TAMMY RIVERA - No Holding Back!

Tammy Rivera has been working consistently, hustling to make a way…her way.  Baltimore is not for the meek or the weak, so growing up Rivera had to “hold her own”.  There was no job she would shy away from and fast forward she speaks on how working those odd jobs inspired her current venture.  Despite the survival hustle she always knew singing was one of her ultimate goals and there was more for her along the path.  She followed her faith and heart, living and learning what works for her. Once the invitation for Love and Hip Hop was introduced it sparked the opportunity for her ultimate path to unravel.

Learn More about Tammy’s Skin Care Kit: Be Care By T Rivera

Connect: @CariChampion @charliesangelll

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
I haven't regrets because I was one hundred percent myself.
I was open, I was transparent, I was honest. I
didn't going to any betray something that I wasn't. I
didn't go up there trying to start and be messy,
because that's never who my character was. I mean that
known when I first got on the show, like listen,
I'm not with the drama. Don't kill me. And of
course there's something hip hop so sometimes y'ar'mnna comes to

(00:21):
your doorstop. But even through those aspects, I still handle
myself accordingly to this day. People still like, you know,
I love you on the show. You weren't messy, You're
you know, you courage yourself a certain way, And I'm like,
thank you, because that wasn't my goal or my objective.
I never want my daughter to be like, oh, look
at a look at me on TV and be disappointed
or or embarrassed of her mother. And that was American

(00:43):
television personality. Singer, fashion designer, and businesswoman. Former cast member
of the VH one reality show Love in Hip Hop Atlanta,
Tammy Rivera is on today's episode of Naked It's the

(01:06):
Greatest scorson then the Tamming can make your champion. They
Carrie Champion is gonna be with champion, A champion, they
carry Champion, Champion, they carry Champion, they carry Champion. Then
make it work. Hey, everybody, welcome to another edition of
Naked with Me Kerry a Champion. UM, Guys, before we
get into today's guests, I have to talk about a week.

(01:28):
It's been a week a week, a week a week.
Especially in my world of sports, I like to talk
about all things, but one thing I'm going to talk
about in particular before I introduce our next guest. And
I just have to give my take on this because
everyone is weighing in as on Memphis Grizzly superstar John Moran.
John Morant is a special special player in the National

(01:51):
Basketball Association UM. For those who are listening who may
not know if John Morant, you have to watch him
the Boys Special. When he plays UM, he is captivating.
He is a talent that was recognized on the collegiate level.
He was at a small school in Murray State, and
he came out as the number two pick in the
twenty nineteen draft and he's never looked back. And it's

(02:13):
really really hard to be a top five, top ten
picked in any draft and make good on that status,
meaning that top one, two, three, or four pick and
he's done that. But I've noticed troubling what I think
is a troubling trend with him. Prior to the most
recent drama, I just noticed that his attitude and his

(02:33):
demeanor changed. I remember, you know, people would say the
scouting report was, he's a good kid, he's nice, he's humble,
leave him alone. He just wants to work hard and
be a superstar. And recently, I honestly had thought I
didn't like his attitude. I was like, he's getting too
like your grandmother would say, too big for your bridges.
I felt like he was a little unnecessarily tough, maybe

(02:55):
a little unnecessarily arrogant, and it didn't fit well for me.
I didn't like the way he was interacting with the refs.
And it's so easy to judge, especially in the business
that I am, especially in what I do for a living.
It's so easy easy for me to say something's wrong
with him, and he thinks he thinks he's better. And
there were just a series of incidents, one of which
started with him, you know, playing the Lakers, and one

(03:19):
of the players was getting into it with Shannon Sharpe,
who is a former NFL player but now a huge
personality in media. And I saw Jah and even his
father Tea kind of weighing in on it. And then
there were these reports that he beat up a seventeen
year old kid and brandished a gun against this kid.

(03:40):
There was another report that said he was aggressively talking
to a traveling team with the Indiana Pacers and he
was trying to not necessarily threaten them, but they felt threatened.
Not fellow players, but people who were with the team
when they were in Memphis. And all of these reports
of him being some sort of a bully slash gangsterish

(04:01):
attitude started to really concern me. It reached a fever
pitch when there is this video, which I know most
of you have seen, where he is waving a gun
in a strip club and clearly faded out of his mind,
like lost. But I thought to myself, well, one, here
are two things that are happening. It is against the CBA,

(04:23):
the Collective Bargaining Agreement in the National Basketball Association. It's
against that agreement for any player to have a gun.
It is against the agreement if in fact, a player
is found to have traveled with a gun or have
a gun in this person while playing while working, that's
an automatic fifty games suspension five zero five zero. And

(04:45):
so for him to be playing in Colorado, they had
just lost the Dinver Nuggets and that night he finds
himself in a strip club before they decide to fly
back to Memphis, waving a gun. That means he brought
the gun with him. That's the first thing, because people
are like, what law did he break? He was sitting
in a strip club binding his business. What if that
wasn't a gun. What if that was a lighter. That's

(05:07):
what you do sometimes when you're in a strip club.
It looks like a gun, but it's a lighter. And
in my mind, I'm like, one incident of a reported
gun is one incident too many. And now this is
the third such incident. And I don't know what's going
on with this twenty three year old I do not
know him. But what was really troubling was that you

(05:30):
see this bright talent, super super bright talent, and there's
nobody around him to tell him, my man, this is
not right, or if there is someone around him telling him,
my man, this isn't right. He's not listening. Here's the
other troubling part of the story. No one is putting
a gun in Jah's hand. He seems to be the ringleader.

(05:51):
He seems to be the person that's like, I got
the gun? What's up? That? To me is troubling and
a lot of time, we, especially in our culture, are
not equipped for the pressures that come with being famous.
He's an instant millionaire when he's twenty. He can immediately

(06:11):
change his life, in his family's life, and future generations
lives to come because of the money in which he
will make. That comes with a significant responsibility to who
much has given, much is required. And if you don't
know how to handle that responsibility, this world of fame
and fortune can eat you up quickly. It could change
your perspective, it could make it difficult for you to function.

