May 28, 2025 • 42 mins
This week’s “How She Finds Purpose” insight comes from Tamara Jackson. She says –
"You don't have to have it all figured out. What you want to do is have trusted advisers around you, be confident in who you are and the strengths you have, but also lean on others because it is together that we are often able to make an impact."
Tamara Jackson is a visionary founder of Beacon Ship, a platform dedicated to equipping faith-driven leaders to transform industries and tackle global challenges through innovation. She is also the CEO of LeadReviver, an AI-powered sales reengagement platform that helps businesses and nonprofits unlock the hidden potential of their lead databases. With a background as a former vice president at a Fortune 500 financial institution, Tamara has led multimillion-dollar projects and managed complex operations. Her leadership and strategic insights have made her a trusted voice in high-stakes environments. She also hosts The Beacon Show, where she highlights stories of faith-driven leaders making a transformative impact.
Here are 3 reasons why you should listen to this episode:
- Gain a fresh perspective on purpose-driven leadership from a woman who walked away from corporate success to make a lasting impact - discover how Tamara found the courage to follow her true calling.
- Learn why staying open to opportunities can change everything. Even when life’s toughest challenges seem to close doors, Tamara’s story shows how to keep moving forward.
- Find out how Tamara’s expertise in AI is helping businesses reconnect with lost clients and grow their impact without losing their values.
Connect with Tamara at:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachtam/
Website: https://beaconship.co/
Lead Reviver: https://leadreviver.pro/
Would you prefer to watch or listen to the podcast on YouTube?
Head on over to https://www.youtube.com/@leadershippurposepodcast
Want to connect? Connect with Dr. Robin on
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinlowensphd/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robinlowensphd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robinlowensphd/
Email: Robin@LeadershipPurposePodcast.com
Thank you for listening! Rate, review, & follow on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast player. Talk to you soon!
This episode was produced by Lynda, Podcast Manager for GenX Creative Entrepreneurs at https://www.ljscreativeservices.co.nz
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Welcome to the Leadership Purpose with Dr Robin podcast.
I'm your host, Robin L Owens, PhD. I'm a college
professor. And when I'm not doing that, I am teaching others
how to find and stay in alignment with their true purpose.
And this is where we talk with women who've made bold career
transitions in search for more meaning and purpose in
(00:24):
their work. So if you're feeling that pull toward more meaning and purpose in
your work or just curious about what's possible when you
pursue purpose over position, then these
conversations are here to encourage, inspire,
and guide you. Okay. Let's get started.
Hi, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the Leadership
(00:47):
Purpose with Dr. Robin podcast. I'm so glad you're here and
you're listening to the podcast. And because you've been such a faithful
listener of the podcast, you helped us get ranked in the top
5% of all podcasts globally
according to Listen Notes. So thank you for doing that. And I ask you
all the time, would you please rate, review,
(01:09):
subscribe to the podcast? It makes a world of difference, and it helps us to
keep going. Alright. Now, today, I'm very excited
about our guest. I will be talking with Tamara Jackson.
Now, let me tell you a little bit about Tamara. She is a visionary
founder of Beacon Ship, a platform dedicated
to equipping faith driven leaders to transform
(01:32):
industries and tackle global challenges through
innovation. She's also the CEO of LeadReviver,
an AI powered sales re engagement platform, and
I can't wait to hear more about that. It helps
businesses and nonprofits unlock the hidden potential of their
lead databases. And she merges faith, innovation,
(01:55):
and purpose to inspire leaders to create
lasting impact. And as a former vice president
at a Fortune 500 financial institution, Tamara has
led multimillion dollar projects and managed
complex operations. Her leadership and strategic
insights have made her a trusted voice
(02:17):
in high stakes environments. And she's the host of the Beacon Show where she
highlights stories of faith driven leaders making a transformative
impact in their fields. Welcome, Tamara Jackson.
Doctor. Robin, thank you so much. Man, I I sound amazing.
Thank you for that intro. You know why you
sound amazing? Because you are amazing. Well, praise God. I'll take
(02:39):
it. You are. You are. And you have an
amazing story in life just from being you and doing all the things
you've done. Yeah. Alright. So now you heard me read your official
introduction. But why don't you tell us in your own words
anything you wanna say about who you are and what you do? Well,
I am a person who is still figuring out. I think that would
(03:02):
be the first thing that I would say. You know, a lot of times when
we see people that have accomplished things, we
think, well, wow. They have they've figured it all out,
and they have arrived. And the truth is that
just celebrated fifty one years on the planet, and one of the things
that has become abundantly clear to me is that
(03:24):
there is very, very little that I know
compared to how much there is to know.
And I don't know about you, Robin, but when I was a kid, I was
a teenager, like my goddaughter, who is 16 right now, I thought I knew
everything. You know, my parents, all of
these adults, like, it's so simple. Why don't you just do x y
(03:47):
z? And so it's interesting to now be in this
space in my fifties and realize, wow. Like,
even after all this time on the planet, there is
still so much I do not know. So,
because of that, I consider myself a continuous learner,
always looking to continue to grow,
(04:09):
personally and professionally. And so all
of the different ventures and projects that I find myself in
while I am leading, I am also learning. So that's what
I love about being able to lead beaconship and and work
with faith driven leaders that are so passionate about making a difference in
the world. They inspire me every time I sit down and have
(04:31):
conversations with them. I learn from them, just as much as I'm able
to hopefully pour into them. And with AI, like you talked
about, right, it's it's such an interesting field. There is
the cool thing about it too is there really are no experts. Right? Because it's
new to all of us. We're all learning. And so some of us has
figured out some pieces, while others are really
(04:54):
building proficiency in other areas. So this is going to be a,
I think a fun conversation because, it sounds like we both
have an appreciation for the learning journey that we
are all on. Absolutely. You're right. I was
like you as a teenager. I knew everything.
(05:14):
We had no idea. In fact, it's it's a subheading
in the book I'm writing. And one of the chapters when I tell my
story, that's the subheading. It says, When I knew everything, and everything
is in all caps. I was convinced that my parents and
all the people who were older were just missing out. And like you,
years later now, I realize I just know everything I know.
(05:37):
Yeah. That's it. That's all. That's all.
Yeah. It's a it's a it's a it's a humbling thing. Yeah.
But also in my experience, it's also an empowering
thing because now I don't have to feel like I I remember times
feeling like, oh, man, what's wrong with me? Because I don't know this. But
then when you really think about it, like, really how much I
(06:01):
know compared to how much there is to know, I mean, it doesn't
pale in comparison. So now I get to have grace.
I get to allow myself to still be a student in
areas while still equipping and empowering others.
And for me, it just took a huge burden off of my
shoulders when I realized that I didn't have to know it all.
(06:24):
And maybe that will help someone that's watching us or listening to us
right now is, is you don't have to have it all figured out.
What you want to do is to have trusted advisors around
you to be confident in who you are and the strengths
and the gifts and the talents that you have, but also lean on
others because it is together that we are often able to
(06:46):
make an impact. Yeah. That's definitely a nugget. You don't
have to know it all. All right. So now you talked about this journey
of coming to the place of being a teenager and knowing
everything and then now well into your adulthood realizing.
So let's go on some of this journey because we talked about in your introduction
like you're doing these amazing things. We talked about Beacon Ship and
(07:08):
Lead Reviver. So now let's talk about and also in the
introduction, we talked about you being a a former vice president.
Well, you can start wherever you are, but I want you to know wherever you
go, I'm gonna come back to how you got to each of those points.
Yes. Yeah. So here's how it all
started for me. You know, I remember in those teenage years
(07:28):
just kinda having a vision for what I wanted my future to be, and I
knew that I loved it. I did. Yeah. I actually did. I
actually, I found my old high school yearbook,
and it was one where you write in all these things of, you know, what
you want and, you know, the types of things that you want to be able
to accomplish. And I was very clear. I knew I wanted to be a
(07:51):
leader. I knew I wanted to be in charge. And so what I had put
in my notebook, Robin, was either I wanted to be a CEO of
my own company or I wanted to kind of be at
in the top ranks of a corporation. So I wasn't
sure exactly what role that was going to be, but something like leading a
division or, or something like that. Right. So I always
(08:13):
knew that I had a passion for business and that was the
path for me, but I didn't know how it was all going to kind
of work itself out. But the piece that I did know is
that college was a big piece of that. So I ended up
going to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia,
Big college town. Not a whole lot else there, but it was a, a
(08:36):
great school. And it was eye opening for me, though,
because school had been easy for me up until that point. I didn't have to
study a whole lot. Things just kinda came naturally. I sat in class, paid
attention, and did well. But when I got to tech, I found out
that I was not quite as smart as I thought I was.
