Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Skidmore.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Tiffany. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always been a self-improvement junkie, a mountain woman, and an insatiable learner. I spend lot of time in my head, mulling over the big whys in life. At a party, you’ll always find me in a corner with one or two people skipping small talk and asking questions that make us think.
I started out as a teacher, first in Denver, then in South Korea. My eleven years in education, although meaningful, never quenched the yearning I felt for something more.
I vividly remember the moment I knew I’d one day own my own business as a coach. I was hiking in South Korea alone on spring break in 2015. I had a “download” (a deep knowing) come through (as they often do when I’m solo hiking), and I was so certain it was pointing me to my future that I made a voice memo to remind myself of the moment.
I carried on teaching for another year before moving back to the U.S. when my dad became terminally ill. I decided to do contract work in educational data collection while spending time with my family. Although my business was still in the back of my mind, I was focused on enjoying time with my loved ones and settling back into life in the United States.
My initiation onto what I consider my “soul path” was when my father passed away in February 2017. I went through a year of grieving and healing, during which I traveled, got my yoga teachers certification, and studied meditation, energy healing, and self-compassion.
I experienced grief in such a physical way during this time that I could no longer do the intense CrossFit workouts that used to be my rock through hard times. I had to learn new ways to manage stress and emotion.
Self-compassion was (and is) a practice I leaned on heavily — the willingness to have my own back and give myself kindness during really hard times. It was awkward at first, because being kind to ourselves is not something that is taught or modeled in our society, and not something that came naturally to a a self-critical, driven perfectionist like me. Though I felt silly at first, I kept practicing, and it became a saving grace as I healed.
I also began to learn about the power of self-talk, mindfulness, and meditation. These practices were life-savers and path-shifters.
After a year of healing, I realized that life held different priorities for me. I no longer cared about living the “conventional” path. I earned a life coach and health coach certification and began working with clients to transform their relationships with themselves and create more in their lives.
Since opening my coaching business (the very one I had predicted years before on that solo hike), I have felt the deep fulfillment that I had been longing for. This work is energizing and allows me to step into the deep intuition, curiosity, and transformative work that has always been at the core of who I am.
I now help women who feel stuck, find answers and momentum. I help women step into the confidence they crave — feeling comfortable in their skin NOW, by shifting self-talk and practicing self-compassion. I help women make aligned, confident choices as they navigate big life transitions and decisions.
It’s the work I love, and the work I am on earth to do.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, I think anytime a person goes out to create something new in the world, the path is usually rough. It is the traveling of it that smooths it over time. One of my mentors says that success always comes on a pile of failures. It’s a learning process of taking action, reflecting and trying again.
One of the biggest struggles for me was believing in myself as I stepped onto a totally new path. There is much to learn in the entrepreneurial world, and it took a lot of persistence and willingness to be a beginner over and over again. Coming from an established career in education, I experienced a lot of unexpected discomfort in starting over with my own coaching business.
The gold in this experience was changing how I perceived failure. When something didn’t work or get the result I wanted, it was not a failure, meaning something to feel bad about. Rather, it was feedback. Each time I didn’t get the result I wanted, I was able to learn something and revise my approach in the next attempt.
My advice for other women carving out their unique paths in the world is to KEEP GOING. Remember that failure is just feedback, and nothing to feel bad about. Be gentle and kind with yourself as you work towards your dreams. Have your own back, hard. Finally, surround yourself with other women who inspire you, support you, and see you as your best self.
What should we know about Nourish and Forge Life Coaching? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I work with unconventional, compassionate, intelligent women who are ready to convert their inner critic and feel confident and content in their bodies and lives.
My area of specialty is behavior change starting from within. No diet or New Year resolution sticks if we haven’t made the changes inside our own minds and hearts first.
I create fork-in-the-road programs that help women change how they relate to themselves, navigate their goals from a place of love instead of pressure/judgement, and finally reach the potential they know they are capable of.
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
My mom is so inspiring to me. She has been dealt a hard hand in this life, but she doesn’t make excuses. She knows herself well and focuses on what she is able to do, rather than what she is not. Throughout my life, she has modeled what it means to value intellect and growth. She is a life-long learner who has become more flexible in her thinking as she gets older, rather than more rigid. She has been a role-model for me in pursuing excellence and loving others deeply.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nourishandforge.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nourishandforge/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nourishandforge/
Image Credit:
Taken by friends, family, and me.
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