The Daughter of Diplomats, Cindy Tawiah, was born and raised in Ghana, West Africa. Pushed to pursue a career in medicine by her family, Cindy got her first taste of manufacturing when a chemistry teacher gave her a helping hand for a project. “He said, ‘I’d like to teach you a practical application; I want to show you how to make lipstick and nail polish.’ ” It was then that the beauty seed was planted.

Before that seed could grow Cindy, followed her parents’ wishes and went on to receive a Bachelors degree and career in nursing. Still, something was missing in Cindy’s life. “I was disillusioned, depressed. I prayed for a sign. If someone upsets today, it’s a sign for me to leave, I wanted to leave and open up a hair salon.” That morning as Cindy, went about her duties. She saw that sign, and immediately drafted her resignation letter. But the path to Cindy’s dream wasn’t easy.

With no formal training or experience Cindy, set out to open her first salon. She was turned away from several different banks and multiple rental properties, but she persevered. Cindy, finally found someone who was willing to take a chance on her. In February of 2004, she began reaching out to victims of domestic violence in an effort to renew their sense of self-worth and self-esteem. Partnering with two local shelters, Cindy brought 40 women to her salon, where they received new winter coats (thanks to donations from community), a home-cooked meal and a full day of beauty, complete with facials, hairstyles and manicures.

Cindy felt satisfied with the direction in which her life was headed, but at the end of 2006 she noticed she had quite a turnover rate in her salon. Unsure of what to do, she turned to her friend for advice. “He said, ‘You need to find your purpose’ and I thought “what is he talking about?” My passion is women and beauty. My purpose,” I thought was my passion was beauty products. In February of 2007, Cindy, put together a plan of action. She wanted to create a line that was natural and alcohol free. That’s when the Diva By Cindy, hair-care line was born. “I wanted them to be products of integrity, something I would use and stand by, something that would empower women; Hence the name, ‘Diva.’ ”

Cindy also wanted to use her hair-care line to reach out to domestic violence victims. With the help of grant writers, Cindy created a training and work program to offer women that are affected by domestic violence, the opportunity to be independent distributors for Diva By Cindy. “You don’t want to give them a handout – you want to give them a hand up”, says Cindy. Cindy closed her salon in 2009 and is now focusing on her product line. She will also focus on opening a holistic wellness center, Cindy’s House of Healing; which provides acupuncture, reflexology, massage therapy, aesthetics, aromatherapy and “everything that would help women heal naturally.” The center will also showcase the Diva By Cindy products and will house a new training center for woman interested in becoming independent distributors for the line.

Cindy has also created the Donate to a Diva campaign – which put together beauty and hair-care products for 250 women in nine shelters in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. The goal is to help the women beautify themselves and increase their self-esteem. Cindy and her team bring women in once a month to experience the benefits of the holistic services that Cindy’s House of Healing offers. It’s a busy life for Cindy, chock-full of challenges and obstacles, but she has some extra hands to keep her sane.
“I have a very supportive husband who fortunately keeps me grounded. He handles most of the online issues, so he’s more of the ‘Chief Technical Officer’; I also have a very valuable assistant – Jill.” Cindy, also credits her life experience as the source of inspiration and strength for what she does. “It’s a full cycle to use what I’ve been given to make a difference in this world. It is a labor of love for me.”