(08:57):
And so it was an eye opening experience. Right? And for the first time,
I started looking at grades and like, wow. What, you know, what really
happened? I really need to figure out how to study. I honestly, I didn't
really know how to study. So I
went into college, you know, thinking that when I came out in
four years, I was gonna go on this stockbroker path, and and I
(09:18):
really picked that path because I thought it was going to be the way
to make a lot of money. Like, that was my prime motivation.
But it turns out that my grades didn't support that. So then the
question became, how do I pivot? So as I started
thinking about it, I said, well, maybe the next best thing is to go
into banking. So when I left Virginia Tech, I ended
(09:41):
up, you know, applying at different banks. Like I said, it's been a
journey. So even I remember those first applications, didn't
get accepted. So I ended up working for a very small financial
services company like the kind is in a storefront guy. So
please know, that sometimes you have to start at places
that maybe isn't the vision that you had for yourself, but also just,
(10:03):
you know, keep, the hope alive, be optimistic that things can change.
So I started out in this small financial services company
in a storefront, but a year after I had been
there, I got my opportunity to start moving into the
banking space. And so what that ended up being
is, a realization that you could do so many different
(10:25):
things in a bank. So I ended up moving
from that smaller regional bank to a bigger national
bank. And when all was said and done, I had had, like, 13
different positions in the banking industry from
leading sales teams to training and development to
leading projects. Like, I got to do just about anything I
(10:48):
wanted to do in the corporate space. But like many of the
guests that you have had on the show, there was a time where
there was something kind of gnawing at me, and I think I've even
heard you talk about this. Like, there is something else.
And so that that feeling that there was something else
started to get, you know, stronger and stronger.
(11:11):
And so about halfway through my corporate career, I
decided I was going to do a side hustle. So
maybe, someone that's listening or watching can identify with
that. Like, you're thinking, Hey, my entryway into
entrepreneurship is I'm going to do it while
I am working in a nine to five. So that was a path that
(11:34):
I chose. Part of that, quite honestly, was I didn't wanna give up
my salary, that I had finally, you know, gotten to the place that I was
really excited about the income that I was I was earning. But I
thought, honestly, Robin, I thought that I would continue to do that.
But over time, that feeling got
stronger and stronger and stronger. And I can even
(11:55):
remember times, dreams that I had, where I
was realizing in the dream that there was going to be a moment where I
was going to have to make a decision, but I would wake up from these
dreams. Like, nah, that can't that can't be it. That can't be, you know, I'm
not gonna do it. And what I ultimately realized is that it
was fear. It was fear that was keeping me
(12:18):
from stepping fully into it. But be that as it
may, I actually launched a couple of different ventures. My first one was
in fitness. I eventually moved into helping
Christian authors with publishing. I had a publishing podcast.
And so I was still kinda holding on. I'm doing my corporate gig.
I'm doing these side hustles. And then in
(12:40):
2022, things just drastically changed. My mom
got a stage four breast cancer diagnosis.
I ended up leaving Charlotte, North Carolina to move back to
Virginia to be there with her as her only child,
and she was my best friend in the world. I wanted to be there with
her through that journey. And it is during that journey
(13:02):
that I started having these conversations with her about
purpose, about legacy, what my
biggest hopes and dreams were, and it was
starting to become clear that I was getting closer to
that decision point of having to say, listen, you're
going to have to choose a path. So what ended up happening
(13:25):
is my mom passed away actually a a little bit less than a
year after her diagnosis. And on the other side of
it, I was left with all those conversations that we've had, all the
encouragement that she had given me to take chances, to be willing to
take a risk. And so I finally ended up in
December of twenty twenty three leaving corporate. And that's when
(13:47):
I made the decision to launch Beacon Ship based on some conversations that I
had with mom, other trusted advisors. I stepped into that
arena. And then later that year, I launched LeadReviver
because of my passion for AI. I've been using AI
since 2021 before all the craze, so I knew
what it could do. And so when I found a a solution
(14:10):
that allowed us to be able to do sales in a way that
is honorable yet efficient and effective, I was like, I
I have got to take this to market. So that has been the journey. It
it and it's still unfolding. Right? We'll see what what the future
holds. Yeah. That's a powerful journey. Okay. So now let's go back and unpack
some of this. Yeah. I was really jumping before. I was getting
(14:32):
so excited about your story, but then I was like, oh, I'm glad I let
you finish so we can hear how it really kind of unfolded. Mhmm.
Alright. So now let's go back to the teenager who knew she
wanted to be in business. Do you know what helped you know?
Or you did you see something? Did you experience something?
Or you just felt like it was something that was inside of you?
(14:55):
Well, I think it was part of it was seeing my mom.
So my mom actually started out her career in
retail. And so what I saw
from my experience of watching her growing up is just
the hours. Like, she was working sixty, seventy hour
weeks. She was doing okay, in terms
(15:16):
of salary. She at that point, she didn't have a degree, so she would always
tell me, like, Tam, make sure that you get your degree because, you know, you
end up having to work really hard when you don't have that education,
you know, trying to prove yourself. So she was doing pretty well, but I
remember watching that and being like, man, I don't wanna work that
many hours. I don't wanna have to, you know, be stressed out all the
(15:38):
time. So, you know, my thought process was, well, if I
get a degree, then maybe I can have more
of a balance. But, honestly, I don't know
what it was in particular that made me say
I want business other than just I I loved it. I
mean, I can remember as a little kid trying to figure
(16:00):
out what my hustle was going to be. Like, I was
signing up for I you're laughing. I was
signing up for it used to be this little thing. I think it was called
income opportunities or business opportunities magazine. I was
I was getting that stuff as a kid, like, at 10 and
11 years old. Like, there was something in me that
(16:22):
just I just was drawn to it.
And so I I knew that business in my mind was the way to make
money. And I was like, man, that's something that I really want. I I wanna
pursue that. So I love that. And it's
it's also a nugget for the listener or the watcher because,
sometimes if we go back to those early years, even though if they didn't have
(16:45):
such a like you stay consistent with yours pretty much, but if they didn't stay
consistent, there might be something from their early years that they really were
passionate about that somehow drifted away that might bring
them in their search now. So that's a nugget for
them. Okay. So now let's go now to when you had
moved up the ranks in this financial institution and you said you
(17:07):
started feeling like other women who we talked to, like there was
something that just, it just wasn't doing it for you anymore.
Can you say any more about what was happening during that time? How did you
know you were feeling that? Yeah, it was, I think the
biggest thing for me is I knew I was making an impact
in that space, but it was like, okay. Yeah.
(17:29):
I'm helping to drive revenue in this business,
and we're taking care of the customers, and we're trying to make sure that we're
having a good experience. And it felt good, you know, to get the performance
reviews and all that, but it was just something to be like, there's gotta be
more than this. Like, there was just this feeling
that I was called to actually make an
(17:50):
impact on people, like, to make their lives
different or or better in some way. And I guess
to a degree, you know, I did that in my corporate career, but it
just didn't feel like enough. Like, I didn't feel like I was
making, the type of impact that I really wanted to
make, the legacy part. I mean, even though I
(18:12):
wouldn't have used those words, those things were in
my mind. Like, is this all that I want to be, you know,
known for or remembered? Is is this all that I'm able to contribute?
And I was like, man, this this there's gotta be more
that is in me that I can do than just this.
And I think, you know, my faith also probably played a role in
(18:36):
that. You know, I grew up in church, from the age of nine.
I definitely consistently heard, you know, messages
about giving back and supporting others.
And while I didn't necessarily see my path
as standing behind a pulpit or being a
missionary or any of those things, there was still a desire to
(18:58):
contribute and to impact people in some way.
And my thought was there's gotta be a way that I can
leverage my passion for business to be able
to not only take care of myself, but in some
way be able to help others. Makes sense. That makes a lot of
sense. Now did it did it have any impact on you
(19:20):
and your day to day, like, your functioning in your work?
What made it, you know, get your attention is what I'm trying to get at.
Was it impacting you? No. So I know that's the interesting thing. I
I was able to perform really, really well at work.
