Hi there! It's been awhile since I introduced myself, so in case you're new here, I'm Tamara. I'm a speaker, coach, and certified happiness trainer!
A lot of people ask me how I got into the happiness business and it's because for a long time, I was deeply unhappy. I could remember a time when I had been happy, but I hadn't felt that way for a very long time.
About 10 years ago, I felt stuck in a relationship that was extremely toxic. I had gone from a confident, vibrant woman to insecure and ashamed. I didn't like who I was anymore and I had let my (ex) husband's voice become louder than my own. I believed it, for awhile, when he told me that I was too loud, that I complained too much, that I ruined everything, that I should be ashamed of myself, that I was a disgusting person. He even told me one Christmas that the song from The Grinch was really all about me.
It's no wonder so many people suffering in abusive relationships don't leave. They don't know they're worthy of something better because they've been broken down by someone who is supposed to love them. But abuse isn't loving.
Luckily for me, there was still a part of me that didn't believe him. My light was dimmed, but it hadn't gone completely out. We humans have a strong survival instinct and mine pushed me to reevaluate my life. I had children, daughters, and I didn't want them growing up thinking that this was how a man was supposed to treat a woman. I had a son and I didn't want him thinking that his father's behavior toward me was acceptable.
As the Universe does, it gifted me with a chance meeting of a woman named Michelle. She was a Certified Passion Test Facilitator. I didn't know what that was, but I remember feeling a full-body tingle and a sureness that it was meant for me.
Taking the Passion Test was the beginning of a radical transformation in my life. I began consciously creating the experience that I wanted and my #1 Passion was to "live authentically from my heart and soul."
Each day, I started choosing in favor of that passion and I began repairing my relationship with myself. Eventually, I was able to gather the courage to leave my marriage and live again. Over the past 8 years, I've reclaimed my own voice, my confidence, and am now one of the happiest people I know, living the life of my dreams. It isn't perfect, but some days it sure feels like it.
It's a gift to be able to work with others who are newly single to help them reclaim their own confidence, hope, and happiness. And this is what I do for a living now. By sharing my experience and the myriad tools and practices that I utilized along my path, I speed up the process from being a sad single to loving life solo for my clients. We unpack the baggage of past relationships so that they can go into the next one a lot lighter. We strengthen their inner voice so that it goes from being critical to supportive. We build the muscles of courage and happiness by taking baby steps and allowing ourselves to feel our natural, human emotions without, or at least with less negative, judgment.
For years now, I've helped people create lives they love. I run a local (to the Detroit Metro area) #Meetup every month, workshops, I speak to local groups and communities on the actions and habits of happiness, and I coach individuals and groups so that they can go from wherever they're starting to where they truly want to be in their lives.
