Cake Therapy
Cake Therapy is a heartwarming and uplifting podcast that celebrates the transformative power of baking therapy. Hosted by Dr. Altreisha Foster, the passionate baker, entrepreneur and advocate behind Cake Therapy, this podcast is a delightful blend of inspiring stories, expert insights and practical baking tips. Each episode takes listeners on a journey of self-discovery, emotional healing and connection through the therapeutic art of baking.
Cake Therapy
From Nursing to Cake Artistry: Tasha Boone’s Sweet Journey
On this episode of the Cake Therapy Podcast, we welcome Tasha Boone, the creative genius behind Sweet and Elegant Delights.
Ever wondered how a dream can evolve into a completely different but equally rewarding path? Tasha takes us through her initial aspiration of becoming a beautician, her fulfilling nursing career, and the unexpected yet delightful turn to baking. Her journey is a testament to the power of adaptability and community support. From her first cake order for a church member to building lasting customer relationships, Tasha emphasizes the importance of connection and community in achieving success. Her educational pursuits, motivated by her daughter’s achievements, underline the value of continuous learning and entrepreneurship.
This episode is a treasure trove of entrepreneurial wisdom. Tasha discusses the significance of patience, focus, and the joy of helping others. She offers encouragement to young entrepreneurs and those facing trauma, stressing that it's okay to seek help and that perseverance pays off. With stories of baking random creations for her supportive community, Tasha beautifully illustrates the fulfillment that comes from serving others. Tune in to hear her inspiring message and gain insights into the heartwarming magic created with each cake.
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Hi everyone, welcome back to the Cake Therapy Podcast, your slice of joy and healing With me, your host, dr Altricia Foster. So I'm usually excited about my guests. I invite them on for a reason, but today's guest, ms Tasha Boone, comes from North Carolina. She is a resident, a former resident, of Virginia. She's born and raised there and I'm particularly excited because she's been popping up in my For you page and I'm like, okay, who is she and what is she about? And I'm really excited. So, ms Tasha Boone, she owns Sweet and Elegant Delights out of North Carolina. She says she creates cakes, creates sweet experiences for her clients. These cakes are sweet experiences and what I found is that everything is content for Tasha. She's into discovery, she's into education and we're very happy to have her here with us today. So hello, tasha.
Speaker 2:Welcome, hello. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Yes, so Tasha is a former nurse, she's a grandmother of seven and she has four kids. Tell me, how are you doing, how are the kids doing?
Speaker 2:Everyone is well, we're actually empty nesters. So the youngest is almost 26. The oldest is almost 37. So we have a mixture, because the two oldest are actually my bonus sons.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So, and then you know the youngest is the boy. So we have two boys, a girl and then a boy, and then the grandkids. All of them are doing well. The youngest is seven months, I believe I lose track after a few months because they grow up so fast.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's okay, you know people say that a holiday season is typically one where people tend to get low in their spirits and their vibe and everything. So I'm intentional about you know, talking. Whenever I'm talking to people, it's just a check-in to see how you're doing like what's it.
Speaker 2:What's your?
Speaker 1:vibe like what's the spirit?
Speaker 2:like you know coming out of the holidays yeah, um, like you said, sometimes the holidays can bring your mood down, but you have to find ways to know, you have to find joy in even the smallest things. That's what I always tell myself and that's what I always tell people. You know who comes to me and you know feel like they just can't keep going or whatever the issue may be. Find that one single thing that brings you joy and dwell on that and that'll help bring you out of that mood. Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:So I mentioned that. I see you in my For you page, tasha Teaching. I'm going to allow you to talk about your book. Soon I'm going to share your book with our guests, but you're teaching and I like. I like the lessons that you leave on Instagram. But tell me about that last cake you bake.
Speaker 2:Do you still do cakes? Are you still doing cake? I'm still doing cakes. I took a little break right here at the holiday just from my own you mental health well-being type thing, because I'm going, going, going, going, going all through the year. So actually the holiday time, christmas time, is time for me to step back, reevaluate, you know, and just take a breather before it wraps up again, you know, in January. So yeah, it's important.
Speaker 1:I find that it's it's important. It really is important to reset sometimes to find your balance and center yourself when you're doing cakes. So tell me about the last cake you baked. Who was it? Um who? What was it?
Speaker 2:I'm trying to think. The last cake, the last cake, the last cake was a twinkle, like a, a twinkle, twinkle little star cake. It was two tears. I hadn't done one of those in a really long time, so I was excited to do that again. And what satisfies me is the look on my customer's face when they actually see it, because I don't send like previews and, you know, little sneak peeks, because I want to see that initial look when they see the cake. So when they come pick up or when they deliver and I show them what the cake looks like, and the young lady who picked up she was like wow, you know she was just amazed and you know that made me feel good. Um, so yeah, it's the joy that I, that I see on people's faces, that's, that's what brings me joy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely but but who? Who is Tasha though? Um, you've not always baked, but so tell me you. You grew up in Virginia. Give me a little bit more about your background, and yeah.