As a matter of fact, it it there were many points where I
had to literally de deescalate
(19:43):
my career because there was this continued, hey. You're really good
at these things. We really appreciate your skill
set. You're a top talent. We want to do all of these
things. And so in those final years, Robin,
like, it it was a very weird space because I was literally
trying to shrink out of those opportunities
(20:06):
and and do my job well, but not so
well, if that makes sense, that I
was on the top talent list. So it it wasn't a matter of
not delivering for the role. I was doing that, but
it's still there was just something in me that was like this, this isn't
enough. Now what I will say though, is I wanna paint a balanced
(20:28):
picture. It does mean that I was in
terms of time, I was all over the place. So I was getting
up early, going to work, staying there
sometimes late, getting back, doing my side
hustle. Most of my weekends were at least a
portion of that was dedicated to it. So one of the things that I
(20:51):
realized now is, man, Tim, you were going all the
time. It was literally nonstop to be able to do those things.
But because and you use this word a lot, because
I was high achieving, I was high functioning, like, I
saw that as as crazy to say. I thought it was normal. I was like,
this is what people do. This when you want something, this is what you
(21:12):
do. And so I just push through it. Yeah.
Yeah. And I mean, as high achievers, that's what we that's how we get to
be high achievers, by just doing the work. What gave you the notion about
the particular side hustle? Okay. So you were having this these feelings like
there must be more. I wanna make more of an impact. So at some point,
it sounds like the answer was I can make an impact through this other
(21:34):
side thing. Yeah. I I Yeah. I can't help about that. It was
actually one of those moments of clarity. So
while I was at the bank, one of the things that I had set for
a goal for myself was to go back and get my master's degree. So I
went back, even though I was working these crazy hours, I went back to get
my master's degree. And as a part of
(21:56):
getting admitted, I had to do a physical. And in that physical,
the doctor kind of gave me that come to Jesus about, you
know, exercise and eating better because my blood
pressure was kind of at that borderline, status. And my
family had a history. Like, just about everyone on
my mom's side had high blood pressure. Some people on my dad's side had
(22:19):
high blood pressure. So, you know, he gave me this, you know, like I said,
this this tough love talk. Right? So, you know, even
though I had tried many times before rather to, you know, get this in
check, for some reason, it clicked at that moment. And so
I started even though I was working these crazy hours,
doing this master's program, I started, you know, really paying attention to what I
(22:41):
was eating, working out, and I ended up losing a ton of
weight. And when you lose a lot of weight in a relatively short
period of time, it tends to catch people's attention. So people
started asking me, well, Tam, how did you do it? Can you help me with
this and that and the other? And then, you know, it started out kind of
as just helping people one on one, answering
(23:03):
questions. And then this crazy thing happened. I had used this
workout program that was advertised in an infomercial, but believe
it or not, to get into the exercise habit because I was I really wasn't
a gym person. So I had used this workout DVD, and
the people called me to be featured in their next
infomercial. So I ended up going out made it.
(23:25):
Wait a minute. Pause. Pause.
Pause. You gotta let me go past that one. I didn't like it was
so casual. And so the people called me. Hey.
How does that happen? It is. I mean, I I have worked out to
exercise DVD. Yes. Nobody ever called me
and said. Yeah. So so it's interesting.
(23:48):
So the company, Beachbody, which I think they go by Body
now, they've evolved into a different branding strategy. One of the
things that they did really well was try to get you
to get involved into their community. And so there was this
online community where you would, like, post your progress. You
would check-in to say that you did your workouts. And because
(24:10):
I'd done it somehow, someone saw my
information, sent me a message, and I'm getting these emails. I was like,
what? I'm thinking, is this real? Like, do do people really do
this? And lo and behold, it it was a
real thing. Myself and I think it was maybe five other people
got invited out to New York City to
(24:32):
do this, you know, infomercial shoot. They had clothes for us to
try on. They did our makeup. We went out, you know, with the
celebrity trainer. It it was an amazing experience.
And I remember riding back to the airport in my limo.
They gave they gave us a nice limo and everything. I was like, man, I
think I'm supposed to do more with this than
(24:55):
just have the one on one conversations here and there.
And so that's what really planted the seed was just realizing
that something that I really did for myself had impacted
so many other people, some of which that I would never meet. I was like,
man, I think maybe I'm being called to do something
more with this. And that's where ultimately that initial side
(25:18):
hustle came from. I was like, well, maybe if I can bring people
together, at my church, that's how it started out. We had a little
women's workout and bible study a couple of, times a month
on Saturday, and then people started asking me, well, we need
to work out more than just a couple of times a month on Saturday. So
then that turned into, let me find a community center for us to
(25:40):
be able to work out more frequently. And then over time, it
just continued to grow from there. In 2019, which is a
whole another story, I signed a lease on a three year building
not knowing that COVID would would shortly follow. Right. So
I thought that was going to be the path. I thought that was going to
be the thing that I would continue doing when I eventually left corporate.
(26:02):
I thought, you know what? I'm going to be, you know, continuing to get
people into, this routine of working out.
But again, there was no way that I could have seen,
no way that anyone knew that COVID was around the
corner. Right. That's right. Wow. And, you know, I wanna make
a note here. You know, sometimes our path is directed by,
(26:24):
for you, you were driven by, I want to make an impact. You knew that
for sure for a long time. And then people just started
asking you to help them. So sometimes we don't pay attention to those
kinds of things, you know, like, oh, what are people asking me about
or advice for or help with? So that was an indicator
for you. Yes. Alright. Alright. So now you did that and you
(26:46):
said, Okay, so then the pandemic hit and at some
point there was a shift. Alright. So which came first? Beacon
Ship or Lead Reviver? So Beacon Ship came first,
but there was a stop in between. So
one of the things I know. Just all these twist and turns and maybe that'll
help somebody to listen to like, man, my life isn't so crazy because her life
(27:08):
is crazier than mine. But when I, when I
realized that it wasn't going to work out for us with fitness,
the question that I had, even though I still had that corporate job, there was
something in me was like, no, it's not just about just focusing on,
on that corporate gig. I knew there was something else that I was called to
do. So I really pressed in and I prayed and I was asking for clarity.
(27:30):
Okay. What else is there? And what I felt like I
heard Robin was focused on what you have left. And for
me, that was puzzling because I didn't in my mind, I was like, there
is nothing left. I've I've closed this fitness business. We've exited.
There's nothing left. But then, as as I continue
to really sit with that, I realized, well, actually, I do
(27:52):
have something. So one of the things that happened during the pandemic
is people, once again, had been approaching me about
writing a book because I had written a book about my journey. And so there
were these people who were like, hey. I wanna I wanna write my own book,
and we're at home, so this would be a great time to actually do
it. And so I'm one of those people, and I I
(28:14):
know there are people that are watching and listening. They're just like me. Like, somebody
throws out an idea. It sounds like a good idea. It's like, okay. Let's do
it. So I started doing these online events, to help
people write their book. And one of the outcomes of that was
there was a small Facebook community that I had with about
150 people in it that were interested in writing and
(28:36):
publishing. And so the more I thought about that focus on what you
have left, it became clear, hey. Let's focus on that community.
So that turned into what is now the Christian Authors
Network, which is a community of over 2,800
people from all across the globe who desire to
write books that honor God and make a difference in the world. So
(28:59):
I actually did my Christian Authors Network side
hustle from 2021 till
technically 2024. The group is still going and I have someone
kind of leading that charge for me. So it's still out there even though I'm
not leading. So I did that until the beginning of twenty twenty
four, and then I officially said, you know what? I'm going to focus on Beacon
(29:21):
Ship. Alright. So now was Beacon Ship something that was bubbling up in
you, or where did it come from? It wasn't. It
well, yes and no. Maybe I should say it that way. Yes and no.
So what happened as my mom transitioned off the scene, you know, I
was reflecting a lot on her life, her example. Yeah. It was it
was really hard and it put me in a space of a lot of
(29:44):
reflecting Because one of the things that really stood out
to me is that she, you know, just was thinking she had more time.