(06:35):
And so for John Rand, if you're listening, I am
sending you nothing but love. I hope you get well.
I hope that whatever it is that is troubling you,
or if there is nothing troubling you and you're just
doing this for shits and giggles, to realize that there's
nothing funny about this. My man Vamily then said it
best come to the corny side. It's cool to be corny.
When you quote unquote make it. And if you feel

(06:56):
any pressure by your friends or your family to be
some thing different, ignore that. It's cool to be corny.
It's cool to be corny and paid and be happy
with your life. You can go to the strip clubs privately,
bring it to the crib. You can carry a gun
at the house. Get security. You got all that money,
you don't need to carry a gun. Get security. That's

(07:17):
one thing that's always befuddled me about certain people who
decide to carry a gun on their person. If I
have enough money to live this lifestyle, I have enough
money to hire someone who is security, who can carry
a gun for me. I don't need to do it myself.
We've seen so many incidents over the years where some
inter famous name had a gun in the situation went

(07:40):
wrong because they pulled their gun out. I can think
of seven stories right now, and so I'm sending him
nothing but love because I do get that a kid
from a very small town in South Carolina population thirty
two hundred maybe give or take a few hundred, could
have a hard time adjusting to being a superstar in
the NBA could be sending or receiving wrong messages and

(08:05):
thinking he needs to be more than what he is
and expressing it in different ways. So we are sending
Jaw love and we're hoping that he gets better. The
repercussions could be significant because there's been too many incidents
that say, Ja Morant had a gun, and we don't
want him to mess up his bag. But most importantly,

(08:25):
we want him to understand that he's special and a
culture that needs him and craves superstars and superstar stories
like this one. And to that end, I talk about
our guests today. She can relate to growing up tough.
She can relate to being in hard situations. Her words,

(08:48):
not mine. I grew up in Baltimore, and you know,
I fought a lot in high school because I was
I stay already and I got a g D. I
barely graduated, and you know, but all the while I
knew I was destined for something special. But I was tough.
I grew up tough and I had to learn from that.

(09:10):
And she's done a great job. I said this to
her in a podcast, y'all. I said, hey, you are
a perfect example of you can't judge a book by discover.
I'm gonna keep it buck. I am not trying to
front like I watch every edition or every franchise of
Love and Hip Hop. I do not. I remember watching
New York a lot delved into Atlanta. I just am busy.
I'm in my world of sports. It gets hard, but

(09:30):
I do understand the culture, and I do understand the
popular people. And she was one singer and actress entrepreneur.
Tammy Rivera has been on Love and Hip Hop Atlanta.
She was married to Waka Flacca and she is now divorced,
and she talks candidly about the marriage, what went wrong
and what she's onto next. But what I love most

(09:54):
about her and her story is that she's taken this
platform of being Waka Flaca's wife ex wife now and
made it her own. She has a skincare line that
she's promoting right now, which I think is great and amazing.
I envy that. I'm like, Oh, I'm gonna give me
a skincare line. I'm waiting, no my skincare line. She
has a swim a line where she talks about t Rivera.

(10:18):
T Rivera, whose mission is to install confidence as every
bare face deserves to glow. That's her skincare line, that's
her swim line, that's her skincare line. And she has
done at all. She's released a single that people like,
she can sing and she's a true entrepreneur in every
sense of the word. And that's hard to do. It's

(10:39):
hard to step on the scene as someone's wife and
then take that platform and then create your own individual
identity and be progressive and make money and be successful.
And in my mind right, success is subjective, but in
my mind she is successful. And I salute her. You guys,

(11:00):
be kind, be nice, uh and give it up for
one Tammy Rivera on naked and um so, Tammy Rivera,
thank you so much for joining me. Congratulations on all
that you've been able to do. I am a fan
of someone who can hustle and make it their own
and you have had a lot of different um ways

(11:21):
in which people can to follow you and UH know
that what your dreams are. So first off, tell me
a little bit about where you grew up. Where are
you from family that type of day, Um, well, I'm
from My mom is readily from Norfolk, Virginia, which where
um I was raised. I was born in California, actually,

(11:41):
but I was raised and norf while raising Norfolk up
until all of Thanks six, and then my mom to
move to the West side of Baltimore. So Baltimore is ultimately,
um the streets that raised me. So that's that's why
I could sit at home now. Tell me about Baltimore.
So I I obviously looked you up and it says

(12:03):
you were from Baltimore, but everyone has a different origin
story about where they are from. But if Baltimore raised you,
what does that mean? How did Baltimore raise you? Well,
Baltimore is not for the meek or the week if
you know anything about Baltimore, so I would say it
raised me, raise me pretty well, pretty pretty well. Well,
you know, I'm a strong woman. I'm a hustler because

(12:25):
of you know, my circumstances and where I come from.
That's what we you know, that's what you you know,
you have to grind to make it out. And that's
pretty much just the Baltimore. Baltimore is a it's a
hard city, but it's also a loving city, and a
lot of people don't see that side of it. It's
a city where, um, if I was to walk past
the street sees me from Baltimore, it's like an understanding

(12:48):
that we have, like old girl, see you. You know,
it's like, you know, small city, but there's a lot
of grades that come from there, a lot of grace
that come from there. I know a lot of people
that are from Baltimore and they have the same approach like, look,
I see you, but I know what it is if
you write like I get it. If you had to
describe what made you in terms of how you've been
able to hustle, would you say you learned everything from

(13:10):
how you grew up. Absolutely. My mom grew up a
single parent. Um My mom um was she had addiction
in their past, where I was raising my grandmother for
a short period time until my mom was able to
you know, get her life back on track. We moved
to Baltimore for a better life. Um, and you know

(13:31):
I have, you know, a pretty um heart upbringing. But yeah,
still feel with loves and you know, I come from
very very humble beginnings and that is my foundation of
what like guilty recently because it's that, you know, staying grounded,
that's what keeps being rounded and being able to go
back home to a city where Um, I once used
to you know, I once lived in Arbany and once

(13:53):
he had struggles and be able to go back to
my same city and give back and be with those
same people, in those same areas and those same blocks
that I it's like, Um, it's like one of the
highlights of of my life. Honestly, what did you think
it was when you were a kid? What was your
ultimate dream? What was your goal for your life when
you were growing up? When I was a kid, I

(14:14):
was like, I want to be Oprah. When you were
growing what did you want to I wanted to be
a singer, a designer. I always I wanted to be
a singer in a fashion designer, Like that was my
thing since I kid. Remember, Um, I was just talking
to someone um yesterday and I was like, I remember
my teacher. You used to be like, well, what is
your fault back plan? And I'm like, I don't have
a fault plan, and she's like you need fall with man.