Speaker 2:I can go all over the place. I'm a daughter of a pastor. I grew up in church, probably since the age of two or three, and I am a wife of 27 years almost 27 years. I have to think about that too. Time gets away from me. I think we'll be celebrating 27 in a few weeks Next month. I know, I know the dates. I've been nursing probably since I was a senior in high school, started out with my CNA, got that, and then I went back to school to get my LPN and then I became an RN. So a little over 30 years I've been in the medical field and I still hold my registered nurse license. I refuse to give that up, you know, cause you never know, even though I don't plan to go back.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't plan to go back, but just in case you know I still have that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you still have that safety net. I find too that when I have a science background as well, I mean you know, yeah, I'm a public health practitioner former vaccine scientist.
Speaker 1:I'm a public health practitioner, former vaccine scientist, and I still hold my connections to it because I'm always saying like, oh God, like I need that safety net. Why do you think that we go into these things that I would call our passion jobs, but yet we still hold on to these other connections that we previously have? Why do we feel like we need a safety net? Or why is it that you think you need a safety net?
Speaker 2:Well, bottom line, I love to serve, yeah, and nursing is a service. So you know, and I had always said when I was a little girl, if I wasn't a nurse I was going to be a beautician and nursing one out. And you know, both of those are served. You know the being a beautician is a service field as well. So for me, to hold on to that safety net of you know, maintaining my license every couple of years, every couple of years, it keeps me in the mind of serving. You know, if I can no longer serve, you know, with the case if my wrist give out or if my back gives out, you know I can go back into the medical field, even if it's into a physician's office. You know something like that that's still serving Because it'll be serving at the window or whatever the case may be. You know that's. That's like a what is it called? A love language.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so do you think that you're calling your? Your purpose is serving your. Your purpose in this world is definitely one of service. Well, that's good. So I am, I'm curious, right? I, I watch you. I'm curious um to not like was there anything in your background growing up that connected you to baking at all?
Speaker 2:My mother was not, not really a baker. Um, now, my, my grant, both of my grandparents, my grandmother's work, but they didn't, like you know, bring us into the kitchen and, you know, consistently bake with us or anything like that. I actually got into baking as a means of supplemental income and I enjoyed it, you know, because and I'm not sure if I'm going off topic but baking helped me relax. If I had had a hard day at work or someone had upset me or something, I could get in the kitchen and just start baking and it's like everything just washed away. And baking is a science. So you know, yeah, so I enjoyed putting those, I enjoy, I should say, putting those ingredients together. You know that chemistry, um, so, like I said, it was a, it was a means of supplemental income initially and then I realized, hey, I can do really well at this, you know, I can make this into something so what made you?
Speaker 1:what made you start baking? You said that it was a means of supplementing your income. It could have been like bartending, it could have been, you know, juice making. Why baking? Why did you choose baking?
Speaker 2:because I could do it from home and see the type of nursing that I my last 12 to 13 years I was, um, I'm what's called a hemodialysis nurse, and that type of nurse I would only do patients that were in the hospital. So if there were no patients in the hospital that you know needed their treatment for that day or whatever, then I would be at home doing nothing. So, you know, and I didn't get paid, I would just get on-call pay, you know, which didn't amount to much. So I needed to supplement that in some way. And being able to be at home and still be on call, yeah, you know, I kind of that it worked out versus having to leave home to go, you know, do another type of job and then all of a sudden get a call and have to go in, you know, to give care to a patient.
Speaker 1:So are you self-taught then? Yes, okay, so tell me-.
Speaker 2:I have classes here and there, but you know, not like I haven't gone to pastry school or culinary arts or anything like that.
Speaker 1:no, so, tell me about your start. How did you get up and start like, hey, I'm going to start baking today, I'm going to start making cakes, I'm going to start?
Speaker 2:Tell me about that start. Before I started doing anything, I started doing my research because, you know, you always hear tales of people cooking from home and then all of a sudden they get shut down or what have you, and I didn't want that to happen to me, and so that made me go out. You know, check with my, and I checked with my city. You know I started Googling stuff. What could I do from home? What did I need, you know, in order to start from home, before I even turned on the oven to sell to the first person? And my first customer was someone who had never, ever had. She was a young, young lady, never, ever had my cake before, but she needed a cake for her. Her, uh, boyfriend at my she was a church member need a cake for her boyfriend. Soon as the, the pastor made the announcement that you know I would be taking orders for cake, she was the first one. So it really started from there.
Speaker 1:You know, once I did my research, tell me, tell me about share with our audience a little bit about that feeling of getting your first and the feeling of deciding, making that decision, that I'm going to start taking orders.
