From Business to Ballots - A Mompreneur's Path to Politics // with Tamie Wilson

Carmelita Tiu:
00:00:03

Welcome to know them, be them, raise them, a show to help busy, mindful growth oriented moms stay informed and inspired, especially as they're navigating their daughters tween and teen years. I'm Carmelita Tiu, an unapologetic multihyphenate. I'm a mom of two girls, a wife, a certified life coach for multi-passionate impact driven women. Also an attorney for creatives and a podcast host.

Carmelita (Cat) Tiu, Host:
00:00:31

So my guest today is someone I was introduced to and as soon as I met her, her energy and passion for the work that she does was palpable. Tammy is the 2024 democratic candidate running for the us house of representatives for Ohio's fourth congressional district. KA Tammy's proactive get things done mindset and common sense approach to community service and creating a flourishing economy naturally propelled her into the realm of politics. For Tammy Congress is an extension of her lifelong commitment to community service. She's an entrepreneur with corporate marketing sales, counseling, and leadership roles in her background. She's a single mom and she's an advocate for all Ohio families. This being an election year with so many issues on the table that impact women, I thought it would be a fascinating conversation to have, and I'm thrilled to have her as my guest today. Uh, so without further ado, Tammy, welcome to the podcast. And tell us a little bit about yourself and your current endeavors.

Tamie Wilson:
00:01:40

Yeah. So I am, I don't know if I should say I was a single mom. My son is now 18. Um, I'm also an entrepreneur and granddaughter of a World war two veteran. I was married to a Marine for about 10 years and in 2019, I launched a new business and when the pandemic hit, I actually had to shut it down. From that experience and watching George Floyd die on TV and just so many different things, you know, I decided to get into politics. And so now I am running for Congress against a one of the top GOP extremists, Jim Jordan. And I'm very passionate about bringing civility and Bringing the women's voice to the forefront and inspiring women to get involved in politics as well.

Carmelita (Cat) Tiu, Host:
00:02:35

Yeah. So it's just recently that you really leaned into politics. Were there any other things that kind of made it feel like this was the right time for you for this to be possible?

Tamie Wilson:
00:02:49

Yeah. So I am a biracial woman and watching the rise in racism in our country really concerns me and that really, you know, sparked me into getting involved and actually doing something. Watching the direction of our country, you know, such Hate and racism and such division. Where are we headed? It's not a good place, you know, and that bothers me. I believe that we do better when we're all doing better. I we're only as strong as our weakest link and we have a lot of weak links. I really strongly feel that, uh, Trump's followers, they feel left behind and forgotten So I understand their anger and disdain for the government. However, people that a lot of them are, following and. exalting really don't do anything for them. And I feel that I cannot just be their voice, but also their action taker to bring the results that they would really like to see in their future.

Carmelita (Cat) Tiu, Host:
00:03:59

Hmm. So you mentioned at one point in our earlier conversations that, being a mother, Also kind of qualifies you in a unique way for politics and something you just touched on. It sounded like you're really coming at everyone, even if it on the surface, they disagree with you. You're really coming at it with a sense of compassion. Uh, so tell me a little bit about maybe how being a mom like you said, qualifies people for politics.

Tamie Wilson:
00:04:32

Being a woman qualifies people. You know, we, we really see the bigger picture. We're multitaskers. My experience has been, especially with women entrepreneurs or business leaders, uh, community leaders. We are extremely compassionate and worried about community. The things that we do are to enrich the community and to make the world a better place for our children. A lot of men are more worried about money and power. Women are more worried about safety and progress from my experience. Um, and so I think that having that framework that vision in mind of, okay, are we headed down a path of destruction or a path of progress and growth? And the paths are very clear to me. And so that is a major concern. I think that women. You know, we are aware of our surroundings. We're aware of, you know, it's sort of like, you know, when you have a child, you child proof the home, right? Well, you think of all of the different things that your child could get into that could harm them. I'm really kind of taking that approach. That's where I think we need more women involved in politics because we look at the world differently. We experienced the world differently and our voice and our experiences need to be heard, especially now.

Carmelita (Cat) Tiu, Host:
00:06:13

Yeah. It is just so important. You know, it's fascinating because what's coming up as you're sharing about women needing to be in politics, I remember growing up how when I looked at pictures of Congress, it, there was never anyone that looked like me. Very few women. Maybe one woman of color, and it made it so my idea of even my, like my bias, my default in my head sometimes is to think of rooms full of Navy suit wearing men.

