Tia Honey, 36, didn’t just overcome betrayal, heartbreak, divorce, and financial hardship for herself.
She did it for her three daughters (11, 16, and 18), looking up to her as they journeyed with her on the tumultuous comeback that nearly broke her.
The native Detroiter also did it for the multitudes of women going through similar circumstances, too, and learning to find themselves again. “Heartbreak comes in many forms after life’s trials and tribulations and pushing forward,” Honey said, adding that picking yourself up after difficulties was her primary motivation. Honey and six other women share their intimate stories in a book, “After Him: Deal, Heal, Rebuild, & Emerge After The Breakup.”
Written by Tiesha Johnson, the book also includes authors Honey, Dominisha Senegal, and Carmilla Bourn, among others. The book, published in 2020, writes to women experiencing “an excruciatingly painful breakup” and those who were divorced, remarried, and divorced again. “To every woman left to figure it all out after the breakup. I see you. We see you. We were you.”
Honey said that the book was one of many turning points for her while learning how to pick herself up after being married for 11.5 years (and being together for 17 years) and divorcing at 30 years old in 2015.
“I got married three months shy of my 19th birthday,” Honey said, adding that she had “no choice” but to move forward and keep going after the unbearable pain that sent her into depressive episodes. “You can’t stay (where you are). Life moves on whether you move on or not. I wasn’t going forward; I was depressed. When I realized my children needed a healthy mom, I realized I needed to move forward; I didn’t want them to be depressed and sad.”
Honey eventually moved back to her mother’s house — for several years due to the divorce — began to shift her focus on herself for the first time in a while in her life.
“I didn’t have my own identity — I was just his wife and their mother. I was a first lady. I was married to a preacher … and learning (who) Tia is and loving Tia (helped me) so I can allow the right person to love me correctly,” she said.
Honey said that by rebuilding up her home to make it a household that she desires, she learned how to move on and grow, be OK with her flaws, and fix what she can.
“It’s a Catch 22,” she said, adding that she feels empowered helping others who face similar experiences because it reminds her of where she was.
“I know that I’m not everything I want to be and still striving … while I’m encouraging them, I’m encouraging myself as well,” Honey said.
From the book, Honey has ventured into a weekly podcast, “Something to Talk about w/Tia Honey,” at 6 p.m. Thursdays on Facebook Live, where she discusses relationships, spills some tea, and more. Honey, who is stepping more into the world of communications, said that she is on the right track for future goals.
“I always wanted to be a news anchor or journalist of some nature. Definitely doing the things that I have aspired to do,” Honey said. “God has opened up some amazing doors and I’m forever grateful for that.”
Honey added that she has immeasurable support from women who are part of her tribe and helped her overcome her darkest hour.
Dr. Leslye Walker Edwards of Blessed Ground Church International is one such woman who wrapped her arms around Honey.
“I met Tia and her family when she was just a young teen and her mom visited our church. She would begin to watch me as I lead the ministry and I took a special liking to her,” Walker said, adding that their paths crossed again once she grew up and got married. “As her (marriage) began to fall apart, she reached out and I was there to listen. This inspires me … I watched her come back from it all. Raising her daughters as a single parent, starting her own business and now her podcast. She is a shining example to people, but specifically, women, that relationships may fail, sickness may try to stop you and life can throw all types of obstacles at you, but determination and focus can lead you to the greatest comeback ever.”
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