We had the good fortune of connecting with Tinzley Bradford and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Tinzley, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind my success is the belief in myself and in my vision. In order to achieve something, you must first believe you can achieve it. I’ll go a little deeper on what believing in yourself looks like. I have had this vision of being a Settlefree Lifestyle Coach for so many years and there have been times that I wanted to just be done with it, but having confidence in myself and my abilities kept me in the race. Thats one of the main factors behind anyones success, “confidence.” My willingness to learn from my mistakes and failures has also been an important factor behind my success. If you Google failure, you will see that “failure is the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success.” For me, my failures have led to my success and has caused complete resilience. If you can fail and still get back up and keep going, you will eventually be successful.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I knew the importance of working a 9 to 5 while still pursuing my own business and financial freedom. I needed to work in order to not only pay my bills, but to fund and invest in my own business. I have never been too proud to work and do what I had to do so I could eventually do what I want to do. What sets me apart from others is I am more than just a Brand, I am a human being with a real pulse and I treat others the same way, like human beings. Too many people are so fixated on their “Brand.” Everything is gotta protect my brand, gotta do this and that for my brand, but I must ask them….. Who are you? It’s like they forget to be human all in the sake of their “Brand.” A few things that set me apart from others is I’m Optimistic, I see the sunshine before the storm passes, I’m kind FOR REAL, Ha Ha Ha, I’m not just kind when it looks good on camera, I’m kind always. I stay curious, I have a strong work ethnic in everything thing that I do and I am passionate. I am very self aware and I have empathy for others, I mean real empathy. I hold integrity, I have a strong follow up game, and I am not afraid to be goofy in public. I am also extremely no-nonsense which some people understand, and some do not. I have a pretty good discerning spirit which helps me to weed out the BS fast! What I’m most proud of or excited about? My podcast, my talk show and the growth of my coaching business. I can’t do them all at once, but my branch-off game is strong!! I start one thing, perfect that then start to branch off into that other thing. That keeps me excited because I know I will reach my goals with this mindset. How did I get to where I am today professionally and was it easy? There is a saying, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” I got to where I am because I was driven, focused, determined, passionate, creative, outgoing, spontaneous, I enjoyed what I was doing, I lead with love and most importantly, I never quit . That’s how I got here. Was it easy? Not at all! Anything worth having is worth working for and it won’t come easy. There have been long nights and lonely days. There have been misunderstandings that led to distance from people I was once close to. There has been judgement and finger pointing, there has even been doubt, from people who just don’t share in my vision, and there has been plenty of what I call industry snobs who knew I had the package, yet they would downgrade my worth and value so they could feel better about themselves, but I’m a spiritual being and I stand firm in what God said. “Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.” (John 4:4) How I over came my challenges was to stay in the race no matter how hard it got. I moved away from anyone who was not truly for me. I had to distance myself from those who I could tell weren’t genuine. I had to invest in myself and surround myself with the right people who were more concerned with us evolving together, than they were about my setbacks and struggles along the way and there were plenty of struggles, but I knew I had to trust the process. I took the time I need to be silent and just hear what God was trying to tell me. I didn’t operate out of fear and uncertainty , I operated out of faith knowing that all my needs would be met and that I did not come this far for nothing. I continued to celebrate my wins no matter how big or small. I recognized the evolution of Tinzley. What are the lessons I learned along the way? Man there are so many, but I will share a few. Never take things personally, many times the behavior is not the person it’s their circumstances. Don’t expect everyone to reciprocate what you have done for them. Stop doing so much for others and putting myself last. That’s one of the biggest lessons I have learned. I come first!!! If you don’t want to do something, say you don’t want to do it and be okay with your decision. I have learned that blood is definitely thinker than water. Another lesson is, if I work hard it will pay off. Pay close attention to the motives of others. Don’t take on too much at one time. I have also learned, it’s okay to be by yourself sometimes so you can reflect and think clearly, and that everything doesn’t require a huge production style audience. I know some people might think I am tough cookie because of my zero tolerance Settlefree Dating and Lifestyle message but , I’m just a girl with a dream, walking in that dream and looking for a good man to share it with. I share my journey along the way while encouraging others to never settle for less in anything they do because I refuse to settle for less than I deserve. Being settlefree has gotten me far!
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh My its kind of hard now during this pandemic ha ha ha, but under normal circumstances I’d have to make sure we stop by the Ponce City Market for drinks, entertainment and shopping. I love that spot. I would also recommend the Virginia Highlands for food and entertainment and drinks. The SunDial Restaurant and Polaris as well, the view is gorgeous. Stop by the Sugar factory, I celebrated my birthday there and I loved it so much! The bike trail near the highlands is a nice place for fitness and exploring while biking. The Georgia Aquarium is a pretty dope place to visit as well. The world of Coca Cola is still a fav spot of mine. There is this dance place called Danza dance I think, I would love to do tango lessons there. I did it for my birthday one year and loved it. If my friends want to shop I’d recommend Little Five points for some unique pieces and a different kind of shopping experience and Lenox mall for a large array of things to choose from. There are many more but this is about it for now.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shout out Micheal Flowers The Entrepreneur and your Partner on Facebook and his amazing wife Mel. He has been such a huge support and blessing in my evolution. He believes in me and has stuck by my side through my ups and my downs never once passing judgment on me during the many tests and trials I have been faced with. This man and his team deserves a badge of honor and although this is a small token of my appreciation thanking him in this interview, he deserves so much more. My book got published under his services and has taken me to so many great heights. I know without it, I may not have gotten there. Thank you Michael, I owe you and Mel the world! I’d also like to shoutout the Calibrae Online Learning Platform who along with Michael Flowers are the masterminds behind my Settlefree Online Dating Portal “Discovering Yourself While Learning to Date Settlefree.” After COVID-19, I got laid off and had to figure out a method to start bringing in more income and revenue and not have to depend on UI benefits for long. In just a short while, Calibrae enabled a quick set-up with my training content and videos, featuring my ideas and vision and then beautifully packaging my course for a successful launch. Thank you soooo much Caibrae team. I’d like to shout out the BEST Thought Leader in the business and my mentor Paul C. Brunson. Man, what can I say? During a very dark period in my life, he brought in the sunshine, he reminded me of who I am. I had nothing left to give, I was laid off, didn’t have a ton of support, money was funny, but through his trainings, masterminds, cohorts, accountability teams and above and beyond support, I have since launched my own podcast, learned how to take my coaching business to the next level, been given keys to success by top industry leaders and get even closer to my greater purpose with real knowledge and tools that work! I have tried coaches in the past before, but there are NONE and I mean NONE that compare to what Paul brings. Thank you Paul!
Website: https://www.tinzleybradford.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinzleyb/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinzley-bradford-author-65161198/
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinzleyB/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkCxrbRgEEVdoA9-Z6xJSw