Tamie Wilson:
00:06:46

Yeah.

Carmelita (Cat) Tiu, Host:
00:06:46

And I, as you were talking, it really made me think about how, How important it is for us to change those biases by including more women so people can start envisioning themselves in those spaces. So our kids can start seeing that as normal and not, uh, an anomaly because my, I have to admit my brain still when someone says, Oh, the president of this country, like my brain assumes it's a man. And you know, the only way we can change that is by women getting involved and changing those default images.

Tamie Wilson:
00:07:23

I mean that what you're saying is just that hits the nail on the head because women make over 50 percent of the population here in the US, but we're only 24 percent in the Senate 26 in the house and 30 at state and local government. But we make over 50%. And I don't know where you or your audiences on the side of abortion, you know, it should not be a political thing, in my opinion, it is a very personal thing. But when a woman has a miscarriage as I'm sure you know, a lot of times the doctor will perform a DNC to clean out her system to make sure there are no remnants of the deceased fetus still in her body that could cause disease or death or prevent her from having future children. Well, we have these lawmakers that consider that to be an abortion and you know, for someone that has a miscarriage that needs to have a DNC to, you know, for her own health. You know, to protect her own health and protect her ability to have more children, some procedures are needed and it should not be a political thing. It's just, it's so sad to me that we're here with this issue, for so many women, you know, and they're going after IVF treatments as well. So many people want to have children and that is their only avenue for some people, how dare anyone take that ability or right away from anyone. It just, it makes absolutely no sense. But when you have, I'm going to say male lawmakers in there that do not understand the female anatomy or, you know, medicine, they're making these political decisions and it just really, it's not right.

Carmelita (Cat) Tiu, Host:
00:09:14

So what would you say to someone that is, you know, feels passionately about these issues but maybe has not ever considered going into politics? Or maybe, maybe they are considering it, but they're tamping down that urge or dismissing it.

Tamie Wilson:
00:09:31

Let me tell you. This is what the, this is the mindset of what women go through. A lot of times they are mothers, so they do not want to leave the child. And then you have the double standard of, you know, voters who won't vote for women because they have children at home. I mean, there's, I learned, I thought we were so far advanced when it comes to women in politics, but we really are not. And that was probably the biggest shocker to me. I, I mean, I get so much criticism for my looks, for my nails, you know, I love wearing makeup. And I will hear comments that, Oh, Tammy, you're too pretty. Or your lips are too bright. Your eyebrows are too dark. Your nails are too long. Your heels are too high. I mean, just so many stupid things. But for someone that does have an interest, just do it. Just do it. You will figure it out. That is what I'm going to tell you. A lot of women will say, well, you know, I shouldn't do it. I don't have the experience or I need to do this, this, this, this, and that first, or I need to, uh, learn this, or I need to learn that. No, you don't. Just get involved. You will. Figure it out. You will, you are a resourceful woman. You will figure it out. You will get the information you need when you need it. That is the difference I feel between men and women. We are used to having to fight for it. You know, ambitious women, you know how it is. You know, we do, we have to work harder and smarter than men. That is just the bottom line, especially if you're a woman of color, I'm a biracial woman. There's so many prejudices out there. I'm short. I have a high voice. I look young. But you know, there's so many things that people have a double standard with women that they don't have with men. We have to work twice, three times as hard to overcome all of those prejudices. It's just, it's really interesting. Yeah. But it's worth it. It is worth it. And once people start listening to you, once they get over the drama in their own head, their own, you know, obstacles and start listening to you, they will be your biggest supporters and they will work hard for you. And it is so awesome to watch that evolution. I had a meeting with this gentleman the other day, this man has helped run gubernatorial races, uh, senatorial races and You know, he was so critical of me and he went from saying, Oh yeah, well, well, good for you for trying. Yeah, but it was so funny watching him, you know, go from Oh, well, that's kind of cute. You know, that's basically what he was saying to me, but he went from that to, wow, I'm so excited. I got to meet our next Congresswoman. And I'm like, That is right. That's it right there. Mm. You know, half an hour or so, but I got him there. It's funny to watch that with people.

