Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Gay.
Hi Tara, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I never thought I would be leading in the nonprofit world, let alone in any kind of business management. I grew up in church and always had a heart for people and ministry, so that part of where I have ended up makes sense. However, if you would have told me as a teenager that I would be looking after a ministry, running daily operations for a nonprofit, & building a business from the ground up, I would have thought you were crazy.
I’ve had a passion for children and women since I was a child and knew I wanted to do something that would make an impact for Jesus. I used to be a teacher and also worked in children’s ministry at my church, and through those experiences, I actually discovered that solely working with children was not my calling. I fell in love with the behind-the-scenes aspects of making ministry happen: a passion for others, systems, processes, and a lot of planning. Ministry is the best of both worlds for me: highly relational, highly strategic. In order to be effective, it takes strategy, vision, and intentionality. I am a highly relational individual and value intentionality to the utmost degree. I think this plays into every aspect of how I do ministry now. If you value people, pursue excellence, & live a surrendered life to God’s will, you can’t go wrong.
In 2020, my first child was born & everything in my life changed in a moment. Not only because I became a first-time mom, but I suffered a back injury during my delivery that flipped my postpartum expectations upside down & changed my life forever. I was couch-ridden and forced to lay on my back for nearly a year. After months of medical therapies, an ongoing pandemic, mental health issues [depression, anxiety, & panic attacks], & much confusion, I was at my lowest. But thank God, He didn’t leave me there! One afternoon, I had a moment where I cried out to God for help. I felt worthless, not enough, & lacking any purpose in life. It was through tears & pain that I felt God spoke these words to me: “Daughter is ENOUGH.” It was as clear as day, & it totally changed my perspective of my situation. I had been trying to seek value from what I “do” rather than who I already was. When I chose to follow Jesus years prior, I became God’s daughter in an instant–and now my immobility at the time was not going to change that. Although I wasn’t “contributing” to society in a way that I felt mattered, God saw me as valuable and called me enough. Those three words have forever changed the trajectory of my life & helped me to realize that even when I don’t feel “enough” in the world’s standards as a mom, wife, friend, employee, & human being, God the Father calls me enough simply because I am his daughter, & He loves me! Because this changed my perspective on life so significantly, I wanted other women to experience the same freedom that these words gave me. Thus, a year later in June of 2021, the nonprofit ministry for women, “Daughter is Enough, Inc.” was born.
Our nonprofit is highly focused on the overall well-being of women, and we primarily come alongside them through sharing personal testimonies. We create spaces for women to be vulnerable, talk about the hard stuff in life, & help meet their needs. Similar to this magazine, we share stories every week from women of all generations, cultures, & walks of life. We do this through the lens of faith, allowing women to talk about how they realized “being God’s daughter was enough.” We hope these testimonies will encourage others to share their stories & be vulnerable in an ongoing “unrealistic, picture-perfect, Instagram highlight” world.
We are still a growing ministry and are working towards creating programs for women to help support them spiritually, mentally, relationally, & physically. We truly believe the best is yet to come. But in the meantime, we hope to encourage women through our online platform, “The Daughter Project” blog (insert link), and our social media accounts (insert link). We’d love for you to follow along!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have absolutely been struggles along the way. I spent almost a full year building the nonprofit behind the scenes, primarily laying down on my couch in chronic pain. I was often unable to walk, dress myself, take care of my newborn, or even move most days because of my back pain. And yet, here I was, feeling an intense pull to start a ministry for women. Praise God for my amazing husband, who cared for me & our infant full-time during the hardest season of my life. Through many hard days and regular tears, I pushed through with God’s strength.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a nonprofit business. Our primary goal is to help women understand their true value and worth in Christ. We accomplish this through our blog, The Daughter Project Blog. We share stories that help women process trials they’ve overcome and help the women who read their testimonies find hope in their own trials. We exist to encourage, equip, & empower women with the truth that “being God’s daughter is enough.” We believe that as women come to understand this truth, they can reach their fullest potential. We want to come alongside them & help them thrive holistically. We’re in the process of building programs and services for women to help support them physically, spiritually, relationally, & mentally that we hope to launch in the future.
What do you think about happiness?
I feel most happy when I am with the people I love (i.e., my family, friends, church community, etc.) I feel most purposed when I am pouring into others and helping make a difference in their lives. I love to encourage people. I also love baking, photography, being outside, organizing, and being with my family! I have another little one on the way (coming in October!), and I can’t wait for our family to expand.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.daughterisenough.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daughterisenough/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Daughter-is-Enough-Inc-105168245076856
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLXUto4WCwJ0LbC3UjERS8A
Image Credits
Tara Gay
Kelly Thomas
