We recently connected with Tammy Cho and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tammy , thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
I feel my story starts when I had my breakdown. I started having heart palpitations with chest pain radiating up my jaw and down my arm. My chest felt like it was being squeezed and my eyesight started getting fuzzy. I was gasping to take in a breath of air and I ended up being wheeled to emergency in front of all my coworkers at work.
Leading up to this breakdown, I knew I was experiencing high anxiety and struggling to concentrate and focus.
I knew intellectually I needed to take time off work. I even had made time to go get a doctor’s note for being off work. However, I was so fixated on my commitments to everyone around me, that I just couldn’t get myself to let go….
“How many times have you known the right thing to do for yourself and struggled to let yourself do it?
Some may wonder why I continued to work to the point of breakdown instead of prioritizing my own needs.
You see…I experienced a lot of trauma from a very young age. When I was about 20 days old, my mom left me with my physically and emotionally abusive father. Like in many Asian families, my dad wanted boys; yet he received me as his 3rd girl. In many ways, I was not wanted before I even arrived.
I tried really hard to keep my dad and grandma happy. My ability to please worked so well that my dad’s and grandma’s affection toward me turned my sisters against me and I was often soloed out. I was bullied at home and at school. I didn’t develop a lot of social skills because I didn’t have a lot of friends… I missed out on birthday parties and other social gatherings because we could not afford to bring gifts so I felt isolated from my peers. I felt lonely and helpless.
In my teenage years, I did anything to belong and to be accepted and turned to alcohol and drugs to disconnect from the painful feelings and numb the pain. By this point I asked myself, “Would there be a point of me being here….and would it matter if I stayed?”
I chose to stay, however, the only reason I did not choose to take my life was because of my grandma. She was the only one that I felt truly cared about me and I did not want to put her through the pain of losing me. At that time, I said to myself,” I would take my life when she passes on.” Even in the midst of a life-or-death situation, I put the needs of others in front of my own.
In order to survive, I focused on being perfect, achieving more, and accomplishing as much as I could… and I became a people pleaser, anticipating the needs of others so I can make everyone around me happy. I was desperate for love, attention, and belonging and as a result; I ignored my needs. I ignored my intuition. I gave away my voice. I gave away my body. I sold and sacrificed pieces of my soul.
Despite all of this, I did well for myself…I created what looked like success from the outside. I was an honor roll student and graduated with distinction in university. I got my bachelor in science in nursing and became a registered nurse. I married a man who loves me. We invested in real estate. I became a personal development junkie and ran masterminds. I became a millionaire before the age of 30. I had money, a house and car, love, and a white picket fence.
In order to fit into societal norms, I learned to put a strong shell of protection around me and I got good at putting on a mask for everyone around me. On the outside of my shell, I looked put together, threw social gatherings, and helped solve other people’s problems. The part of me that didn’t feel good enough kept pushing myself to do more for others so I would feel adequate enough. And over time, this mask I wore for those around me became my identity.
Coming back to my initial breakdown, it would have been the more socially acceptable story to tell, however, I wanted to tell you the story behind the story that my heart was scared to speak of for a long time. And it is the story behind the story that highlights why even though I knew intellectually that I needed to take time off work, the subconscious part of me told me I would be nothing if I didn’t uphold my image of what others expected of me. This identity of needing to take care of others, and looking competent, productive, and in control became a huge part of my self-worth. I remember feeling that if I let go, everything would fall apart and I would be nothing. It honestly felt like I would die.
The universe works in miraculous ways and if we are not following the path our soul is here to walk, the universe will send wake-up calls.
For me, my awakening finally came on the day that my daughter turned 6 months old. We were in the middle of my living room.
For the first time, my baby intentionally hit one of the hanging toys dangling from the baby Einstein play mat. There was a community nurse, who was sitting to the right of me on my living room couch and she said to me in excitement, “Did you see that?!” I responded flatly, “Yah, kids do that”. The reality was I couldn’t feel any love or joy for my own baby daughter.