Carmelita (Cat) Tiu, Host:
00:12:32

I can just imagine that feeling, how you must have felt seeing that evolution from skeptic to open minded to a believer, essentially. And that's, that's really, I think, What politics is about, right? not just speaking to the people that automatically resonate with you, but also the people that might be a little hesitant or unsure and reassuring them and working with them to get them to that place of belief.

Tamie Wilson:
00:13:03

And that goes back to the compassion. It is all about listening to people. People want to be heard. They don't want to be patronized. They want to be heard and they want someone to advocate for them. And that is my specialty. I love helping people. That is just, that is what I was created to do, you know? And, and I have the big picture type of mindset that I can just see the bigger picture and I can see, well, we really need to do this and this and that to get that result. You know, I think a lot of times with politics, they just hit the surface, which doesn't do anything. And that's really what upsets people and they get no change. And that's why they feel so aggravated, you know, with our government, because they're not seeing the change that they really want to see. Well, that's because they don't address the core issue of what really needs to be done to get that transformation. And as a coach, you know what I'm talking about? If you don't get the core issue, if you don't hit the heart of the matter, nothing is going to change.

Carmelita (Cat) Tiu, Host:
00:14:08

I want to jump back to something you mentioned earlier about how you women in politics or any sort of leadership space are often judged unfairly, that we do have to work twice as hard and, uh, you, you essentially in signing up to be a leader, you may be signing up for a heightened level of scrutiny and judgment, which can feel scary to people. And, you know, maybe even turn some women off because they don't want to feel that way. Or they might be perfectionists and it leads to sort of this sense of anxiety. Like I can't fail and whatnot. And I, I'm curious, like, what are your, uh, What mental blocks did you have to overcome and how did you overcome them or how do you, because it might be a practice given that you are constantly having to show up and try hard and, work to dismantle some of these biases and stereotypes or snap judgments that people might have in these spaces.

Tamie Wilson:
00:15:05

Yeah. So I can be very much a perfectionist. I like to be liked by people. I, I'm not going to say it's hurtful to get the criticism. It's more disappointing. I just hate that some people, this is the biggest thing I had to learn. I had to learn that you cannot win over everyone. Some people just want to be mean and hateful. It doesn't matter what you say. It doesn't matter how much sense you make it doesn't matter what facts you bring to the table. Some people just want to be mean and hateful and those people I'm just like, okay. You know, and just keep on, keep on trucking, you know, but some people, so I, I, we kind of test people. So when I get those nasty messages, I'll just, if I feel like it, I do my own personal check to say, okay, do I want to engage or not? You know, and if I, sometimes I want to, sometimes it's for my own humor. Sometimes it's, you know, to make a point or, or just to connect, you know? So it just depends on what mood I'm in. And so I will, kind of test the waters, you know, okay. Am I dealing with a sane person here? Are they just angry? Do they just need to be heard? You just kind of feel people out. And so if I can, or if I'm up to it, I will engage and, and sometimes, you know, we can win those people over, but I had to get used to one, not checking all of the messages, not reading them, especially for my own, mental wellness. I just, I get called a communist, a commie, a Marxist, a devil worshiper, a baby killer. I mean, just terrible, terrible things. And I'm just like, wow, what is that person's life like for them to be so evil like that, you know, and. Sometimes responding to them with compassion can work, but other times it's just like, no, they have no interest in being kind or civil and they just want to be mean, you know, so sometimes I'm mean back.

Carmelita (Cat) Tiu, Host:
00:17:20

So what I'm getting from that is to set boundaries like recognize that you're not going to win everyone over. Another thing

Tamie Wilson:
00:17:28

that was a hard one for me. So being the perfectionist and I love psychology and I love helping people. I've always been the person that befriended all the bullies because I knew that they were the people that need love the most, you know? And so But yeah, I had, I had to learn to just shut it down and just move on and. That that's hard because you know, I want everyone to be happy and not everyone wants to be happy.

Carmelita (Cat) Tiu, Host:
00:17:54

Yeah, you know, yeah Yeah,

Tamie Wilson:
00:17:56

you can only control what you can control right?

