Exclusive Interview with Tonya Fines: Brand Visionary of the Year 2025
Best Holistic Life Magazine: Your journey from leaving a toxic marriage to rebuilding your life in Tampa requires immense courage and resilience. What were some of the most challenging moments in this journey, and how did they shape your approach to building your brand?
Tonya Fines: Probably the most challenging was that I didn’t know anyone in the city of Tampa, and I had also just decided to start my own business. The timing of it all really could not have been more frightening for me. I found myself in a very scary situation… I had no vehicle, almost no furniture, no consistent income coming in, and a quickly shrinking bank account. What I did have was that I was not afraid to work and I really love working. I’d had to “start over” before, but never like this, so I knew I could. I also knew it was probably going to take me longer since I had limited resources at the time. But I knew that I was going to be able to rebuild my life beautifully. I knew the outcome that I wanted, and I knew the kind of life I wanted to build for myself. With that very clear vision, I worked backward with respect to what steps had to happen to get me there, and the best way to work those steps so that I was successful in the process. Once I had this all laid out, I got to work DOING those things. What I didn’t realize at the time, because I was so focused on generating cash flow to keep a roof over my head, was that I was building my brand every bit as much as I was rebuilding my life.
Best Holistic Life Magazine: Your book, How to Become a Media Socialite and Monetize Your Passion, emphasizes the importance of turning passion into a thriving brand. Can you share the key philosophies that guide your approach to branding and online influence?
Tonya Fines: Absolutely! This is actually very simple and here is why I say that. When you do what you love, and you pour all your energy into what aligns with what you believe in, you are far more relatable and have a much easier time establishing trust with your audience, because you are speaking from a place of authenticity. Your brand is essentially an extension of who you are, your values, your interests, and your voice. Be crystal clear on what it is you want to be an “influencer” of. Ask yourself, “Is this something that aligns with my values and my belief system? Is this something that aligns with my ‘why’?” If it does, then your voice is far more powerful and influential in getting others to pay attention and get behind you with their support. I talk a lot about your “why,” in my book. If you ever feel unsure or conflicted about the direction you are headed, go back to that! Your “why” is your lamp post; it is what will continue to guide you towards your ultimate and optimal goal/ goals.
Best Holistic Life Magazine: In a world where online presence is ‘the greatest currency,’ as you put it, what do you believe are the essential ingredients for creating a captivating digital identity? How can newcomers avoid getting lost in the noise of social media?
Tonya Fines: Social media is something of a double-edged sword. Now don’t get me wrong, I love social media for the power it has in its potential to create epic and massive waves of awareness globally, which can go a long way in allowing for tremendous positive change. However, I also want to stress just how strong the inertia of this ripple effect can be, in how it can trigger the emotional need to be accepted and liked. It can be very easy to get caught up in the “feel good vibes” of suddenly becoming popular and lose sight of your mission, your vision, and what it is you want to contribute to your audience, community, and the world in general. Keep your content very purpose-driven! When your content has a purpose, it is easier to generate something that truly holds value. For example, it’s great to create posts about, and highlight, galas and flashy events; I do it all the time. I mean who doesn’t want to see the “who’s who” of your community and what they are wearing, right?! However, why did you go to this particular event? What was the reason, or what was the cause, that made you want to be a part of this event? People love stories and they love to feel like they are a part of something. When you showcase and create content about something in a way that tells people, “This is very important to me, and here is why,” you are essentially giving your audience an invitation to learn more and even become involved. Again, I’m going to bring up your “why”. Come back to that frequently. This will not only help you create meaningful and purpose-driven content, with potentially massive positive impact, but it will also help you to determine what, where, and who you want to put your energy and time into.
Best Holistic Life Magazine: Your book promises actionable strategies for transforming passion into profit. What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out and might be feeling overwhelmed by the idea of building a personal brand?
Tonya Fines: My first bit of advice would be to take a deep breath and just pause for a moment. Starting your own brand and growing it is a very exciting journey and yes, it can be incredibly overwhelming if you are in the mindset of “having to do everything at once.” First, you need to establish what your brand is about. And get really, really clear on that. What do you want your brand to convey to your audience? What is the voice of your brand? What is the message your brand is sharing with the world? What is the mission and vision behind your brand? This is, once again, where your WHY comes into play; it is absolutely vital, with respect to mapping out how to establish, build and grow your brand. When you have a crystal clear visual of what you want your desired outcome to look like, sound like, and feel like, start working backward from that, in order to best establish the steps necessary to get you there. I like to call this reverse engineering. When you have worked back to where you are right now, your starting point, start with the ONE thing that you need to do today, to begin building your personal brand. And don’t expect it to be something really huge or a massive undertaking necessarily. It literally may be something as simple as creating a new Instagram or FB page. It may be creating a calendar that you stick to where you have certain times/ days dedicated to working on your brand voice and vision. It may be coming up with your mission statement; which I strongly recommend you do before doing anything else. Start with one thing! When that is done, get to work on the next thing. This is your momentum and if you continue to work through the steps you’ve laid out, the entire process can be way less overwhelming and a lot more manageable… not to mention enjoyable for you, because this IS supposed to be FUN!
Best Holistic Life Magazine: You’re celebrated as a master wordsmith and storyteller. How has storytelling played a role in your success, and why do you believe it’s such a powerful tool for building brands?