I think we often assume that
we're going to have whatever amount of time that we
have set as a goal. So my mom was relatively young. She was 68
years old. She was still working, and she planned to
(30:06):
work, you know, a couple of more years because she was still able to work
and she was still doing well and, making an impact
within her space. So she had all these plans about what
retirement was gonna look like, all these things that she had put off. And
so when she transitioned, I was left with, wow, you know, you
might not of course, I hope I do, but you might not have
(30:29):
as much time as you thought you had. And if that is
true, what do you want to do with the time that you had
left? And so reflecting on that question was part of
it. And then also we had had conversations
during that ten months when I was kind of supporting her and
going through the journey with her. And so one of the things that had come
(30:51):
out of that discussion was, okay, if you could do anything,
what would it be? And we had had this conversation. Question
she asked you? Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Well, because I
started it. I love that. She started it Robin because I
asked her because if my mom, if you met knew her,
you you would you would know that this is true. So I
(31:14):
already already love her. Let me just say that. Yeah, so I had
asked her about her goals, hopes and dreams
and anything she wished she had done differently. So
I started with that. And in true Deborah
Jackson fashion, she answered my question and then
she flipped it on me and gave me that question.
(31:37):
So she wasn't gonna let it just in with, you know, her sharing
her thoughts. She wanted me to reflect and think about
that. And so that was also a part of it because then it
took me back to a conversation that we had had briefly
at one time when I was sitting at her house, even though we didn't live
together at that time. I was over visiting and she wasn't watching
(31:59):
the TV, so she let me change the channel and I changed it to Shark
Tank. At first she thought, well,
do you want to be on Shark Tank? Do you want to present your
business on Shark Tank? I was like, no. I don't wanna do that. And then
a light bulb came out for her. She's like, oh, you wanna be a
shark. Say, yes. I I wanna be a shark. Because
(32:21):
in my mind, you know, they have accomplished this level
of business success, but it's not just
about their business being successful. Say what you want
about the people that are on the show. There's something in them
that desires to help other people get to that next
level. And so my heart's desire was to kind of
(32:42):
leverage that same kind of kind of model and be able
to help other leaders that I always,
you know, realizing there's more for me to learn, but that means that there's also
people that are at a place, you know, a little bit earlier in the
process than I am. And is there a way that I can
help them reach their goals and dreams?
(33:04):
And so as I continue to think about that, I had some
conversations with people. That's something that I do often when I'm not
clear is I'll say, hey. You know, I respect your opinion. Would you be
willing to jump on a Zoom call with me? And let's talk this out and
let me ask you some questions. So I did some of those conversations
and the outgrowth of it was was this, Doctor. Robin.
(33:26):
It was people have a desire to make an impact.
They want to honor their, you know, their faith, their values.
The question that they often have is, how do I get
from where I am now to where I want to be?
So I literally had people telling me, well, I see these people on
TV. I see them leading these conferences,
(33:49):
these amazing programs, and I have no idea how
they actually got to that space. And so the
more I sat with that, it was like, okay. Well, maybe,
you know, I can leverage some of the, you know, the skills that I have
of being able to connect with people, to be able to interview and have
conversations. Maybe I can use that to create a platform for
(34:11):
these leaders to be able to share their wisdom,
many of of whom are, you know, in latter stages of their
business and ministry, and they're thinking about legacy and impact too.
So maybe people will actually be willing to come on this
show and kind of unpack their journey. And so that's
when the Beacon Show kind of came out of that, and that was the first
(34:33):
part of the work with Beacon Ship. And then it
evolved over time to okay. Well, how do I now
help people be equipped to grow
their business and get the funding that they need
in order to grow? Because what I've discovered is often that's
what stands in the way is that we ultimately run out of
(34:55):
capital. And so being able to attract the
attention of donors and investors and get them
excited about your cause or your business, I realized
is a really important step and often a big gap for
those in the faith driven space. So that's when I decided to
focus beacon ship on kind of filling that gap. And that
(35:17):
that's my interim step to becoming a shark while I
am continuing to learn about business and investments
myself. This is a way that I can give back while I'm working
towards that bigger goal. Yeah. You know, I love throughout your whole
story and continually driven by this, this
urge to give back and then help others give back. And it's like the
(35:39):
thread, the common thread that's woven throughout your
story and your success over the years. So that's a beautiful story.
Now we talked earlier at the beginning of this conversation. Oh, it won't be
that long, but I know you I know you're close upon Oh my god. Look
at the time. Wow. It just flies. It flies when you're
having fun. Right? I know. And I have a thousand more questions, but I
(36:01):
I said to you I would honor your time. So I do wanna honor that.
That means I have to come back, doctor Roberts. Yeah. I would love that. I
mean, each one of those ventures and parts of
your story, there's such wisdom and insights into all
of them, which is why my brain's going like, ah, with all these
questions. Okay. Alright. So maybe we can take a minute on,
(36:23):
Lead Reviver, and then you could give some, words of
wisdom. You've gave already so much, but let's say a little bit about
that and some words of wisdom, and then we can get you up to your
next meeting. Yeah. So what I love about Lead
Reviver is it allows us to solve
a pressing business problem with technology.
(36:44):
So one thing that's been consistent, Doctor. Robin, whether I was working in
corporate running my own business or coaching other
entrepreneurs is there is a time deficit.
There is only, but so much time that we have in a day, even when
we are burning the midnight or we run out of time. And one of the
things that often falls by the wayside in that process
(37:06):
is being able to follow-up on conversations that we've had
in the past. So we talk to someone, they say,
yeah. I'm interested. I'd like to learn a bit little bit more, but for
whatever reason, life happens, they don't move forward with our
program or service. What that means is that we
have all of these relationships that we've
(37:28):
started to build that ultimately are sitting dormant, And
many of those people still need our help because the reality
is change is hard. So sometimes we as as
business owners, as business leaders, we think, oh, well, they've gone on to something else.
Not always so. Sometimes they child, they still sitting there. They're
thinking about it. They're praying about it, all these things.
(37:50):
So Lead Reviver is really about, giving
businesses the opportunity to reengage those
potential clients, get back in front of them in
a conversational way. So even though we are leveraging
AI, we have trained our AI systems to be
very conversational. So we gather information
(38:13):
from our client to make sure that we understand their values,
their voice, and how they want their clients to be treated. And then we're
able to put a system to work where we can literally contact
hundreds and even thousands of prospective
clients, get that conversation going again, and then when
they're ready to hop on the phone and continue that conversation, we can
(38:36):
connect them with someone in the business. So I love this
because this is a way that we could show how AI can do
good. I know they're depending on who you talk to, either AI
is is the savior or is the devil. One of the two. And the
answer is probably somewhere in the middle. But I love this because
this actually solves a real world problem. And
(38:59):
what it ultimately does is it helps us to make a bigger impact because we're
able to serve more people. So, that's what Lead Reviver is
all about. I love it. I absolutely love it. I'm glad
you're doing that, and you got in early on that to learn it well enough
and get yourself to the point where now it's really taken off.
So I love that you did that. Alright. So I know you gotta go. But
(39:20):
before you go, can you tell our listeners? I mean, we've
already learned so much. Listen to the people around you. Look at your
early life or passions. Anything else from
your experience personally or professionally to the high
achieving woman who's at that place where you are and says, there must be more
than this? I think my final piece of advice would be stay
(39:42):
open. You never know what life
has in store for you and what opportunities may
present itself. Now all of those may not be for
you, but don't be so quick to dismiss things. You know? One of the
things that I have learned is sometimes in my desire to
kinda stay safe or try to protect myself
(40:05):
that I have closed some doors that
could have been really promising opportunities. Now not to say
that I haven't had, like you said, you know, a great life. I've learned all
these things. But I also look back sometimes and realize, man, I
might have closed the door on that too soon. So one of the
things that I'm trying to do now is to stay open,
(40:27):
ask the right questions, do your due diligence, all of that, but
maybe just pause for a little bit and see
what could I learn from this and then make a decision
on whether or not it's something you should pursue. So stay open.
I love that. Amara Jackson, you have been generous with your time
and wisdom and insights just flowing all over the place. So where can
(40:50):
people be in touch with? They're like, I wanna hear more. I wanna hear more.
Where can they be in touch with you? Well, I am, on the social
media platform. So I am on LinkedIn. That's probably the place that I'm most
active right now. I talk there about Beacon Ship and Lead Reviver. I'm
also on Facebook and Instagram. If you are interested in learning
more about the Beacon Ship and the work that we're doing in the Christian leadership
(41:12):
space, you can visit us at beaconship.co. And if you
are looking for help with leveraging AI in your business to make
sure that you can steward the relationships well, you can visit us at
leadreviverpro. Doctor Robin, thank you so
much for the opportunity to be here and share with your audience.