Carmelita (Cat) Tiu, Host:
00:17:58

Right right so a large degree of perhaps acceptance, you know of the situation at hand and Another thing that that came up was the idea of when to engage and how to engage and I just had a guest on recently and she was talking about experiencing antisemitism and her initial reaction was to be Kind of aggressive or very, you know, passionate about responding to people that would throw these hateful things her way. Uh, and then realizing that, yes, yes. And sometimes when people are observing, they may not have the whole context. So if they only get the snippet of you being Louder, maybe more, uh, aggressive or whatnot than you want to be. That becomes the story in their head about you you know, they may not take the time to see the big picture.

Tamie Wilson:
00:18:54

That is so true. And so for me running against Jim Jordan. So when I first started running, I was running against another congressman, but then when they redrew the maps, with the redistricting, they cut me into Jim Jordan's district. And I was like, Oh my gosh, okay, let's go, you know? And I know that being a woman and running against him and my feeling and what I've seen with the district that, People want a strong fighter. They want someone that's going to, you know, scream at the government for them. I mean, give it to them, you know? And so I had been presenting myself to be this really strong, you know, person. But it was so interesting I had gone to this memorial, one of our treasurers in one of the counties he had, he had passed away. And so I was at the memorial for him and I was speaking to the crowd and I addressed the family and I said, I am just so sorry for your loss. I mean, it can even choke me up now. And, uh, After the, after I sat down, the gentleman next to me goes, wow, you're really empathetic. And I was like, oh my God, what am I presenting to people, you know? And, oh my gosh, that was, that was something to have that realization. Wow. It was wild. Yeah.

Carmelita (Cat) Tiu, Host:
00:20:23

Well, hearing you speak about the, the work that goes into it, the things that you, uh, have to endure, uh, running and also the reward, you know, I can see how you light up. And yeah, you can tell that, yeah. This has truly become part of your life's work. So I'm honored to share space with you. And I'd love to know, is there one quote or affirmation or a thought that you'd like to leave with the listeners?

Tamie Wilson:
00:20:50

You know, my favorite quotes are, as you think, so shall you be. I was really raised with the thought that you can do and be anything that you set your mind to. Obviously that's not really true. I mean, if you went to be an NFL star, but you can't play football, it's not going to happen, you know, but you might coach. You know, so I mean, what I've really been trying to do is to inspire women to take their sphere of influence to the next level. Don't just think about just helping. Being a volunteer at Red Cross or, you know, the American Cancer Society or something. Don't just work your job and just be the manager or the, you know, a CEO or something. Take those skills, your sphere of influence, your experience, your, your need or desire to make the world a better place, To the next level and get into politics. It is so needed. We need more women involved. Do not let anything stop you. Just do it. Go for it. That is like my main thing is just go for it.

undefined:
00:22:12

I love how approachable and real Tammy was. It's kind of fun to think this is this person that's so relatable and I can have this conversation with them. And she's running for Congress. Uh, it just kind of blows my mind a little bit. I so appreciated this conversation. Here are my top five takeaways. Number one. Recognize the importance of women's voices. Women bring unique perspectives into politics. And in many ways we experience the world differently than men. It's important for us to speak about our experiences and the insights they've given us to help inform meaningful change. Number two. Major life and world events, whether it's the pandemic, racial tensions, inequities, or personal challenges. Can ignite a passion for change. Allow yourself to pivot and make inspired moves. Listen to your gut and don't be afraid to take action. Number three. You can't win over everyone. Criticism and negative feedback is inevitable and there may be some people that won't support you no matter what you say or do just stay true to your values and goals. And don't let this dissuade you from continuing on your path. Number four, use empathy in leadership. Strong advocacy has to be paired with empathy and compassion. People need to feel heard. Actively listening and showing concern and openness will help you genuinely advocate for others needs. And number five step up. If you feel called to lead or serve, use the skills and passions you have and take them to the next level, by getting involved in politics. Your skills and experiences are valuable and women's voices are needed to help make the world a better place. To learn more about Tammy and her campaign visit www dot Tammy Wilson. Dot com that's spelled. T a M I E. wilson.com.

Carmelita (Cat) Tiu, Host:
00:24:15

Thanks for listening. If you like what you heard, tell a friend, follow the podcast and leave a review if you haven't done so yet. if you're on Instagram, follow @knowberaisethem, and visit knowberaisethem.Com. And lastly, as you may have heard from the intro, I am a certified coach so check out carmelitatiu.com to set up a 30 minute quick mindset reset, you can see what it's like to work with a coach. And as always here's to strong women. May we know them, may we be them? And may we raise them.