Tama Kieves is a former attorney, an honors graduate of Harvard Law School, who left her law practice to write and to help others discover and soar in the work they’re meant to do. She’s the best-selling author of This Time I Dance! Creating the Work You Love and also Inspired & Unstoppable: Wildly Succeeding in Your Life’s Work!  Her latest book is A Year without Fear: 365 Days of Magnificence.

Tama went against commonly-labeled “reason,” did something “impractical” and “irrational,” and decided to follow her heart. Ever since, she’s had ups and downs, like everybody else, but she is immensely happy and at peace with her decision. 

She found her calling, and built a world and a life that she loves and that loves her back. She has inspired millions with her books and courses, and has coached and mentored thousands. To our delight, she led a fabulous workshop on June 4 at the Science, Industry & Business Library that you can watch here (or below), courtesy of our friends at SlidesLive. 

Tama’s big A-HA! moment came when she was speaking to a friend of hers and mentioned that she was successful economically at the law firm, but was not happy at all. Her friend asked “If you’re this successful doing work you don’t love, what could you do with work you do love?” And that set her heart on fire.

Tama wrote her first book This Time I Dance! Creating the Work You Love over the span of 12 years. She always had this “knowing” that she was meant to write it, so she published it on her own. A few months after she had self-published the book, Tama got an email from a Vice President of Marketing and Publicity for Random House. This person thought Tama had written one of the best books she’d ever read on helping people find their calling and stick with their dreams, and she wanted to show it to a major New York publisher. And she did. Tarcher/Penguin bought Tama’s book and published it. They bought and published the next two books as well, and Tama has another one under contract. In Tama’s words:

"That email felt 'meant to be.' That book felt 'meant to be.' And my whole career feels 'meant to be' to me. That’s why I’m so passionate about helping others find their 'meant to be' work."

One of the fears that we all have, naturally, when thinking about doing work we love, is making sure that we are paying our bills, mortgage, insurance, college tuition, etc… and somehow we can’t actually put those two things together in our minds. But Tama has done so, and she shares her guidance:

"First of all, doing the work you love DOES pay the bills. It’s not foolishness or frivolity. You will likely be paid very well for your true gifts, if you dare to follow them. But that said, many of my career coaching clients have found that they do not need to leave their jobs to pursue their dreams. Many can’t. So you might start doing what you love on Wednesday nights or on Saturdays. Take a class. Commit to a writing practice. You can build your business or your passion project on the side.  Let it grow organically. You will find you have MORE energy for your job when you are putting more energy into your dreams.  Some of my clients have found a way to turn their current jobs into a place where they can bring their passion. I’ve seen amazing things that way.

Just because you follow your heart, doesn’t mean you act irresponsibly. I have followed my soul all the way. But I still pay taxes and meet all my responsibilities. If you do what you love, you are still going to want to take care of your children or honor your debts. And by the way, happy people aren’t self-indulgent or selfish. They are more generous. They naturally have more to give.  And following your dreams…means giving your gifts to the world. The world needs your gifts. And you need to give them."

Tama will be back at The Science, Industry and Business Library in a near future. Stay tuned! In the mean time, you can connect with her at www.TamaKieves.com, and if you are in New York or surrounding areas and want her to coach you, she will be leading a retreat weekend “Unleash Your Calling: Create the Work + Life You Love” in Rhinebeck, NY from June 24-26.

Watch Tama's workshop at the Science, Industry & Business Library: