms of when I start to spiral. Uh, let those negative thoughts come in too quickly. And really a lot of work on interrupting those thoughts. I would say a lot of journaling too. Like this, a lot of people don't talk about the work it takes to get to this point, not just with the actual work striking out on your own, but the actual self-work you have to do. And for me, what I found was when I start to think negatively, like, oh, this is gonna fail. Why did I do this? I'll never be good at anything ever again. I write that down. And then I write down why I think that's true. And then below that, I write down why I know it's not true. And so I'm not like just going straight to the positivity thing. I'm acknowledging my fears, all of that, but then also being like, what evidence do I have to even support that that catastrophic thing is going to happen? Usually I don't have any. Um, it's all internal. And so uh that is something I've really been practicing. And I think this has probably been what's been most helpful. And I've been able to go back and look at it when I, because you can recognize when you're having that same thought again, go back to that journal entry and be like, oh yeah, I already talked myself out of this before. Yeah.

Aliya Cheyanne 1:29:53

Oh yeah. Right. Yeah. Yeah. I love all of those. And I'm glad that they're supporting you in this season and keeping you grounded and making you feel good on the inside and out. And yeah, that's really special. Thank you for sharing that. I hope for folks who are looking for ways to ground, whether that be in nature, whether that be walking, journaling, like combating negative self-talk, negative thoughts, whatever the work looks like for you. I hope that, you know, this was as inspirational to you as it was to me. Um, Tiana, I can't thank you enough for this conversation. This was such a rich conversation, so brilliant. I loved every minute of you showing up as your authentic self and just sharing more about your experiences and what it's been like to create not one, but two ventures, 12 point strategies and Old dog new treats. Stormy Girl is five. She's not a senior dog yet, but for all of the folks I know with senior dogs, I will be spreading the word and I'm excited to support you and cheer you on as you keep going. For folks who are interested in working with you at 12 Point Strategies or who have a senior dog or know a senior dog and are interested in getting some treats, want to stay in the loop about new treats that are coming online in the future, where can they find all of the things? The websites, social handles, everything.

What’s Next For Both Ventures

Tiana Patterson, Esq. 1:31:17

Wonderful. And thank you. Your questions. I've been impressed by you, your presence. The care just kind of emanates off of you. I really appreciate that. So LinkedIn, of course, 12point strategies is you can reach me there. 12pointstrategies.com is my website. So pretty simple. You can get me there as well. It's also Tiana at 12pointstrategies.com. I was told that's a really long email, but that's what it is for right now. Not changing it yet. And then with old dog retreats, olddogney.com. But we're also on all the socials, including TikTok. And you can go to the website. You can also purchase from our website. Or if you're in Colorado, you can come find me at any of these events. I ship nationwide, but not internationally.

Aliya Cheyanne 1:32:09

Yes, we're speaking all of the things into existence. Thank you so much for sharing that. I will make sure all of those are linked in the show notes in the episode description so that folks can find it easily. And thank you again. This was just such a beautiful conversation. And yes, I'm excited to keep watching you grow and thrive. Thank you. Thank you.

Aliya Cheyanne

Host

Tiana Patterson, Esq.

Guest

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