Tami Wilde

Age 51-St.Morgan, Illinois

Learning to Listen — to Life, to and to Herself

Tami’s story isn’t defined by one moment — it’s shaped by many seasons.

Marriage. Motherhood. Single parenthood. Career reinvention. Love lost and found again. Each chapter required her to show up in a new way, often before she felt ready.

What stands out most isn’t how quickly she adapted — it’s how steadily she kept going. Paying attention to what life was teaching her, learning where to hold on and where to let go, and slowly building the kind of confidence that comes from experience, not certainty.

Marriage and Motherhood: The Moment That Changed Everything

Tami was married for 17 years, building a life that defined much of her early adulthood. At 25, she became a mother for the first time — the single most influential event of her life. Five years later, she welcomed her second child, still within that marriage.

For a long time, Tami believed she didn’t want children. Not because she didn’t like kids or was too focused on a career, but because she feared repeating the mistakes of her own upbringing and passing down a legacy of hurt and dysfunction. Motherhood changed that belief entirely.

Once her children were born, Tami fully embraced motherhood. She was deeply present — volunteering, showing up, and prioritizing her children’s needs in every way she could. Parenting became both a responsibility and a healing experience.

“I learned that we don’t have to be a product of our childhood trauma. We can learn from bad examples, as well as good ones.”

When Life Fractures: Single Motherhood and Survival

After her marriage ended, Tami entered one of the hardest seasons of her life. Newly separated, unemployed, and living on the last of her savings, survival became non-negotiable.

While grocery shopping, her son picked out a rawhide bone for their dog. Tami quietly removed items she wanted from the cart, yet still came up short at checkout. When she told her son they’d have to put the dog bone back, he paused, smiled, and silently returned his own luxury — a quart of ice cream.

“I was gutted. It was a sad and proud moment all at once.”

That season was humbling, but it also revealed resilience — in her and in her children. She had no choice but to keep going, and she did.

Work and Identity: Finding Her Voice in Car Sales

Tami didn’t step into car sales intentionally. She began working at a car dealership in a different role, and others suggested she might be good at sales — an idea that terrified her. She describes herself as inherently shy, not naturally forward or aggressive.

“When I work a car deal, I become a different person.”

Car sales was a wild ride — long hours, constant interaction, and pressure that never fully let up. More than 70 percent of people who try car sales don’t make it, and there were moments she questioned whether she would.

Support made the difference. A small group of mentors — her “guardian car angels” — believed in her, challenged her self-doubt, and offered guidance and tough love when she needed it most.

She learned that success didn’t come from persuasion, but from attention.

“Listening and being able to read people is what I actually do for a living.”

She’s quick to say she isn’t a natural-born salesperson. Her confidence was built through persistence, trial and error, and sometimes tears.

“It took a lot of trial and error — and sometimes tears — to become good at my craft. Really good.”

Perception, Trust, and What It Takes to Last

Tami understands the assumptions people make about sales — and about women in the industry. Salespeople are often viewed as dishonest or pushy, sometimes joked about as ranking just above politicians.

Her goal is simple: she wants people to walk away saying it was the best car-buying experience they’ve ever had. Over time, many customers have become friends.

“It’s more rewarding to me to earn someone’s trust than to sell a car.”

In her experience, if you don’t genuinely care about people, you won’t last long.

Love After Marriage: Learning What Fits — and What Doesn’t

After her divorce, Tami spent nearly a decade in a long-term relationship that became another defining chapter of her life. It wasn’t without love, but it was filled with challenge.

Over time, she began to recognize familiar patterns — always being agreeable, always accommodating, and often setting her own needs aside to keep things steady. She learned that staying quiet wasn’t the same as being content.

That relationship helped her understand that wanting something different doesn’t mean failure — it means growth.

Eventually, Tami chose to move on.

Today, she’s in a relationship that reflects the woman she is now. Her partner is independent, steady, and emotionally present — someone who takes care of her in ways that feel supportive and natural.

This chapter isn’t about perfection.
It’s about alignment.

Midlife: Choosing Herself

In her forties and fifties, Tami describes life as feeling reborn. Entering a new stage was both scary and exciting, and for the first time, she began choosing herself.

Self-care had never felt like an option before. It took years to realize that neglecting herself affected the people who loved her most. Believing that kindness toward herself was selfish now feels misguided.

“That thinking was ridiculous. I get that now.”

This chapter isn’t about indulgence.
It’s about sustainability.

What Success Means Now

Success today looks nothing like it did 20 years ago. Of course, having children who are kind and productive adults is Tami’s ultimate reward. Beyond that, she measures success in moments — dusting herself off after disappointment and remaining joyful. Taking the dogs for a walk and putting her phone down. Giving grace to people who haven’t been gracious to her. Allowing herself an extra big slice of cheesecake, guilt-free.

None of these are epic accomplishments. But those little wins add up.

Twenty years ago, success meant having a beautiful home and taking nice vacations. Neither definition is wrong — they’re just different.

Boundaries, Confidence, and Purpose

Car sales taught Tami that no is a powerful word. For years, always saying yes was exhausting. She believed being agreeable was the key to being loved and accepted, not realizing she was quietly crippling herself by ignoring her own peace and comfort.

Boundaries, she’s learned, are necessary — and even if people don’t admit it right away, they like them.

Confidence followed. Being good at something builds confidence. Embracing imperfections builds confidence. Keeping quality people close, making good choices, and forgiving herself for bad ones all build confidence.

She knows what it feels like to be stuck. She knows hopelessness. Her advice is simple: don’t give up. Growth may take hard work, sacrifice, and time — but it’s possible.

Happiness didn’t fall into her lap overnight. Tough decisions had to be made. Fears had to be faced head-on.

“Pray. You have purpose.”

GlowInto Editor’s Reflection

One of the things I continue to notice through these conversations is how often adulthood truly begins for women through motherhood — whether it was planned or not. For Tami, becoming a mother reshaped everything.

Her story also reflects a reality many women know well: single motherhood and financial survival. After time away from the workforce, she didn’t have the luxury of easing back in — she had to push forward and make it work.

As someone in sales myself, I connected deeply with Tami’s experience in a male-dominated, floor-sales environment. Her success came not from pressure, but from listening, trust, and persistence.

Another theme that continues to surface — in Tami’s story and in my own — is how success evolves. By 50, peace, boundaries, and confidence become the true markers of fulfillment.

What stayed with me most was Tami’s willingness to remain hopeful — in work, in life, and in love — even after long and difficult chapters. Her story reminds us that growth doesn’t erase what came before — it builds from it.