Tanaye White Has an Unexpected Side Hustle

The SI Swimsuit model advocates for multiple income streams.

Tanaye White made her SI Swimsuit debut in the 2020 issue as a Swim Search finalist. (She was later named a co-winner.) In making the transition to modeling, the former federal communications analyst has demonstrated that women don’t have to pigeon-hole themselves to one particular interest, career or identity.

Tanaye White attends as Sports Illustrated Swimsuit celebrates the launch of the 2022 Issue and Debut of Pay With Change at Hard Rock Seminole on May 21, 2022 in Hollywood, Florida.

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But some might be surprised to learn that, since 2016, White has had a side hustle as an UberEats courier. She was recently featured in the company’s first Uber Yearbook. The model spoke to EBONY recently about the importance of this acknowledgement, stating, “This is not an industry that's solely for men. As women we have the ability to work just as hard and earn just as much.”

White was transparent, saying that her UberEats job helped her survive financially during the early stages of the pandemic when the modeling industry shut down. She was grateful to have a source of income during a time when so many others didn’t. While White has had a busy 2022 traveling to Barbados with SI Swimsuit and participating in the issue launch events in Florida—where she spoke candidly about mental health awareness —she has continued to work for UberEats.

The struggle for White has been learning to manage her own mental health while working so hard. She’s found that advocating for a mental health day for herself has been a helpful antidote for striking a healthy work/life balance. “If you’re not feeling your best, just own it, share it, because it helps with the conversations around mental health and also helps you with some of your personal goals, whether it be maintaining stronger mental health balance, or being able to have more time for your family at home,” she told EBONY.

White’s second job has enabled her to carve out the time and resources to develop her own mental health community, Feel Good Babe. The network, which is launching this month, aims to support women’s mental health, offering them a safe space to connect. The model has been a strong mental-health advocate while being open about her own struggles with depression, anxiety and grief.

With her myriad of ventures White continues to prove that there’s no single straight and narrow path to making it in today’s times.