The Second Act Series: Tina Knowles

When my mother passed in 2024, I was heartbroken. But deep in my soul, I knew she was still with me—not just in memory, but in my very DNA. I wasn’t “Sandra 2.0” in the sense of being better. It felt more like she had passed me the baton. And it was my responsibility now—to carry forward what she had taught me and to pass that wisdom along to my own daughter.

Motherhood has never been about perfection for me. Instead, it has been about gleaning, learning, and leaning on the “mommy mentors” I’ve been blessed with along the way. One of the women I’ve long admired from afar is Tina Knowles, affectionately known to the world as Mama Tina.

Like so many, I’ve often wondered about the force behind Beyoncé—the woman who instilled in her daughter that rare sense of self-determination, cultural pride, and deep respect for herself as a Black woman. How did Beyoncé avoid the pitfalls of fame that so many young stars couldn’t escape? How did she grow into someone so self-assured and rooted in identity?

In my heart of hearts, I’ve always known: She got it from her mama.

So when Tina Knowles released her memoir, Matriarch, I was more than a little curious. At 70 years old, she stepped boldly into authorship—writing her first book not as a capstone, but as an encore. In its pages, she opens the door to her world: not just the mother of icons, but a woman with her own story, her own resilience, and her own second act.

For me, reading her memoir is not just about Beyoncé’s origin story—it’s about Tina’s. It’s about what happens when a woman continues to evolve, when she embraces her voice later in life, and when she refuses to stop at “success” but keeps moving toward significance.

Tina Knowles is a living reminder that the power of a mother is eternal. It doesn’t end with one generation—it multiplies. And in this chapter of her life, she has shown us that purpose and passion can be reborn at any age.

Because the truth is, Mama Tina is still passing the baton to all of us. Giving us permission to continue to write our own stories at every age and stage. 

Link to order book: https://a.co/d/dLxR0L5

#EncoreEra #SecondActSeries #BoldWomenOver40 #Matriarch #TinaKnowles