We recently connected with Tara Tucker and have shared our conversation below.

Tara, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Yes, I’ve been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, and when I look back over my life, I’ve earned from my creativity often. Before starting my coaching and publishing business, I was a full-time hairstylist. I thought that would be my life’s work, and I was genuinely content to live in that space, creating hairstyles and making men, women, and children happy; when you look good, you feel good.

I worked in various salons before opening my storefront salon at the end of May 2016. You can imagine the joy I felt! A dream that I had for so long materialized. The sign on the door read, “Tara Tucker’s Healthy Hair Studio.” I could only go up from there! Well, my happiness didn’t last long because my mom suddenly passed away from a heart attack as soon as I opened it. Four months later, I felt a lump in my right breast.

I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, and in 2017, I had a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. I had complications from the treatment and was extremely ill. I was mourning my mom and my life at the same time.
Now, I am a woman of enormous faith. I believe in God and trust the plans that He has for me. When I received chemotherapy, God told me not to return to my salon. Imagine that. I didn’t know what else I could do. But He said to write my story. And that’s where my journey to coaching and publishing began. It began with me writing my memoir, “Everybody Kneeling ain’t Praying.”

People started contacting me, asking me if I could help them since I was a published author. From day one, I felt unqualified to help others in the writing space. Sure, I knew how to write, and I was published for the first time in 8th grade, but who knew that I would coach others in telling their stories and even become a ghostwriter? Not me.

A significant step for me was educating myself on what I didn’t know. Yes, I had natural skills, but I still needed to learn the business. Initially, I consumed all the free content I could on YouTube and Google before investing in coaching and programs. There is a level of knowledge that can only be obtained after an investment. You will reach a point where you need to pay to enter certain rooms, and it’s well worth the investment.

I am someone who takes off running, so in hindsight, I would have mapped out how I wanted my business to be first, for example, who I wanted to work with, what was my business model, how I was going to scale, etc. I learned this by trial and error. I’m still learning because there are different levels to obtain, but I know much more than before. I use the wisdom I gained from my process to help others in their writing and publishing journey.

Tara, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am Tara Tucker, also known as Coach Tara. I am a Storytelling Strategist who helps faith-driven professionals define, own, & write their authentic stories for maximum impact, influence, and income.

I am driven by faith, and I have a doozy of a story, which I own, unashamed, and I help others do the same. I believe it’s better to live unmasked. Sometimes, the guilt and shame of our stories keep us in bondage and prevent us from elevating and walking in our true purpose, calling, and potential. My motto is live, love, and BE authentic. My background is full of pain, trauma, and confusion, but I turned it around and used it to propel me to purpose. My purpose here is to be a voice. A voice of inspiration and hope. A voice that shows you by example that you can own your story. A voice of an overcomer, being a witness to the healing and delivering power of Jesus.

Why do I say that? Well from the beginning my life was a struggle. When my mother was nine months pregnant with me, my biological father stabbed her multiple times and then fled. By the grace of God, we both made it. I was born that night. From there, I was raised by my mom and stepfather. My stepfather was the first to molest me. After that, a neighbor, then a family friend, and so on. By the age of 12, I had been inappropriately touched so much that I thought there was a sign on my head saying, “Touch me.”

Growing up, I didn’t have a sure identity, nor did I know where I fit. My stepfather was mean to me. My older sister was mean to me and often told me I was adopted. I had a light complexion with freckles. I didn’t look like anyone around me, and I often wondered where I came from. I was rejected often. As a child, adults and peers teased me in the Black community because of my light complexion. I was called “white girl” and “four-eyes.” I hid my glasses, but I couldn’t hide my skin. I started a behavior known as “people-pleasing” because I wanted to be liked, loved, and accepted.

