What Building a Real Community Looks Like: Lessons from Black Moms Connection Founder, Tanya Hayles
Dec 18, 2025
Some conversations stay with you long after the recording ends — and my interview with Tanya Hayles, founder of Black Moms Connection, is one of them.
If you’re new to her work, Tanya built what started as a small Facebook group into a global village of over 50,000 Black moms, with chapters across North America, Africa, and Asia. Today, BMC is a national nonprofit offering culturally relevant resources, financial literacy programs, advocacy, and (hopefully soon) a childcare centre.
This episode is packed with wisdom for anyone building community, navigating pivots, or trying to create impact while holding all the complexities of motherhood and entrepreneurship.
From One Question to a Movement
BMC began with something simple: a sunscreen question at a splash pad.
Tanya wanted a space where she could ask culturally specific parenting questions among moms who shared her lived experience. She invited a few friends to a Facebook group — and within months, it exploded from 400 to 4,000 members.
What struck me most is that Tanya didn’t start with a grand business plan. She started with a need. A very human moment.
And sometimes, that’s exactly where the most important work begins.
Why She Built a Nonprofit (Not a Business)
Many people wonder why Tanya didn’t build BMC as a for-profit community.
Her answer is practical and powerful:
- She came from the fundraising world and understood nonprofit infrastructure.
- Large institutions will fund nonprofits long before they fund a Facebook group.
- Profit wasn’t the point — impact was.
But nonprofit doesn’t mean “no money.”
It means the revenue flows back into the community, not to shareholders.
Tanya still runs BMC like a business: a team of eight, strategic planning, sustainability, and a vision that includes childcare centres, global chapters, and more.
Pivoting, Grieving, and Building Anyway
One of the most honest parts of our conversation was Tanya’s reflection on the past year — being let go from two jobs, navigating grief, and rebuilding her identity while still carrying enormous responsibility.
Her reminder for all of us:
You don’t always stay positive during a pivot.
You grieve first.
And then you move.
Slowly, intentionally, one Post-it note at a time if that’s what it takes.
The Big Vision
Tanya’s goals for BMC are bold and important:
- Multiple 24-hour childcare centres
- Global chapters and resources
- Apps to better support moms
- Long-term financial sustainability
- Community-led advocacy
And she’s doing it while raising a teenager, building new businesses, and navigating the realities of modern motherhood.
Final Thought
What I admire most about Tanya is her clarity:
She builds with purpose, pivots with honesty, and leads with community at the centre — always.
If you want to hear the full conversation (and trust me, you do), head over and listen to the episode. It’s one of the most impactful ones we’ve recorded.