Thank you for being here. It was such a delight. I thoroughly enjoyed our
(41:33):
conversation. Yes. And I'm I'm I'm
feeling like we might cross paths again. Yeah. That's right. Oh,
I'm sure we will. I'm sure we will. It's been, it's been a great time
here. And, yeah. If there's anything I can do to support you, please
do let me know. I certainly will. Okay, everyone.
And I'm also on LinkedIn. I'd love to hear your response to this
(41:55):
episode or any questions you might have. You can find me on all the
socials, but primarily, I spend most of my time on LinkedIn
at Robin L. Owens PhD, at Robin L.
Owens PhD. And until next time, this
is Dr. Robin. Thank you for tuning into this episode of
the Leadership Purpose with Dr. Robin podcast. If
(42:18):
you enjoyed it, head on over and rate and subscribe
so you never miss an episode. New episodes drop
every week, and I can't wait to hang out with you again
soon. Meanwhile, this is Dr.
Robin signing off. See you next
(42:43):
time.
Welcome to the Leadership Purpose with Dr Robin podcast.
I'm your host, Robin L Owens, PhD. I'm a college
professor. And when I'm not doing that, I am teaching others
how to find and stay in alignment with their true purpose.
And this is where we talk with women who've made bold career
transitions in search for more meaning and purpose in
(00:24):
their work. So if you're feeling that pull toward more meaning and purpose in
your work or just curious about what's possible when you
pursue purpose over position, then these
conversations are here to encourage, inspire,
and guide you. Okay. Let's get started.
Hi, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the Leadership
(00:47):
Purpose with Dr. Robin podcast. I'm so glad you're here and
you're listening to the podcast. And because you've been such a faithful
listener of the podcast, you helped us get ranked in the top
5% of all podcasts globally
according to Listen Notes. So thank you for doing that. And I ask you
all the time, would you please rate, review,
(01:09):
subscribe to the podcast? It makes a world of difference, and it helps us to
keep going. Alright. Now, today, I'm very excited
about our guest. I will be talking with Tamara Jackson.
Now, let me tell you a little bit about Tamara. She is a visionary
founder of Beacon Ship, a platform dedicated
to equipping faith driven leaders to transform
(01:32):
industries and tackle global challenges through
innovation. She's also the CEO of LeadReviver,
an AI powered sales re engagement platform, and
I can't wait to hear more about that. It helps
businesses and nonprofits unlock the hidden potential of their
lead databases. And she merges faith, innovation,
(01:55):
and purpose to inspire leaders to create
lasting impact. And as a former vice president
at a Fortune 500 financial institution, Tamara has
led multimillion dollar projects and managed
complex operations. Her leadership and strategic
insights have made her a trusted voice
(02:17):
in high stakes environments. And she's the host of the Beacon Show where she
highlights stories of faith driven leaders making a transformative
impact in their fields. Welcome, Tamara Jackson.
Doctor. Robin, thank you so much. Man, I I sound amazing.
Thank you for that intro. You know why you
sound amazing? Because you are amazing. Well, praise God. I'll take
(02:39):
it. You are. You are. And you have an
amazing story in life just from being you and doing all the things
you've done. Yeah. Alright. So now you heard me read your official
introduction. But why don't you tell us in your own words
anything you wanna say about who you are and what you do? Well,
I am a person who is still figuring out. I think that would
(03:02):
be the first thing that I would say. You know, a lot of times when
we see people that have accomplished things, we
think, well, wow. They have they've figured it all out,
and they have arrived. And the truth is that
just celebrated fifty one years on the planet, and one of the things
that has become abundantly clear to me is that
(03:24):
there is very, very little that I know
compared to how much there is to know.
And I don't know about you, Robin, but when I was a kid, I was
a teenager, like my goddaughter, who is 16 right now, I thought I knew
everything. You know, my parents, all of
these adults, like, it's so simple. Why don't you just do x y
(03:47):
z? And so it's interesting to now be in this
space in my fifties and realize, wow. Like,
even after all this time on the planet, there is
still so much I do not know. So,
because of that, I consider myself a continuous learner,
always looking to continue to grow,
(04:09):
personally and professionally. And so all
of the different ventures and projects that I find myself in
while I am leading, I am also learning. So that's what
I love about being able to lead beaconship and and work
with faith driven leaders that are so passionate about making a difference in
the world. They inspire me every time I sit down and have
(04:31):
conversations with them. I learn from them, just as much as I'm able
to hopefully pour into them. And with AI, like you talked
about, right, it's it's such an interesting field. There is
the cool thing about it too is there really are no experts. Right? Because it's
new to all of us. We're all learning. And so some of us has
figured out some pieces, while others are really
(04:54):
building proficiency in other areas. So this is going to be a,
I think a fun conversation because, it sounds like we both
have an appreciation for the learning journey that we
are all on. Absolutely. You're right. I was
like you as a teenager. I knew everything.
(05:14):
We had no idea. In fact, it's it's a subheading
in the book I'm writing. And one of the chapters when I tell my
story, that's the subheading. It says, When I knew everything, and everything
is in all caps. I was convinced that my parents and
all the people who were older were just missing out. And like you,
years later now, I realize I just know everything I know.
(05:37):
Yeah. That's it. That's all. That's all.
Yeah. It's a it's a it's a it's a humbling thing. Yeah.
But also in my experience, it's also an empowering
thing because now I don't have to feel like I I remember times
feeling like, oh, man, what's wrong with me? Because I don't know this. But
then when you really think about it, like, really how much I
(06:01):
know compared to how much there is to know, I mean, it doesn't
pale in comparison. So now I get to have grace.
I get to allow myself to still be a student in
areas while still equipping and empowering others.
And for me, it just took a huge burden off of my
shoulders when I realized that I didn't have to know it all.
(06:24):
And maybe that will help someone that's watching us or listening to us
right now is, is you don't have to have it all figured out.
What you want to do is to have trusted advisors around
you to be confident in who you are and the strengths
and the gifts and the talents that you have, but also lean on
others because it is together that we are often able to
(06:46):
make an impact. Yeah. That's definitely a nugget. You don't
have to know it all. All right. So now you talked about this journey
of coming to the place of being a teenager and knowing
everything and then now well into your adulthood realizing.
So let's go on some of this journey because we talked about in your introduction
like you're doing these amazing things. We talked about Beacon Ship and
(07:08):
Lead Reviver. So now let's talk about and also in the
introduction, we talked about you being a a former vice president.
Well, you can start wherever you are, but I want you to know wherever you
go, I'm gonna come back to how you got to each of those points.
Yes. Yeah. So here's how it all
started for me. You know, I remember in those teenage years
(07:28):
just kinda having a vision for what I wanted my future to be, and I
knew that I loved it. I did. Yeah. I actually did. I
actually, I found my old high school yearbook,
and it was one where you write in all these things of, you know, what
you want and, you know, the types of things that you want to be able
to accomplish. And I was very clear. I knew I wanted to be a
(07:51):
leader. I knew I wanted to be in charge. And so what I had put
in my notebook, Robin, was either I wanted to be a CEO of
my own company or I wanted to kind of be at
in the top ranks of a corporation. So I wasn't
sure exactly what role that was going to be, but something like leading a
division or, or something like that. Right. So I always
(08:13):
knew that I had a passion for business and that was the
path for me, but I didn't know how it was all going to kind
of work itself out. But the piece that I did know is
that college was a big piece of that. So I ended up
going to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia,
Big college town. Not a whole lot else there, but it was a, a
(08:36):
great school. And it was eye opening for me, though,
because school had been easy for me up until that point. I didn't have to
study a whole lot. Things just kinda came naturally. I sat in class, paid
attention, and did well. But when I got to tech, I found out
that I was not quite as smart as I thought I was.
(08:57):
And so it was an eye opening experience. Right? And for the first time,
I started looking at grades and like, wow. What, you know, what really
happened? I really need to figure out how to study. I honestly, I didn't
really know how to study. So I
went into college, you know, thinking that when I came out in
four years, I was gonna go on this stockbroker path, and and I
(09:18):
really picked that path because I thought it was going to be the way
to make a lot of money. Like, that was my prime motivation.