(14:36):
I'm like, I'm going to be a singer, I'm gonna
be a designer, and like, what is your fault back plan?
Like I used to be so frustrating, what's the one
used to ask me that, um, but yeah, that was
ultimately um what it was. I never switched from there.
I never I used to say dance or too, but
child didn't work out good. And like I do know
I can sing? When did your that's right, you're like,
I can sing? When did you realize we had a

(14:58):
talent as a singer. When everyone used to ask me
to sing? I used to have to sing voice may
go to the end of the role for my grandmothers
and her friends, and then singing at Shelia rules gatherings
and things the best for it. So that's something that
has always been like you know and my family. Since
it's long, I can't even tell you when I started singing.

(15:20):
I just remember it being a thing since five and six,
and everyone asked me to do it. We're a second
so you just knew how to sing since you were
a kid. And then everyone was like, heamm me come
here and sing, you know how like black families, yead
I get a quarter? Gare famous song from me? Ye
that was lady. Yes, I can't even tell you how

(15:41):
I started when. I just remember, you know, saying it
for candy for a quarter to go to the candy lady,
that's crazy. And then how did you make because I
know that you do sing, how did you get to
the point, let's pass forward to high school. How did
you get to the point where you're like, all right,
this is gonna be my next step. I want to

(16:03):
I want to leave high school and I'm gonna go
pursue my dream. Or I'm going to leave high school
and I'm gonna go to school. Uh when did you
make your the visions of what you wanted become more
of a reality or when did you start seeing that? Um? Honestly,
my my um start didn't kind of start like that.
I actually got pregnated at eighteen. UM. I used to

(16:26):
fight so much in high school. I got expelled. UM,
I had to get my g D. I got pregny
at eighteen, didn't you know? I thought at that point
I was an abusive relationship. I thought that I was like,
you know, this is it, Like, you know, the dreams
aspirations that I had, like you know, probably aren't gonna happen. UM,
But I always, you know, kept faith in God and
always look that there was a plan. UM. I was

(16:47):
just talking about how like every job that I had,
I got fired from I never I never told keep
a job, and I never was sad about it. Every
job that I've had you name me, child worked it
umside a stripper or days because I told you I
can get in UM. But I every job I got fired,
and I was mad about it because I knew that
there was something more, like God gave me visions of,

(17:09):
like you know, what I was supposed to do. I
didn't know how or when, but I knew that there
was just something bigger and greater than myself that happened
for me um and UM. You know, ultimately, even when
I first started Love to hip Hop, I didn't start.
I didn't go on Love on hip Hop as a singer.
I was afraid. I didn't actually reveal that out a

(17:29):
thing until probably my last season on Love and hip Hop,
which is probably like four years later, because I didn't
want anyone to think that I was up there for
opportunity and trying to be opportunists. That's interesting, Okay, So wait,
I gotta go back because you said some things that
I love and I want to figure that out because
if somebody's listening and they're like, this is good to know.
So you were like the path was not so clear

(17:51):
for you. You knew what you wanted to do, but
it wasn't as easy. Um you said you you followed
a lot in high school. And if you found yourself thinking,
all right, whatever, what was what was that about? Why
do you think you were fighting so much in high school?
Do you has to defend yourself for people jealous of you?
It was a mixture of like, you know, I didn't
know how to back down from anything. So, you know,
of course, I'm in West Baltimore. I moved from the

(18:15):
city to the county, which was supposed to be like
you know, the suburbs of Baltimore, which just like a
better life. So I'm around, you know, it's me and
my mom, my sister, and his two bedroom apartment, single parent,
working at a job. I work at a job at thirteen,
just to be able to, you know, so my mom
could pay her bills. She had to worry about getting
clothes and stuff for me and my sister because you know,

(18:37):
my job was providing that. That way, I can stay
flying school because I've always been into fashion. But you know,
I just and I'll go to the school, and I
guess it's a mixture of things. You know, the girls
didn't understand me, or you know, some probably just wanted
to be my friend, didn't know how to um and
then me, I didn't know how to back down from anything.
So U for me and my mind said, I'm like, oh,

(18:57):
y'all got it me. Y'all was super suppols to y'all mouths,
and y'all looking at me and trying to talk trashing
me like what's up? You know what I'm saying, Like,
what's see? What y'all want to do? Is So I
was never bagging down, like, oh, y'all got a good life,
but y'all thinking that y'all about to try me because
I look, I don't come from that today, you know
what I'm saying. So it was like that type of
vite for me, and I just was, you know, I
just never went back down. I just was already on go,

(19:17):
you know, already on go. And so well, there's nothing
can I say something that probably has everything to do
with why you've been able to turn what you've had
into something. You find yourself hustling, you find yourself out
there like okay, I don't care if I can keep
a job, because you knew in your spirit you would
do something more. What was that that made you feel
like you do more? It's like a It's like a dessert.

(19:40):
It's almost like like something that you just know, like
you just like this cannot beat my life. This is
not it, Like I just know it. It was something
I didn't have to say. It's just something that I knew,
like my dreams didn't didn't like the things that and
I'm talking dreams like in literal the dreams I would
have but meet being in the stage, or being around
certain people, these weren't that you dreams that I visioned. Um,

(20:02):
back then, I didn't know that I was manifesting. I
didn't know that. I didn't know that God was showing
me my future or days are going to be my
peers one day. But I just knew that, like this
cannot be my life, Like it's just not I know,
this is not it. I was just you know, going
through you know what I was supposed to at that time,
I guess. And then you find yourself in a relationship.

(20:23):
And then when you first started the relationship, did you
think that that you would be put in the public eye. No,
I didn't. That was never the objective or the goal. Um,
I actually the day that I first met my ex husband,
he told me like, you're going to be my wife.
Like he's like something God told me that you can.