Speaker 2:Getting the first. It really shocked me because I actually didn't expect anyone to come, you know, to meet me in the back of the church to say you know, let me, let me get this, let me get that. Because I had created a little menu. It had all of the things on it Brownies, cookies, pound cakes, you know, you name it, it was on that menu, you name it, it was on that menu. So for that first person to come to me without hesitation and say you know, I want this type of cake and paid me on the spot, it was like OK, yeah, I can do this, you know. And then the next person came, I think I left service. Well, after service I left maybe with five orders that day and I was, I was really shocked, you know, but it also helped, coming from a small community. So, you know, people know people related to people, that type of thing. So initially starting business was fairly easy in my community because community of like 5,000 people. So you know somebody that knows somebody that knows somebody that needs a cake.
Speaker 1:So yeah, and you absolutely had the support of the community. So I think, you mentioned that you had somewhat of a smooth transition into this baking industry. Transition into this baking industry as you're baking right and doing your art, what's?
Speaker 2:your process. What's the process that goes into your personal designing? It's funny you asked me that because usually when it comes to cupcakes and you know things like that that's a no braineriner. But when it actually comes to designing a cake, sometimes I don't know what I'm doing until I'm actually working on it. And people are surprised that you know I don't have a design in mind, especially when a client gives me, you know, free reign, it's like because my brain gets overloaded and it wants to do everything. Um, and usually once you know I bake the cake and it's decoration day, once I start working on it, that's when it starts coming together, because I have to see it, um, it just, you know, I can't see it in my mind, I have to physically see it. So that's when it starts coming together. I may do two or three um pieces here or one or two colors here and then suddenly, oh well, let me do this or let me do that. That's how it comes, usually comes together, um, for me yeah, so you never sketch at all.
Speaker 2:I'm not a. I tell people all the time I am not an artist. I can do your cake, but don't ask me to draw it Now. Sometimes I will go into you know, software like Canva or something like that and try to put something together If they just have to see something. And usually I try to stick with whatever I come up with, and again that's probably a couple of days beforehand you know, it's not months in advance because I just can't think that way. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:You know, I find like when I, when I'm in the kitchen and getting ready to bake, I'm I have a lot of my my cake influence is really scientific. I use I have tall cake straight line.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, beautiful.
Speaker 1:Right, thank you. So I found that my science background really does influence what my cakes look like, and I was curious to find out if your background in science does impact your cakes and if yes, what is that?
Speaker 2:your cakes and if yes, what is that? Um, I don't, I don't really think that it does. Um, because, being that I do a wide range styles of cake, from kids cakes to wedding cakes um, I don't think science per se really influence it. Influences it? Yeah, yeah, I'm trying to think.
Speaker 1:So what is your designs then, if not science? Right, like I said, my influence, my focal point is usually the scientific aspect, like always having to be in proportion, straight, that kind of stuff Like what influences your design? What is Tasha Boone's design?
Speaker 2:Eclectic. Um, now, like what you just said, as far as everything having to be straight and proportional, um, and like you said, you like the tall sweet cakes. I tell people all the time my cakes are sleek and tall versus wide and stumpy. Yeah, I just don't like aesthetically, I don't like that look. Um, so maybe, maybe, I guess maybe science does affect it in a certain way. Um, but again, because I do such a wide range, um, and not narrowed down to just one specific niche as far as weddings or, uh, celebration cakes, only that type of thing, um, celebration cakes, only that type of thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I always say that I try to stay away from the church hat. Look right, because those shorts don't be cakes yeah. We've been in and out of these churches all of our lives and we see those church hats and we're like, oh no, our cakes will not look like church hats, so we stay away from them. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm not a fondant girl either. I got away from fondant years ago. I mean, I can do a fondant cake, but that's my ministry. As I tell people Buttercream, I can do your buttercream cake all day, but fondant no.
Speaker 1:I just can't talk to me. Talk to me about the aversion to fondant. Why, why, um?
Speaker 2:like.
Speaker 2:I said I can, I've done them and they look beautiful. But for me, most of my customers don't eat it anyway. So, number one, it's a waste, you know, and you know it's a waste of their money. It's the it. It hurts me because you know, after a while, you, with your wrist, you know, if you don't have a fondant machine or roller or whatever, or roller or whatever, um, that's just, it's just not for me, you know, um, and it takes me longer to do them than it would if I was doing a buttercream cake.
Speaker 2:Okay, gotcha, you know, um, because you, if I was to try to do a fondant cake right now, it probably would take me several hours because everything would have to be a certain way. Um, if a crack came, it would just throw me off. Um, whereas with a buttercream cake, you can easily fix the crack, you know, throw some ganache on it, or you know, pop it back in the freezer, or something like that. Things that are easily fixable is what I. What works well for me, um, fondant is just now. I'll do fondant details. You know, if I need to, you know create whatever out of fondant, I can do that. But just covering a cake with fondant, that's it doesn't make me. That doesn't bring me joy. Yeah, yeah, that doesn't bring me joy. That doesn't bring me joy. Yeah, yeah, that doesn't bring me joy. That doesn't bring me satisfaction, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I often say that like the cakes like when I just started out I was just making everyone's cake, right, but like the cakes I make now, like actually has to feed my soul. I'm not taking anything that I'm not going to enjoy making. My soul has to be fed because, this cake game is really a burnout game.