But it turns out that my grades didn't support that. So then the
question became, how do I pivot? So as I started
thinking about it, I said, well, maybe the next best thing is to go
into banking. So when I left Virginia Tech, I ended
(09:41):
up, you know, applying at different banks. Like I said, it's been a
journey. So even I remember those first applications, didn't
get accepted. So I ended up working for a very small financial
services company like the kind is in a storefront guy. So
please know, that sometimes you have to start at places
that maybe isn't the vision that you had for yourself, but also just,
(10:03):
you know, keep, the hope alive, be optimistic that things can change.
So I started out in this small financial services company
in a storefront, but a year after I had been
there, I got my opportunity to start moving into the
banking space. And so what that ended up being
is, a realization that you could do so many different
(10:25):
things in a bank. So I ended up moving
from that smaller regional bank to a bigger national
bank. And when all was said and done, I had had, like, 13
different positions in the banking industry from
leading sales teams to training and development to
leading projects. Like, I got to do just about anything I
(10:48):
wanted to do in the corporate space. But like many of the
guests that you have had on the show, there was a time where
there was something kind of gnawing at me, and I think I've even
heard you talk about this. Like, there is something else.
And so that that feeling that there was something else
started to get, you know, stronger and stronger.
(11:11):
And so about halfway through my corporate career, I
decided I was going to do a side hustle. So
maybe, someone that's listening or watching can identify with
that. Like, you're thinking, Hey, my entryway into
entrepreneurship is I'm going to do it while
I am working in a nine to five. So that was a path that
(11:34):
I chose. Part of that, quite honestly, was I didn't wanna give up
my salary, that I had finally, you know, gotten to the place that I was
really excited about the income that I was I was earning. But I
thought, honestly, Robin, I thought that I would continue to do that.
But over time, that feeling got
stronger and stronger and stronger. And I can even
(11:55):
remember times, dreams that I had, where I
was realizing in the dream that there was going to be a moment where I
was going to have to make a decision, but I would wake up from these
dreams. Like, nah, that can't that can't be it. That can't be, you know, I'm
not gonna do it. And what I ultimately realized is that it
was fear. It was fear that was keeping me
(12:18):
from stepping fully into it. But be that as it
may, I actually launched a couple of different ventures. My first one was
in fitness. I eventually moved into helping
Christian authors with publishing. I had a publishing podcast.
And so I was still kinda holding on. I'm doing my corporate gig.
I'm doing these side hustles. And then in
(12:40):
2022, things just drastically changed. My mom
got a stage four breast cancer diagnosis.
I ended up leaving Charlotte, North Carolina to move back to
Virginia to be there with her as her only child,
and she was my best friend in the world. I wanted to be there with
her through that journey. And it is during that journey
(13:02):
that I started having these conversations with her about
purpose, about legacy, what my
biggest hopes and dreams were, and it was
starting to become clear that I was getting closer to
that decision point of having to say, listen, you're
going to have to choose a path. So what ended up happening
(13:25):
is my mom passed away actually a a little bit less than a
year after her diagnosis. And on the other side of
it, I was left with all those conversations that we've had, all the
encouragement that she had given me to take chances, to be willing to
take a risk. And so I finally ended up in
December of twenty twenty three leaving corporate. And that's when
(13:47):
I made the decision to launch Beacon Ship based on some conversations that I
had with mom, other trusted advisors. I stepped into that
arena. And then later that year, I launched LeadReviver
because of my passion for AI. I've been using AI
since 2021 before all the craze, so I knew
what it could do. And so when I found a a solution
(14:10):
that allowed us to be able to do sales in a way that
is honorable yet efficient and effective, I was like, I
I have got to take this to market. So that has been the journey. It
it and it's still unfolding. Right? We'll see what what the future
holds. Yeah. That's a powerful journey. Okay. So now let's go back and unpack
some of this. Yeah. I was really jumping before. I was getting
(14:32):
so excited about your story, but then I was like, oh, I'm glad I let
you finish so we can hear how it really kind of unfolded. Mhmm.
Alright. So now let's go back to the teenager who knew she
wanted to be in business. Do you know what helped you know?
Or you did you see something? Did you experience something?
Or you just felt like it was something that was inside of you?
(14:55):
Well, I think it was part of it was seeing my mom.
So my mom actually started out her career in
retail. And so what I saw
from my experience of watching her growing up is just
the hours. Like, she was working sixty, seventy hour
weeks. She was doing okay, in terms
(15:16):
of salary. She at that point, she didn't have a degree, so she would always
tell me, like, Tam, make sure that you get your degree because, you know, you
end up having to work really hard when you don't have that education,
you know, trying to prove yourself. So she was doing pretty well, but I
remember watching that and being like, man, I don't wanna work that
many hours. I don't wanna have to, you know, be stressed out all the
(15:38):
time. So, you know, my thought process was, well, if I
get a degree, then maybe I can have more
of a balance. But, honestly, I don't know
what it was in particular that made me say
I want business other than just I I loved it. I
mean, I can remember as a little kid trying to figure
(16:00):
out what my hustle was going to be. Like, I was
signing up for I you're laughing. I was
signing up for it used to be this little thing. I think it was called
income opportunities or business opportunities magazine. I was
I was getting that stuff as a kid, like, at 10 and
11 years old. Like, there was something in me that
(16:22):
just I just was drawn to it.
And so I I knew that business in my mind was the way to make
money. And I was like, man, that's something that I really want. I I wanna
pursue that. So I love that. And it's
it's also a nugget for the listener or the watcher because,
sometimes if we go back to those early years, even though if they didn't have
(16:45):
such a like you stay consistent with yours pretty much, but if they didn't stay
consistent, there might be something from their early years that they really were
passionate about that somehow drifted away that might bring
them in their search now. So that's a nugget for
them. Okay. So now let's go now to when you had
moved up the ranks in this financial institution and you said you
(17:07):
started feeling like other women who we talked to, like there was
something that just, it just wasn't doing it for you anymore.
Can you say any more about what was happening during that time? How did you
know you were feeling that? Yeah, it was, I think the
biggest thing for me is I knew I was making an impact
in that space, but it was like, okay. Yeah.
(17:29):
I'm helping to drive revenue in this business,
and we're taking care of the customers, and we're trying to make sure that we're
having a good experience. And it felt good, you know, to get the performance
reviews and all that, but it was just something to be like, there's gotta be
more than this. Like, there was just this feeling
that I was called to actually make an
(17:50):
impact on people, like, to make their lives
different or or better in some way. And I guess
to a degree, you know, I did that in my corporate career, but it
just didn't feel like enough. Like, I didn't feel like I was
making, the type of impact that I really wanted to
make, the legacy part. I mean, even though I
(18:12):
wouldn't have used those words, those things were in
my mind. Like, is this all that I want to be, you know,
known for or remembered? Is is this all that I'm able to contribute?
And I was like, man, this this there's gotta be more
that is in me that I can do than just this.
And I think, you know, my faith also probably played a role in
(18:36):
that. You know, I grew up in church, from the age of nine.
I definitely consistently heard, you know, messages
about giving back and supporting others.
And while I didn't necessarily see my path
as standing behind a pulpit or being a
missionary or any of those things, there was still a desire to
(18:58):
contribute and to impact people in some way.
And my thought was there's gotta be a way that I can
leverage my passion for business to be able
to not only take care of myself, but in some
way be able to help others. Makes sense. That makes a lot of
sense. Now did it did it have any impact on you
(19:20):
and your day to day, like, your functioning in your work?
What made it, you know, get your attention is what I'm trying to get at.
Was it impacting you? No. So I know that's the interesting thing. I
I was able to perform really, really well at work.
As a matter of fact, it it there were many points where I
had to literally de deescalate
(19:43):
my career because there was this continued, hey. You're really good
at these things. We really appreciate your skill
set. You're a top talent. We want to do all of these
things. And so in those final years, Robin,
like, it it was a very weird space because I was literally
trying to shrink out of those opportunities
(20:06):
and and do my job well, but not so
well, if that makes sense, that I
was on the top talent list. So it it wasn't a matter of
not delivering for the role. I was doing that, but
it's still there was just something in me that was like this, this isn't
enough. Now what I will say though, is I wanna paint a balanced
(20:28):
picture. It does mean that I was in
terms of time, I was all over the place. So I was getting
up early, going to work, staying there
sometimes late, getting back, doing my side
hustle. Most of my weekends were at least a
portion of that was dedicated to it. So one of the things that I
(20:51):
realized now is, man, Tim, you were going all the
time. It was literally nonstop to be able to do those things.
