The Luminary Life

Welcome to The Luminary Life

MY STORY

For most of my life, I did everything right.

Over twenty years working in the financial services industry.

I had all the licenses, the title, the professional identity, with the suit and briefcase to match.

It all looked perfectly assembled from the outside — but what no one knew is that I felt like I was slowly suffocation from the inside.

Each week I was just waiting to get to Friday when I could breath again. And each Monday on my commute I was back to holding my breath again bracing for the week ahead.

Meanwhile, there was a whole other version of me that had been waiting patiently for decades to be seen and heard.

Creative. Expressive. Alive in a way that spreadsheets, portfolios and monthly goals never allowed.

I filed that version away under one word I told myself over and over again: Impractical.

How could I possibly shift gears at this late stage of life to do something else? That train had already left the station and there was no turning back now, is what I told myself.

Then one ordinary afternoon, I got a call that changed everything.

Something I had always dreaded and worked so hard to avoid my whole career. I was laid off.

Not a choice I made, one that was made for me.

And in the shock that followed — the questions, the fear, the terrifying silence of suddenly having no identity to hide behind. But something else showed up too...

Relief.

They say that when it's time for you to make a change but you don't feel ready, the Universe will sometimes make the decision for you. This is exactly what happened to me.

Ready or not, I found myself without a job and no prospect of one in sight.

But this time was different. I could feel it.

Although I had been working in the industry for long enough that I knew I could find something if I really wanted to.

But... did I really want to...I asked myself.

I knew it was a big risk to not get another job right away, and that the longer I was indecisive any possible opportunities would slip further away.

But I knew this was my chance, this was my opportunity to make that 180 degree change in my life I had always dreamed about. This was my time to do what would actually make "me" happy, and not what would make my family happy or what society would expect of me. This was my chance to shine my light and follow my heart.

So I did it. I decided to take the chance and pursue my passion.

I was doing it alone. No partner. No safety net. No backup plan. Just me and the most defining decision of my life.

I made the choice to surrender my professional licenses. Not let them lapse. Not put them on hold. Surrendered them.

I knew this was a decision that had to be made right in that moment. If I kept them, I had a plan B, albeit unsatisfying, it was a soft place to land if taking a new path didn't work out.

So I knew, I had no choice other than to walk away knowing what I was leaving behind. The safety of a 9-5 job, health insurance, a 401K plan, a network, a career.

But at that point, none of it mattered anymore. I was ready...ready for a major shift, a monumental change. Something I had dreamed of my whole life. I was ready to step into my authenticity and actually sit in the drivers seat of my own life. Take ownership, accountability and agency over my life story.

After making the choice to walk away, I then did things that would have terrified the old me.

I performed ballroom dance on stage in front of 300 people.

I did a stand-up comedy set in front of a live audience.

I acted as a main character on stage in a play.

I launched my own podcast.

I discovered my voice.

Literally, and then built a voiceover career from scratch.

I self taught myself how to do all of these things, no degree, no training, no support, just my tenacity, my will and my determination.

And while I have to admit this has been one of the most challenging times of my life, it has also been the most rewarding. And am most proud of what I have accomplished.

No longer do I judge myself by the financial goals I once did, but rather by the fulfillment I receive from charting my own course and living life on my terms.

The peace and happiness I have found cannot be satisfied by a corporate title, or an expense account. Knowing that I have found myself again and am honoring my True North has restored my soul and infuses me with joy everyday now that I have the opportunity to follow my heart and pursue my dreams.

So after many years of diving deep into my own journey of personal growth and expansion, I want to share all that I have learned by supporting others on a similar path of self exploration and self empowerment.

This is the reason I developed my own transformational coaching program called The Illuminate Method™ — a proprietary private coaching program for people who are done waiting for permission to live the life they’ve always wanted.

I want to help others who are in the same position I was in and who want more out of life. Those who want to stop regretting what could have been and instead focus on what still can be!

If you're still breathing, there's still time.

Choose the path less travelled.

Let's do this together!

~Tara

"In the end, we only regret the chances we didn't take." - Lewis Carroll