Speaker 2:And if you're really not?
Speaker 1:feeding your soul, then what's the whole point? And cake for me is my safe place.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've gotten to the place over the last, over the last couple of years actually since, excuse me, moving to north atlanta that if I, you know I get a request you know I review requests and if it just doesn't feel right and it has nothing to do with the customer per se, but if you know, um, if it's just not the type of cake that I do like, like you know the, the cakes that have the alcohol bottles, or you know the explicit cakes, that's not my aesthetic. I don't do those types of things. Um, they bring me no joy. They actually, you know, kind of turn me off. When I, when I'm scrolling on social media and I see it, it's like you know, I hurry up in and scroll past it because I don't want to see that you know um.
Speaker 2:And as far as the alcohol, uh, cakes they're pretty, you know, aesthetically they're pretty, you know, but that's that's. That's not something I want to do. You know, um, that's not part of my business model.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So you definitely tried to. I too have an aversion to some of those and I guess that comes with part of the purpose. You know a lot of people are making it a purpose and some things just don't work for them, you know. So I do get it. I. You know, I was reading somewhere where you said that your favorite cakes to work on are actual wedding cakes. Why, why is that?
Speaker 2:Because, for me, wedding cakes are once in a life, or should be once in a lifetime thing, um things. And although you, although I make a connection with my regular customers, the connection with my couples um is a different type of connection for me. Um, because usually once I do their wedding cake, it leads into you know, their you know anniversary cake, their you know anniversary cake, or their you know baby shower cake or kid's birthday you know. It leads into another relationship with that same couple.
Speaker 2:I recently had a couple who found me. They actually live in the Philippines, they're from the States but they live in the Philippines, but they contacted me. They're from the states, but they live in the Philippines, but they contacted me, um, back in July to well, early June for their wedding in July. Um, and that connection that we have, we talk to each other, just like you know, we've been knowing each other for years. It's just it just feels different when it comes to weddings, um, because, like I said, it doesn't have to be, but weddings are a once in a lifetime thing and you want to make sure, I want to make sure that I'm giving that couple their once in a lifetime cake, exactly what they're looking for cake, exactly what they're looking for.
Speaker 1:How is it? How important?
Speaker 2:is the the relationship building for you with you and your clients very important, um, because, with word of mouth being one of the biggest marketing tools out there, if you know, if I don't, even if I'm having a bad day, my customers will never know that I'm having a bad day, because I always present to them. You know that they're the most important thing or most important person at that time. When we're in conversations, when we are working out what you know, what their order is, what you know, what they're you know looking to get, and when I hear that from them not necessarily feedback, but when they send in another order for them, it's like, oh, okay, and they keep doing it year after year after year, or two or three times a month a year. That lets me know, even if they never leave a review, that lets me know that I have left an impression on them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, whether it's the customer service or whether it's the, the beautiful cake tasting hopefully it's all three of them yeah, you know I've left an impression on them for them to keep coming back. And then they send their family, they send their friends, because I have them. Tell me all the time you know I'm sending such and such to you and I'm like, okay, cool, I you know I look forward to hearing from them, so yeah, so it seems like this isn't you've mentioned before business model, maybe like three times.
Speaker 1:It also seems like this is an important part of your business model. Could you summarize what that looks like for a listener?
Speaker 2:my business model, um and I didn't realize I had said it um, it's providing as you, you gave my introduction a sweet experience that offers the best customer service possible, making them my top priority, providing them with I won't say luxury, because you know I won't say luxury, but giving them the best customer service possible. That's the top thing for me. Oh, I wish I could think fast.
Speaker 1:No, that's okay. I would like to know, though, why wouldn't you say luxury?
Speaker 2:Even though cake is a luxury. I think that word gets tossed around a little bit too much um, because if you want cake, you're gonna get cake um.
Speaker 1:You know, you're gonna, you're gonna purchase the cake?
Speaker 2:um, I won't, because like, for example, expensive sneakers, I don't say you know you're going to, you're going to purchase the cake. I won't like, for example, expensive sneakers. I don't say you know well, those, those sneakers are a luxury, they're just expensive sneakers or they're the top of the last, whatever the case may be. So luxury is not a bad word, it's just I just don't, I just don't like to use it, it just doesn't, it doesn't feel right coming from me. You know somebody else, maybe, I guess, because I feel like I'm more down to earth. I'm just, I'm just Tasha, you know, I'm just your friendly neighborhood. You know cake lady. You know we can be friends while we're doing business, that type of thing.
