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

Hi Tami, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I started a garden enrichment program, during my previous full-time job, at a women’s prison back in 2017. We taught women how to grow their own food and offered classes in horticultural therapy, self-care, and empowerment. As I spent more time with them, I began to build real relationships—listening to their stories, their hopes, and their fears. One question kept coming up for me: What happens when they’re released? When I asked, most of them said they’d have to figure out housing on their own with some help from counselors—many had no safe place to go, and because of their records, most landlords wouldn’t rent to them. That really stuck with me. I realized how overwhelming and isolating reentry must feel. So I made a decision….. I bought a home and turned it into transitional housing for women returning from incarceration—somewhere they could land, feel safe, and start rebuilding.

However, I didn’t want to stop at just providing housing. I wanted to offer the kind of wraparound support that truly helps women rebuild their lives and potentially reconnect with family. So Living On Purpose ATL, with God’s help and an amazing staff, provides free mental health counseling, case management, employment assistance and more. We do our best to meet the women where they are. We accept woman who are coming to us with no job, no money and may only have a few pieces of clothing/personal items. We greet them upon their release, celebrate them, take them grocery shopping and buy or provide gently used clothing. Our program also helps our women of purpose create a personalized readiness plan to prepare them for independent living. It’s about more than a roof—it’s about restoring dignity, stability, hope and love.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Giving back has always been a core value in my life—something my parents and uncle instilled in me from a young age. Community service wasn’t just encouraged; it was expected, and it became second nature. Throughout my professional life, I made it a priority to stay engaged in service, no matter how busy I was. That spirit of giving is something I also passed on to my children. From an early age, they joined me in volunteering—helping serve meals to people who were unhoused and hungry, and learning firsthand the importance of compassion and community.

For several years, I’ve been a committed advocate for the rights of returning citizens and individuals impacted by the carceral system, with a special focus on dismantling the preschool-to-prison pipeline. I’ve participated in panel discussions, spoken at conferences, met with legislators, and worked alongside organizations focused on reforming both juvenile and adult criminal justice.

I previously served as Executive Director of St. Paul’s Outreach Center (SPOC) in the Metro Atlanta area, where I led programs that provided essential support to residents—including basic needs assistance, educational advancement, job placement, healthcare access, and the launch of a community Food Coop. Before I founded Living On Purpose ATL, I spent over 20 years at IBM, where I built a successful career in sales and marketing and worked for the Atlanta Community Food Bank over the last 9 years.

In addition to my nonprofit work, I am a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. I currently serve on the board of Gangstas to Growers, and I’m actively involved with several reform-focused initiatives including the End Mass Incarceration Georgia Network planning committee, the Department of Juvenile Justice Task Force, the DeKalb County Community Supervision Steering Committee, Reform Alliance Coalition and All of Us or None.

When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, traveling, horseback riding, exercising, and diving into history—I’m a bit of a history buff! I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Spelman College.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I give all the credit to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Starting out, I didn’t have the resources to hire a grant writer, so I knew I had to learn quickly. I enrolled in a grantwriting course at the University of Georgia and began writing proposals myself—doing the best I could with what I had. By the end of my first year, I had raised over $33,000. That kind of outcome, especially as a beginner, could only be God’s hand at work.

I also turned to my community—reaching out to family and friends, asking them to support my GoFundMe campaign and consider becoming recurring donors. Their generosity and belief in the mission meant everything to me. I’m deeply grateful for their continued support—it’s helped sustain this work and given so many women a second chance.

Partnerships are essential to our work. One of our most meaningful collaborations is with an incredible organization called Support + Feed, led by Maggie Baird. Their mission is to fight food insecurity while supporting sustainable, plant-based food systems. Through this partnership, they deliver hot, nourishing meals from select Atlanta vegan restaurants to the women in both of our homes—typically once or twice a month, or whenever there’s a need. Their support brings not only healthy food but also a sense of care and community.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Most of the women who come to our program hear about us through word of mouth—either from other women on the inside or counselors at the facilities. Our application is available on our website, and once it’s submitted, we aim to conduct an interview within 48 to 72 hours. During that conversation, we ask how they found us and what drew them to our program.
One of the things that’s really touched me is that even women who left the program early—or were terminated—still refer others to us. To me, that says something about the way we treat the women of purpose. We strive to create an environment rooted in dignity and respect, no matter the circumstances.

We don’t judge based on someone’s past. Whether a woman has served time for a serious offense like murder or a short sentence for a so-called “petty” crime, she is welcome here. Everyone deserves the chance to heal, rebuild, and be treated with compassion—and that’s exactly what we aim to offer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lopatl.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lopatl2020/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LOPATL2020/