(20:45):
I thought he was crazy and one or something. I
was like, this man is crazy, but um it was.
I would say, yeah, I was genuinely like it was
just genuine a connection and it was like, you know,
I want to be with this person. And I didn't
think of anything about you know, TV or nothing. He
actually asked me like, you know, I need you to

(21:05):
come to me. I want you to be around me.
I moved to Atlanta. Um, We've built you know, this
family together, and UM, that was far removed from my mind.
I'm young. I'm just thinking, like you know what I'm saying.
I thought, my man and about to make this thing work. Um.
Then the opportunity of love and hip hop came about.
A lot of people don't know it came about the
first time, UM, the Atlanta one was ever. They had

(21:28):
New York already, but they came around with the Atlanta
one and I declined it was the first, um, the
very first UM season in episode and and a lot
of peop don't The mean Devil was not all the
terms at that time. So I was like, I'm not
gonna go on TV me your mom is a odd
Once me and Herd made a man the opportunity he
came back around again. Wanna reached out and you know,

(21:51):
I was on my styling thing at the time. You know,
I just was not you know, Walk, I was like,
just stay home, take you the house. And I did
that for a minute, but I'm like, listen, I gotta hustle,
Like I can't do this, Like I just can't sit
in the I was like, I gotta do what. You know,
I'm creative individual. I gotta create. I gotta do something. So,
you know, the opportunity came back around for Loving hip hop,
and my mother in law was like, well, maybe you

(22:12):
should do it this time. She was like, you know
you can stay you know, you're styling and you can
use this as an opportunity. And gratefully, Walker was, you know,
okay with that at the time, and it actually just
kind of like it went from there. I just, you know,
knew that I wasn't going on TV to be a
reality TV star at that moment. To be honest, I
didn't even know whatever reality star was. Because this is

(22:34):
New you know, Loving hip Hop New York and Atlanta
had just started. You know, even though we've seen the
real world in Jersey Shore, but that wasn't our world
or our lifestyle, so reality during those times, it wasn't like, oh,
she's a reality star. It was just like, oh, she's
on TV, you know. And I wasn't inspiring to be
a reality star. I was just inspiring to go up

(22:55):
there to make a name for myself, to get outside
of my ex husbands shadow. So so you are in
this relationship with your ex husband, you were boyfriend and
girlfriend at the time Loveing hip Hop along. We watched
Loving hip Hop New York and it was a huge success.
And you're right in the beginning, you didn't really understand

(23:17):
it's me, dude. So it's almost it's almost good in
a way that you let somebody else do it and
then you figured it out when you're on that show.
How much of it? Because Mona has received love and
she's also had got a lot of criticism. When you're
on that show, how do you find yourself blending in
in real ways with these other cast members. When you

(23:39):
first get up there, you kind of form a natural
bond with certain. You know women that are on one set,
me Rashida heat it off very well. Um, A lot
of the girls me me who was on that at
the time, Carle me Carle always used to bump it.
But that's my girl lover to dad. But you know,
it's a natural bond. I think that when I want

(24:01):
to love a hip hop I was so honestly, I
was so vallable, I was so agree. I didn't know.
I was fairly new to Atlanta. I really didn't, you know,
still didn't have much friends or family in Atlanta. Um,
so I want to a TV show, really just try
to figure out a way to just I honestly didn't

(24:21):
know what I was or I just knew that I
wanted to style. I wanted to I wanted to be
a styles I wanted to start my my, My, My, My,
my clothing line. And that was really my focal point.
Like I really now that I set here and think
about it, like yautinutiter, I had no real mapped out plan.
I wasn't I didn't even know how serious it was
got to be, you know what I'm saying. I just

(24:43):
did it just to create a lay for myself. I
just like hey, I want I don't want to. I
want to make my own money. I want to do
my own thing. Like I got stuff that I need
to get done. I got family still in the hood.
I need to get my family next to me. So
that was my way of doing so I never did
it because of anything else. Were you And for me,
my biggest fear would always be I'm so damn private.

(25:05):
My biggest fear is everybody just being in my business
and a camera following me because I'm very curated. And
when I share any regrets when it's all sudden done
because it did give you a platform to get what
you ultimately want to do. Any any any like if
I had, if I have to go back and do
it again, I'd still do it, but I'd change ABCND.
I haven't any regrets because I was one hundred percent myself.

(25:30):
I was coping, I was transparent, I was honest. I
didn't going to any betrayed something that I wasn't. I
didn't go up there trying to start and be messy
because that's never who my character was. I mean that
known when I first got on the show, like listen,
I'm not with the drama. Don't kill me. Any of
course there's something hip hop so sometimes yea, I'm gonna
come to your doorstop. But even through those aspects, I
still handle myself accordingly. I handed myself as I would.

(25:52):
I had to look back and be like, oh, why
would I do that? Why did I say that? Or
I was out like I handled myself like a woman
and I was able to come out, you know, um
off that show. And to this day people say like,
you know, I love you and the show. You weren't
messy you you know you carriage yourself a certain way,
and I'm like, thank you, because um, that wasn't my goal.
I'm my objective. I never want my daughter to be like,
oh look at a look at me on TV and

(26:13):
be disappointed or or embarrassed of her mother. HM. Because
that's important. Absolutely, we must pay all of our bills.
Press fast forward, fast forward, fast forward, because it could
be a lot of commercials, but fast forward, fast forward,
and fast forward, and then we'll be right back in
just a few minutes. Every champion and carry champions. To

(26:36):
be a champion, a champion and carry champion and carry
champion a champion and carry champion and carry champion. Rates
rates and sports and then the teamment can make him work.
Thank you very champion and carry champions to be a champion,
A champion, they carry champion, they champion, they carry champion.

(27:04):
Welcome back to Naked. We pick it up with Tammy Rivera.
What do you um, how did you handle being having
your relationship on display? You know, in the beginning it
was kind of hard, but after a while I was
such my own bubble, like you know, I try to
create my own little I was telling someone earlier today
the interview that it didn't make my relationship harder, it

(27:26):
just made it we were young, when we were young,
and made it harder for him to do things because
now people knew why I am too. Yeah. Before before
he could get away with stuff, but now I was
getting DM like, girl, I just seen young man pizza
with some girl, you know, and it could be his assisted,
it could be in a girl. It was like, okay,
you know, it's like it was harder for him to
do things. So in that aspect um, you know, it

(27:49):
definitely found a light. Um. But other than that, I
think that um, I went through what I probably would
have went through just one camera. Both women and the
industry go through without people knowing. I went through it
publicly and I was okay with that. H And by
the way, what what I what I gather and I

