The Business of Gratitude

Dec 30, 2025
3 min read

By Paula Small

Gratitude is something I choose every day to shape how I lead, serve, and grow. Along the way, I’ve crossed paths with other women living out loud in gratitude.

Timalyn S. Bowens, an Enrolled Agent, first tackled working in the male-dominated accounting field, then refused to be dominated in the tax industry by building her own firm.

Timalyn’s belief that gratitude is “showing appreciation for mentors, opportunities, and support systems” set her on a mission to empower her clients, fellow Enrolled Agents, and bridge the tax literacy gap.

Grounding herself in unquestionable gratitude, Timalyn’s resilience shines whether through her YouTube channel, speaking events, or leadership in her Enrolled Agent Mentorship community.

Another bold barrier-breaker is Anh T. Taylor-Garcia, a Financial Services Professional and retired Veteran. Anh spent a career in service to the U.S., while challenging odds, becoming an Officer, a mentor and a role model to many servicemembers, including other women.

Anh never met a challenge she couldn’t face, whether balancing family and career, or working multiple jobs for debt-free higher education.

Anh believes in being “grateful for the good and the bad, because there are opportunities to find and learn from, even in the negative experiences”. In fact, Anh credits her belief in self-love, self-worth, and self-respect for empowering her work with individuals and families, leading with presentations, and bridging the financial literacy gap.

Bridging and connecting are cornerstones of Recording Artist Ashley Maher’s worldwide community. Ashley writes, sings, dances, and creates art in the U.S., then leaps across an ocean to co-create joyful noise with fellow talented artists in Senegal.

After working with traditional record labels in the industry, Ashley found there was more.

Not just more that she needed, but more the world needed. But it would mean trading the security of the record industry for the uncertainty of the unknown.

Fortunately, Ashley learned to embrace being uncomfortably comfortable. Her steadfast belief that “the Universe provides infinite abundance and joy” led her to become her own producer, and eventually to lean on the power of crowdsourcing.

By intentionally building a supportive community, Ashley raises funds for her recordings and for paying her collaborators: the dancers, musicians, and other creatives in Senegal.

And that reciprocity hits all the right notes.

A note of quiet gratitude is how Inspirational Speaker and Lifestyle Strategist, Tanisha Shanee, begins each day.

Tanisha defines gratitude as “choosing to see a blessing in any situation”.

Her road wasn’t paved with gold, especially working in higher education. So, Tanisha defied odds by learning while earning, before that idea became the zeitgeist. Before social media influencing became a career path for many, Tanisha’s belief in community building through mentorship led to creating content on Periscope, then eventually on YouTube.

For Tanisha, all roads lead to community empowerment of women “on purpose with purpose”.

Director of the Self-Agency Academy, Della Rae, knows all about purposeful gratitude. In fact, she defines it as “caring for yourself”.

Early in her career in Human Resources, Della focused on wellness and self, connecting the often-disconnected dots between company values and employee individualism. Under her leadership, the Academy develops classes and events encouraging women to embrace intentional inner mind, body, and soul wellness, to live bold, beautiful, and bountiful lives.

Like Timalyn, Anh, Ashley, Tanisha & Della, I choose gratitude in my work, not as a business strategy, but as a source.

Because when women lead with gratitude, we don’t just grow our businesses, we expand what’s possible for everyone who crosses our path.

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