Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamara Hall.
Hi Tamara, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
From foster care to emancipation, to boarding a Greyhound bus with nothing more than a borrowed military duffle bag, my journey has been anything but ordinary.
I learned very early in life that school wasn’t just about education, it was about warm meals, safety, and hope. It became the place where I learned that the right environment could change the trajectory of a life.
I stepped off a bus alone in Washington, D.C., to attend college. I had no idea what waited for me on the other side. There was no roadmap, no meal plan and no guidance. But I also stepped off with faith, resilience, and the determination to build a different future.
Education has always been a place of refuge for me. Spiritually, my gift of administration, quietly steering, organizing, and building systems, has been just as important. The unique combination has always been at work, allowing me to shape classrooms, ministries, and communities into safer, more intentional spaces.
Looking back, every chapter of my life has prepared me for my purpose. Today, I’m a pastor, educator, entrepreneur, and AI innovator committed to helping others navigate transitions with confidence and hope. My desire is to disrupt patterns, evaluate and close gaps and guide an often misunderstood generation of young people into their extraordinary next steps.
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?
It certainly hasn’t been a smooth road.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that having a great vision isn’t enough. You can have a compelling mission, a detailed plan, and all the passion in the world, but if you don’t understand every aspect of what you’re building, your foundation becomes vulnerable. Even if you’re not the expert in every area, you have to understand how the pieces work together. A strong vision without a strong foundation will eventually be tested.
Another challenge has been learning to balance entrepreneurship with life. Building a business doesn’t happen in isolation from the rest of your responsibilities. You’re balancing family, faith, work, finances, relationships, and often your own well-being while trying to bring an idea to life. There have been seasons when the weight of those competing priorities felt overwhelming.
Yet, one of the most difficult challenges came from the unexpected loss my husband last year. He was my biggest cheerleader and believed that I could do absolutely anything. There’s no good time for loss, especially of this magnitude. Trying to finish my doctorate degree during this time was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And although I am still learning who I am without him, this experience reshaped my understanding of resilience. It reminded me that success isn’t just about what you build, it’s about who you become while building it.
Today, I see obstacles a little differently. They aren’t interruptions; they’re part of the curriculum. Even the hardest situations can be teachers, I hope we all, even in the midst of tears take the time to learn the lessons. What we learn we can grow from, and although it’s not a pretty phrase, I understand that a lack of growth in anything is evidence of decay. I’m desperately trying to be intentional about the lessons I need to learn, apply and share.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
iSpeak Tees LLC is the parent company behind a growing organization of purpose-driven brands committed to helping people heal, build, and confidently navigate what’s next. ISpeak Tees is a bold, faith driven apparel brand that equips believers with strong declarations of faith that can be shared all over the earth. We support the mission of the gospel and we do so in excellence. We also affirm the identity and significance of women through apparel that encourages and connects with authority. We also offer custom and bulk orders for family reunions, ministries, schools, and other organizations.
DivinAI Systems a division of ISpeak Tees LLC, is a research-informed innovation and Transition Intelligence company that helps educators, entrepreneurs, organizations, and communities prepare for the future. While we leverage artificial intelligence as a powerful tool, our mission extends far beyond AI. We inform, teach, and build practical solutions that help people solve problems, make informed decisions, and create meaningful opportunities. Our work includes AI literacy training, educator professional development, classroom implementation strategies, parent AI literacy nights, organizational AI readiness, policy development, governance guidance, workforce development, and entrepreneurship education through our Prompt to Product framework, which helps individuals transform ideas into viable businesses assets and platforms using intelligent tools and strategic guidance.
Our flagship initiative (which I am most proud of), Pathfinder by DivinAI Systems is a Transition Intelligence platform designed to help people confidently navigate life’s most important transitions. Whether a person’s next step is higher education, employment, entrepreneurship, or military service, Pathfinder combines research, intelligent technology, and human guidance to connect them with the resources, tools, and support they need to move forward with confidence. We are taking request to join our founding cohort. Those that are interested will have the opportunity to use intelligent tools for various searches, test prep and skill development. It’s important to note that all of our services connect people with people as we use technology to advance the mission. Service.
Our work is grounded in over a decade of experience in education, intervention, and postsecondary transition planning. It is further strengthened by my doctoral research, which was recognized with the Dr. Frederick E. Smith Dissertation Award from Fayetteville State University.
As we continue to grow, we’re expanding the DivinAI Systems with specialized tools that support workforce development, postsecondary success, and entrepreneurship, creating an integrated experience that helps individuals move from uncertainty to opportunity at every stage of their journey.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
If I could leave people with a few lessons, they would be these:
First, protect your vision. Not everyone has the capacity to see what you see. Big visions should be shared with people who are capable of thinking beyond what’s immediately visible. Sometimes people discourage your dream, not because they want to hurt you, but because they can only evaluate it through the lens of what they’ve experienced. Be intentional about who you invite to speak into your vision, especially while it’s still developing.
Second, never stop learning. I’ve always believed there’s very little we can’t learn if we’re willing to pursue knowledge with discipline and curiosity. Long before AI became mainstream, I believed access to knowledge could change a person’s future. Today, AI accelerates that process. It gives us the ability to learn faster, identify patterns, solve problems, and build in ways that weren’t possible before. Used responsibly, it can transform businesses, ministries, classrooms, and lives, but only if we’re willing to learn.
Third, don’t build in isolation. As an introvert, I spent years believing I had to figure everything out on my own. One of the greatest lessons I’m learning in this season is the value of community. Relationships aren’t just about networking or exchanging services. they’re about the exchange of wisdom, perspective, and vision. The right community challenges you, sharpens your thinking, and helps carry the weight of big ideas.
Finally, trust God with the process. Some of the greatest opportunities in my life began as situations that looked impossible. I’ve learned that faith isn’t having every answer before you begin, it’s having the courage to take the next step in the dark. God has never asked me to explain the vision. He’s asked me to be faithful enough to build it.
Pricing:
- Join the AI for Teachers Summer Sessions, which is $47 per course
Contact Info:
- Website: ispeaktees.com and pathfinderbydivinai.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divinaisystems
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1JNH2ooNQF/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamara-hall-lewis-2a842129
- Twitter: https://x.com/ispeak_tees
- Other: ispeaktees@gmail.com
