Today we’d like to introduce you to LaTonia Walker.
Hi LaTonia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
LaTonia Walker is a Detroit native and a leader in women’s empowerment. She is the Director of Social Work and Coaching at a family homeless shelter in Detroit. The team she leads works with families in generational poverty, partnering with them in their efforts to break the cycle of poverty in their lives. LaTonia also provides trainings and presentations to educate the community about areas of poverty, including childhood trauma and generational poverty. In addition, LaTonia is the Founder of The Ladies League, a national Social Network for Women. The home offices and founding chapter is The Ladies League of Detroit. We currently have two Sister Chapters – The Ladies League of Baltimore and The Ladies League of Jacksonville. LaTonia was approved for the federal trademark and is currently expanding the brand.
LaTonia is a motivational speaker and regularly shares her personal testimony of overcoming early life challenges and using those challenges to find purpose. She was a teenage mother at the age of 14, lost her first child when she was 4 years old, experienced homelessness, and experienced troubled personal relationships. She has overcome all of those trials through her relationship with God and personal development. She now operates full-time in her purpose to support, inspire, and mentor women.
LaTonia has a unique mentoring approach, as she has audiences with multiple levels of women in the community. Some who are living in poverty, and some professional level. She also has a unique combination of education, professional experience, and personal experience. Regardless of the level of woman, her mentoring focus is to motivate women to overcome their own challenges, achieve their desired level of success, find purpose, and live their best lives holistically.
Awards received: Michigan Chronicle Woman of Excellence, 2023; Spirit of Detroit, 2022; Krave Honors Beacon of Excellence, 2021; Second Ebenezer Church Woman of Excellence, 2021.
LaTonia holds a bachelor’s in business from Baker College and Master of Social Work from Wayne State University and is a graduate of Leadership Detroit. She is single and has one daughter, Imani, who is 21 years old.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has not been a smooth road. Some of the challenges are part of my journey – being a teenage mother, losing a child, instability in my early 20s, the long road to obtaining my college education, divorce, and more. However, all of those experiences have assisted in my development. God has turned my pain into purpose.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Ladies League of Detroit?
The Ladies League of Detroit celebrated its 5th year anniversary in May 2023. It has been an amazing 5 years with some amazing women. I started LLD for what I have coined the “woman in the middle.” Women who are not at the bottom and not at the top. The woman in the middle is often first-generation college graduate, professional-level career, and/or entrepreneur. Working hard to accomplish goals and get to the next level without a lot of support or resources. In my day job, I am one of the Directors team at a Detroit family homeless shelter. This population receives a lot of community resources; they usually do not have a positive social network, but they receive a plethora of resources. The other end of the spectrum is the social network, the connections both personal and professional for success. They also usually have higher incomes and a two-income household.
Myself and my peers are in the middle; we have worked hard to obtain the education, “good jobs”; some married, some homeowners, and have overall stability. Just like the “middle child syndrome,” we are the forgotten group; we do not receive a lot of support. However, women in the middle do need support. We need information, networking, and internal fortitude. The saying is a business should solve a problem; LLD is one of the solutions!
The Ladies League of Detroit is a social network for women in the middle. We have a variety of engagements for members. The main foundation is our monthly meetings. We have two monthly meetings with topics for personal and professional development. Some of the topics in 2023: Goals planning, love languages in action, entrepreneurship panel, women of faith, and trauma and healing. Some of our annual topics: LLD After Dark, this is our spicy girl talk meeting about intimacy and Emotional Intelligence, one of the most important areas for internal growth.
We also have a monthly outing called Ladies Night Out on the last Saturday of each month that is just for fun and another chance to spend time with each other. Some of the outings in 2023: bowling, painting activity, day trip to Frankenmuth, walk at Dequindre Cut, make-up and motivation, and costumes and karaoke.
Some people erroneously equate women’s empowerment to hating men. LLD is just the opposite! A few engagements a year include men. We annually have a male panel that is either on relationships or business. Men are also welcome when we have parties. Many of the women in LLD are happily married, and we even have an honorary husband of LLD!
Community Service is near and dear to our hearts. LLD hosts 4 community projects annually. Projects in 2023: Cupcakes, Conversation, and Black Girl Magic for Young Ladies with Alternatives for Girls; Operation Gratitude with Big Brother Big Sisters; Outfitting our Neighbors & Celebrating Family Togetherness with Cass Community Social Services; and Leukemia Light the Night Walk.
Our photo shoots are also a very important part of the group. It serves three purposes. Updated photos for marketing purposes. Spending time together, our photo shoots are fun; we usually have dinner afterwards. Lastly, but most importantly, it helps build self-esteem in our members. During our shoots we boost each other up share tips on being photographic, and it is often the first time that members have seen themselves in this positive light.
There is a lot more to LLD; we invite anyone interested to attend a meeting or our quarterly open house and see what we are all about. There are monthly membership dues and other costs, such as our outings and LLD merchandise. LLD is a for-profit corporation and is for women in the middle who have the disposable income to afford it. We are now in two other states – The Ladies League of Baltimore and The Ladies League of Jacksonville – and will continue to expand. LaTonia Walker is the Founder and CEO and was recently approved for a Federal Trademark for The Ladies League brand.
You can find out more information at www.theladiesleagueofdetroit.com or email us at [email protected].
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
There are a variety of ways that people can work with me, both local and nationally. 1)Building or venue to sale or donate. My current goal is obtaining a venue for The Ladies League of Detroit. 2)Lead a meeting topic that is your area of expertise. 3)Donate funds for our community service projects.
Pricing:
- $100 Monthly membership dues for The Ladies League of Detroit
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theladiesleagueofdetroit.com/
- Instagram: The Ladies League of Detroit
- Facebook: The Ladies League of Detroit Network
Image Credits
Ethel Rucker