(28:11):
only keep it a buck Like you know, there's only
so much I can get in in terms of reality TV.
But from what I gather, if they true to who
you are, it really is fine. It is what it means.
It is what it is because people are gonna shrub
nas anyway, you know what I'm saying, Like me and
you are both women. You might go through the same
thing I go through. But because I'm spot like, I'm
gonna get the scrutiny in the in the criticism, um,

(28:35):
you know, whereas though no one knows your relationship or
your story, so no one's gonna be like, oh girl,
you're dumb. But then told me that you know what
I'm saying. But if you're like you know, a woman
and you have a strong back, it's like, okay, I don't.
The way I look at it is where I come from.
Her baby, it's nothing you really can do to break me.
Like it's I didn't been through the worse of the horse,
and I know for a fact that some of some

(28:57):
of these people can't walk not even four steps in
my in my ship, you know what I'm saying, and
still be able to stand up like I am so
all right. Something you know broke me. Somethings hurt me.
I had my nights when I cried where I got
up and I looked at it. You know, I've seen
things and and it, you know, hurt me and then
molded me. But it's okay. In relationships period, it's hard

(29:19):
to grow together. Like, I don't care if a camera's
watching you. I don't care for cameras not watching you,
especially that you and your ex husband got together when
you were really young. Um, how old were you when
you guys got together? I was twenty four. I was
twenty four. I'm about to be thirty seven in July.
I was twenty four when I met Waker. He was

(29:40):
twenty three twenty four as well. I think it was
twenty three or twenty four. He was twenty four. Um. Yeah,
And and after a whole time, TV didn't ruin all
the ship because we were together for was married for
seven years and together for I think going on eleven,
and that was the majority of that was on TV.

(30:02):
So it wasn't TV that ruined or destroyed anything. You know,
it was more so us just growing in going through
things together and then you know, ultimately growing apart. Yeah.
So now you find yourself on this show, you are
are you immediately like I am? You said you waited

(30:23):
to the last season to talk about what you wanted
to do. I think you said the last season as
a singer, Ye, this is what I to do. You
waited until the last season to do that because you
didn't want them to judge you for anything else when
you revealed that. How was that received in terms of
what you wanted to do with your dreams? Because you
was manifested by and you're like, ok, let's see it.

(30:45):
This is what it is. Yeah, I okay. So my
family and people who knew me from home in Baltimore,
they were already every time I would go home to
Virginia or Baltimore or people didn't they're like, why aren't
you on that show? Saying my girl, like what do
you don't think? They were like they don't even know
you could, saying nobody know you can, saying like no
one knows you could, saying like why aren't you sing it?

(31:05):
So um for my people who knew me, it was like, yes, finally,
And for the people who didn't know, they was like,
oh my god, why did you hold that in so long?
Like who? Like what? A lot of people were like,
you know, there's so many people on the show come
up here being rappers to sing I have no talent,
and the whole time, you have a real talent, and
you would you didn't want to show it, you know,

(31:25):
And it was like I think, you know, that's when
the part of the scrutiny of the world got to
me where I was. I was afraid to show that
side of me because I'm so vulnerable when it comes
to music. I was afraid at that point because I
had you know, I've been on this show for a
few years, and I've gone through things publicly and the
social media and the media world and you know, all

(31:46):
these things. So it's like, I don't know if I
want to give them this sigm fight tear me apart.
And actually it was received very well. Kids. It still
does extremely well. To this name. My whole ep does well.
Ricos Love exactly produced that EP and it's like one
of like people to this day and people ask still

(32:07):
asking for music and what about that what about that
when they do ask you for me, do you say
I have tons of music? And I was right now, Chammy,
when we dropping exactly and I have so much music
that I just haven't really started and sitting on and um,
it's just really me just it's me being in my
head and just being so hard on myself, like I

(32:30):
just need to go ahead and just let it go,
release it, get off my chest and like ego people
that you can have it like, but I'm so music
is the only thing I'm super vulnerable about, like and
sensitive about, you know, they say like artists or like
remember about I'm an artists, or I'm sensitive about my shop. Absolutely,
And think about the little girl in Baltimore who was

(32:51):
fighting in high school. Could you and although you knew
that something was different for you, did you see this
where you are right now today, providing for your family,
making a like new skincare line. You're doing all the
things that you were taking this this chance, this opportunity,
and you're making it yours. Did you see that? You know?
To be honestly, I did. I did, girl, I saw that.

(33:15):
I saw. I just I can't explain it, Like I
really cannot put it into words, and I want to
know if I think I'm being you know, like I'm
telling a lie, or like I really did know that
I didn't know how it was going to happen. I
didn't know when I knew that there was something that
I was destined for, something greater than than myself, and

(33:39):
you know, and I knew that I was going to
be able to provide for my family. You know, I
knew that everything that I went through in my life
was for a reason. And to the day, people like,
you know, you get asked anyone around me, my family,
my friends, they're like even when people say like, oh no,
because I'm so proud of you in congratulations, I'm like,
thank you and I go home. I like, what, I

(34:00):
haven't even done anything yet, Like I still sit there
mean nothing yet, Yes, yeah, I swear I'm still like
I've done nothing. Yeah. I'm such a hard critic on myself,
Like I'm my own worst critic. I will pick myself
apart piece by piast like and that's what I'm working on.
You gotta you gotta be kind to yourself because you
have accomplished a lot. Like I've talked to you for

(34:20):
maybe twenty minutes, and I'm all like you, you have
done a lot in spite of because you've already known.
I wonder and this is interesting, UM, tell me about
because you have seen you on different variations of shows.
You had Tales, Are you still it's Tales? Thill out?
I know? So yeah, okay, And then you guys had

(34:41):
the Relationship show together, and then there was another show.
What other show? What was the third show that you
were on? So there's another one. I started with Loving
Hip Hop, then we did um Merge book Camp, then
we did Grown Up with our Pop and Sink with
our Own. We did our wedding special, and then we
did our own TV show, which is What the flocca Um,

(35:02):
Tammy Walk on Tammy, What the flocca Um. I did Tales,
which was a show on BT that was executive produced
by Earth Gaudi. And I just did this anthro series
on UM BT plus UM and Prime. It's called I
Got a Story to Tell. UM. It's individuals like small movies.
Each episode is like a small movie or a small story. UM.

