BUILD OUR OWN ROOMS: A SPACE WHERE BLACK WOMEN ARCHITECT THEIR LIVES. TOGETHER.

Build Your Empire Without Breakdown

Do you ever feel like you’re paying rent in a life that doesn’t even feel like yours? You’re showing up. You’re doing the work. From the outside, everything might look polished and put together. But inside, you’re exhausted, stretched thin, and constantly trying to keep up.  In this episode of Build Our Own Rooms, Tiana Symmonds opens up about what it really takes to move from just surviving to actually thriving. And it’s not about pushing harder. It’s about changing how you’re wired and reclaiming your time. Tiana introduces a simple but powerful image, your brain as a seesaw. On one side is the demolition crew, those loud, survival-driven thoughts that tell you you’re behind, not enough, or always in crisis. On the other side is Sage, the grounded, wise part of you that knows how to respond with clarity. For many of us, that seesaw is stuck on survival. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. Through tools like POSITIVE INTELLIGENCE® and small daily “PQ® reps,” Tiana shows how to quiet the noise and reset your nervous system. She also shares the idea of the Strategic PAUSE, creating space through intentional rest so you can stop reacting and start choosing. Tune in to this episode to learn how to step out of survival mode, reclaim your time, and start feeling at home in your own life again. In This Episode * [00:00] Introduction * [00:27] Recognizing stress and misalignment * [01:20] Introducing the seesaw metaphor * [03:44] Survival vs. thrive mode * [05:03] Fixing the wiring: positive intelligence * [06:09] Recognizing saboteurs and taking action * [07:15] Brain push-ups and PQ reps * [08:36] Practical mindfulness techniques * [09:52] Choosing your move from a sage place * [09:52] Taking the deed back: strategic pause * [11:10] Admin day: intentional time management * [12:20] Sanctuary day: strategic nothingness * [13:42] Adapting strategic pause for your life * [13:42] Invitation to connect and assessment offer * [15:02] Closing  Notable Quotes * [01:10] “You're like a tenant in your own life. “STOP paying rent in stress to a job that doesn't even align with your soul.” * [02:31] “Imagine that your brain is like a seesaw... On one side you have the demolition crew... On the other side you have Sage.” * [06:05] “The second you feel the 'oh my gosh, I'm not getting this done'... that's the demolition crew acting up. In PQ, they're called saboteurs.” * [12:23] “Sanctuary Day is the day for strategic nothingness. No phone. No goals. No hustle.” Resources and Links Podcast * Build Our Own Rooms [https://open.spotify.com/show/7eA2L9PW7BoLROzaCkn71D] Tiana Symmonds * Website - https://www.asktiana.online/ [https://www.asktiana.online/] * LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/tosymmonds [http://linkedin.com/in/tosymmonds] Mentioned * Sign up to take the Saboteur Assessment. https://tinyurl.com/SaboteurAssessmentLink [https://tinyurl.com/SaboteurAssessmentLink]  * Stop paying rent in a life that doesn’t even feel like yours. Download the "Turn Your Job Into a Client".  Blueprint here: https://jobtoclient.com/ [https://jobtoclient.com/] ©2025 AskTiana Solutions, LLC. All rights reserved. No reproduction, alteration, translation, publication, or distribution, in any form, printed or electronic, is permitted without the express prior written consent of AskTiana Solutions, LLC. ©2023 Positive Intelligence, LLC. All rights reserved. No reproduction, alteration, translation, publication, or distribution, in any form, printed or electronic, is permitted without the express prior written consent of Positive Intelligence, LLC. POSITIVE INTELLIGENCE®, PQ®, CERTIFIED PQ COACH™, PQ COACH™, and P+ logo™ are trademarks of Positive Intelligence, LLC. DISCLAIMERS:  The coach identified herein is an independent member of the PQ Coach program, and not an employee, agent, or representative of Positive Intelligence, LLC. The coaching program offered herein is independently owned and operated by the coach and is not affiliated with or endorsed or sponsored by Positive Intelligence, LLC.  PROGRAM CONTENT AND MATERIAL DO NOT CONSTITUTE MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH ADVICE AND ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL CARE, DIAGNOSIS OR TREATMENT OF ANY MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION.

