Episode Details
Back to EpisodesFrom Facebook Group to Global Movement: The Story of Black Moms Connection with Tanya Hayles
Description
In this episode of This Mother Means Business, Laura sits down with community-builder, advocate, and founder of Black Moms Connection, Tanya Hayles. Tanya shares how a simple Facebook group for Black moms turned into a global nonprofit serving tens of thousands of women, how she thinks about advocacy, funding, and impact, and why slow, values-led growth still matters. They dive into nonprofit vs. for-profit decisions, building a working board with intention, navigating grief and career pivots, and why collaboration, data, and niche communities are the future. If you’re a mom building something bigger than yourself—especially a community or movement—this conversation will light you up and ground you at the same time.
In this episode you will hear:
00:00 – Meeting Tanya & why Laura “inserted herself” into her life
01:00 – Who Tanya is: Black Moms Connection, global village & nonprofit work
03:00 – “Busiest unemployed person ever” and the childcare centre application story
05:15 – The sunscreen story: how Black Moms Connection actually started
06:30 – From 400 to 4,000 members in two months & realizing she’d built a ship
07:40 – Why Tanya chose the nonprofit route over a for-profit community model
11:00 – Advocacy, government consultations, and protecting the community’s voice
14:15 – Reputation, values, and being careful about partnerships and optics
16:00 – From Facebook group to nonprofit: learning structure, boards, and funding
19:30 – Building a working board with intention (not vibes) and big-picture goals
22:30 – Tanya’s vision: 24-hour childcare, global chapters, apps, and sustainable growth
26:30 – Post-it walls, shifting priorities, and redefining “balance” as a mom in business
31:30 – Grieving job loss, starting again, and letting new business ideas emerge
36:30 – IOE Agency, Blackout Experience, and building offers from existing skills
41:30 – The power of data, niche communities, and why safety + specificity matter
44:30 – Where to find Tanya, Black Moms Connection, and why she’s divesting from Instagram
Tanya's Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetanyahayles/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blkoutexperience/
Website: www.theioeagency.com
Website: www.blkoutexperience.com
Tickets for This Mother Means Business LIVE - Presented by CIBC Business Banking on April 1st, 2026 are available now! Get yours here: https://www.thismothermeansbusiness.com/tmmb-2026
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Laura's Links:
• Website
• Laura's Instagram
• LJSocial Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• TikTok