At the edge of the stage and in the gleam of a spotlight, stood a wild-haired, honey-hued, long-legged siren. With one hand perched on her hip and another wrapped around a mic, she issued a command to the throng below: “Alright ladies, your turn now: “What’s love got to do, got to do with it? What’s love, but a second hand emotion?'”

An enthusiastic chorus, myself included, heeded the command. She nodded, smiled, and asked the men to do the same. After hearing their rendition, her eyes rolled skyward and she sucked her teeth. “Not there yet fellas, so we ladies are gonna give you another chance……as usual.”

It was a sweltering August evening from many summers ago, but I will never forget witnessing Tina Turner: she was one part icon, one part warrior woman and one part hurricane. Even before I knew her life story, I knew the power and intensity in her vocals and dancing emanated from somewhere, but when I learned of her personal and professional triumphs, I became a fan for life. So when the documentary Tina appeared on HBO, I was riveted to the screen, moved by both the music and the majesty in which she unfurled her bittersweet life’s narrative, from sharecropping parents to global superstardom. The former Anna Mae Bullock may have retired from show business, but she left us with more than just a legacy of hits: for every woman trudging through a personal storm, there are lessons to glean from her story to keep us from getting completely washed out:

1) USE YOUR VOICE:  The late Ike Turner was already an accomplished musician, credited with launching numerous performers from his roster and for rock-n-roll’s first acknowledged hit, “Rocket 88.” But what he didn’t have was a distinctive, charismatic vocalist, until a shy teen-aged Bullock walked up to him after a set break in St. Louis and asked for a chance. Folks won’t believe in your gifts unless you do, and until you speak up, the answer will always be ‘no.’

2) TAKE WHAT’S YOURS: If you’ve seen the 1993 Academy-nominated film, What’s Love Got To Do With It, or witnessed her recent musical, then you already know how dysfunction, drugs and domestic violence ended their marital and musical union. When Tina walked away over a decade later, she focused on what would sustain her no matter what: her stage name. Instead of haggling with her ex-husband over material items, she played the long game, easily earning back what she may have left behind in her bid for freedom.

3) NO AGE LIMIT ALLOWED: When Tina Turner pursued a solo career, she decided to reinvent her sound, her image and garner enough mass appeal to play the biggest venues in the world. Yes, she was ‘middle-aged,’ but her persistence led to finding a manager who shared her vision, championed for her and led to one of the biggest career resurgences of all time. Just because they can’t see it doesn’t mean you can’t be it.

4) KEEP IT REAL: In one poignant moment, the documentary shared a recording of Tina emotionally confessing to her biographer, Kurt Loder, that abandonment by her parents and abusive marriage to Ike left her feeling deprived of love. So when Turner met the man shortly after whom she felt a connection with, German music executive Erwin Bach, she boldly spoke up. It grew into a love so strong that it’s literally sustained Tina’s life, as Bach later married Turner and donated a kidney instead of watching her endure dialysis.

In an era when women were expected to be prim and reserved, Tina Turner emerged as a gorgeous, glorious opposite: instead of allowing a traumatic past to silence her, she channeled that pain into a passionate sound that would empower others, like me, for generations to come. Thank you, Lady Tina: long live the Queen of Rock-N-Roll.