Tatiana Smith is a dynamic speaker, poet, and educator who helps people transform pain into power—through Resilience, Empowerment, and Connection (R.E.C.). From working with underprivileged youth in Illinois as an AmeriCorps volunteer to serving in the Peace Corps in Liberia, Tatiana has spent over 15 years helping others reclaim their voice and rebuild after hardship. While teaching abroad in China, she founded the Hopelessly Tatiana podcast and community, creating space for bold, healing conversations on Black history, women’s voices, and mental health.

Whether she’s performing at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing or speaking onstage in the U.S., Tatiana delivers truth with clarity, humor, and compassion. Her R.E.C. framework challenges outdated ideas about resilience, teaches practical strategies for personal and collective healing, and shows people how to build authentic lives rooted in joy—not just survival.