(35:24):
I just did that, UM. And I'm, you know, hoping
to do more TV and movies and like film and
things of that score. I would love to do more
stage places. I've done stage two stage plays I think Carlbredy, Um,
thank you, I would love to do more of those.
Right now, really trying to focus on right in my autobiography,
the beginning part of it. So I want to start,
you know, from my childhood up until this point in

(35:46):
my life. And I'm uh, and my daughter or she'd
be eighteen in July with we're in the we're in
the beginning stages of doing your Mom and Your Daughter
podcast together. I love it. And yet you see home
and like, what have I done? I'm like alive, Like
you're like, no, hold on, let me start. We're all
like this your show number eight. I'm like, Terry, you've
been busy right so so so and still have sing

(36:11):
and you still have yet to even really unplug that
for yourself in terms of hosts. Is left for you
to do? Um? You have been very candid about love
and loss. Yes, do you plan to tell that story
in a way and which helps other women as they
look for love? Um, it's a part of my autobiography.

(36:34):
It's UM, It's definitely. I can't Waka has been an
extremely huge part of my life, you know. UM, and
that's a story. You know. That's definitely I can't. I can't.
A part of who I am today is because him
allow me to um use his platform or he's sharing
his platform with me or his star or his star

(36:55):
stardom with me. Um So I can never take that
away from him. Um He's a great father to my daughter.
UM So that is definitely He's definitely a major part
of my story. UM that's not going to be the
focal point of my book, you know what I'm saying,
but it's maybe a chapter or two. Are you again?
Like I would like you know what I would like

(37:16):
I would like to talk about. Um, I would like
you to give somebody some advice, myself and all my
female listeners if you are starting out, because I have
been there before in terms of being in a relationship
and it never you know, manifesting to what I ultimately
wanted it to be. As you get out of the
world and you want to date again, what's your advice
as you as you are experiencing it. I think a

(37:39):
lot of times, you know, as a woman, we don't
do the self work on We don't do a work
on ourselves to to to be able to understand. Yeah,
because you know, even though I told people a time
I would do a lot, Walking has done a lot.
I have done a lot um. But at the same time,
I still have to take accountability for who I am

(38:00):
as a woman and accept the things that I have accepted,
accept the things that I you know, I could have
done better or I could have changed um, and do
the self work because we have a lot, especially us
as a woman of color, We have a lot of
child which trauma, a lot of generational curses that we
don't know about, and we carry those things with us,

(38:22):
you know, and most times you know us want we
should absolutely make a list of the things that you
want and the type of man that you want, but
also make sure that you're ready for that list that
you make, like that you're able to be a woman
of those things. You know what I'm saying, because I
can say that, you know, through my relationships, I was
a lot. You don't know. I was married previously. I
mean I was married prior to Walker, to my daughter's

(38:45):
sperm donors what I call them, but it is, but yeah,
I was. I was married previously from the age of
eighteen up until I was what yeah, age eighteen up
until I was like twenty two or so, so that
I was with him since I was fourteen, and you know,

(39:08):
we got married eighteen, and you know, and that was
a whole nother um situation in my life that I
had to understand and grow from. You know, that was
an abusive relationship that I was in that I didn't
even realize was abusive until I was able to step
out as a woman and be like, okay, yeah, that

(39:28):
was mind control, that was you know, you know, verbal views,
that was metical abews. That was physical abuse, Like you
don't know those you know, we because we grow up
and we see the things that are normalized, you know,
and our you know, how is they saying in our household?
What goes on this household stays in this household. Grow
up into a grown woman and you accept things and
you don't speak one because it's in your household. And

(39:50):
I always realized that that like the stew worst term.
I hate that term. It's like the worst term ever
for a woman. You know, Um, a lot of things
happened in our households because we're afraid to speak up.
And you know the fact that I could just give
is just don't give up and don't sound like just
like people are like when you get married, I would
get married again and again and again and again and

(40:11):
again until I find my right husband. Like I don't
care like I'm I don't, I'm not. It doesn't matter
how many times we gotta do right. You're you're you're
a romantic you know our her and you're like I
believe in life you need Yeah, I have a lot
of love to give, and I have a lot thirsty.
Every champion and carry champions to be a champion, a

(40:31):
champion and carry champion and carry champiyond a champion and
carry champion and carry champion. Raiders and sports and entertainment
can make it work. Every champion and carry champions. To
be a champion, a champion, they carry champion. They girls
chap y'all a champion, they carry champion, they carry champion.

(40:53):
Sports and entertainment nake work. By the way, you speaking
so honestly, like, I will get it again and again
until I find live. If that's the case, getting wound,
I'll do it again. Back to me is the first step.
You just blew me away with um. We make this list,
but are we ready for this episode. You know it
is because I had to do Like a lot of
people were so angry with me with um They're like, oh,

(41:15):
they wanted me to be mad and my ex husband
for a lot of the stuff that we went through
publicly and things say he had done. And I'm like,
you know, at the same time, Yeah, I had my
moments where I were mad. What do you mean they
wanted you to be mad by what? Like? Um, you
know we were you ever, I know man walk Aways
young when we first got together, so you know he
might have been in a blog cheating you know, back

(41:36):
in the day. And they're like, oh, you don't. No
one knows what you go through your household, but those things,
you're the negative things always stick out. No one sees
the positive things or the things that you know that
that we would do the other other way, that this
person has changed and has evolved in my daughter's life
and things of that sort um, not making no one
but also not knowing that, you know, I chose to

(41:59):
stay in situations regardless of what it was. I had
to take responsibility for that if I didn't, so I
didn't see the self worth for myself to say, hey, listen,
this is what it is. Then how can I demands
of respect from someone else if I'm not demanding me
for myself, you know what I'm saying, um, and also
just being able to say okay, because I'm believe a

(42:22):
woman first of all, we don't like to apologize. We
ain't never wrong, like, um, you know I said what
I said talking Bob, and I had to realize, okay,
that's not right, you know, like it's okay to admit
and to yourself even if you want it out loud,
like I was wrong, Like I was there wrong for

(42:44):
that since like you know, he was wrong for that,
like checking yourself and being able to you know, no
one's perfect. You might find a man on that list
that might not have I was just talking to a
friend of mine and she was just like, oh, that's
so hard to day because if he can dress and
I don't like where he dress, you know, like that's easy,
like that's a wardrobe, Like what's his my life? What

