Occupation: Owner of Agape Beauty, NOLA, Co-Partner of Neyow’s Creole Cafe, and Social Media Content Creator.

Husband: Courtney Smith

Children: Caleb, 11, Courtney Jr., 11, Cody, 10, Connor, 3, and Chosen, 1

Hobbies: Dancing, especially with the parent squad of the EDT Dance Team, making videos, and making others laugh and smile.

Tana Smith fills her life with laughter and authenticity, whether she’s caring for her family, building her career, or connecting with her 213K social media followers. As a licensed registered nurse and business owner, Tana specializes in providing post-operative care for women recovering from plastic surgery. Along with pouring love and empathy into her children and managing their family-run restaurant, Tana captivates her online audience with her signature blend of humor, honesty, and charm. Amid life’s “chaos,” she finds balance in mental wellness, joy, and the importance of family.

SINCE GAINING YOUR ONLINE AUDIENCE, HOW HAS YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE CHANGED YOUR LIFE?

TANA: [My followers] mean everything. I don’t necessarily have to post all day on my business page to see results. My followers are calling me [to make appointments]. The word of mouth keeps me booked and busy. I appreciate that I was able to leave my [old] job at the hospital and work fully [for my business]. The economy is shaky, so it’s crazy to see the amount of followers I have that support our restaurant. That restaurant supports my entire family, so if that goes down, my whole family struggles. I see at least 10 of my followers a day in that restaurant. I could be on the break of cracking, and the joy that they give me keeps me pushing because of their smiles and excitement. I love each and every one of my followers. If you take [social media] the right way, it’s actually very healing and rewarding.

IS THERE AN IMPACT YOU WISH TO LEAVE ON YOUR COMMUNITY, WITHIN YOUR BUSINESS AND ONLINE?

TANA: The person they see online is the same person that they meet in person. I want to spread love, peace, fun, and happiness. Honestly, I want people to feel like they can be comfortable in their own skin. Half of the time, my hair isn’t combed online, because of motherhood, businesshood, and everything. But these people still love me for who I am. You don’t have to be famous, you don’t have to be like the celebrities for people to love you. You can be exactly who you are, where you are, and people will love the craziness, chaos, and realness.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE PARENTS THAT MAY ALSO BE JUGGLING THEIR CAREERS, SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE, AND FAMILIES?

TANA: Find ways to include your kids in your busy schedule. My kids think it’s a highlight when I ask, “Do you want to do a video with me?” Most of the time, they bring the ideas! Or, when I have to work, I’m like, “Do you want to come?” I’ll be with clients, and my daughter is in another room reading a book. She just likes the fact that she can come with me to work. I might even surprise her and Uber Eats something, like Starbucks. Or even if I have a five minute break, I FaceTime them to ask, “How was your day?” You don’t necessarily, physically have to be present all the time because in this world, we can’t. A lot of times, we have to have multiple jobs to make ends meet. Take those little moments. Don’t take them for granted. Those little moments are the most important moments.

WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU LEARNED IN YOUR CHILDHOOD THAT YOU ARE PASSING DOWN TO YOUR CHILDREN?

TANA: At the end of the day, family is what’s most important. [My mom] spent a lot of time at work, and I never understood until I got older that she didn’t want to do that. She just had to do what she had to do. And that made me appreciate her more. She
had a routine: to spend time with her family, no matter what time of the day. Even if it was for 30 minutes, we would all sit around while she baked cookies or cinnamon rolls. I learned that those little small core memories, the little smidgens of a time frame, make a big difference in a kid. I couldn’t wait for my mom to come home because I knew we were going to have that time together.

WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU DO IN YOUR DAILY LIFE THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE?

TANA: Start the mornings off positive. It amplifies the whole day. I used to find myself yelling, “Come on, we gotta go,” and rushing in the morning a lot. Get up a few minutes earlier. Get stuff done the night before. I find that [if] my kids go into their day feeling happier, they’re in a better mood. It can be hard, and sometimes I have to bite my tongue and let it out once they are out of the car, but the sacrifice makes a difference.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FAMILY TRADITION?

TANA: Every Christmas Eve, we get into pajamas and go to my mom’s house. All of my brother’s kids, everyone’s spouses, and the grandparents get together. We let all of the kids open up their presents [from their relatives] on that day. We cook this big, old breakfast, even though it’s nighttime. The older people swap names, and we have to act out the person whose name we have. It’s funny. We’re doing karaoke, we’re doing games, and it is really competitive. We get very, very competitive. And that’s, like, one of my best moments, because we get everybody together.

WHAT IS THE KEY TO POSITIVITY?

TANA: I tell my kids every day: Name one thing that you like about yourself, name one thing you’re grateful for every day, and name one thing you’re proud of yourself for accomplishing. When you ask yourself those three little things, you will forget all about the negative things. My whole house has ADHD, so we all have our own way of dealing with things. I like to tell people that ADHD is our superpower; it is what I feel like makes us so unique. With ADHD, it’s hard to complete things, so if I can name something that I completed within that day, it is very rewarding.

HOW DO YOU PRIORITIZE TIME WITH YOUR HUSBAND?

TANA: Sometimes, I feel like we’re trapped into parenthood. We face troubles like everyone else. That’s why eating breakfast together every day [after the kids go to school] is important to us; we kind of get out of parent mode for a second and spend time with each other. Sometimes he’ll come to the shop if we have a 30 minute break, and he’ll bring coffee, and we’ll post funny videos and have a good time. After [the kids’ bedtime], it’s me and my husband’s time. We love documentaries, so that’s usually how we spend our alone time before bed, even when we’re tired and end up falling asleep on the couch.

HOW DO YOU HANDLE WHEN THINGS DON’T GO AS PLANNED?

TANA: Take it day by day. Every day is a new day, so don’t take yesterday’s problems into today. It’s okay to cry, and it’s okay to let your kids see you cry because it lets them know that you’re not a robot, that you’re emotional. One time, I broke down and cried in front of the kids. My son asked, “Mom, what’s wrong?” and I said, “I’m just really frustrated today, things are not going as planned.” It’s crazy, they started to clean their stuff and asked, “Well, what can we help you with?” When your kids learn that you have emotions too, they’re more understanding, they listen, and they respect you more. Us parents, we want to be perfect, but a perfect parent doesn’t exist.