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What happens when life changes so dramatically that you barely recognize the person—or the life—you had before?

And once you’ve survived it… how do you find your way back to yourself?

My fascinating guest on this episode of Follow Your Joy, Tammy Gibson, knows that experience in a way few of us can imagine.

After more than two decades in fashion and business, Tammy became critically ill. She spent months in the hospital and ultimately lost her right leg.

Her life changed completely.

How she worked.

How she showed up.

Even how she saw herself.

But what emerged on the other side wasn’t simply survival. It was clarity.

Today, Tammy is a speaker, writer, and founder of Tough Like Tammy, using what she lived through to help women move beyond survival mode and make intentional choices about who they are now and how they want to live.

Inside this deeply moving conversation, we explore:

• What happens to your identity when life changes without your permission
• Why resilience isn’t simply surviving something difficult—it’s how you choose to rebuild afterward
• The difference between functioning in survival mode and truly living again
• How Tammy found her way back to herself after months in the hospital and losing her leg
• Why intuition became an important guide in her life and business
• The quiet inner nudge that told her, “This isn’t just for you”
• How sharing the story she initially wanted to keep private opened an entirely new chapter of purpose, speaking, writing, and impact
• How small, intentional choices can help us move forward without blowing up our lives or starting over

One of the things I love most about Tammy’s story is that her comeback wasn’t about returning to the woman she used to be. Life had changed her.

The opportunity was to discover who she had become.

Tammy describes the process as “editing forward”—getting honest about what no longer works and making one intentional decision at a time based on who you are now, rather than who you used to be.

And there’s another beautiful part of her story. After everything she’d been through, Tammy could have quietly rebuilt her life and kept the experience private. Instead, she kept hearing a persistent inner message:

“This isn’t just for you.” She listened.

That decision ultimately led to speaking opportunities, meaningful relationships, a new career, and the realization that her experience could help other women see what was possible in their own lives.

Tammy is generously sharing her gift: The Comeback Blueprint: Pause. Reflect. Refine. Rebuild. with the Follow Your Joy community.

It’s a complimentary guide for anyone navigating a season when life has shifted and you’re not quite sure what comes next. Rather than pushing harder or pretending everything is fine, Tammy offers a four-step approach for slowing down, getting clear, and rebuilding from strength instead of survival mode.

You’ll find Tammy’s gift inside the Portal of Joy, along with dozens of carefully selected resources from Follow Your Joy guests:

https://marladiann.com/podcast/portal/

If life has changed you—or you’re simply realizing that the way you’ve been living no longer fits the woman you’ve become—Tammy’s story is a powerful reminder:

You don’t have to go back to who you were. You get to decide how you move forward from here.

Resources + Links:

• https://www.toughliketammy.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/toughliketammy/
• https://www.facebook.com/ToughLikeTammy/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/toughliketammy
• Kicking off the fall and final quarter of the year, I have several private spots for a 90-minute Identity + Next Chapter Strategy Session 90 – minutes ($100 savings good through Sept 10) for women ready to explore where their current identity may—or may not—be supporting the next chapter they desire.
  It includes preparation before our session, a 30-minute progress session two weeks later, and as a bonus, my Feminine Power Feelings Journal, with prompts designed to help you begin reconnecting with and expressing emotions you’ve habitually suppressed. Use my Calendly link to have a chat about your identity that is creating your next chapter. https://calendly.com/successcoach-marladiann/connection
• Marla’s Amazon Lifestyle Influencer Store – shop for favorites! Jen’s book is inside my store in the travel section https://www.amazon.com/shop/marla_diann
• Loved this episode? Don’t stop here, unlock the tools, resources, and free downloads mentioned during the episode. Click here to access the portal of joy. https://marladiann.com/podcast/portal