(43:05):
is we know? What is this? Like? Like you know,
they might not be exactly we wanted to be, but
you you know if with a little you know love,
like we all we're not what we want to be.
But a little self care, a little love, you know
what I'm saying, can change things. Just don't be so
hard on yourself, your list or you know or the
person you know. Don't be so richid be able to

(43:25):
be the bigger picture, like you know what I don't want? Right?
Can you believe the way he's walking? Right, I can't
even like that. You're talking almost like we will do
that though we will really do that? How ridiculous? Just
really or or I don't like like the so ridiculous,

(43:48):
Like the non negotiables are you can't harm me, I
can't be in danger with you. Those are non negotiables.
Those are things right absolutely, and like you know, having
a foundation, being able to um, being able to you know,
build with somebody, understand and have a conversation like you know,
I've I've never had issues when it came to like

(44:10):
that part of you know, being in a relationship like
now that I'm maybe because I'm who I am as
a woman, Like I UM so confident with who I
am and i know what I want and I know
how to get it and I'm not insecure. When I
was younger, I might might have been, you know too
insecure too, you know, stand up and sink certain things

(44:32):
like or be in a room and and you know,
not feel self conscious. You know, and I think a
lot of times us as a woman, we have a
problem with um, you know, when we get out other
woman being able to say like, oh my god, you're beautiful,
like you know, like you're like you're gorgeous, usually you're forgeous.
So it's like, you know, I don't have a mind

(44:52):
like you just saying like oh my god, you're beautiful.
How you home gorgeous or being? But still your beauty
doesn't minimize mind. You know what I'm saying. Real well,
that's a real thing. I believe your women don't want
to give other women compliments And all it does is
relax you to tell somebody else tell me you were beautiful,
and you can go have anybody you want, whatever you want.
You know what ready just talking about this Today I

(45:15):
walked into a room and it was this kind of
a situation like that, and the people that are what
they were like, you know, teach you did you notice
the vibern energy? And I'm like, you know what I said,
I'm so used to that with a woman, but I
just like, hey, beautiful, how you doing Yeah, you know
what I'm saying, Like, sorry, how to like break those
guards down? I don't know why it's like that sometimes,
but it is, you know, But um, I'm sort how

(45:37):
to check myself because we've all and when you come
from certain backgrounds and you've been through certain things, it
might be a man a reason. A man might be
a reason why you see insecure about being around other
beautiful woman. You know, it might be um something with yourself.
You know what I'm saying. We just all we just
got to give each other the benefit of the doubt
and just kind of check yourself because sometimes you know,
like I tell my friend like you, I call it
like you have to really check yourself. Like if you

(45:58):
see a woman who's beauty for beatty like she did,
you see it? You and you hate by like I
mean she her feet big, But you gotta tell you, damny,
you know you look I get No, she's fine, girl.
Stop are you gotta tell yourself that to like being girl?
She looks if you if you operate with which I

(46:22):
think you have and you're starting to live in from abundance,
you complimenting someone doesn't take away from anything that's your. Um,
I will tell you. I will tell you this. You
you should really lean into not judging a book by
its cover or not judging someone from their past, because
you are the definition of that. You are a um,

(46:44):
a surprise UM. You have such a loving spirit. No
matter what you which you thought it was, how tough
you are, you still have a loving spirit about it yourself.
So I would you lean into that because that's just
been the surprise for me. Like I'm like, okay out
here and I've seen the show, but she's so loving
and I think it is let me enter my soft

(47:06):
girl era because I'm tired of being tough. I've been
tough on my life. I'm tired of it. I had,
I've done all that, so I'm going to move into
some softness. I think Tammy is beautiful for you to
be in a stage where you can talk about what
you've been through, even the fact when you were like
I just grew up already, Like I say, I'm ready,
but there's a softness about you, and I think it's

(47:27):
okay for us to be soft. I want to make
that trendy. I'm tired of being too us right. I
pulled something the other day and it was like something
about when a man, when you find that man that
help that helps you get out your masculine stage and
into your soft stage, and people like you don't get
a man to help you with that, And I'm like,
y'all missing the point. I'm not saying that, but especially

(47:49):
be happy to all we have to courage where so
many hats, especially if your mom, if you're a single woman,
if you're a businesswoman, if you're incorporate, if you're an
entertainment you have to always have this like you know
you have because we get tried and things are you know, hard,
like it's it's it's harder, it's there's a different respect

(48:11):
level when you're a woman, know what I'm talking about,
Like you have to always be like, okay, let me
carry myself a certain way and me speak a certain
way because you know, I already know how this can go.
M able to find it in the relationships and you're
so used to leading and doing certain things. It's like
being able to have enough finding that parton, to have
enough confidence and stability and understanding where you can say

(48:35):
you know what, you got a thing, yes you yes,
you know you can't have the wheel I have been
Boston all day. Go ahead and take over. I want
to take a break. I love that for us, and
that is my wish for both of us. That is
my wish both tell us about this skincare line, because
I saw on your Instagram that you were doing a

(48:55):
lot of press today and you were telling everybody about
the product. Um, where can they get it? Um? And
what and what made you go there? Or with skin?
I mean you're beautiful, so that makes sense. But why
did you say this is something I really want to
work on? Why did you branch here? Um? Okay, so
with my skincare line. Um, it's extra skincare regiment kids
a whole kid with a weekly foliated, daily face wash,

(49:18):
a face cream and I cream. Um, it's all in wine.
I used to be a girl. One of my many
mini jobs that I've had. You said, I did every
job name it. I did it pal Mart to Target,
to home deepall to Mary Kay. You're even so vacuum
planets bugs me. I can sell you that so self

(49:42):
aduct you know. And I worked for my kare for
a second. Not that's not really started my you know,
skin um journey. So as I you know, got older,
I started like buying all this spense of face creams,
and you know, like I was obsessed with moisturizers, like,
you know, having to create moisturizer. I really didn't get
into I cream until probably like a put to three
years ago or even like SPF thirty. It's funny because

(50:05):
in my head, girl, I think I'm chocolates. But it's
like and my mom chocolate. So I have this thing
by it like she likes feel it's not gonna happen,
just what you're saying saying. So for I would even
wear SPF thirty like and then I started educating myself
like okay, I need this on my skin because my
skin is starting to dry out, you know, my face.
And yes, so I just kind of say I cream