Speaker 1:You know, I just yeah, okay, and and that's why I asked you, why not luxury? Because people talk all the time like having a cake, a custom cake, is a luxury, or the ability to order a custom cake is a luxury, you know. So that's why I? Asked you why not describe it as a luxury. So, in the same vein of like business models and business plans, I know that you have a bachelor's degree in technical management with a concentration on small business and entrepreneurship right, yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 1:Did you do this before your nursing degree or after?
Speaker 2:No, it was actually after I did. I graduated in 2016. And, to be honest with you, my daughter was the one who actually inspired me to even go back to school, Um, because she graduated from Johnson C Smith in 2014. And I'm like, how's my daughter go have a college degree and her mama don't have a college degree? So I and and being that I had already started my business in 2012 and um and that's not taken away from my daughter at all, because she she thinks she's my mama, she's 32 and she thinks she's the mama now but, um, just, I started the business in 2012. And, like I said, I finished um, finished the bachelor's degree in 2016.
Speaker 2:I just felt like I needed that, added another cushion, another tick mark. You know that I needed to make, Because I could have gotten a bachelor's degree in nursing, but I didn't want a bachelor's degree in nursing, I wanted it in business. So that when I started and I got comfortable enough to start talking to people because I tell people sometimes there's a hidden, a hidden teacher inside of me. So I wanted to have a leg to stand on. I don't want to just be out here, fly by night, just talking, talking, talking, talking, talking. I wanted to be able to say well, this is my background, this is how I can say what I'm saying, along with the experience that I have.
Speaker 1:So what? So do you think it's that that that need to teach that led you to choose this particular course, or what is it that made you decide that you wanted to do your bachelor's in technical management and the on small businesses?
Speaker 2:because I need, personally, I need to know, um, how to run my business. Okay, from 2012 to 2014, when I entered, um, the the program, I was just flying by as far as pricing and my books and things like that. I I was just kind of flying by the seat of my pants, um, because at that time there were really no groups. There were plenty of cake groups, but there were no real groups for, uh, the business side, or the back of the house, as I like to call it. So I felt like I needed, you know something, some type of foundation to at least get me going until I could connect with the right people in the industry to do that, that, uh, figure out that back of the house information.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:That's true.
Speaker 1:So, you know, here at the Cake Therapy Foundation, we, we, we two are focusing on, you know, entrepreneurship just ensuring that as we teach girls to bake, we have to teach them that there as much as possible, so that we're not just creating bakers, we're creating business owners who can transform, you know, the future of their families. We're helping them heal generational trauma, but we're also helping them to provide for their families. You know, five, 10 years down the line, how has entrepreneurship really shaped your life? How has it changed your life?
Speaker 2:I come from a long line of entrepreneurs on my father's side, from storefront owners to laundromat owners, to grocery store owners, um, to chefs. So I know entrepreneurship, I know about working for yourself and even though for the first might as well say half of my life I never really considered it for myself because I wanted to do nursing um. But once I decided that, hey, I'm going to go full force into this thing, it made me basically hit the ground running. My mind is constantly going, figuring things out, trying to decide how to best serve my customers, how to constantly step up my game, because sometimes I look back to see things where I started from, you know, the back of the house to the cakes that I used to do and looking at where I am now, it lets me know that I'm on the right path. As far as constantly learning, because I tell people all the time, if you don't learn at least one thing every single day, then you're doing yourself a disservice. So I try to learn something, even if it's something really, really simple, and maybe not necessarily learning it, but putting it in that file, in the back of my head, in the back of my brain, to say, ok, well, this is what you need to do next time, or this is what you need to do this time, um so um, it has. It has made me go hard.
Speaker 2:Um, because I want to get to the point I stopped nursing in 2021 March of 2021, because I want to get to the point where not only am I my own boss, but I can take off when I need to, I can spend time with my family when I need to or when I want to my, my grandkids, my grand, one of my granddaughters she always wants to be with me. Daughters she always wants to be with me. So I want to get to the place where I'm also creating passive income for myself, where I don't have to constantly be standing and working on cakes but it'd be cake related or be treat related or something to that effect. Um, so I'm constantly, ever evolving in this entrepreneurial world, because not working for somebody else since 2021 has definitely made me say, okay, it's either do or die, you know?
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely do or die yeah.
Speaker 2:You're on your own now, definitely. Yeah, you're on your own now. Yeah, you know it. I'm blessed and I'm thankful because we haven't missed. My husband is retired and so I tell people we haven't missed a meal, we haven't missed a bill, you know.
