Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tami Lowe. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Tami, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

All we do is an extension of who we believe we are. Despite a rough start, I’ve discovered my core values to be Choice, Trust and Connection.

I choose to make money, health and relationship decisions. I may not choose to trust everyone, but I can always trust myself. I want to be remembered for the connection I had with many layers of family and friends – and clients. Making decisions, keeping my boundaries and offering a calm, clear connection allows space for clients to see and be themselves as well. This is a precious gift.

I would like to be remembered as having a high capacity to love, having a better idea now of what that actually means.

“She was a good writer,” though it’s amazing I learned any language as a child.

“She was vulnerable, kind and fun.”

Most of all, “She didn’t ever give up, no matter the circumstances.”

Tami, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a creator.

I was an alcoholic. After a 16 year old boy died by drinking the alcohol that I purchased for him, I was convicted of a misdemeanor. Waiting for my sentencing, I became a motivational speaker in five area counties, telling my story to high schoolers and church youth groups.

I was an orphan, and after my jail sentence, I was adopted as a 22 year old adult by a brand new family. I became Tami Lowe.

I was a graphic designer, before computers, but after the birth of my son with high autism and daughter with ADHD, I began painting with words. I wrote my story, because it is so impactful. My book, Making Space for Me, was published in 2018. I became an author. I attended Indiana University and now write fiction and non-fiction.

I was extremely religious, and did all I was told to do. I married a man and after we divorced 28 years later, I discovered I actually prefer women. I became gay at 52 years old.

I literally swallowed my feelings, first with alcohol and then food. I became pre-diabetic and had food-related fatty-liver disease. I was 250 pounds.

After divorcing, I had a lot of thoughts and feelings – about all of it: abuse, family, myself, love, trust, and the big question, “Now what?” I have always had great intuition. I’ve always listened to others. I started to listen to myself, for the first time. I learned who I was, without cultural expectation.

I lost 75 pounds.

I became a certified personal coach, listening to clients and asking great questions. I rarely give advice. I am not a guru. I listen, validate. I see them. Once they are feeling calm, they can see their own wisdom and are better equipped to solve their own issues. Aren’t we all?

I coach clients through big life changes, making their own decisions, and setting boundaries for themselves. The majority of my clients are referrals. After a free consultation, they purchase a 6-pack (pun intended) of sessions they can use as often as needed. My rates are extremely reasonable – everyone should have access to a good coach. I am trained in diversity, equity and inclusion, and serve all people. I am not a therapist, but am trained in suicide prevention and persuade and refer out as needed.

I create workshops and classes, turning them into manuscripts for books. My June class was titled, Heal Your Life, an overview of healing health, heart, relationships. My July class focus is on Drinking Less: A Choice.

I also offer free, unrecorded bi-weekly group coaching for subscribers to my email, Juju Brunch, where I write the latest dabbling of this one chosen, intentional life. There are free resources, five minute Pod Bits and links to books also on my website: tamilowe.com

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

While serving my 90-day sentence in a county jail, I read a lot of books and journaled daily. My cellmate and I were usually alone, but on the weekends the floors were full with heroin addicts and women with hangovers. I decided to have a little “church” with anyone who was interested, in the corner on a cot. I taught little lessons from a children’s book, and we occasionally sang a song we all knew. It never lasted longer than 10 or 15 minutes, but often one of these ladies remembered something kind or peaceful from their past. When we cut off our emotions, we don’t just cut out the bad. We also restrict anything good. This was helpful for me, to stay in touch with who I was at the time, and often helpful for them. Jail had some great days.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

My first employment after 20 years and during my marital separation was as a virtual assistant. I had two clients to start: an organizing company and an interior designer. I created quarterly campaign themes and scheduled their socials. I had an abundance of positivity and creativity to sell their products, but in building my own – I had trouble seeing my own value. More than that, I had trouble speaking about myself. My products as a coach and an author…are me. I wasn’t in the habit of selecting a restaurant for dinner with my family, let alone saying what I thought about anything, as a woman, as a wife. There was definitely a learning curve. I did well as their VA, but eventually I wanted to, and felt that I could, focus on my own business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tamilowe.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tami__lowe/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tami.lowe.me
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamilowe/

Image Credits

Kathy Twitchell, Shauna Lowe.