Meet Kendra Tillman of StrongHer.Me in Gilbert

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendra Tillman.

Kendra, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Becoming a wife and a mom were defining moments for me. My husband, my children and my faith in God are integral to my story.

I married my husband right before I turned 22. Even though we had dated for 3.5 years before marriage and felt we were the best of friends, the first year of marriage was an “eye-opener.” We struggled to learn how to love each other. Through mentorship, prayer and a strong commitment to each other we learned. (We’ve been happily married for 22 years.)

After being married for four years, we welcomed our first child, a beautiful daughter.

I had just graduated college six months earlier and I gladly became a full-time stay at home mom. I was an educated woman with a Claire Huxtable fantasy and what I didn’t know then was that motherhood would propel me into an identity crisis.

This was the first time I remember having to redefine success for myself. I had to rediscover my purpose as a woman in the context of motherhood.

When I finally started to adjust to my new normal and get in the flow of motherhood, here comes 2007/2008. It was that defining moment that laid the foundation for where I am today, as a woman, wife, mother, and leader.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
If by smooth you mean, no heartache, no pain, no obstacles. Is anyone’s road smooth?

As a result of, the real estate bubble that burst in 2007/2008 and the leap of faith we had taken to heavily invest financially in real estate, we landed flat on our faces. The short story is that it was devastating on multiple levels: financially, mentally, emotionally, relationally and spiritually.

My rule follower identity was rocked by our situation.

I followed the “rules”. Why was this happening?

The season that lasted for 10 years made me question everything I knew about God, relationships, identity and trust. Having healed from that season, I stand grateful for how God keeps revealing His grace year after year and continues to restore what we thought we lost forever.

Back then, if you had told me it would take a decade for us to experience restoration in ways I didn’t even know to pray for, it probably would have made me even more sad. But now, I see it as a powerful defining moment.

Defining moments cause a ripple effect on our lives.
Shame and self-doubt tried to silence me.
I was mad at God and mad at my husband. I felt like they both let me down.
As each day passed, I wondered when God would bring us back to a place of comfort, predictability and security.
He never did. Instead, He was with us through it all, as we learned to lean into Him.

In the months and years following our financial loss, I fortified myself emotionally and spiritually by building myself up by meditating on and memorizing scripture verses that reminded me of who God is and who God says I am. I had to rehearse how He had delivered us out of difficult circumstances in times past. That season of restoration became the fuel for my mission to help women heal from the pain of a devastating moment and get on with living the abundant life God has for them.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am a certified life & executive coach and a published author.

Through faith-centered mentorship and training, I help women heal and find their voice again after a devastating (financial or otherwise) leap of faith.

At StrongHer.Me we create content & learning experiences for Christian women who are hungry for mentors who can help them translate their vision for personal and spiritual growth into an actionable plan.

Locally, I’m probably best known for the annual faith-based women’s empowerment conference I hosted for 5 years, The You Are Stronger Than You Think Women’s Conference.

There are many women’s conferences that help women develop spiritually. There’s also conferences that help us navigate our professional life. There are very few, if any, that bring the two very real worlds of a woman’s life together. There’s even fewer that provide ongoing support beyond the conference. Our conference is that all-in-one experience that women need to connect their womanhood, their work & their worship. Our vision also includes influencing the next generation of women leaders. Therefore, teen girls ages 12-18 were sponsored to attend the event. In addition to our main sessions, we had breakout sessions specifically designed to speak to the joys and pains of young women navigating our social media culture.

I’m most proud of the fact that for three years in a row we awarded $1,000 cash + coaching support and resources to a woman who wants to take the next step in her business, her ministry or her career. The winners of the 2019 cash + coaching award were featured in Voyage a few months ago!

Our event is on hiatus for 2020, as I spend time refining and growing the other areas of my business/ministry.

What were you like growing up?
I’m proud to be an 80s/90s kid with strong southern roots. I was raised by parents with a borderline old school parenting philosophy. They didn’t raise us to be seen and not heard, but they still believed children had their place.

Part upbringing, part personality & throw in the fact that I’m the textbook 1st born child I’ve pretty much been a rule follower my entire life: high achieving, safe, cautious, prudent. If you’re familiar with the tv show, This Is Us, you would probably describe me as the “Randall” of my parents’ five kids.

I’ve always loved to learn. As a kid, I was a voracious reader with a high EQ, which helped me easily connect with others. Like most teens of the 80s/90s, I spent many hours watching BET and MTV music videos and just a ton of television, in general.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.StrongHer.me
• Instagram: @KendraTillman and @StrongHerMe
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/StrongHerMe

Image Credit:
Event photos by Crystal Hollman of Crystal Clear Photography AZ, Family Photo by Stewart Jones of Focus First Photography

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