by Keiyana McIntosh on March 15, 2023
If you grew up in church then you’re probably familiar with the scripture, “Walk by faith, not by sight,” (2 Corinthians 5:7). This is God's reminder to not only believe but trust in Him over what’s going on around you. However, if we’re honest, sometimes it is easier said than done.
Yet, like everything else, it takes practice applying God’s word to see a lifestyle change, and our next feature can attest to it.
Entrepreneur, Ty Wilson has faced many challenges in her life, but one thing that has never changed in her adversities was her faith. It is because of her trials that her relationship with God is that much stronger.
Nine years before Ty’s success with her apparel company, The Lit CEO, she planted a lot of prayer, sweat, and tears. Within those nine years, she went through a divorce and became a single mother to her son, which led her back home with her parents. While getting accustomed to single motherhood, she managed to work a job and an internship simultaneously while attending to get not one, but two college degrees with honors.
However, even amid doubt and wanting to quit, Ty was faithful and obedient to God’s instructions. Though she already had a lot on her plate, God began to use her spiritual gifts with her hosting weekly live prayers in her parent's garage. She also found the strength to start back working on her apparel company again.
With facing so many odds, most would’ve given up, but Ty kept on fighting through the tears. Where it seemed like her life had fallen apart, God was setting her up to succeed, giving her back more than what she had lost. Let this be a reminder that God is working on your behalf even in the chaos.
As we continue to celebrate Women’s International Month with another inspiring testimony, I present to you, Mrs. Ty Wilson!
Keiyana: Hi Ty, welcome to Foundation First! We’re so happy to have you join us today!
Ty: Thank you for having me. I’m glad to be here!
Keiyana: Let's jump right in. Describe what it was like growing up for you.
Ty: I am the oldest of two. Growing up, I was fortunate to have my parents in the same household, who remain happily married today. They taught me about being a hard worker, goal setting, and going after what I want. My grandmother also played a factor in my life. She laid the foundation for me to grow up in the church, but it was not until 2015 that I gave my life to Christ. Since then, I have been walking in my purpose and on fire for God.
Keiyana: Ironically, it was your faith that captured my attention. Can you take us back to the moment you decided to give your life to Christ, and how do you maintain your relationship with God?
Ty: Oddly enough, I only remember the year I gave my life to Christ. Though I cannot remember the exact moment of my decision, it was a radical, overnight change. However, I remember a few weeks before being out clubbing with my friends. I was a young woman having fun, literally living my life. Then, I woke up one day and no longer desired to do those things or to be a part of the world.
My appetite for those things got stripped from me, and overnight my life changed. Even now, I cry regarding how fast my life with God has gone. I did not get a chance to dibble and dabble in my old ways. I had to give up everything overnight. Immediately I was preaching, I was praying, and I was submitted.
That is not to say I did not fall short at times, as we all do, but from that moment on, I took everything seriously about God.
What helps me maintain my relationship with God is that I fear Him. Therefore, it makes it easier to obey Him, read His word, and be in a place of prayer. Maintaining a relationship with God means forming intimacy through conversation with Him. I achieve this by setting aside time to spend in His word and getting to know His heart, mind, and character. It is a process that you yield and submit to grow as a daughter, as he cultivates you as a father. We want everything to be like the world and have things happen overnight, but are you a daughter willing to be patient enough for your father to mold you? We are still clay regardless of titles, our calling, or social media status. It also does not hurt that I have a dope community of friends. Though my friends hold me to a very high standard, they still create space for me to be myself outside of ministry.
Keiyana: You mentioned that you are in ministry. Can you specify your spiritual gifts and how God has called you to use them?
Ty: I am a prophet, an intercessor, and a deliverance minister. Overall, I bring encouragement to people, which comes naturally to me. I genuinely love people and want to see people do and be well. I naturally have a niche for helping others find their identity and gifts.
You will never be around me and feel low. I use my gifts to get people back in alignment with God. I help them reimagine what God is calling them to do. I believe life gets in the way of fear and comparison to derail us. What I enjoy most is helping people become the God part of themselves outside of their environment and atmosphere. Whether that is by way of inner healing, deliverance, teaching the word, prayer, or mentorship. I am willing to do whatever it takes to see God fully manifested in the lives of others.
Keiyana: Outside of ministry, you are also an entrepreneur. Tell us more about your inspiration, mission, and vision for The Lit CEO.
Ty: I started the Lit CEO to shatter the stigma associated with CEOs. When we hear the word CEO, we automatically think of heels, a black suit, and a white top. However, I wanted to permit women to run successful businesses and households while still being comfortable. Therefore, we are not just targeting CEOs, but any woman who takes the time to manage and maintain something daily.
I wanted women to know that you can make a million dollars in leggings, a jogger set, or a hoodie. It is not about what you wear but what you have on the inside that the world needs. It is about permitting women to shatter every glass ceiling put over them by their bloodline, limiting thoughts and beliefs, and giving them the space to be themselves.
One of my mottos is to spend more time in your purpose and less time in your closet. Therefore, everything we sell is curated to make it easier for women to choose what they wear daily.
Keiyana: How was it transitioning from the workplace to being an entrepreneur? What awards and challenges have you encountered being an entrepreneur?
Ty: The crazy thing about it is people assume that since I started the Lit CEO, I am no longer in corporate. I am still in corporate America while running my company. I have been in corporate banking for twelve years and love it! Having a corporate job helps to alleviate the stress associated with being an entrepreneur. People do not want to admit it, but being an entrepreneur can be stressful, especially during the startup. My corporate job allows me to fund my business until the business can fund itself.
