Ep78 Empowering Women Beyond Bars: Entrepreneurship, Resilience, and Real Talk with Tia Upshaw

About this episode

Tara MacDonald interviews Tia Upshaw about her journey from incarceration to entrepreneurship and the empowerment of women in business.

What happens when unstoppable authenticity meets unapologetic ambition? This week, you’ll find out. If you’re ready to be inspired by lived experience, powered by radical honesty, and driven by real strategies for success—from the jail cell to the main stage—hit play now. In this candid and empowering conversation, Tara MacDonald welcomes award-winning international business coach, serial entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and founder of Blk Women in Excellence, Tia Upshaw. Together, they discuss the realities of being women in business, the challenges (and triumphs) of plus-size representation in the wellness space, and how true empowerment is built—through community, self-worth, and never shrinking from your story. From a childhood marked by adversity to building a movement that uplifts marginalized women entrepreneurs across Canada, Tia shares how her personal history of incarceration, single parenting, and persistent hustle shaped a life and career focused on possibility instead of limitation. This episode features: Real talk about overcoming the stigmas of a “non-traditional” background The inside scoop on a brand-new entrepreneurial pilot program for incarcerated women in…

People in this episode

Host: Tara MacDonald

Guest: Tia Upshaw

Topics covered

• women in business
• entrepreneurship
• plus-size representation
• empowerment
• community support
• overcoming adversity

Keywords

• entrepreneurship
• women empowerment
• business coaching
• plus-size wellness
• community support
• overcoming adversity
• motivation
• resilience

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Blk Women in Excellence

Places: Nova Scotia, Canada

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