For over 9 years, I struggled with non-stop mom guilt and career guilt. There was a loud referee in my head screaming, “You are not enough!”. From the day that I became a working mom, I felt inadequate as a Mom and longed for the time when I was a confident, kick-ass corporate executive traveling the globe and having fun. One of our daughters has always been strong-willed and spirited. She has struggled with sleep her entire life, and so my husband and I have as well. The emotional pain that I felt missing so much of their lives while working as a corporate executive was the catalyst for me to study the science of happiness, coaching, and well-being at work. I wanted to be that “Happy Tia” again, and I wanted to help others do the same. In 2019, I left my corporate role to launch my first brand, Arrive At Happy. Life and work were integrated better with this change, but the parenting and work challenges did not end. Our daughter continued to have challenges, and we discovered that she was autistic and had a nervous system disability when she was seven. I had always parented the way that my parents raised me. My style was more directive, and I would react and get angry when the kids did not listen. Their dysregulation made me dysregulated, and I was unintentionally putting fuel on the fire and making things much worse. I partnered with an incredible coach on this journey, and she helped me navigate my non-stop inner critic and grow my dream company. I was growing my professional speaking and leadership development business, wrote a best-selling book, and gave a viral TED talk. My work brought me light to helping others.

In the summer of 2021, I was crying on the phone to our autistic parenting coach, asking, “HOW CAN I STAY CALM?”. I shared that my husband is always able to stay calm when the girls are having huge emotions, but it was so hard for me. She responded, “Tia, you need to heal from your childhood.”

For the past four years, I have been on a transformational healing journey, and it has changed me, my family, and my career for the better. I have experienced BodyTalk, EMDR, IFS, Neurofeedback, CBT, and Somatic Experiencing Therapy. My coach introduced me to Buddhist books, and I hired a meditation coach to guide me toward more self-compassion and inner peace. I went from anxious, fearful, reactive, and self-critical to a working mom with self-love, inner peace, and success. You can do it too.