Often times, you can’t see the problem because you’re in it. And for me, if it wasn’t for that community nurse pointing out my lack of connection to my baby, I would not have known how emotionally disconnected I was from my own daughter…and my own life. I was not physically abandoning my baby as my mom did to me, but I was emotionally abandoning my baby. This awareness activated a part in me that said, “I won’t do to my child what my mom did to me.” I knew I needed to start getting some help. This was not acceptable and ignited a fire within to be someone different.
From that day forward, I started investing tens of thousands of dollars on seeing psychologists, counselors, doctors, naturopaths, and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. I invested even more money on various personal development and mindset workshops, became a neurolinguistic practitioner, and focused on mastering the mind. I spent a great deal of time trying to figure things out intellectually, but I can tell you that the answer is NOT in trying to figure things out through the mind.
I was drawn to see intuitive healers and I noticed that they could see, feel, and understand me, even though I struggled to trust and let them in. I took a full dive into intuitive healing work and started taking various intuition and energy healing courses including Reiki, Bio-energy Healing, Tibetan Mastery, and Shamanism. I realized that working with energy came naturally to me and discovered my own empathic, intuitive healing abilities. However, I noticed that when I stopped giving and receiving energy clearings, the underlying symptoms would still be there.
Because I value truth and freedom, I kept searching for the answer. I eventually dove head first into a 4 year journey into emotional and spiritual healing, in addition to obtaining my Masters in Psychosomatic Therapy and that’s when all the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place.
I had heard often about the body, mind, heart, and soul connection; however psychosomatic therapy really brought this together for me in a tangible way through my own face and body. My own physical body told the story of my emotional trauma through how I was holding my body posture and how I just gave myself to people but felt powerless to ask for what I needed. The shape of my chest showed me how deeply I was yearning for love and at the same time, how much I was so afraid to receive it. My feet showed how I was doing my best to just keep myself held up in life and I was not on direction with my purpose. My own face and body reading brought me physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually face-to-face with my current truth and I had to be radically honest about where I was in my life.
What I discovered is it did not matter how much I tried to master my affirmations and mindset work or to exchange weekly energy clearings. Addressing these things separately only provided temporary relief. Until I trusted myself enough to let others in to help me. Until I reconnected back to my own body to feel, process, release and integrate the emotions from my body, I was subconsciously blocking myself from receiving the joy, happiness, peace, freedom, abundance, and everything life has to offer.
Our body, mind, heart, and soul are all one. They are not separate. When I allowed myself to address myself as a whole, I not only changed my relationship with my life, but I also changed the shape of my body changing the trajectory of my own health and well-being.
Now in my relationships, I am rewarded with a deeper trust, loving connection, compassion, and acceptance of myself and I am the embodiment of my new beingness. I am able to let my husband’s love in and no longer create arguments for connection. And I can fully be present and love my 2 beautiful daughters the way they deserve. I am now a source of inspiration to my friends, family, and clients.
I have drastically improved my mental well-being. I have overcome generalized anxiety and depression (without medication), and have removed myself from repetitive self-sacrifice patterns of chronic drain, exhaustion, and burning out. I have more energy, joy, and vitality because I am no longer using energy to hold down these underlying feelings or the energy I took to deal with the endless mind chatter.
The more I continued on this path and allowed myself to be me and give myself what I need, I started creating 5 figure months in my business and invited to speak on podcasts and summits. I am receiving the abundance that naturally flows into my life.
On a soul level, I have a deep spiritual connection and clearly receive intuitive messages, tap into my gifts and wisdom, and make decisions that allow me to live my best life for me. I have inner harmony around how much I need and how much I give to others. I am clear about what my soul’s purpose is and I am walking it now.
This is why I chose to align my business starting with helping clients to see themselves for who they are through their own face and body. I hold space for my clients to see and understand themselves so they can stop running away from these deeper parts of self. We can only transform when we bring what is subconscious to the conscious level, beginning from a place of radical honesty within self. And this starts with truly seeing and understanding yourself.
I started this business because I received direct spiritual communication that I need to step into this work and help others on this level. I also deeply feel that the truth (hidden under the masks we wear) needs to be spoken over the silence of pain.
I’ve been called to help others break free from this self-harming cycle so that they create a life of peace, fulfillment, abundance, and self-love – the life I know everyone deserves.
