Rising Stars: Meet Tamika Wells

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamika Wells.

Hi Tamika, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I originally started writing and learning about poetry in 6th grade. Since I read at a 12th grade level on my state mastery tests, I was one of the few children selected to be a part of a writing mentorship. They taught us about poetry punctuation, Maya Angelou, and Shakespeare to name a few things. I fell in love with it! As an urban young girl growing up in Bridgeport, CT, hardship was all around me and in my home.

I was the only child of a single mom with mental illness, I experienced bullying, domestic violence in my home and joined a gang at 13. So, poetry became a cathartic outlet for me. It and painting rescued me from depression several times throughout my teens.

After graduating top 3 in my High School senior class, senior class president, and school council leader, I found myself pregnant at 19 years old. I was on my way into the University of Connecticut to become a doctor and thought my life was over. I stopped writing for a while and focused on the challenges of raising a son alone.

In 2005, I started writing again and began performing at open mics and spoken word venues. Then my mom died. I wrote “A Song of Surrender” a month later then I put the pen down for a few more years. I quit school again and immersed myself in survival, stayed strong for my son, and pushed his dreams. I started a business and became a full-time entrepreneur in 2019, just after he graduated from high school.

When my son moved out in September 2019, I started a journey of healing from all the grief of losing a close relationship with him, burying my mother, father, grandparents, uncles, and more. I found Griefshare and learned EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques} to cope with my emotions. In 2020, I picked up the pen again to deal with the emptiness of being an empty nester, single and isolated in civil unrest, in a divided country, in a divided church, in a pandemic.

Enough was enough. I wrote Tidal Wave in February 2021 and the poetry has flowed from there. When I moved to Winston Salem, I found it no coincidence that I live 7 minutes from Maya Angelou’s former mansion. I knew my pen had a purpose and it was time to heal the world with words.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I tried to explain to some folks in my Leadership Lewisville-Clemmons program last year, how it feels to be poor and a minority. I said, “Have you ever seen the movie, ‘The Pursuit of Happiness?'” They said, “Oh, yeah! I LOVE that movie! I love Will…” I said, “Yeah, try imagining that movie lasting 20 years instead of 2 hours.”

Poignant but like many, they struggled to comprehend it. Needless to say, there have been many, many, many challenges, but they prepared me for where I am now. I packed shopping carts and boxes superbly for my Honey Bee Delivery business because we had to move every 2 years when my son and I were on Section 8 housing assistance. I am able to adapt quickly and have compassion after job, after job, after the job, and moving around so much.

Many do not understand this side of living on government assistance that I am about to share. For families who are genuinely trying to get support to become financially independent, it’s next to impossible to get off of government assistance without severe hardship. For a month or two, you’ll feel accomplished. You get a new job, a small raise, and finally start feeling like you’re climbing out of poverty, then Boom! You receive a notice in the mail that your assistance has been lowered or completely cut off. There goes your budget! What do you do when you have no family support, no child support, and you’re still $2500 per month short of paying all your basic bills? So in 2010, my son and I moved to North Carolina and started from scratch. No car. No job. No steady family support.

“Pivoting” was the catchword in business in 2020. I am the poster child of it… haha! The last several years were eye-opening because honestly, the hardest part to change is how you see yourself. After a successful business career, I have to remind myself that this is my “Yes” season. The “No, you’re too poor. You’re too young. You’re a female. You’re a Black female. You’re a single mother. You’re credit is no good,” season and the shame surrounding it is over! And I have to constantly remind myself of that and surround myself with people who have a similar elevated mindset.

I’d say the hardest part now is finding authentic people, now that our nation and churches are so divided. I wouldn’t be the mom I am today without the Church but some of the same folks are being so ignorant and hurtful now, it’s discouraging. I’m just grateful for my studies in the Bible for myself and learning that people don’t care how much you know, they want to know how much you care. Period.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am known, in Winston Salem, for my grocery delivery service that protected doctors’ families during phase one of the pandemic lockdown, in 2020. Only a few people in NC, know that I write, also.

It’s called, “Into a Woman’s Soul: A Poetic Journey From Tragedy to Triumph.” I share pieces of my story and observations via a collection of poems. It is my hope that these poems and topics will help women across the world cope with what we experience.

And I believe it will even help people, in general, cope and realize that they are not alone. The book covers topics about parenting, mental illness, suicide, domestic violence, miscarriage, grief, joy, anger, age, gender, race, sexuality, faith, body image, and going to jail. I hope it empowers people and I plan to write more.

What are your plans for the future?
I’d like to write to young people, next. They are really hurting and we need to support them so they can get through.

My message is, if I can live through what I’ve been through, you can, too. I’d also like to write about business and leadership in a poetic format, as well. We need to integrate all of our parts. We can have heart-centered businesses and still be prosperous.

I’m also a master coach at Coach Elevate Her and I also help people heal childhood trauma with EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) or “tapping.” I look forward to traveling the world and helping people rise up from poverty and their limiting circumstances. It is my joy!

Contact Info:

• Email: info@tamikawells.com
• Website: www.tamikawells.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheistamikawells/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sheistamikawells
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/sheistamika
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPI4swBCJKnNHiQKwNWisdA
• Yelp: https://www.tiktok.com/@sheistamikawells
• Other: https://calendly.com/coachelevateher

Image Credits
Still Shots Photography, @Quill_MayPhoto, and Leadership Limelight Photo