We had the good fortune of connecting with Honorable Tamara Steele and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Honorable Tamara, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am from the San Francisco Bay area. I was raised in Oakland, California and attended undergrad and graduate school in San Francisco, California. My parents were entrepreneurs and started a successful automotive business in 1966, during the civil rights movement. I was a toddler when they started their business, so I grew up, wanting to also become an entrepreneur. My parents never went and worked for someone else once they started their business. Their hard work and dedication over the years instilled in me that I too, could be successful in whatever I decided to pursue.. To this very day, I keep a picture of my parents in my office as a reminder that all things are possible, if I simply believe..

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My professional journey has been an incredible ride. I identified at an early age that I was gifted with public speaking at church and resolving childhood conflicts on the playground. These two gifts would serve as the foundation for my pursuit of a legal career. I always wanted to help people live a better quality life by advocating for social justice in their life. Fast forward, I entered the legal profession and practiced law for well over 25 years; and recently I became an Administrative Law Judge for the State of California, Department of Social Services. My passion for social justice has remained constant throughout the decades. In conjunction with my legal career, I became a certified life coach/ executive coach and licensed minister. My desire to improve the quality of life of others on a more personal level lead me to become a coach and minister . In my role as a coach, I formed an organization entitled Evolve, Global Women Collaborative Community (GWCC). Evolve (GWCC) was uniquely designed to support women in living a purpose-driven life, coupled with creating a lifestyle in alignment with their purpose. Evolve (GWCC) offers an assortment of services ranging from group coaching, mentoring to retreats. I am most proud of my retreats. Over 13 years ago, I founded a retreat entitled the Do You Retreat. This retreat was designed with the professional woman over 40 in mind who was looking to discover fulfillment in her life, beyond success. The retreat focused on helping women gain clarity around their life purpose, coupled with creating a healthy lifestyle that supported them in pursuing their life purpose. There were many challenges with creating Evolve (GWCC) and launching my Do You Retreat. The biggest challenge was finding my core team who I could trust in sharing my vision with in hopes that they would catch the vision and help me execute it. It took time to find the core people who I could trust and truly call my team. The number one lesson I learned is that you cannot rush the process of finding your core team. People who start out with you and express what appears to be a genuine interest in what you’re doing, may not be the people who will stay with you. Lesson number two, it’s OK for people to be a part of your vision for a season and not necessarily the long-haul. Lesson number three, always keep your vision in plain view , and do not get distracted by others who may be doing something similar to you. Always remember that your God-given vision is for you and only you to manifest in the physical realm. The most important thing that I want others to know about my organization Evolve (GWCC) and my Do You Retreat is that we are committed to helping women create sustainable change in their life that brings long lasting fulfillment.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I most likely would start the day with booking a 3 to 5 day reservation at the Lafayette Park Hotel and Spa. I would request a room that’s near the pool and spa area, since that’s where we would spend the majority of our time. I would book at least, three spa treatments, ranging from Swedish massages to body scrubs. A spa weekend would not be complete without lunch served by the pool. After spa services and lunch, we would go shopping in Walnut Creek and take a late afternoon break for a cup of tea. Our teatime would serve as the perfect time to catch up on life. To end our evening, we would venture over to Palo Alto and have dinner at a popular vegan restaurant called Wildseed.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’ would like to give a shout out to my immediate family (Wiggins, Steele and Allen families) who I love dearly and a special shout out to my mom who is one of my biggest cheerleaders. I also want to give a shout out to my sister friends from passion network ministry group, Do You Retreat network ,and the original sister coaching network. Family and sisterhood gives me life!

Website: Tamarasteele.com

Instagram: @firstdoyou

Linkedin: @TamaraSteele

Facebook: @TamaraSteele

Image Credits
D’lightfulcreations.com Photography by DeAnna Shipman

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