But because and you use this word a lot, because
I was high achieving, I was high functioning, like, I
saw that as as crazy to say. I thought it was normal. I was like,
this is what people do. This when you want something, this is what you
(21:12):
do. And so I just push through it. Yeah.
Yeah. And I mean, as high achievers, that's what we that's how we get to
be high achievers, by just doing the work. What gave you the notion about
the particular side hustle? Okay. So you were having this these feelings like
there must be more. I wanna make more of an impact. So at some point,
it sounds like the answer was I can make an impact through this other
(21:34):
side thing. Yeah. I I Yeah. I can't help about that. It was
actually one of those moments of clarity. So
while I was at the bank, one of the things that I had set for
a goal for myself was to go back and get my master's degree. So I
went back, even though I was working these crazy hours, I went back to get
my master's degree. And as a part of
(21:56):
getting admitted, I had to do a physical. And in that physical,
the doctor kind of gave me that come to Jesus about, you
know, exercise and eating better because my blood
pressure was kind of at that borderline, status. And my
family had a history. Like, just about everyone on
my mom's side had high blood pressure. Some people on my dad's side had
(22:19):
high blood pressure. So, you know, he gave me this, you know, like I said,
this this tough love talk. Right? So, you know, even
though I had tried many times before rather to, you know, get this in
check, for some reason, it clicked at that moment. And so
I started even though I was working these crazy hours,
doing this master's program, I started, you know, really paying attention to what I
(22:41):
was eating, working out, and I ended up losing a ton of
weight. And when you lose a lot of weight in a relatively short
period of time, it tends to catch people's attention. So people
started asking me, well, Tam, how did you do it? Can you help me with
this and that and the other? And then, you know, it started out kind of
as just helping people one on one, answering
(23:03):
questions. And then this crazy thing happened. I had used this
workout program that was advertised in an infomercial, but believe
it or not, to get into the exercise habit because I was I really wasn't
a gym person. So I had used this workout DVD, and
the people called me to be featured in their next
infomercial. So I ended up going out made it.
(23:25):
Wait a minute. Pause. Pause.
Pause. You gotta let me go past that one. I didn't like it was
so casual. And so the people called me. Hey.
How does that happen? It is. I mean, I I have worked out to
exercise DVD. Yes. Nobody ever called me
and said. Yeah. So so it's interesting.
(23:48):
So the company, Beachbody, which I think they go by Body
now, they've evolved into a different branding strategy. One of the
things that they did really well was try to get you
to get involved into their community. And so there was this
online community where you would, like, post your progress. You
would check-in to say that you did your workouts. And because
(24:10):
I'd done it somehow, someone saw my
information, sent me a message, and I'm getting these emails. I was like,
what? I'm thinking, is this real? Like, do do people really do
this? And lo and behold, it it was a
real thing. Myself and I think it was maybe five other people
got invited out to New York City to
(24:32):
do this, you know, infomercial shoot. They had clothes for us to
try on. They did our makeup. We went out, you know, with the
celebrity trainer. It it was an amazing experience.
And I remember riding back to the airport in my limo.
They gave they gave us a nice limo and everything. I was like, man, I
think I'm supposed to do more with this than
(24:55):
just have the one on one conversations here and there.
And so that's what really planted the seed was just realizing
that something that I really did for myself had impacted
so many other people, some of which that I would never meet. I was like,
man, I think maybe I'm being called to do something
more with this. And that's where ultimately that initial side
(25:18):
hustle came from. I was like, well, maybe if I can bring people
together, at my church, that's how it started out. We had a little
women's workout and bible study a couple of, times a month
on Saturday, and then people started asking me, well, we need
to work out more than just a couple of times a month on Saturday. So
then that turned into, let me find a community center for us to
(25:40):
be able to work out more frequently. And then over time, it
just continued to grow from there. In 2019, which is a
whole another story, I signed a lease on a three year building
not knowing that COVID would would shortly follow. Right. So
I thought that was going to be the path. I thought that was going to
be the thing that I would continue doing when I eventually left corporate.
(26:02):
I thought, you know what? I'm going to be, you know, continuing to get
people into, this routine of working out.
But again, there was no way that I could have seen,
no way that anyone knew that COVID was around the
corner. Right. That's right. Wow. And, you know, I wanna make
a note here. You know, sometimes our path is directed by,
(26:24):
for you, you were driven by, I want to make an impact. You knew that
for sure for a long time. And then people just started
asking you to help them. So sometimes we don't pay attention to those
kinds of things, you know, like, oh, what are people asking me about
or advice for or help with? So that was an indicator
for you. Yes. Alright. Alright. So now you did that and you
(26:46):
said, Okay, so then the pandemic hit and at some
point there was a shift. Alright. So which came first? Beacon
Ship or Lead Reviver? So Beacon Ship came first,
but there was a stop in between. So
one of the things I know. Just all these twist and turns and maybe that'll
help somebody to listen to like, man, my life isn't so crazy because her life
(27:08):
is crazier than mine. But when I, when I
realized that it wasn't going to work out for us with fitness,
the question that I had, even though I still had that corporate job, there was
something in me was like, no, it's not just about just focusing on,
on that corporate gig. I knew there was something else that I was called to
do. So I really pressed in and I prayed and I was asking for clarity.
(27:30):
Okay. What else is there? And what I felt like I
heard Robin was focused on what you have left. And for
me, that was puzzling because I didn't in my mind, I was like, there
is nothing left. I've I've closed this fitness business. We've exited.
There's nothing left. But then, as as I continue
to really sit with that, I realized, well, actually, I do
(27:52):
have something. So one of the things that happened during the pandemic
is people, once again, had been approaching me about
writing a book because I had written a book about my journey. And so there
were these people who were like, hey. I wanna I wanna write my own book,
and we're at home, so this would be a great time to actually do
it. And so I'm one of those people, and I I
(28:14):
know there are people that are watching and listening. They're just like me. Like, somebody
throws out an idea. It sounds like a good idea. It's like, okay. Let's do
it. So I started doing these online events, to help
people write their book. And one of the outcomes of that was
there was a small Facebook community that I had with about
150 people in it that were interested in writing and
(28:36):
publishing. And so the more I thought about that focus on what you
have left, it became clear, hey. Let's focus on that community.
So that turned into what is now the Christian Authors
Network, which is a community of over 2,800
people from all across the globe who desire to
write books that honor God and make a difference in the world. So
(28:59):
I actually did my Christian Authors Network side
hustle from 2021 till
technically 2024. The group is still going and I have someone
kind of leading that charge for me. So it's still out there even though I'm
not leading. So I did that until the beginning of twenty twenty
four, and then I officially said, you know what? I'm going to focus on Beacon
(29:21):
Ship. Alright. So now was Beacon Ship something that was bubbling up in
you, or where did it come from? It wasn't. It
well, yes and no. Maybe I should say it that way. Yes and no.
So what happened as my mom transitioned off the scene, you know, I
was reflecting a lot on her life, her example. Yeah. It was it
was really hard and it put me in a space of a lot of
(29:44):
reflecting Because one of the things that really stood out
to me is that she, you know, just was thinking she had more time.
I think we often assume that
we're going to have whatever amount of time that we
have set as a goal. So my mom was relatively young. She was 68
years old. She was still working, and she planned to
(30:06):
work, you know, a couple of more years because she was still able to work
and she was still doing well and, making an impact
within her space. So she had all these plans about what
retirement was gonna look like, all these things that she had put off. And
so when she transitioned, I was left with, wow, you know, you
might not of course, I hope I do, but you might not have
(30:29):
as much time as you thought you had. And if that is
true, what do you want to do with the time that you had
left? And so reflecting on that question was part of
it. And then also we had had conversations
during that ten months when I was kind of supporting her and
going through the journey with her. And so one of the things that had come
(30:51):
out of that discussion was, okay, if you could do anything,
what would it be? And we had had this conversation. Question
she asked you? Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Well, because I
started it. I love that. She started it Robin because I
asked her because if my mom, if you met knew her,
you you would you would know that this is true. So I
(31:14):
already already love her. Let me just say that. Yeah, so I had
asked her about her goals, hopes and dreams
and anything she wished she had done differently. So
I started with that. And in true Deborah
Jackson fashion, she answered my question and then
she flipped it on me and gave me that question.
