Pivoting from just existing in the status quo to truly living in purpose and with passion | with Tahaji Felder of Goose & Gander Brand (TLBP #36)

I was so impressed with Tahaji Felder of the brand Goose and Gander as she spoke at an event with her quiet confidence and warm presence that I knew you needed to meet her too. Tahaji grew up in NY, CT, and So. Florida with a love for fashion. She shares how from a young age people would come to her for her fashion opinion or to be styled, but because of the stronghold that fear, lack of confidence, and lower self-esteem had on her, she abandoned her dreams as a designer and followed a status quo career that left her feeling very unfulfilled. She shares her journey of learning to let go of fear, to embrace herself and realize that sharing her gift was a way for her to serve other people. Tahaji tells how after losing her job as an accountant for the second time and suffering a breakup, she hit rock bottom and had a choice to make whether it would bring her down or shoot her straight up. As soon as she made the decision to say ‘yes‘ to her passion she was on fire and doors began to open and she founded her own company Goose and Gander. Hear more about this clothing lifestyle brand dedicated to empowering you to pursue your passion and the incredible speaking series called Empower You she has created for teens to empower them to pursue their passion and dream big. She has partnered in this series with a 17 year old entrepreneur who started the non-profit One Page Closer in South Florida dedicated to donate shelves of books to children and teens of low-income communities. Listen and be inspired to take a leap over fear, embrace yourself and your gift, and make a small pivot in the direction you are headed to go from just existing but truly living.

Want to know if this episode it for you? This episode is perfect for someone who is tired of just existing in a life and is ready to start truly living in purpose by embracing themselves and who they are as well as pursuing their passion. It is perfect for a first year entrepreneur looking to learn from someone in the midst of it. It is also for those who struggle with the paralyzing power of fear and self-doubt. It speaks to those wanting to use their gifts to help the lives of others and advice on how to do that.

What is this episode about? In this episode you will learn about:

how Tahaji and I met and my first impressions of her
where her love of fashion stemmed from and her story of falling in her basketball uniform
what she learned from her mother and grandmother
how it felt to be an ‘extra’ minority growing up
what the role of ‘the committee’ was in her life and why it held her back
how women can become paralyzed in decision making
what role did fashion play in her life growing up
how even though she was asked to style others and give her opinion, she still had low self-esteem
why she decided to follow a status quo career instead of follow her passion
why her attempt at doing styling gigs did not fill her purpose
the story of hitting rock bottom after losing her job twice and experiencing a breakup and how it propelled her instead of getting her down
what changed that allowed her to finally pursue her passion
the role that a mastermind group had in her starting her business
the purpose and branding of Goose & Gander brand
how it was the accumulation of things that propelled her forward
the role fear played in preventing her from leaping into her passion earlier
the journey of her first year in business as an entrepreneur and those things that have surprised her and given her strength
what Give the Goose means
how Goose & Gander helps to empower people to pursue their passion and dream big
her work with the non-profit One Page Closer and how it will help teens learn to pursue their dreams
why fashion became something more to her
if there was a time in this first year where she wanted to give up
the concept of crawling before walking
why embracing our gift helps others
what she has learned about herself through this journey