My mission is to create a more loving and connected world by inspiring and empowering humanity to embody self-love and acceptance and remember the truth of who they really are so they can be the highest and best version of themselves.
Most people think that we must do more to have more and the truth is it really comes down to your capacity to feel and receive yourself fully. From this space, you can then fully receive your life. A vision I have received several times is that creating money, success, and abundance naturally flows to us when we are deeply receiving, loving, and accepting ourselves and giving ourselves what we need. I am taking the steps right now to bring this vision into the mainstream.
My vision is that I help create empowered, compassionate leaders who show up authentically for the depth of who they are, fully expressing their unique gifts and living life aligned in Love, Purpose, and Abundance. If you knew you can create an impactful, meaningful, healthy, and abundant life just by deepening your love and acceptance of yourself and allowing yourself to be authentically you, would you take the step?
Tammy , 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 body whisperer, self love embodiment guide, psychosomatic therapist, coach, international best selling author and CEO of Path To The Heart. Having served as a registered nurse and in the psycho-spiritual industry for 20 years, I blend neuroscience, metaphysical laws, emotional leadership, and embodiment to support high achievers to create impact and abundance without exhaustion and self-sacrifice, and with more balance and ease.
I tend to attract high-achieving entrepreneurs who are focused on creating impact in service to their purpose. They put themselves out there, do the mindset work, and hit some of their goals. They tick every box and on the outside, it looks like they have it all, except they are overwhelmed, exhausted, and depleted in the body…. and joy and pleasure always end up at the bottom of the list.
I use an unique and proven face and body analysis system and psycho-spiritual modalities to uncover subconscious challenges and dissolve patterns at the mental, physical, and emotional levels to help women create energetic alignment and open to receive their next level of joy, fulfillment, and success with more inner ease and harmony.
Most people don’t know that your body is actually talking to you through symptoms that you might be experiencing that you can’t quite seem to get over. It’s actually telling you something that is deep inside you. This face and body analysis system helps you interpret what your body is saying and provides your own roadmap to remove blocks, heal and move forward. I had one client whom I guided towards a part of herself that she didn’t want to look at for some time and after working together, she told me she can now read without her glasses!
Have you ever had to pivot?
I use to do all my face and body analysis embodiment sessions and energy healing in person, however, my blessing from covid is opening up to pivoting and bring my business online. I learned that I can have people send me their pictures which provided me the opportunity to zoom in to see closer details than what I could see on the zoom screen. I learned that I can use the computer to complete face splits and walk someone through the journey of the left side of their face (private face) and right side of their face (public face) so I can better support someone to heal and change their relationship with how they see themselves. I learned that even though I could not do my own assessment in person, having clients do their own assessment of their body skin, texture, and shape supported my clients in getting in touch with their own bodies even more. I learned that the essence of my energy and healing was just as powerful online as it is in person. I am grateful for all this growth and empowerment for myself and I know breaking through my limitations has allowed me to uplift my clients and serve more clients around the world!
How did you build your audience on social media?
If you are just starting to build your audience on social media, focus on consistency and showing up as your true authentic self. My experience is that the more I am open and vulnerable and allow myself to be a real human being online, the more I naturally started to build my following.
I also want to mention that a very high percentage of our communication is nonverbal so let go of the need to be perfect in the words you say in live videos. It is more important the energy you embody and conviction in your messaging that will truly reach your audience the most through all the noise out there. Sending so much love and acceptance on your social media journey!
Contact Info:
- Website: pathtotheheart.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/path2theheart/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/divinetruthandlove
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/tammycho-pathtotheheart
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@pathtotheheartwithTammy
- Other: Access your FREE “Discover What Your Face Shape Says About You” Mini-Masterclass” here: https://pathtotheheart.com/faceshapeworkshop Access your FREE “Get Calm and Energized Meditation” here: https://pathtotheheart.com/get-calm-energized-meditation Book your complimentary deep dive discovery call with Tammy: https://tidycal.com/pathtotheheartbookwithme/book-your-complimentary-deep-dive-discovery-session
Image Credits
Meredith Rose Photography