(31:37):
So she wasn't gonna let it just in with, you know, her sharing
her thoughts. She wanted me to reflect and think about
that. And so that was also a part of it because then it
took me back to a conversation that we had had briefly
at one time when I was sitting at her house, even though we didn't live
together at that time. I was over visiting and she wasn't watching
(31:59):
the TV, so she let me change the channel and I changed it to Shark
Tank. At first she thought, well,
do you want to be on Shark Tank? Do you want to present your
business on Shark Tank? I was like, no. I don't wanna do that. And then
a light bulb came out for her. She's like, oh, you wanna be a
shark. Say, yes. I I wanna be a shark. Because
(32:21):
in my mind, you know, they have accomplished this level
of business success, but it's not just
about their business being successful. Say what you want
about the people that are on the show. There's something in them
that desires to help other people get to that next
level. And so my heart's desire was to kind of
(32:42):
leverage that same kind of kind of model and be able
to help other leaders that I always,
you know, realizing there's more for me to learn, but that means that there's also
people that are at a place, you know, a little bit earlier in the
process than I am. And is there a way that I can
help them reach their goals and dreams?
(33:04):
And so as I continue to think about that, I had some
conversations with people. That's something that I do often when I'm not
clear is I'll say, hey. You know, I respect your opinion. Would you be
willing to jump on a Zoom call with me? And let's talk this out and
let me ask you some questions. So I did some of those conversations
and the outgrowth of it was was this, Doctor. Robin.
(33:26):
It was people have a desire to make an impact.
They want to honor their, you know, their faith, their values.
The question that they often have is, how do I get
from where I am now to where I want to be?
So I literally had people telling me, well, I see these people on
TV. I see them leading these conferences,
(33:49):
these amazing programs, and I have no idea how
they actually got to that space. And so the
more I sat with that, it was like, okay. Well, maybe,
you know, I can leverage some of the, you know, the skills that I have
of being able to connect with people, to be able to interview and have
conversations. Maybe I can use that to create a platform for
(34:11):
these leaders to be able to share their wisdom,
many of of whom are, you know, in latter stages of their
business and ministry, and they're thinking about legacy and impact too.
So maybe people will actually be willing to come on this
show and kind of unpack their journey. And so that's
when the Beacon Show kind of came out of that, and that was the first
(34:33):
part of the work with Beacon Ship. And then it
evolved over time to okay. Well, how do I now
help people be equipped to grow
their business and get the funding that they need
in order to grow? Because what I've discovered is often that's
what stands in the way is that we ultimately run out of
(34:55):
capital. And so being able to attract the
attention of donors and investors and get them
excited about your cause or your business, I realized
is a really important step and often a big gap for
those in the faith driven space. So that's when I decided to
focus beacon ship on kind of filling that gap. And that
(35:17):
that's my interim step to becoming a shark while I
am continuing to learn about business and investments
myself. This is a way that I can give back while I'm working
towards that bigger goal. Yeah. You know, I love throughout your whole
story and continually driven by this, this
urge to give back and then help others give back. And it's like the
(35:39):
thread, the common thread that's woven throughout your
story and your success over the years. So that's a beautiful story.
Now we talked earlier at the beginning of this conversation. Oh, it won't be
that long, but I know you I know you're close upon Oh my god. Look
at the time. Wow. It just flies. It flies when you're
having fun. Right? I know. And I have a thousand more questions, but I
(36:01):
I said to you I would honor your time. So I do wanna honor that.
That means I have to come back, doctor Roberts. Yeah. I would love that. I
mean, each one of those ventures and parts of
your story, there's such wisdom and insights into all
of them, which is why my brain's going like, ah, with all these
questions. Okay. Alright. So maybe we can take a minute on,
(36:23):
Lead Reviver, and then you could give some, words of
wisdom. You've gave already so much, but let's say a little bit about
that and some words of wisdom, and then we can get you up to your
next meeting. Yeah. So what I love about Lead
Reviver is it allows us to solve
a pressing business problem with technology.
(36:44):
So one thing that's been consistent, Doctor. Robin, whether I was working in
corporate running my own business or coaching other
entrepreneurs is there is a time deficit.
There is only, but so much time that we have in a day, even when
we are burning the midnight or we run out of time. And one of the
things that often falls by the wayside in that process
(37:06):
is being able to follow-up on conversations that we've had
in the past. So we talk to someone, they say,
yeah. I'm interested. I'd like to learn a bit little bit more, but for
whatever reason, life happens, they don't move forward with our
program or service. What that means is that we
have all of these relationships that we've
(37:28):
started to build that ultimately are sitting dormant, And
many of those people still need our help because the reality
is change is hard. So sometimes we as as
business owners, as business leaders, we think, oh, well, they've gone on to something else.
Not always so. Sometimes they child, they still sitting there. They're
thinking about it. They're praying about it, all these things.
(37:50):
So Lead Reviver is really about, giving
businesses the opportunity to reengage those
potential clients, get back in front of them in
a conversational way. So even though we are leveraging
AI, we have trained our AI systems to be
very conversational. So we gather information
(38:13):
from our client to make sure that we understand their values,
their voice, and how they want their clients to be treated. And then we're
able to put a system to work where we can literally contact
hundreds and even thousands of prospective
clients, get that conversation going again, and then when
they're ready to hop on the phone and continue that conversation, we can
(38:36):
connect them with someone in the business. So I love this
because this is a way that we could show how AI can do
good. I know they're depending on who you talk to, either AI
is is the savior or is the devil. One of the two. And the
answer is probably somewhere in the middle. But I love this because
this actually solves a real world problem. And
(38:59):
what it ultimately does is it helps us to make a bigger impact because we're
able to serve more people. So, that's what Lead Reviver is
all about. I love it. I absolutely love it. I'm glad
you're doing that, and you got in early on that to learn it well enough
and get yourself to the point where now it's really taken off.
So I love that you did that. Alright. So I know you gotta go. But
(39:20):
before you go, can you tell our listeners? I mean, we've
already learned so much. Listen to the people around you. Look at your
early life or passions. Anything else from
your experience personally or professionally to the high
achieving woman who's at that place where you are and says, there must be more
than this? I think my final piece of advice would be stay
(39:42):
open. You never know what life
has in store for you and what opportunities may
present itself. Now all of those may not be for
you, but don't be so quick to dismiss things. You know? One of the
things that I have learned is sometimes in my desire to
kinda stay safe or try to protect myself
(40:05):
that I have closed some doors that
could have been really promising opportunities. Now not to say
that I haven't had, like you said, you know, a great life. I've learned all
these things. But I also look back sometimes and realize, man, I
might have closed the door on that too soon. So one of the
things that I'm trying to do now is to stay open,
(40:27):
ask the right questions, do your due diligence, all of that, but
maybe just pause for a little bit and see
what could I learn from this and then make a decision
on whether or not it's something you should pursue. So stay open.
I love that. Amara Jackson, you have been generous with your time
and wisdom and insights just flowing all over the place. So where can
(40:50):
people be in touch with? They're like, I wanna hear more. I wanna hear more.
Where can they be in touch with you? Well, I am, on the social
media platform. So I am on LinkedIn. That's probably the place that I'm most
active right now. I talk there about Beacon Ship and Lead Reviver. I'm
also on Facebook and Instagram. If you are interested in learning
more about the Beacon Ship and the work that we're doing in the Christian leadership
(41:12):
space, you can visit us at beaconship.co. And if you
are looking for help with leveraging AI in your business to make
sure that you can steward the relationships well, you can visit us at
leadreviverpro. Doctor Robin, thank you so
much for the opportunity to be here and share with your audience.
Thank you for being here. It was such a delight. I thoroughly enjoyed our
(41:33):
conversation. Yes. And I'm I'm I'm
feeling like we might cross paths again. Yeah. That's right. Oh,
I'm sure we will. I'm sure we will. It's been, it's been a great time
here. And, yeah. If there's anything I can do to support you, please
do let me know. I certainly will. Okay, everyone.
And I'm also on LinkedIn. I'd love to hear your response to this
(41:55):
episode or any questions you might have. You can find me on all the
socials, but primarily, I spend most of my time on LinkedIn
at Robin L. Owens PhD, at Robin L.
Owens PhD. And until next time, this
is Dr. Robin. Thank you for tuning into this episode of
the Leadership Purpose with Dr. Robin podcast. If
(42:18):
you enjoyed it, head on over and rate and subscribe
so you never miss an episode. New episodes drop
every week, and I can't wait to hang out with you again
soon. Meanwhile, this is Dr.
Robin signing off. See you next
(42:43):
time.
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