Speaker 1:So I'm doing something right, you know, you know you know, you know it sometimes, you know, as you reflect, you're, you're realizing like you know, the anchors does still hold. You know, and there is still someone who is your solid rock and he told you to go, do it, and you went, and you did it, and, and, and you're walking in that purpose right now, Um, as on your entrepreneurial journey, I would like for you to speak directly to a young entrepreneur who is listening to the podcast, or a girl, a girl who's been impacted and who's thinking maybe I could do this. Talk to that individual right now about what it is that they need to do to sustain a small business if they go into it.
Speaker 2:What I would tell them. Hopefully I don't cry, cause I I can get emotional. Um, when it comes to helping others, um number one have patience.
Speaker 1:Um don't.
Speaker 2:Don't rush the process. Um, learn everything that you can. Learn everything that you can. Once you learn everything you can and understand that you don't have to do all of the things, pick one or two things and focus on that. Be adaptable, you know. If something changes, be okay with it and learn how to do it a different way. Have patience. Rome wasn't built overnight, you know, and your business is not going to be built overnight. Don't let social media influence you and make you feel like you have to be on level 10 just because it looks like somebody else is on level 10, because they might be on level two, but social media will make you think they're on level 10. So, focus on you. Stay in your lane. Even if your lane has some curves and some bumps and some humps, that's your lane, you know. Whatever you're destined to be in the place that you are. Don't think that you have to be where I am right now okay, because I'm still working on me.
Speaker 1:So and pray, be sure to pray yeah, absolutely, and just listening to you speak to the youth right Now, I'm beginning to understand why. Every time I see you, I see a lesson. In your post, I noticed that you are called to educate. What is influencing that?
Speaker 2:Well, like I said, I have a hidden, a hidden teacher in me and I love to share knowledge, um and um. I just feel like if I know it, I need to share it, Um, it, um, and if I'm asked, I'm gonna share it, um, and I, like I said in the beginning, I'm I listen, I observe things and then I speak on them or I'll create a post. You know about it, because not every single time are my posts related to me, um, but I know that once I put it out there, somebody, whoever needs it, is gonna see it. Yeah, and it's gonna help them hopefully. Um, I try to put a little comedic spin on some of my posts, um, because I feel like I'm a little comedian in the background as well. But I just feel like, I just feel like there's more than enough money out here and I don't like gatekeeping anything and I don't like people who gatekeep.
Speaker 2:So if you ask me where I got something from, I'm going to tell you, because what's for me is for me and what's for you is for you, you know. So I don't mind. Teaching is for you, you know. So I don't mind teaching you something, you know, I don't mind, you know, if you, you know, ask me well, you know what. Do you bake your cakes on 300 degrees? I don't mind telling you that. You know how long it varies. So I can't give you that answer. But you know just different little things like that I don don't mind at all. Um, my mom was the same way. My mom was actually a nurse, um, lpn, and she had that given heart and that and that given spirit, and I think, um, I got a lot of her in me. Um, not just the way that I look, because I look just like her too, but I have a lot of her in me and she was the same way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and she's proud of you? I hope so. Yeah, she's proud of you. She's proud that you've absorbed a lot of what she's taught you and a lot of what you've seen her do. Trust me, yeah, I wasn't supposed to do this. No, it's okay. She is proud of you and I am proud of you.
Speaker 1:I'm proud of what you give to the community and you can't. I couldn't see you and walk by. You get what I'm proud of, what you give to the community, and you can't. I. I couldn't see you and walk by. You get what I'm saying. I couldn't see you. I saw you and stopped and there was a reason why I stopped. Um, so that's what I'm saying, Like what you're doing is purpose and and just keep doing it.
Speaker 2:She's, she's definitely proud of you because I am proud of you Um doing it.
Speaker 1:She's definitely proud of you because I am proud of you. Thank you, yeah, absolutely so. You wrote a book.
Speaker 2:I did. I did. I get a lot of questions, either on my post or in my message box. You know people want advice. You know and this was even before I left Virginia People were constantly asking me well, how do you do this? So where do I do that, how do I do that? Or what form do you use for this, or what you know invoicing system do you use? And if you, if you watch my page, I give you all the information. Everything is there.
Speaker 2:But I decided to convince it. Actually, I created an online class, a virtual class first, of the same title, business Basics and then I said well, some people don't have time to, you know, watch the class, or you know, they may not be able to watch it at a certain time, but if they have a digital version of it and they need to flip to something really quick, it'll be right there. So that's why I decided to create the ebook version of it, called Business Basics Starting business off the right way, curated for home. Home bakers and treat makers. Um, because sometimes, you know, I could probably speak to businesses in general, but I want to focus on us, so that's why I curated it specifically for us. You know, who work from home. Um, you know people who work in a commercial? Um, you know people who work in a commercial kitchen? In some aspects of it would help them. Um, but it's specifically for home bakers and treat makers. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Another gift you've given. I have not I have not purchased, but I I've seen all your little um, the gems you drop on your Instagram page, so I know that you know. Ladies and gentlemen who are starting their businesses and are baking from home will definitely benefit from such a book. Um, I bake because it's therapy for me. My foundation was birthed out of purpose, because I found baking a couple of years ago when I was already when I was established. You know, I was established scientist. I didn't need to bake, but it was a gift, it was my survival tool, it was my survival kit and and I tell people all the time that baking is a therapeutic tool talk to me about your experience with baking, if if you've had any experience with using baking as therapy for you.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, baking is definitely a therapy, like I mentioned before. Well, prior to me leaving the nursing field, if I had had a bad day or extremely long day, just getting into the kitchen and mixing those ingredients together, just it washed it all away. Um, I remember one time, specifically, and I don't know why, I remember this particular time but, um, one of my family members and I, um, one of my siblings and I, uh, we had had a strong disagreement, like a strong, and we don't get upset with each other, that's just not. As I have two brothers, we don't. We don't get upset with each other.
