Meet Tanya Talks

By
Welcome to Tanya Talks™ 
I am Tanya Owens, and I have a background in radio & television production, Christian ministry,  adult learning, performance improvement, and organizational development.

Education 

Bachelor of Science degree in Communications with a concentration in Radio & Television Production (that degree is now split between two different degree programs: Communications & Digital Media Production) and a Minor in Music from SUNY New Paltz. I also studied German while in college.

Three Master's degrees:
  1. Attended Seminary and obtained two degrees from Oral Roberts University School of Theology & Missions, now called the College of Theology & Ministry: 
    1. Master of Arts in Biblical Literature.  
      Biblical Literature is the collection of writings that make up the Bible. Utilizing exegesis (critical interpretation) and hermeneutics (the science of interpretive principles) perspectives, tools and methods to interpret biblical content responsibly and perceptively. In order to better interpret Old and New Testament content, the curriculum helped  develop a working knowledge of biblical languages. I studied biblical Hebrew, biblical Greek and theological German.
    2. Master of Arts in Advanced Languages. 
      As an expansion of the Bib. Lit. degree I studied these additional biblical languages: Aramaic, Syriac, and Ugaritic and translated two books of the Bible - Ruth & Mark as well as several passages in other books.
  2. Master of Science in Instructional Design, Development, and Evaluation from Syracuse University.
Instructional design is the process of creating learning experiences that are effective, efficient, and engaging for learners. It involves a comprehensive approach that considers the needs of learners, the objectives of learning, and the constraints of resources. It is both a systematic and systemic process.

Certifications

  • Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), PMI 
    Issued Jul 2011 · Expired Jul 2017 · Credential ID 1437146
  • Accelerating Implementation Methodology Accreditation (AIM), IMA
    Issued Jun 2009 · Expired Jun 2013
  • Human Performance Improvement (HPI) I-V Certificate, ASTD 2008
  • Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification, Pfizer 2008
  • Managing the Learning Function, ASTD 2008
  • Essential Facilitation, Interaction Associates 2008

Proudest Career Accomplishment

2012 Pfizer Global Health Fellow - China 
Addressed health issues for underserved populations in China.

Who am I?

A woman who hates labels and being confined to descriptions that boxes you in. What I do to earn money is only one facet of who I am. But, to satisfy this field on my blog: I am a writer, photographer, and a content creator. I am  passionate about my pets, well they think I am their pet, social justice, nature, and God. This blog started as a way to talk about my passions and musings, such as: travel, my personal evolution, and exegeting and expositing the Scripture.

However, it has evolved to more than that. I am apolitical. My politics lean right/left/middle/etc. I am not your typical anything. Since I was a little girl, my favorite subject in school was social studies, and as an adult I am still intrigued with history and current events as it relates to social issues, especially justice.

What is life if you sit by comfortable while people are oppressed? 

What is life, if you are being oppressed by an evil regime
and you don’t try to break free from the chains?

I cannot sit idly by and do nothing. Someone once said the pen is mightier than the sword. So this blog is A Voice Crying in the Desert. Or A Woman Screaming in the Wind. And as such will at times consist of random ramblings, targeted social action, faith in practice, and life in general.

Feeling your Feelings - Telling your Truth.
#TanyaTalks

Most Popular Posts

Is WIX the Best Website Builder and Host for Photographers? Unbiased Review

By
Image
Finding the perfect hosting company for your website for photographers is a pain point. If you are an art based photographer, like I am, choices are slim. I could pigeon hole my needs into one of the many turnkey portfolio/client based solutions like Smug Mug or Zenfolio, or go the route other fine art photographers have gone, by building my website from scratch. Building a website from scratch  gives me greater flexibility to build the website and ecommerce solution that best meets my needs as a Fine Art Nature Photographer. So that is the direction I chose to go in when I decided to use Wix to host my website.  Contrary to popular belief you can change the template if you host your website with Wix. Lemme explain: I have several websites; some are on main domains and others, like this blog are on a sub-domain.  Background November 2021, I decided not to renew my subscription with the company that hosted my main website since 2009, a 12 year relationship. My needs w...
Read more

Is Meghan Markle Using the Victim Card? - Suicidal Ideation is not Victimhood

By
Image
Marjorie Wallace , the Chief Executive of the charity SANE , which she founded in 1986, states Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is playing the victim card for sharing when she had suicidal ideation . Shaming a person for having a mental health crisis is profane. And is a more scurrilous thing for the founder and leader of a mental health charity to say.  On SANE's website they list their vision, aims and mission .  And states that one of their goals is: Influencing policy and public attitudes by increasing understanding of mental illness Suicidal Ideation is not Victimhood How can you be focused on promoting mental health awareness, policy and understanding for the past 26-27 years and then shame and other, not just the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, but the entirety of people dealing with and managing various mental health conditions. She has effectively silenced them and said if you speak up about having suicidal ideation you are playing the victim card . A...
Read more

Love Myself by Tracee Ellis Ross

By
Image
Sometimes when a song ministers to me I play it over and over and let it wash over my soul, speaking to every crevice of my being. I discovered the song Love Myself , sung by Tracee Ellis Ross in the movie The High Note on January 3, 2021.  Tracee Ellis Ross Singing Credit: Glen Wilson / Focus Features And the song quickly became my anthem for 2021. When I first heard the song while watching the movie on HBO Max  I quickly looked it up on YouTube and played it over and over.  Culture & Society With the world in an upheaval from the COVID-19 virus and America destined to relive every ugly part of her racist past by systemically and systematically killing Black people for: sleeping in their own beds  playing video games in their own homes  watching TV in their own homes  Driving While Black  Calling the police for assistance  just breathing, existing   Then the violent insurrection on January 6, 2021 at the nation's Capitol, the s...
Read more

COVID-19 Pandemic

By
Image
I have been reluctant to blog about this pandemic. WHO COVID-19 Dashboard Map Well, not initially. I had initially planned to do a series of blog posts about the pandemic and sprinkle them with my micro-blogging. I may still do that. But, today I feel reluctant to blog because I have loved ones battling this virus.  One is out of the hospital, one is in the hospital, one may go to the hospital, and another lost their battle at home.  I am a whole host of emotions right now. But, I wasn't really until a few hours ago - well that would be until the evening of April 7, 2020 - since it is now the wee hours of April 8, 2020 as I am writing this.  I am outraged - and really OUTRAGED over the hate and greed that consumes the United States of America. Because of the greed & hate so many Americans are losing their lives.  I could hear the wailing of families today and it immediately brought me to the wailing women & families in the  the...
Read more

Things My Doctor Never Told Me: Hamstrings

By
Image
 My Hamstrings I have tight hamstrings. I have had tight hamstrings for this entire millennium, so 20+ years. Why do I have tight hamstrings? I have had sedentary jobs and I live a sedentary life.  Hamstring Muscles by Harold Gibbons I honestly just thought something was wrong with me as I aged out of my 20s into my 30s. I thought these tight hamstrings were an indication that something was wrong with my legs and I was doing something wrong.  Car Accident 2001 In 2001 I was hit by an 18 wheeler tractor trailer while driving on I-78 in the Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania. I was on the side of the mountain, and thank God in that particular stretch of the road they were doing some road construction, which meant there were guardrails, otherwise when my car went into a spin it would've spun off the side of the mountain. Yeah, that happened and still does frequently on that stretch of the road . Heck my accident was so commonplace it didn't make the news because I wasn't maimed or k...
Read more