Architectural Sovereignty: Design Act 3

Do you know you can be the most prepared person in the room, hit every KPI, and still feel like you’re just along for the ride?  This is the quiet crisis of the high-achiever, executing flawlessly on a path you never consciously chose. In this episode of Build Our Own Rooms, Tiana Symmonds invites Black women, especially her Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Latina sisters, to confront what it really means to be a passenger in your own life. Through the powerful story of a client named Jordan, Tiana reveals how brilliant executors often have their true genius, the ability to convene, create equity, and read a room, reduced to invisible labor. The company benefits from the results, but never truly sees the person behind them. This isn’t about working smarter or optimizing harder. It’s about a fundamental power shift, moving from steward of broken systems to architect of transformation. Tiana breaks down the “old blueprint” that keeps you answering questions based on who you used to be, and introduces the idea of the keystone decision, the pivotal choice that places you at the center of your own arch. If you’re tired of waiting for a tap on the shoulder that never comes, this episode hands you the blueprint to take the keys yourself. In This Episode * [00:00] Welcome and introduction * [00:22] Stop being a passenger in your own life * [01:08] The high achiever’s internal conflict * [02:26] Jordan’s story feeling unseen * [03:52] Jordan’s breakthrough and keystone decision * [05:00] How to claim architectural sovereignty * [05:00] Step 1 order the invisible labor * [06:16] Step 2 upgrade the hardware * [06:16] Step 3 architect your role * [06:16] You are the author not a passenger * [07:29] Closing and community invitation Notable Quotes * [01:44] “You can be a high performer and still be completely powerless.” * [02:26] “You are answering questions based on who you used to be, not who you are becoming.” * [03:30] “She was trying to install a legacy on hardware that was only programmed to execute, not to architect.” * [03:42] “Nobody taps you on the shoulder. You have to tap yourself. That part.” * [06:16] “You can’t drive a new role… with a glitching internal cognitive operating system.” * [06:43] “Stop trying to squeeze into a job description that was never meant for you. It was meant for somebody else.” * [07:22] “Your ancestors did not navigate the unknown so you can settle for a map someone else drew.” Resources and Links Podcast * Build Our Own Rooms [https://open.spotify.com/show/7eA2L9PW7BoLROzaCkn71D]  Tiana Symmonds * Website - https://www.asktiana.online/ [https://www.asktiana.online/] * LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/tosymmonds [http://linkedin.com/in/tosymmonds] * The Architect’s Drafting Table - https://thearchitectsdraftingtable.substack.com/ [https://thearchitectsdraftingtable.substack.com/]  Mentioned * Stop paying for career success with your health. Download the "Turn Your Job Into a Client" Blueprint here: https://jobtoclient.com/ [https://jobtoclient.com/]  ©2025 AskTiana Solutions, LLC. All rights reserved. No reproduction, alteration, translation, publication, or distribution, in any form, printed or electronic, is permitted without the express prior written consent of AskTiana Solutions, LLC. ©2023 Positive Intelligence, LLC. All rights reserved. No reproduction, alteration, translation, publication, or distribution, in any form, printed or electronic, is permitted without the express prior written consent of Positive Intelligence, LLC. POSITIVE INTELLIGENCE®, PQ®, CERTIFIED PQ COACH™, PQ COACH™, and P+ logo™ are trademarks of Positive Intelligence, LLC. DISCLAIMERS:  The coach identified herein is an independent member of the PQ Coach program, and not an employee, agent, or representative of Positive Intelligence, LLC. The coaching program offered herein is independently owned and operated by the coach and is not affiliated with or endorsed or sponsored by Positive Intelligence, LLC.  PROGRAM CONTENT AND MATERIAL DO NOT CONSTITUTE MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH ADVICE AND ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL CARE, DIAGNOSIS OR TREATMENT OF ANY MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION.

