TDR Brands International spotlights Power Moms who show inner strength and courage, while simultaneously loving and nurturing family, during the pursuit of their dreams.
Tierra Destiny Reid: Please give us a brief recap of your career.
Tamell Green: My professional career began with Children's Defense Fund which has given me my foundation in program development, youth development, and allowed me to always see how I can serve as an advocate for children and their families no matter the career path I have chosen or jobs I have had. I have been able to serve families through program development as Technology Director of the Magic Johnson Empowerment Center in Bennettsville, SC, elementary teacher for Marlboro County and Scotland County School District, and now as the CEO and Founder of my own company, Metamorphosis, an online tech savvy PR firm that caters to Brand Development for Mompreneurs. Creativity is my gift God has purposed me with gifting to the world and He allows me to do it through program development no matter the title I have held.
TDR: Please tell us about your children.
TG: I am the mother to 3 of God's most precious gifts! They are Jasiya, 11, Jakayla 7, and Jason II 1. They are definitely my heartstrings. My children are such a great mixture of both their father and I, but I must say that have definitely inherited my gift of creativity and his gift of humor. My daughters also have their own plethora of TV shows on YouTube in which they teach kids how to cook, create DIY projects, tell the news, and interview people about their careers. Their mission is to help kids ages 5-12 begin to explore careers and what they want to do and be in life. They have been going around the community doing their signature Vision Board Parties to help students begin to generate a baseline to begin their exploration.
TDR: How are you juggling your passion with the responsibilities of parenthood?
TG: I have been blessed to be able to combine the two, but not without struggle. I love all things technology and teaching people how to do everyday tasks simpler by using technology. I use things such as Google Calendar, Google Drive, and different smart phone apps to keep our family organized with all of our many business ventures and day to day life. I get meal ideas, fitness information, and to stay on track. My husband and I were separated for over a year. How we kept the communication alive during this difficult period is by making sure we were well connected technology wise in order to co-parent during the separation. Also, being a Mompreneur and a Mom to little entrepreneurs allows me a chance to mentor not only my kids in a different capacity than I normally would parenting.
TDR: What are some of your struggles and how do you work to overcome them?
TG: Consistency and Procrastination are my two biggest struggles. I am a great starter, but the procrastination hinders me from being consistent. One way I overcome this is to have my children keep me accountable for things such as eating healthy, daily workouts, and just having task lists to complete.
TDR: What are 2 resources you use to help you stay motivated?
TG: Two resources I use to help me stay motivated is my vision board and my Study Bible. My vision board keeps me focused on my goals. My Study Bible helps me to keep boundaries in place and shows me how to receive God's Grace and Mercy. Reading the stories in the Bible tell me that I'm not the first to go through hard times and I won't be the last. It shows me how to get through the rain, but also how to have an expectancy for the rainbow.
TDR: What is your favorite way to pause?
TG: My favorite way to pause is to sit on my porch in my rocking chair and just take in the beauty of the Earth. I sit there and truly count my blessings until I have nothing else on my mind but good, positive thoughts.
TDR: What has been the scariest moment or crossroad in your journey?
TG: The scariest moment or crossroad in my journey has been going through a separation with my husband. The breakup of our family unit was THE hardest thing for so many reasons and that's what made it the scariest because we had come to such a point that threatened our union, our bond, and our family. My life was changing right before my eyes and I couldn't do anything about it. I felt like I was drowning and no one could hear me gasping for air, but me. How do you save yourself from drowning?
I had to come from knowing the Word to applying the Word. The distance from knowing to applying is a long, hard, journey when you are an emotional wreck. I had to hold on to what I know God told me even when it didn't seem believable anymore. It was hard believing things would change sometimes because my heart was so badly damaged. I continued to ask God for strength and He would send the perfect people (sometimes strangers) to call, text, email, or inbox me on Facebook words of encouragement. I had to keep my mind on God and not on my Husband or my kids. Of course I did what I was supposed to do for each of them, but I was once told that you cannot control other people, but you can control yourself. I took that to heart and became my own project. I sat myself down and said ok, now how would you tell someone else how to start rebuilding their life if they were in your situation and that's just what I did day by day. I had the hard task of showing my girls how to forgive while also being a victim of domestic violence of their Superman, their Dad, my husband.
I became stronger and more confident day by day. I had not realized that I had become a stranger to myself because I had become so enthralled into my roles as wife, mother, servant, etc until I lost Tamell. I began learning myself all over again at 35. Truly paying attention to me, spending time pampering myself again and not feeling guilty about it. I went back to my bucket list of things I wanted to do and because I had come to the end of the road (no job, feeling empty, and just not knowing what to do), I had nothing to lose so I opened up my parachute and I jumped. I submitted my journey to God and though there were many tears, many setbacks, many wrong turns, I never lost my drive and motivation. I went back to school to finish my Masters, I got on public assistance in order to stand on my feet and provide for my children, I completed the WIA program to get certifications in Microsoft Office and Adobe, and I started my own business. I turned the focus off of my situation and began looking towards what I wanted. What I wanted was my family restored and me being my best self.
Restoration in the sense that we were back together living one big happy life and truly become our TEAM GREEN again. Our restoration may not have looked as people thought it should, but it was working for us. God allowed us to teach our children the power of forgiveness and how to work together even in the midst of trouble. Our kids never missed a beat. Though the separation has been hard on our emotions, it has built our family better and stronger than ever. We've been having family date nights in which we build the vision of what we want our family to look like. Are we there yet? NO, but we have a plan on paper and it has been fun rebuilding our life back together. When I learned that only God could heal my heart, it took the pressure off of us to do what only God could do and let us be free to do what we knew He wanted us to do. We have had a lot of bumps in the road to restoration, but we are doing it, God style. Our scars and our wounds are still there but through prayer and fasting God has been making a way. There were moments that I truly can only explain that GOD DID IT!
TDR: What would be your greatest advice to other "Power Moms" wanting to pursue their dreams?
TG: My greatest advice is YOU BE THE EXAMPLE YOU WANT TO SEE. Don't allow your shortcomings and pitfalls take you off the path to your purpose. Your children are ALWAYS watching you in the good times and the bad times. They are looking to see how you handle life and still be who God has called you to be. So do just that...HANDLE IT! LIVE IT! BECOME IT! DEFINE IT! SEE IT! BELIEVE IT!
TDR: What word best describes the legacy you want to leave for your children and why?
TG: FORWARD- This word best describes the legacy I want to leave for my children because I want them to know that no matter what comes their way, if it isn't pushing them forward in their God-given purpose, then its not their monkey and not their show...keep moving forward.
TDR: How can others collaborate and support your mission?
TG: Others can collaborate and support my mission to help transform the lives of women in their business and their personal lives by engaging with me through social media, inviting me to speak or teach at their women empowerment events, or send technology questions my way so that I can answer their questions via Periscope or YouTube. That will help me to grow my community. Of course they can also help by purchasing my packages because a percentage of those help me with my events that allow me to pour back into women.
Connect with Tamell:
Facebook - Facebook.com/tgreenpr
Twitter - @tgreenpr
Instagram - @tgreenpr