All Episodes

March 7, 2025 56 mins

Born in Chicago, Tamicka spent most of her childhood navigating life with an absent parent. She recalls going to court with her mother at just six years old. As her mother’s addiction spiraled, her presence in the home dwindled due to her substance use disorder. Tamicka shares her perspective at each stage of her life being “a little, a middle, and an adult” as a child of an incarcerated parent. Throughout her childhood, there were many heavy feelings that stemmed from her mother’s absence. Shame, self-blame, and confusion were just some of the feelings surrounding her mother’s absence. As a child, she often wondered, “Was there anything I could have done to prevent my mom from leaving?” After spending most of her childhood with her mother incarcerated, her father began a lengthy sentence in prison when Tamicka was a teenager. With her father being who raised her, this was devastating. As an adult, Tamicka quickly learned she had a passion for helping others who are facing adverse circumstances. After obtaining her Master of Science from the University of Kansas in counseling psychology, she also went on to become a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. For the past 15 years, Tamicka has been working with people to “heal, grow, and become the best version of themselves.” Now, Tamicka is a therapist who works closely with parents and children with a family member incarcerated. In 2023, Tamicka published her book, “Where Daddy Lives,” to provide a tool for parents to have conversations with their children to better understand what is happening and feelings they might have. She offers guidance for age-appropriate conversations parents can have with children that evolve over time. For more information or to purchase the book, visit https://www.tamickamonsoncounseling.com/where-daddy-lives. Dedicated to her two younger siblings and all children of incarcerated parents, Tamicka signed her book, “There is hope.” We could not agree more, and it was such an honor to meet you, Tamicka!

Send us a text

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.