As an adult, I was raped twice, and I did not have the correct view of myself. I began a life of prostitution, and I regularly abused alcohol and marijuana. I was in unhealthy domestic violent relationships and marriages. So, my life on paper says that I should be somewhere depressed and strung out. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve battled depression on and off for most of my life, but God has truly been faithful to me. I choose joy. I prefer to look at the glass half full and believe that people aren’t inherently evil. I forgive others. I have even found my biological dad using 23AndMe and reconciled with him. We have a great relationship. He is a different man today, and I am grateful to know him. He is a great dad, and I love him. He has a past just like I have a past. God is good and has had mercy on us both.

I help women and young girls unmask and walk in the power of their voices. I help them see that their past does not own them, that they can, as Lisa Nichols says, “stand on their story” and not “in it.” I offer life coaching, book coaching, business strategy sessions, writing workshops, and self-publishing services.

What sets me apart from others is my authenticity. I don’t use it as a buzzword; I live it. I lay it all out, and I help everyone who encounters me realize and be comfortable with vulnerability. I thank God that He gave that to me as a core value. I don’t walk in shame, guilt, or embarrassment. Do I feel those at certain times in my life? Absolutely. But what I do and teach my clients to do is to feel without judgment. It’s the judging of yourself and thoughts that get you stuck into thinking something is wrong with you.

I teach my clients to acknowledge what happened, identify the limiting beliefs that came from it, and then master their manuscripts. I don’t work one-on-one with everyone; however, everyone can use my publishing services. To work with me one-on-one, you must be sure and fully convinced God called you to write and share your story because I want His grace to be upon your book and where He guides, He provides.

I am a youth mentor with IMAGINE Mentoring of Michigan and I love giving back and pouring into their lives. I teach writing workshops for at-risk youths, and I start the workshops by getting them comfortable with their voice and letting them know that even at a young age, their voices matter. I’ve worked with various schools and city programs, teaching my “Prepare and Publish Youth Writing Workshop.” I’ve seen some children start complaining, saying, “This is stupid,” to those same children becoming fully engaged and loving to write at the end. Nothing compares to that. Letting a child know that you see them and hear them is everything.

I am also proud of the transformation I see in my clients. From day one, when they are timid, holding back, and telling me a version of their story that they think is sufficient to write—I help them go deeper. When they are done working with me, they have increased clarity and confidence, and they complete the task they set out to do. They establish healthy boundaries, and they publish their books. I work with faith-driven professionals, and they leverage their books for opportunities such as speaking engagements, creating coaching programs, and furthering their ministries.

I do all of this under my business, Tucker Publishing House, LLC. I have a small team, and aside from the coaching and workshops, we produce devotionals, self-help books, anthologies, children’s books, manuals, workbooks, and memoirs. I am proud of what I have accomplished thus far, and I look forward to helping more people realize their dreams of writing and publishing their stories.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The mission of freeing people from bondage drives me. God didn’t create us to live in shame, be fearful of taking risks, and stay in unhealthy relationships. We are meant to live abundantly and thrive!

No matter what is going on in my life, I keep that in front of me. We are our worst enemies, and we bond to those untrue beliefs we have about ourselves, which drives me to take action.

I also feel that stories connect us; we each have the blueprint for someone else’s breakthrough. Once we are set free and enlightened in a particular area, we should share and help the next person.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for me has always been referrals. I am grateful for the relationships I’ve built and the quality of work I produce. My phone rings or I get an email from people such as Pastors, CEOs, School Principals, NonProfit Founders, and more, wanting to work with me. I don’t advertise much, but I can imagine the response when I do. I love to attend networking events, so the plan is to venture out and market more. Relationships are currency.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.iamtaratucker.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/iamtaratucker
• Facebook: Facebook.com/coachtaratucker
• Linkedin: Linkedin.com/iamtaratucker
• Twitter: Twitter.com/iamtaratucker
• Youtube: Youtube.com/authenticstoriespodcast

Image Credits
Ynobe Concepts Turner Editing India Patrice Photography
Guud Vision Media