Today we’d like to introduce you to Latrese Thomas.
Hi Latrese, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always loved capturing moments and sharing my opinions. When social media came along, I was on every platform just sharing my life. During the pandemic, I felt convicted to start speaking more openly about the issues I saw happening around me — and within my own family. Honestly, I’ve been an advocate for people since the womb. I used to say I was the bully’s bully, always standing up for the people society tends to overlook and undervalue.
As life kept happening, I felt an even stronger pull to use my voice. I knew the things I was experiencing, others were too.
Today, as a divorced mom of three daughters (22, 18, and 7), I feel like I have so much to share about my journey.
In the last seven years alone, I had my youngest (and last) daughter at a seasoned 37. She was diagnosed as autistic at 2½ and didn’t really start using her words effectively until about 3. Around the same time, I had a hysterectomy, was diagnosed with breast cancer, underwent a bilateral mastectomy, and went through two stages of reconstruction — all while navigating divorce and raising my three girls.
The struggle is real, and I know so many women can relate to some part of my story. I’m here for them. I’m of service to them.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it has NOT always been easy. When you start sharing your life online, it’s not always met with positivity. And as you go through life and your content starts to change to match where you are, people begin to question your honesty and integrity.
For example, I started off during the pandemic talking about marriage, entrepreneurship, and all of that. But as I began to experience marriage in a different way — one that no longer felt healthy — I didn’t talk about it publicly at first. I needed to process the demise of my marriage for myself before I could share that part of my story with others.
When I reemerged, some of the people who had been following me for the marriage content left…because I had “failed” at that. (At least, that’s how it felt at first.) My content shifted to sharing the things I had learned and the things I did have control over. It was raw and transparent, and that shift brought a different audience into the fold.
When life happens, and you’ve built a “brand” off of your life, you have to be strategic about what you share and how you share it.
Similar things happened when I shared my daughter’s journey with autism — how she went from completely nonverbal to using functional language and excelling in reading and math. Or when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and didn’t have to go through radiation or chemotherapy.
People will try to lessen your story because it doesn’t fit the tragedy they’re used to seeing in certain situations.
I will always thank God for the longsuffering and for never leaving my side through the journey.
My faith has carried me farther than any likes or comments ever could.
A bumpy road can still lead you to a beautiful destination.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
By day, I’m a Technical Lead for a Healthcare IT company, and I love the work I do helping support patient care through technology. But what I believe God’s true purpose for me is: is to advocate, to share my story, and to pass on the lessons I’ve learned.
My company, Unapologetically Living, LLC, also known as Unapologetically Living with Trese, is a lifestyle brand that includes podcasting, blogging, and consulting services. I focus on topics like motherhood, entrepreneurship, mental health, community empowerment, and advocacy.
I think what sets me apart from others is that I’m truly not afraid to have the hard conversations or say the uncomfortable things that some people shy away from.
Living unapologetically doesn’t mean living with reckless abandonment — it means I Pause. Process. Proceed.™
I move forward in a way that’s raw, integral, and, in more recent years as my faith has matured, spirit-led.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
If you want to share your life with strangers, be prepared to block out the noise and by that, I mean use your block button freely. Those who are for you, and who are impacted by what you share, WILL find you and follow you.
You aren’t meant for everyone, and everyone won’t agree with you, and that’s okay.
Also, and I have to be honest this one still burns my grits sometimes, most of your family and friends will NOT support you. Not because they don’t love you, but because most likely, they aren’t your target audience.
They feel too close to your story to appreciate it in the same way others will. Be okay with that.
Lastly, do it because you have a passion for it not because of what you hope to gain from it.
I have NOT made more money, yet doing this than I have in my degreed career.
But what I have done is help numerous families navigate an autism diagnosis, and helped women catch their cancer early by encouraging self-breast exams and getting that first mammogram.
Your story is still impactful and it still matters, even if it isn’t viral… yet.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ulwithtrese.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/unapologetically_trese
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@unapologetically_trese
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@unapologetically_trese
Image Credits
Black w/ neon – Photos By Titus
Pink shirt/jeans Photos By Titus
