Rising Stars: Meet Tiayonna Liska of Raleigh

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiayonna Liska.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My love of growing was sparked at a very young age. My Grandfather who we would go visit maybe once every two week had the most amazing garden. We’d come and my mom would assist him with paperwork while we children would run amok in the backyard. I was always drawn to the garden. It seemed so whimsical to me with its sunflowers the size of skyscrapers and cabbage heads so big around that my tiny little arms couldn’t even wrap around them. That’s where the seed got planted!

After growing up and going off to college to study Animal Sciences at North Carolina State University I had an itch to grow, but like most people my age at that time, I had no access to land to grow. So I set those desires aside until they arose once more while I was making a decision on what to do post bacalaureat with the realization that I no longer wanted to chase after my plan A of going to vet school. I dove into work the working world, helping and guiding undergraduate and graduate students at the university figure their own paths out, and it turned out to be just what I need to figure out my own!

I absolutely fell in love with the joy it brought me to guide my students through the process of filtering out the things they like and didn’t like about school. I encouraged them to take deep dives into things that sparked a little interest. Through this I realized that being a teacher could be a highly impactful and satisfying role. So I sought to set my career path towards that. I enrolled in the Agricultural Education and Extension graduate program at North Carolina State University and work extremely have to obtain my degree while working full time.

Right at the end of my study things got turned upside down, as they did for many people during the time of COVID. I found it very hard to juggle everyday life as a full time employee, halftime graduate student, and new mother. Ultimately, my husband and I came to the decision that it would be more beneficial for me to stop working and stay home to care for our daughter and finish up my degree.

I knew what that usually spills out for most women who take a break from the working world to focus of building a family and I was determined that it wasn’t going to happen to me! So as a means to stay relevant in my industry, maintain some sense of self, and build a future career while also having flexibility to raise my children the way I wanted to, Carolina Garden Coaching was born!

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?
It certainly hasn’t been smooth sailing. Especially because when I began this venture I had no idea how to run a business or even half the things it involved! My biggest struggle was and still is sometime, is creating that balance between work and life. It’s so hard because things are constantly changing in the business and in home life.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in designing and building aesthetically pleasing raised bed gardens for individuals who want to grow healthy food and look good doing so!

I’m most proud of being about to equip people with the tools and a skill set that can keep on giving. The ability to grow your own food is an amazing one that can be deeply empowering and therapeutic.

I believe what sets me apart from others is the authentic energy that I bring to the job. I truly and deeply love imparting this knowledge to my clients and I feel like they can see that which energizes them and gets them exited about it too!

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I see nothing but growth for my industry in the next 5-10 years. More people are wising up to the tragedy that is our current food system and realizing that it is not sustainable. eventually something is going to have to give and when it does I truly believe that we will be back to providing a lot of our own food ourselves. Those that have hone that skill, even just as a hobby of past time will be much better off for it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.CarolinaGardenCoaching.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolina_garden_coaching/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolinagardencoaching
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@livingthatliskalife7485