Speaker 2:Um, but this particular time he just made me so hot and I said, ok, it's OK, it's OK, went in the kitchen, started baking and, I kid you not, by the time I was done I couldn't remember what we had fussed about. Yeah, it just it. It cleared my mind. You know, I could feel like a release go throughout my entire body and whatever, and that let me know that whatever it was that we had fussed about wasn't even important. Yeah, you know, to make me feel like. You know, I needed to, you know, put my attention somewhere else. So, yeah, it's definitely therapy for me, it's my escape sometimes, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's a level of centering that comes from when you're sitting still in moments of even thinking through a cake design.
Speaker 1:You're like thinking, and it's good, because I talk about it all the time and I really am trying to connect with bakers who are using it as a tool, because I did write a book myself talking about, okay, now, how baking has changed my life and the tool that I've actually used. But you know, baking has been that tool that, trust me, baking has definitely saved my life and I talk about it all the time and I'm a proponent of people using baking and other forms of art in, you know, in conjunction with talk therapy, to really go through whatever they're going through. What is? You know? People talk about lessons and valuable lessons, and I just I'm curious, you know, to you know you've transitioned from nursing to baking Now. You're now author. Tasha Boone is author.
Speaker 2:I hope we see that in a while right.
Speaker 1:What is the biggest, most valuable lesson that you've learned throughout this journey from transition from one space to the next that you would like to leave with our listeners?
Speaker 2:Say the question again.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm, say the question again, what's your most valuable lesson that you've learned on your journey? You know, through nursing entrepreneurship, that you would like to leave with our listeners.
Speaker 2:What is the biggest lesson? What is the biggest lesson? Well, I won't say it's the biggest lesson, because, but it is a lesson in, in continuing to learn patience. Um, and I say that because in nursing, you're taking care of patients and you have to be patient with them. Um, because sometimes they'll be upset, because that's the only thing they can control and it kind of moves over to customers.
Speaker 2:Sometimes, you know, in the baking, on the baking side, where you have to learn patience because, for whatever reason, that customer may get upset with you or get upset with me, but it's not me. They may be having a bad day, so they put it off on me, but I have to be able to absorb that and learn that. You know, give them grace, you know, give them some grace, because I don't know what they may be dealing with while they're trying to, you know, connect with me. So I have to be patient, you know, and patience is what what it said. Uh, in order to get patients, you have to go through what tribulations and upset customers sometimes can be like a tribulation. So, yeah, so, just throughout this whole thing continues to learn, learn patience, because sometimes, even me, I can go from zero to 100, just you know. But I have to realize that I can't do that with a customer.
Speaker 2:You know I can't, I can't let that. I can't give them what they give me. I can't give them that same energy. I have to be the positive in the situation, so yeah.
Speaker 1:So you're a wife, a mom, a grandmother and we we do have young individuals. You know gender non-conforming um girls impacted by the system, going through trauma. What is a message of overcoming that you would like to tell her in this moment, as a leader in this space, as an entrepreneur in your own right, as a teacher, as a teacher that it's okay not to be okay and it's not shameful to ask for help, and asking for help actually makes you the bigger person versus keeping it tucked away inside.
Speaker 2:But you have to find your people as well, you know you can't just, you know, talk to any and everybody, but yeah, it's OK not to be okay. Yeah, I think that's the biggest thing, because sometimes you know people, young girls they'll feel like, well, you know, I have to be this. You know, because of peer pressure or social media, whatever the case may be, they may feel like they have to be a certain way, um, but deep down inside they're struggling and they have to be able to talk about it. They have to be able to, um, know that they can, that if they're not okay today, let somebody know, you know, because that somebody else may not be okay as well, you know. So you two not being okay, you know, can kind of help each other out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know what is finding your people, what? How do you define that and and what are some examples?
Speaker 2:Um, it's's it as far as me. It's taken me a while to find my people, because I'm an introvert by nature.