(50:26):
probably like good two years ago, um, because you know
it sounds like your are you getting older? You might
want to get all start working on that under the eye,
you know. And I'm like, oh, hey, you know where
I am. I'm getting a little older than me, so
you know, and I've already was into So I was like,
you know, if I could just get something that's you know,
the caters to like something that cage, like take all
of these products and I'm using in from these different

(50:47):
times and treating my own line to where it though.
I don't have to have all this stuff on my dresser. Um.
And I love expoliators like you know, facial facial expoliators.
I love the I cream. I love to skip face cream,
and I love you know what daily face swashed. I'll say,
you know, I'm gonna start my kid. So this is
my This is how my kid when you open it up.
This is actually at the top of it. So this
is the front of it. I'm gonna get the front

(51:08):
of it. You open it up, this inside of it. Okay, okay,
started kid, give us ready to s why I'm with you? Yeah?
So yeah, there weekly exfoliator, the Deli face Wa, Shure
face cream, yea I cream. Um it's with papaya um
extract um jojo bids for the exfoliator. You have UM,

(51:30):
vitamin E, all types of like you know, all natural
products and I don't know perfumes or anything for you know,
can like with these, No strong can come out of
having snow good stuff on my face. It smells FIfF
from the natural pipia, but it's not like that perfume
on my face. Type of thing. I hate it. Um,
so it's everything that I love. And then I'm body
it definitely isn't used with SPA thirty Um all of

(51:52):
the partucts are and literally I use it, my nephew
use it, my my, my mom, my daughter, Like all right,
this is something that I can say that I literally
stand behind like that I use every day. It was
sixty six months to a year of trial and error,
like of literally me trying these products on my face,

(52:12):
trying them on my mom face, trying them on my duaughter,
like I will literally get my packages in and I'm like, okay, y'all,
y'all got to start use these for a week or two.
Tell me in problems, what would you eat pretty better?
And I was doing this like costly too, I got
it right, And I'm like, I'm not putting this on
nobody's space or two. I look for sure this is
something that I can stand behind. It I love and
that you know works. And like I was saying, um,

(52:35):
my mom, she's sixty three, she's a beautiful chocolate woman,
and she's FELLOWE got no wrench this like dear, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah.
She was telling me this funny my mom was like, y'all,
I don't know about you. A little mix. You might
get a little right coll too. I'm like day broro.
She's so wrong for that, right, that's funny. But I

(52:58):
listened as the brother of the better. You know, I
know what you said. I like to be souper chocolate. Um,
where can how do you buy your products out so
that we can actually direct them to a lak so
Um you can find the care at the care Bye
t rivera dot com. You can also if you like
outside and the anti La, you can stop past my

(53:18):
store which is on two one five pm. Role is
a swinging result all year round. We're actually gonna ship
you out one of these um, one of these kids. Okay,
and okay, I'm up the product. Oh my damn me.
I'm happy for you. I really am all right. I
appreciate it. I genuinely appreciate it. I'm I'm trying. Are

(53:39):
you doing not even trying? You're doing it. You're doing it.
You're bored and try and doing it. I want my
own ski in Carolina and I'm watching you. You're inspiring me.
So this is what we're doing right now is inspiring
other people. I hope you receive that. Um And, and
I'm at the next wedding. I'm at whatever wedding you
want me to come to for you. Damn me. You
also have do you sit you have a swim of

(54:00):
the swim line right? So, yes, I still have my schoolware.
So it's t dash rivera dot com. Um that's my
swimming resort where website. I mean, that's all year around
swimmer resort where. Um. I just followed you on Instagram.
We get all this though, right, You'll have do you
have that on your Instagram? Okay? Yes, everything. I buy
all my Instagrams and it's a lot of things that

(54:21):
I have in the works coming up that you know.
I want people stay tuned with m My music is
still capable for download um on all streaming platforms. Um And,
just stay tune. Like whatever God got out there for me,
I'm gonna I'm definitely gonna go get it by it
by his will and race. Amen, I receive it. I
see it for you. Thank you so much for coming
on my podcast. I know you that a long day

(54:42):
and i know it's late on the East Coast, so
I'm just really thankful for it. Thank you, Thank you.
Think thank much, beautiful. I really appreciate you guys, y'all um.
I really liked her. As I laugh, I'm laughing because
and sometimes I just you never know what you're going
to get an inner us. You never know honest people
will be. You never know what they'll share with you,

(55:03):
and you go where they go. And I try to
definitely tread lightly without getting into all her business about
her relationship, but still wondering how she's been able to
push forward on what life looks like for her. Admittedly,
she talked about being young when she got married her
second marriage. By the way, could you imagine getting married
twice by the time that you are in your twenties

(55:25):
and then getting divorced as well, and having to start
over each time and find yourself. That's difficult. She's lived
many lives and she's doing very well, and I'm happy
for her. My hope is that you learned something from
this podcast, that you see that no one can determine
your outcome. You can make the most by what you

(55:46):
get in life and who gives it to you. People
can hand you things, and then it's optinuing to turn
it into something more significant and more special. I will
say this as I began the top of the podcast
talking about John Morant and why I like in the
too unlikely circumstances allowed them to have a platform, and

(56:07):
what they do with their platform is up to them.
And you hope that if you were ever given the
opportunity to have a platform, you use it for the
good of your family and your friends. And then when
you realize you have influence, as Tammy is realized she
has influenced, you give it back. And my hope is
that Job realizes his influence and he gives back because

(56:29):
you only have a certain amount of time where people
are willing to listen to what you have to say
and understand that you are an example of what can
be Tammy as his Job, I wish them both the best.
I'm rooting for them both as I root for you
all who listen to this podcast and support this podcast.

(56:51):
I appreciate you all so much. Thank you for listening
to this edition of Naked. A couple of housekeeping notes.
Our next episode will be our last episode for season two.
We're gonna we're gonna go back to the drawing board
and bring you season three, and we are going to
try to make sure that we're giving you what you

(57:13):
need to know in this podcast. Still edify you, still
giving you entertainment, still educating you. I appreciate y'all for
all the support because we in season three. Can y'all
believe that from season one to season three it's like
a TV show. That's a big deal again. Keep subscribing,
keep downloading, share with friends, help us us to out,
Thank y'all for listening, and talk to y'all next week.