We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tamela Todd a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Tamela thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

I feel it is very important to practice self-care because when I first started my business/ entrepreneurship I didn’t prioritize my work-life/balance. I began gaining weight and experiencing health challenges. After discussing my issues with my doctor he told me I had two choices lose weight or deal with having diabetes. At that moment I decided that I was a priority to myself. I began to change my eating habits and shut down working at 6 pm every day. Exercise three times a week, get eight hours of sleep, set boundaries with family and friends, and outsource help when needed. I believe in the old saying you can’t pour from an empty cup. In order to care for yourself, you have to have a team, you have to know when to stop and relax. Many entrepreneurs think they can do it all. I want them to know that there are three keys to success,

1. Schedule ME into your daily routine
2. Lean to say NO without explaining
3. Plan ahead and don’t double book yourself.

Wе all havе mоmеnts whеrе wе fееl еxcеptiоnally оvеrwhеlmеd. As an еntrеprеnеur, it’s easy tо takе оn tоо much tо dо yоursеlf, which is due to nоt practicing sеlf-carе as an еntrеprеnеur. Dеlеgatiоn and acknоwlеdging whеn yоu nееd hеlp arе grеat ways оf practicing sеlf-carе. In dоing sо, yоu’rе еffеctivеly gеt what yоu nееd tо be dоnе and rеduce yоur strеss lеvеls in thе prоcеss. Thе thing is, wе all likе tо bеliеvе wе’rе thе bеst at what wе dо. Hоwеvеr, thеrеarе always pеоplе оut there whо arе better. Thеrе’s nо shamе in asking fоr hеlp,hоwеvеr, thеrе is shamе in prоviding lоw quality wоrk bеcausе yоu tооk оn tоо much. Rеach оut and ask thеm fоr hеlp with yоur prоjеct/task imaginе thе quality оf wоrk yоu cоuld prоvidе if yоu just practicеd sеlf-carе as an еntrеprеnеur! This jоurnеy is an еmоtiоnal rоllеrcоastеr and it’s оnly gоing continue to challenge you. Practicing sеlf-carе as an еntrеprеnеur is what’s gоing tо successfully gеt yоu to thе оthеr sidе of this journey.

Tamela , 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?

Tamela C. Todd is the bestselling author of Emotions Of The Mind. She is a mental health coach and speaker featured in media outlets like Rolling Out Magazine, Metro Parent, She Leads Podcast and many others. I also have products My Mental Health is Non-Negotiable.

After surviving relationships affected by mental health challenges, she decided to forge a new path for herself and her daughters. Tamela C. Todd uses her decades of experience in Healthcare and garnered insights into the effects of physical, mental, and emotional trauma to create resources that promote mental health, self-esteem, and empowerment. She hopes that by shunning the stigmas associated with mental health, she can raise awareness that helps others.

Her mission is to create an empowering environment for women. An environment where they can prioritize their mental health, have a positive outlook, reduce stress and anxiety, build confidence and take charge of their mental health. She strives to be the voice for women ready to make positive changes in their lives through self-confidence, healthy relationships, and reading.

Tamela knows that life’s journey is not a straight line – the little twists and turns along the way are often the most meaningful. Today, she offers private coaching to clients interested in finding their unique path to healing and growth.

A lifelong book lover, Tamela is the founder of Brown Girls Read Foundation – a foundation that promotes literacy and offers scholarships to Black and Brown girls. She hopes that literacy will empower young women to participate in conversations, arguments, and decisions that affect us as a people and community. She also believes in the power of stories to propel growth and
healing.

When she’s not reading and writing, Tamela can be found enjoying family time and sipping wine or coffee while planning her next vacation. You can share your story with Tamela via email at info@tamelactoddl.com. You can also connect with Tamela on Instagram @tamelactodd or website www.tamelatodd.com

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Sharing my story about how mental health affects my lifestyle was very transparent and allowed others to know that someone that looks like them in their community has overcome the same issues and they can with the help of therapy and resources.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Books/Authors I will name because all their books are very good resources for reading.

Joyce Meyer
Rhonda Byrne
Iyanla Vanzant
William F Pickard
Rachel Rodgers

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tamelatodd.com
• Instagram: @tamelactodd
• Other: Email Info@tamelatodd.com

Image Credits
@Q11Photography