Stop Hiring Saviors. Build Architect Team

RECORDED IN 2025 Did you know that in 2025, more than 350,000 Black professionals were forced out of the workforce? That number is not abstract. It shows up late at night on LinkedIn, in open to work banners, and in the quiet panic of applying to everything that moves.  In this episode of Build Our Own Rooms, Tiana Symmonds pulls up a chair at the drafting table to name what is really happening for so many high-achieving Black women navigating layoffs, instability, and professional grief. When everything feels urgent, it is easy to look for a savior. A recruiter. A headhunter. Someone to make the chaos disappear. But what you are really searching for is not rescue. It is clarity. Tiana shares the story of Patricia, a strategic leader who stayed up late trying to learn Python, R, and SQL to prove she was technical enough. Tiana calls it plainly. This is not a strategy. It is self-erasure. It is selling an Aston Martin at Nissan Sentra prices. This episode is a call to stop waiting to be picked and start designing. Architects do not beg for permission. They design their value first, then choose the rooms that can hold it. The kettle is on. The blueprint is ready. Let’s get to work. In This Episode * [00:00] Welcome and introduction * [00:28] Stop looking for a savior * [01:13] The reality of job loss and desperation * [02:40] Diagnosing the "spray and pray" job search * [04:08] Patricia’s story: panic to clarity * [05:23] Patricia’s success and the power of clarity * [08:00] Key takeaways: be the architect * [09:31] Wins audit and community invitation * [10:14] Closing and call for questions Notable Quotes * [04:44] “You are a strategic leader, trying to audition for a technical role. Why? You are trying to sell an Aston Martin for the price of a Nissan Sentra.” * [08:11] “Stop waiting to be chosen. The passenger waits. The architect designs.” * [08:28] “Architects design their value first, then find the rooms that need it.” * [08:52] “Patricia thought her value was in coding or her value was in leadership.” * [08:52] “Audit your wins... You are selling yourself short because you are measuring the wrong thing.” * [09:15] “Your ancestors didn’t work this hard for you to beg for a seat at a table.” Resources and Links Podcast * Build Our Own Rooms [https://open.spotify.com/show/7eA2L9PW7BoLROzaCkn71D] Tiana Symmonds * Website - https://www.asktiana.online/ [https://www.asktiana.online/] * LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/tosymmonds [http://linkedin.com/in/tosymmonds] * The Architect’s Drafting Table - https://thearchitectsdraftingtable.substack.com/ [https://thearchitectsdraftingtable.substack.com/]  Mentioned * The Wins Audit worksheet: https://tinyurl.com/TheWinsAudit [https://tinyurl.com/TheWinsAudit]  * Stop paying for career success with your health. Download the "Turn Your Job Into a Client" Blueprint here: https://jobtoclient.com/ [https://jobtoclient.com/]  ©2025 AskTiana Solutions, LLC. All rights reserved. No reproduction, alteration, translation, publication, or distribution, in any form, printed or electronic, is permitted without the express prior written consent of AskTiana Solutions, LLC. ©2023 Positive Intelligence, LLC. All rights reserved. No reproduction, alteration, translation, publication, or distribution, in any form, printed or electronic, is permitted without the express prior written consent of Positive Intelligence, LLC. POSITIVE INTELLIGENCE®, PQ®, CERTIFIED PQ COACH™, PQ COACH™, and P+ logo™ are trademarks of Positive Intelligence, LLC. DISCLAIMERS:  The coach identified herein is an independent member of the PQ Coach program, and not an employee, agent, or representative of Positive Intelligence, LLC. The coaching program offered herein is independently owned and operated by the coach and is not affiliated with or endorsed or sponsored by Positive Intelligence, LLC.  PROGRAM CONTENT AND MATERIAL DO NOT CONSTITUTE MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH ADVICE AND ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL CARE, DIAGNOSIS OR TREATMENT OF ANY MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION. PROGRAM CONTENT AND MATERIAL DO NOT CONSTITUTE MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH ADVICE AND ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL CARE, DIAGNOSIS OR TREATMENT OF ANY MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION.