Tonya Fines: People love to be entertained, and while facts tell us what we may need to or want to know, stories are the root of how you actually build a loyal following and what will sell, if you are selling a product or service. Stories are where “human connection” comes into play and that is what most of us want… to feel connected to something that matters. Whatever it is you are selling or talking about, creating a story around it and giving it a “personality” if you will, makes a massive difference in how the information you are sharing is perceived and just how much it will be embraced. There are many, many people who are brilliant at regurgitating data and facts. But those who can weave all of that valuable information into a story will have a higher probability of being able to capture their audience’s attention and ultimately establish rapport and trust. This goes a long, LONG way in building your brand with longevity.
Best Holistic Life Magazine: With your expertise in social media analytics, influencer marketing, and community engagement, what trends or strategies should brands be focusing on in 2025 to boost their presence and connection with audiences?
Tonya Fines: This will be no big surprise to anyone reading this, but AI is going to be a huge element in social media going forward. Whether you like AI or not, it is here to stay and it continues to gain mammoth-size momentum. While AI can be a very useful tool, I believe it is still paramount that people speak from their voice; that place of authenticity so as to not lose the human connection between your brand and your audience. Your audience wants a meaningful connection with you/ your brand. I really feel that if someone wants to boost their presence, they need to focus on this.
Best Holistic Life Magazine: Diving into the Tampa business scene after starting over must have come with its own lessons. How did this experience influence your approach to networking, and what advice do you have for entrepreneurs looking to make meaningful connections in their communities?
Tonya Fines: I talk a lot about this in my book. I was not someone who embraced the idea of networking … I was someone who was very happy being in a room without anyone knowing I was even there. However, networking became the one thing I needed to learn to do really well, to establish a presence within the Tampa business scene and share my brand with the people that I was meeting at these events.. Now, I love networking, but not just from the perspective of making connections that lead to career opportunities, although that is a BIG win. Networking forced me to get comfortable talking about myself, about my brand and what my vision was, about my skill set, as well as sharing details about my life with complete strangers. It gave me the opportunity to learn a lot more about the business community in Tampa and just how “relationship-driven” it is. Most of all … it introduced me to some absolutely amazing power-hitters here who have become very dear friends of mine. If you take one thing away from what I share with you in this article may it be this ….
Networking has the unlimited potential to help your brand grow in ways that you never would have imagined if you were smart about it. Networking is not just about who you are and what you can offer. It is even more so about who you are talking to, what is their industry, and listening to them to hear where/how you may have something to offer to help them out. When people feel heard, they are much more willing to hear you. Make networking a priority in growing your brand, but keep in mind that you don’t need to go to every networking event. Do your homework, search out networking groups in your community, and shortlist the ones that resonate with you and what you want to build with respect to your brand. Walk into these rooms with curiosity for what others are doing and listen carefully to what their frustrations and/ or needs are.
Best Holistic Life Magazine: You emphasize the beauty of giving back and the importance of community engagement. How do you incorporate these values into your work, and why do you feel they are crucial for long-term success?
Tonya Fines: I’m very passionate about giving back, paying it forward, and really immersing myself into my community. When you support your community, they will support you… at least this has been my experience. Initially I was spreading myself way too thin, trying to support all of the causes that I wanted to. So I had to scale back and pick my top 3. That doesn’t mean that I don’t give in some way to several causes, it just means that my focus is on my top 3 so that when I do get involved in an event, fundraiser, gala… I’m able to devote more of my time and resources. When you become involved in giving back within your community, people see that… and here is the human connection again. When your community and your audience see you getting involved and giving your time, energy, skills to help out, they see YOU investing in THEM and that goes a very long way in establishing the authenticity of your brand and making meaningful connections that last.
Best Holistic Life Magazine: Looking forward, what’s your vision for Tonya M. Fines Inc., and how do you hope to influence the landscape of social media marketing and digital branding?
Tonya Fines: Whoa … well, I always have many irons in the fire, however going into 2025 I’m putting a lot of my focus and energy into creating and building out my course; from my book ‘How To Become A Media Socialite And Monetize Your Passion,’ and doing more speaking events. I want to continue to write and create content that is purposeful and can help others build their dream or get “unstuck” from where they are. I want to continue in my mentorship roles with young women and do as much as I can to do my part in contributing to helping young women find their voice, their strength, and their passion and watching them become thriving and powerful roles in our community.
Best Holistic Life Magazine: With content creation and branding becoming highly competitive fields, what advice would you give to aspiring creators who want to stand out and build authentic connections with their audiences?
Tonya Fines: Stay true to who you are, what you believe in, what it is you want to build, and your WHY! If you are inauthentic, that will reveal itself very quickly and this will sabotage your chances of being “trustworthy and genuine.” When your audience feels that you are not REAL, you won’t be able to make the meaningful connections necessary to build rapport with your followers, having them hear your message and create the massive, positive change in the world that you want.
Best Holistic Life Magazine: As Brand Visionary of the Year, you’ve achieved significant recognition. What legacy do you hope to leave in the world of digital storytelling and branding?
Tonya Fines: Gosh… that’s a big question; I love it! When I think about “legacy,” my wish is that people will continue to share their stories authentically. I hope that more people will realize that they too, have a story to tell and that their story may just be the one that is the catalyst for igniting another person’s passion to pursue their dream. Be you! Be beautiful, and authentic… speak from your heart, keep it very real and people will listen to what you have to say. Use your story to further fulfill your life’s purpose and vision. Creating a brand is so much more than just having a great look and a growing list of followers. Creating a brand is also a responsibility to contribute something great to our world. Never discount the power of sharing your story to do just that!
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