Introduction and Early Community Connections
Taryell Simmons: What is up, ladies and gentlemen? It is your host, Taryell Simmons, in the building for another episode of Rise Urban Nation. Miss Conwright is in the building, and she is fancy! Nails done and ready to go.
Tinesia Conwright: Thank you for having me! I am glad to be here. I feel like finally I have reached the level where I am on Taryell's podcast.
Taryell Simmons: You have always been podcast material. I was trying to remember the first time we met. Was it at Connect2Careers?
Tinesia Conwright: Yes, Connect2Careers! In the early days of FANCY, we partnered with the Blue Heart Foundation, and Tracy, rest in power, held professional development workshops on weekends for the young men. I brought the young women, and you were the facilitator extraordinaire connecting with the youth and sharing knowledge.
Taryell Simmons: We have been working together ever since with various youth programs to help kids launch their careers. For those who do not know who you are, who is Miss Conwright?
Finding Purpose Through Faith, Dance, and Community
Tinesia Conwright: I am a woman who walks in faith and on purpose. I learned about purpose when I was fifteen years old. I joined a local dance team called Steps of Praise. We had discipleship twice a week and danced on weekends at various churches and community events. At that young age, I learned that I was valuable and that God had a plan for my life. Growing up, church seemed boring, but being exposed to relatable leaders, community, and expressive dance made faith engaging. It taught me the power of God and the power of community.
The Origins and Mission of DETOUR and FANCY
Taryell Simmons: That backstory explains so much. For people not familiar with DETOUR and FANCY, break down what they are.
Tinesia Conwright: DETOUR stands for Depositing Empowerment Through Outreach and Urban Redevelopment, which is our nonprofit organization. I like to call DETOUR the Nabisco and FANCY the Oreo. FANCY is our program for girls, which stands for Focused and Naturally Confident Youth. I started the organization thirteen to fourteen years ago with my younger foster sisters. I grew up with seven sisters in my household. I would take them out to breakfast once a month to offer advice. That evolved into mentoring their friends and teaching classes at the local Skyline Recreation Center. We wanted a catchy name to engage youth, and because the song by T.I. and Drake was popular then, my sister suggested FANCY. We even recorded a rap over the instrumental back in the day.
Taryell Simmons: You grew up in a household with seven girls?
Tinesia Conwright: Yes, I am the oldest. My mother had three biological children and fostered hundreds of children over the years starting when I was nine. I wanted my foster sisters to know they were special and had equal opportunities if they applied themselves. For instance, my youngest foster sister became a Gates Millennium Scholar, graduated from Syracuse University, and is now pursuing her graduate degree. That proves the power of having a vision and staying dedicated.
Early Entrepreneurship, Real Estate, and the 2008 Housing Crash
Taryell Simmons: How did you discover your entrepreneurial drive so early?
Tinesia Conwright: In fifth grade, I started my first business called Discount Tees, reselling items and making paper earrings. Coming from a Jamaican background, everyone in my family had side hustles. When I toured as a dancer with Kirk Franklin and performed in the Revolution music video, I thought entertainment was my life path. However, I finished my degree at SDSU and entered real estate. I started doing bookkeeping, processing mortgage loans, preparing taxes, handling property management, and earned my notary and real estate licenses. By my early twenties, I owned an investment property in Las Vegas and a condo in San Diego.
Tinesia Conwright: When the recession hit in 2006 to 2008, the real estate market collapsed. I faced bankruptcy and foreclosure on my Las Vegas property. It forced me to reflect on who I was without material possessions. That detour led me back to community work to empower young girls before they face similar hardships. In 2008, I secured a stable job and saved my San Diego condo through a last-minute loan modification.
Leadership Evolution, Nonprofit Scaling, and Avoiding Founder Burnout
Tinesia Conwright: Purpose is ever-expanding. As you grow, your role shifts. In the beginning, I facilitated every workshop myself. Now, I have staff and focus on shepherding the next generation of leaders. Founders often burn out because they try to micromanage operations instead of stepping into ambassadorship, fundraising, and succession planning.
Taryell Simmons: That transition is crucial for organizational sustainability and building lasting legacy in our community so that organizations thrive beyond individual founders.
Tinesia Conwright: Exactly. When hiring staff, you must respect boundaries while mentoring dedicated individuals. Leaders also need to stay focused on their core niche rather than succumbing to mission drift just to chase grant dollars.
Publishing Find Your Flair and the Power of Leadership Programs
Taryell Simmons: Let us discuss your new book, Find Your Flair. What inspired you to write it?
Tinesia Conwright: Find Your Flair: A Guide to Help Future Leaders Discover Their Strengths and Maximize Their Leadership Potential translates FANCY curriculum into a book with practical exercises and worksheets. It allows us to scale our mentorship to girls nationwide who cannot attend our in-person workshops in San Diego.
Taryell Simmons: Leadership programs were transformative in my life, including LEAD San Diego, RISE San Diego, and Rockwood. Why did you include leadership programs in your book?
Tinesia Conwright: Participating in LEAD San Diego introduced me to the Master's in Nonprofit Leadership and Management program at the University of San Diego, founded by Pat Libby. Later, joining RISE San Diego fed my spirit among peers. Following that, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network Fellowship expanded my national network. In Jackson, Mississippi, we visited the home of Medgar Evers alongside his daughter, Reena Evers. I later brought our FANCY girls there, to the Civil Rights Museum, MLK's home in Atlanta, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. Exposing youth to our rich history and legacy instills profound self-worth.
First Jobs, Practical Founder Advice, and Trusting Intuition
Taryell Simmons: What was your first official job?
Tinesia Conwright: Aside from fifth-grade entrepreneurship and bookkeeping for my uncle's pressure washing company, my first W-2 job at age sixteen or seventeen was working in guest relations at SeaWorld.
Taryell Simmons: What advice do you have for aspiring nonprofit founders?
Tinesia Conwright: Start with what you have where you are. I began FANCY with breakfast meetings, then used free space at Skyline Recreation Center with Coach Pat, leading to our first FANCY Expo with fifty girls and six vendors. Take it one step at a time, consider fiscal sponsorship before establishing a standalone nonprofit, and protect your mental health.
Tinesia Conwright: A key life lesson is to listen to your heart and internal compass. Slow down to hear your intuition, honor what your body tells you, and recognize when to change direction.
The Future of Workforce Equity and DETOUR Resources
Taryell Simmons: What does the future look like for Black women in nonprofit leadership and workforce development?
Tinesia Conwright: It looks like Black women continuously creating pathways for the next generation. We need corporations and educational institutions to invest intentionally in leadership pipelines, remove barriers like transportation and living costs, and support girls of color entering priority sectors.
Tinesia Conwright: People can visit https://detourempowers.org to learn about our programs, annual scholarship gala, and membership program. Visit https://findyourflare.org for the book and guided training. Check out our podcast and equity mapping tool at https://allaboutgirlsofcolor.com, and follow us on Instagram at @detourfancy.
Taryell Simmons: Thank you, Tinesia, for joining Rise Urban Nation. Keep shining and empowering the next generation!