Architecting a Solopreneurs Annual Blueprint

You built the business. You secured the bag. You became the LinkedIn success story everyone admires. So why do you feel like you’re living in a beautifully designed cage? What if the very freedom you fought for has led to a new kind of confinement, one of loneliness, exhaustion, and lost joy? In this episode of Build Our Own Rooms, host Tiana Symmonds invites you into Architecting a Solopreneurs Annual Blueprint, a deeply personal conversation for high-achieving Black women who left corporate life to build something of their own, only to discover a new kind of isolation waiting on the other side. Through the avatar of Maya, Tiana unpacks the quiet crisis many solopreneurs face. On the outside, Maya is a landmark. Her business is profitable. Her LinkedIn wins shine. But behind the curated success is bone deep loneliness, creative exhaustion and a business that quietly cannibalizes her joy. What was meant to be freedom has become a more beautiful cage. This is not an episode about hustling harder or fixing your systems in isolation. It is about homecoming. About recognizing that you cannot build a sustainable legacy if you are still serving as the primary fuel source for a structure that no longer works. Tiana offers a powerful architectural reframing, guiding listeners to identify what must be demolished, what needs to be audited, and why no empire can be built alone. She challenges you to stop rebuilding the corporate cage with a new logo and instead design a business that can hold both the blueprint and the soul. If you have secured the bag but lost the feeling, this episode is your mirror and your invitation. The kettle is on. It is time to build something that finally feels like home. In This Episode * [00:00] Welcome and introduction * [00:21] Introducing Maya: the avatar * [01:14] Maya’s emotional struggles and loss * [02:46] Maya’s resilience and the episode’s focus * [04:10] Practical steps for homecoming * [08:04] Solopreneur’s annual reset diagnostic * [09:20] Closing and community invitation Notable Quotes * [01:26] “Your business is making money, but the joy is gone.” * [03:48] “If you can architect peace with your past, you can architect a business that actually serves your life.” * [05:51] “Is your revenue actually supporting your soul, or is it cannibalizing it?” * [07:08] “You spent your life building sanctuaries for everybody else. It’s time to build a home for your own soul.” Resources and Links Podcast * Build Our Own Rooms [https://open.spotify.com/show/7eA2L9PW7BoLROzaCkn71D] Tiana Symmonds * Website - https://www.asktiana.online/ [https://www.asktiana.online/] * LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/tosymmonds [http://linkedin.com/in/tosymmonds] * The Architect’s Drafting Table - https://thearchitectsdraftingtable.substack.com/ [https://thearchitectsdraftingtable.substack.com/]  Mentioned * The Solopreneur’s Annual Reset [https://tinyurl.com/SolopreneursAnnualReset] | https://tinyurl.com/SolopreneursAnnualReset [https://tinyurl.com/SolopreneursAnnualReset]  * Stop paying for career success with your health. Download the "Turn Your Job Into a Client" Blueprint here: https://jobtoclient.com/ ©2025 AskTiana Solutions, LLC. All rights reserved. No reproduction, alteration, translation, publication, or distribution, in any form, printed or electronic, is permitted without the express prior written consent of AskTiana Solutions, LLC. ©2023 Positive Intelligence, LLC. All rights reserved. No reproduction, alteration, translation, publication, or distribution, in any form, printed or electronic, is permitted without the express prior written consent of Positive Intelligence, LLC. POSITIVE INTELLIGENCE®, PQ®, CERTIFIED PQ COACH™, PQ COACH™, and P+ logo™ are trademarks of Positive Intelligence, LLC. DISCLAIMERS:  The coach identified herein is an independent member of the PQ Coach program, and not an employee, agent, or representative of Positive Intelligence, LLC. The coaching program offered herein is independently owned and operated by the coach and is not affiliated with or endorsed or sponsored by Positive Intelligence, LLC.  PROGRAM CONTENT AND MATERIAL DO NOT CONSTITUTE MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH ADVICE AND ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL CARE, DIAGNOSIS OR TREATMENT OF ANY MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION.