Some of the challenges I ran into when I first started was that I did custom athleisure wear. Within 60 days of launching, I had to change my manufacturer because they made a mistake and did not wanna take accountability for it. Then, on the first day of my launch, my website did not charge taxes, and some were not charged shipping. Yet, though I experienced obstacles, it was nothing that would ever make me want to quit. Minor setbacks are what builds your character as an entrepreneur. In my opinion, you have to overcome challenging situations to be a successful business owner.
Outside of my business, I also have a personal brand, Ty Wilson. My brand represents my spirituality and where I use my gifts. I have yet to master the balance between The Lit CEO and Being Ty Wilson, but being Ty Wilson will always be a priority because that is Kingdom. If I ever had to put anything on the back burner, it would always be The Lit CEO because of my dedication and allegiance to God. Overall, I am still working on getting better at balancing between the two, but whatever God is speaking or has me burdened with at that time will get the majority of my attention.
Keiyana: I love it! Outside of your successful business, you are a wife and mother. However, for a while, you were a single mom. How did you lead up to finally experience the love God had for you?
Ty: Twenty days before I met my husband, I went through a horrible breakup with a guy I thought I would marry. While with my ex, I believe that if we wanted to, we could have married and spent the rest of our lives together. However, our relationship ended when I went on a three-day fast. The day after I completed my fast, everything from components of his sexuality and things that he was not truthful about was revealed.
With everything exposed, I was hurt and devastated. I had to go through a process with just me and God questioning the situation. My reaction was based on pride because if that is still His son, why would he expose him? For if God were still warring for his soul, He would not have revealed him prematurely to me. But the Lord had graced me during that time, and even though I did not understand, I still handled him like a man of God. Through that, he experienced God in a new way.
After that breakup, I was on edge because I had given my all to multiple relationships. I had already been married and divorced before, and I was ready to put my guard up. Yet, I heard God say, “I will send you something better before you become bitter.” And he did that. Shortly after, my cousin convinced me to get on a dating app. Within one day of being on the app, I met my husband, and we exchanged twelve messages before going on our first date, and the rest was history.
I want to encourage any woman in the same position I was in to wait, believe in God, and guard her heart. I know some social media accounts can be discouraging for single women to see people breaking up and getting divorced. However, do not limit God to your timeline of singleness, for you could be hindering your healing by resisting who is coming. You never know when He will move.
Keiyana: Tell me how valuable sisterhood is to you and what that looks like for you.
Ty: Sisterhood is extremely valuable to me. I think the mindset of, “I do not need anybody”, and “You can't sit with us,” is very demonic. I feel like every woman needs sisterhood. We all need a community of people who are not impressed by our spiritual gifts nor who we are to the public, but who will hold us accountable while sharpening us. You need people around you who are mature enough to have the hard conversations because they know who God has called you to be, and your friendship not be in shambles afterward. Surround yourself with people that will push you even when you do not feel like going forth.
Sisterhood is extremely important. When you find sincere and genuine women, keep them. In addition, you need sisters who also take the things of God as seriously as you do. I thank God that I have friends with who I do not have to vocalize some things, but because they have prayer lives and a relationship with God, they can pick some things up in the Spirit, and they are going to pray or call to encourage me. I have a powerful video from my event this past weekend where I was kneeling at the altar by myself, and my friends came and covered me in prayer.
Keiyana: Well said. What woman has made the greatest impact on your journey, and how?
Ty: I do not feel I can attribute that to one woman. I have had the pleasure of several women coming into my life as spiritual mothers (including my natural mother). These women acted as mentors, teaching me right and wrong while forming genuine bonds. They taught me protocols of the Spirit of God and trained me to affirm myself and my identity. Therefore, all of the women God has introduced me to along my journey have greatly impacted my life. Whether the relationship is still standing or non-existent, each woman has taught me certain things I will carry with me until my last breath. Whether it was about being a woman, a wife, a mother, or ministry-related, I feel like the Lord loves me because of the women He sent to cover and pour into me when I needed it most.
Keiyana: Based on a life lesson, what advice would you give to our community of women?
Ty: Continue to trust God. I know that may sound cliche, but as I recently looked back over my life, what I felt I would never make it through, I did. What I felt like I would never attain, I did. And it was all by the grace of God and truly trusting him. Doing as the Bible says by not leaning to your understanding, your experiences, or by sight, but learning and trusting in God is a significant life hack.
Despite discouragement and life unfolding, I feel like my trust in God and knowing what He has done in the past and what the word says about my situation has helped to sustain me and overcome traumatic events. Overall, understanding who God is as a father has helped me because I understand how He would treat, speak, and would handle a daughter. Learning to trust God and keeping that place of intimacy with Him has helped me and will benefit other women too. As I said before, it may sound basic and cliché, but once you get into a place of complete trust, you'll know that whatever it looks like, it will be well. It has to work for you because of the God that you serve.
Keiyana: As we close, tell our readers where they can find you on social media and what to expect from you this year.
Ty: You can find me on Instagram at Being Ty Wilson, and my business page at The Lit CEO. With Being Ty Wilson, you can expect more resources and opportunities to pour into others. I want to hone in on teaching more too. I've learned a lot, and it's time for me to share. You can also expect a book from me this year, finally <laugh>. Overall, I plan to continue in what I've been doing with mentoring through social media and one-on-ones.
I recently had a gathering last Friday, so expect more of those times of intimacy with God and being in a safe environment for you to receive from God. With The Lit CEO, we will continue to create cozy essentials for the multifaceted woman to do what she needs to do while being comfortable.
On behalf of Foundation First, we want to thank Ty Wilson for sharing her inspiring testimony!
Stay connected with Ty by clicking the links below.
Instagram:@beingtywilson and @thelitceo
Website: www.thelitceo.com