Speaker 2:Um, I have a few extroverted tendencies, but, um, finding my people are the people who will come to me or who, yeah, who will come to me at random times and give me that encouraging word without me, without even knowing that there may be something wrong with me. Yes, yeah, so, and I have several people who do that. You know, I might get a text from somebody and I'd be like man, how did they know, you know? Or I might get a DM on somebody and I'd be like man, how did they know, you know? Or I might get a dm on social media from somebody I've never even met, but we, you know, we communicate on social media and I'll be thinking, wow, they were thinking of me.
Speaker 2:I needed that at that very moment, you know, um, and it's not, it's not many now, it's not many. Like I said, I'm an introvert, so I kind of stay back, yeah, but, yeah, that's kind of how, people who don't always need something from me, those are my people, people who want to give to me, you know, give that encouraging word to me.
Speaker 1:Those, are my people? Yeah, and not expect anything in return. Absolutely. And isn't it amazing when you find that and you realize that there are people who actually support you, who don't want anything at all from you?
Speaker 2:I want anything, yep.
Speaker 1:That is. So before we go Tasha right. This has been an amazing conversation and I knew it would have been. To be honest. What are some of what's your favorite thing to bake? And, you know, are there any baking tips you can leave for our listeners?
Speaker 2:I actually don't have a favorite thing to bake. What I like to do is to do something random, like something I've never done before. For a quick example, for Thanksgiving I wasn't going to do anything any type of desserts that we were hosting and I decided to just throw some ingredients together and see what came out, because I knew it was for family, so it wasn't that big of a deal. So those type of random baking um things are what I like to do, um versus something specific. You know, no, I don't have a specific flavor that I like to um bake or anything like that.
Speaker 2:um, but I made a apple cider caramel sheet cake yeah, um, and I just threw, like I said, I just threw some ingredients together. It was almost like an upside down um pineapple cake. You know how you make those. This was a basically like an upside down apple cake. Okay, it had apple cider in it, so anyway, yeah, so that those type of things are what is what I like to do, and some baking tips.
Speaker 2:My main baking tip is low and slow. I say it quite often, low and slow Because when you rush through things number one, why are you rushing? You don't have to rush things. Why? Number one, why are you rushing? You don't have to rush. So I bake at 300 and it may take an hour and 10 minutes to bake. You know, bake my cakes, but I'm okay with that because I know that they're going to be baked through, they're going to be nice and, you know, brown or light brown or whatever, um, versus baked on the outside and not done on the inside, you know. So my main thing is making tip is low and slow. I say it often low and slow.
Speaker 1:What's in the pipeline for you?
Speaker 2:I'm actually working.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but you and the company.
Speaker 2:Oh, I'm actually working on a second ebook, um, about networking and collaborating um within the community. Um, because we I used to go to a um convention every year. It was called ultimate sugar.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:I went like five years in a row Um Sidney Mitchell she was the spearhead of that where you know bakers from all over, vendors from all over. We come together, there were classes you know um and just network. I've actually met some, some lasting relationships um at at the particular convention, but I don't think it's enough in our local communities or even just in general, because sometimes you see a lot of, you can see a lot of drama and cattiness. I don't like that.
Speaker 1:OK, drama and cattiness.
Speaker 2:I don't like that. Okay, you know? Um, and then sometimes I have people come to me and they want to know well, how do they get out there? How do they? You have to, you have to put yourself out there. As I said before, I'm a, I'm an introvert, but if I want community, I have to put myself out there.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:You know I have to, you know, to put myself out there. Yes, you know I have to, you know, put myself in a position where I can meet people, where I can learn new techniques, where I can, you know, learn new business tips, or whatever the case may be. For example, when you asked me, when I was asked to do your podcast okay, because I know that that would put my reach even further. You know, because I'd be connected to someone I didn't even know was, you know existed. And you know you touch your community, I can touch my community and you know we bring each other together. So that that's kind of what my next ebook is going to be about. It's going to take me a little while to write that one as well, Because I want it to be right, I want people to get you know, get information from it. So that's the main thing coming down down the pipe.
Speaker 1:Well, this has been like a great conversation. I've enjoyed having you on. I've enjoyed the conversation. I know our listeners will learn you know a lot from hearing you. I know our listeners will learn you know a lot from hearing you. I know our listeners will hear a lot from following you at Sweet and Elegant Delights on Instagram. But what is your website Share with our listeners where they can find you?
Speaker 2:It's wwwsweetandelegantdelightscom.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So thank you so much for joining us and thank you, Thank you to our listeners for joining us on today's podcast. I hope that you've enjoyed this slice of joy and healing like I have. Join us next time on the podcast and buy us a coffee. Buy me a coffee. Podcast and buy us a coffee. Buy me a coffee. Check out our link at wwwkatetherapyorg and support us. We are doing the work of the Lord for the girls who've been impacted by the system. So thank you again. Thank you so much again, Tasha, for joining us. Thank you All right, everyone.