Legacy vs. Liquidity: Build Both, No Sacrifice

We were raised to "chase the bag," to secure financial safety at all costs. But what happens when that success feels like an invisible cage? In this episode of Build Our Own Rooms, Tiana Symmonds pulls up to the drafting table with a hard truth many Black women know deep down but rarely say out loud. You can have a bank account that’s overflowing and still have a soul that feels completely empty. Both can be true at the same time. We were raised to chase the bag, secure the bag, protect the bag, because for many of us, survival was never optional Tiana names what’s really happening when success starts to feel heavy. We are confusing liquidity with legacy. Liquidity is the salary, the title, the safety net, the curb appeal. Legacy is the joy, the breath, the feeling that your genius is being used for more than just labor. And when we mix those up, we end up sitting on thrones that feel like invisible cages. She breaks down the two traps so many of us fall into. All blueprint and no soul, where the money is good but the spirit is exhausted. Or all soul and no blueprint, where the passion is there but the bills are always loud. Tiana makes it clear, a real legacy needs both. You don’t get to choose. You build both, or the whole thing collapses. This episode is a call to stop building lives that look good from the outside but feel heavy on the inside, and start building something that actually holds you up. In This Episode * [00:00] Welcome to Build Our Own Rooms * [01:26] Chasing the bag as inherited survival strategy * [02:48] Liquidity vs. legacy and why the math isn’t mathing * [04:11] Trap one: all blueprint, no soul and the golden handcuffs * [05:40] Trap two: all soul, no blueprint and the starving CEO * [06:39] Why legacy requires both structure and spirit * [07:10] Refusing careers that pay well but kill your spirit * [08:39] Respecting your value and releasing scarcity thinking * [09:50] Introducing the Legacy and Liquidity Scorecard * [10:30] Community invitation and closing reflection Notable Quotes * [02:10] “We are confusing liquidity with legacy.” * [05:40] “You can eat passion fruit, but you can’t eat passion.” * [06:44] “I will not build a career that pays me well but kills my spirit.” * [07:01] “I will not build a passion project that doesn't respect my value and my need for financial safety.” * [10:00] “Ancestors worked so you could be successful. They did not work so you could be tired.” Resources and Links Podcast * Build Our Own Rooms [https://open.spotify.com/show/7eA2L9PW7BoLROzaCkn71D] Tiana Symmonds * Website - https://www.asktiana.online/ [https://www.asktiana.online/] * LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/tosymmonds [http://linkedin.com/in/tosymmonds] * The Architect’s Drafting Table - https://thearchitectsdraftingtable.substack.com/ [https://thearchitectsdraftingtable.substack.com/]  Mentioned * Legacy & Liquidity Scorecard [https://243541794.hs-sites-na2.com/en/are-you-building-a-business-thats-aligned-with-your-power] | https://tinyurl.com/LiquidityLegacy [https://tinyurl.com/LiquidityLegacy]  * Stop paying for career success with your health. Download the "Turn Your Job Into a Client" Blueprint here: https://jobtoclient.com/ ©2025 AskTiana Solutions, LLC. All rights reserved. No reproduction, alteration, translation, publication, or distribution, in any form, printed or electronic, is permitted without the express prior written consent of AskTiana Solutions, LLC. ©2023 Positive Intelligence, LLC. All rights reserved. No reproduction, alteration, translation, publication, or distribution, in any form, printed or electronic, is permitted without the express prior written consent of Positive Intelligence, LLC. POSITIVE INTELLIGENCE®, PQ®, CERTIFIED PQ COACH™, PQ COACH™, and P+ logo™ are trademarks of Positive Intelligence, LLC. DISCLAIMERS:  The coach identified herein is an independent member of the PQ Coach program, and not an employee, agent, or representative of Positive Intelligence, LLC. The coaching program offered herein is independently owned and operated by the coach and is not affiliated with or endorsed or sponsored by Positive Intelligence, LLC.  PROGRAM CONTENT AND MATERIAL DO NOT CONSTITUTE MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH ADVICE AND ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL CARE, DIAGNOSIS OR TREATMENT OF ANY MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION.