Tamara Lackey Launches new reDefine Show – Practical Inspiration!

Photographer, educator, entrepreneur and mom extraordinaire Tamara Lackey launched a new inspirational web show called reDefine. In the show Tamara talks to people about the work they love and creative ways they find success. Being the Tamara Lackey groupie that I am, I was thrilled to interview her about reDefine. Here’s the inside scoop (paraphrased from our chat)!

Kenna: What was the inspiration for the reDefine show?

Tamara: The impetus for reDefine was I had been having lots of conversations to find out for myself how to make “it” work. I never had a mentor in this arena, but I found that I’ve become a mentor myself. The show is a way for me to share innovative new ideas with other people at the same time as I learn for myself how to be a better person. I’ll interview people who go after what they want; it’s hard, but they do it anyway. I want my audience to be inspired by my guests but get practical tips as well. In fact we’re adding a segment called “How Did I Not Know About This?” where we’ll review gadgets, apps, products, services and other cool stuff that makes life easier.

Kenna: With your already insanely busy schedule, what was the moment when you said YES, I have to do this versus hmmm… it might be too much to take on right now?

Tamara: I started to think about the concept last August. It was in the back of my mind because I was doing video production for Capturing Life Better. I kept saying to myself that I would wait until I closed up x, y and z. By March I realized that I was always going to have more to close up. I thought about what I love to do and asked myself how I could shut down areas of my business to open up space. I started outsourcing more and slowly moving out of weddings. I was feeling more and more impatient. It was when I deeply felt that I was missing out on doing something that I love that I decided to take the leap with the show.

Kenna: Who is your target audience for reDefine? Who do you believe will get the most out of the show?

Tamara: Entrepreneurs, small business owners, people who want to go after the things they love but haven’t yet. It doesn’t matter what you do - photographers, cooks - anyone trying to figure out how to make it work doing what they are passionate about. Also “parentpreneurs”—moms and dads who can’t imagine leaving a paying job because they have to pay bills and support families, but who desperately want to follow their passion.

Kenna: Who is your dream guest?

Tamara: My dream would be to sit down with President Barack Obama again. I’d also love to have Oprah on the show so she can give me hints and advice on how to do it better. [Editorial fun fact! Tamara had the remarkable experience of photographing both President Barack and Michelle Obama.]

Kenna: Can you share the names of any of your future guests?

Tamara: Of course! My second guest is World & Humanitarian Photographer and Author David duChemin (also a creativeLIVE instructor!). Find out more and watch the show here on Wednesday, July 27th. Next I interviewed Shirley Moulton, founder of The ACADEMi of Life. After 22 years as CEO of an IT firm in Paris, Shirley is following a different path creating products & services to make the world a better place. During a children’s museum benefit in the Hamptons this weekend I had the opportunity to interview actress Christa Miller, TV host Katie Brown and actress Edie Falco, as well as photograph all of their family portraits. While at Skip’s Summer School I’ll be sitting down with Scott Bourne who has agreed to a different kind of conversation than we normally see from him – the candid side of Scott. Two other future guests include Amanda Gorecki, owner of luxury spas across the nation and mom to four kids and Scott Johnson, the first person with cystic fibrosis to finish an Ironman competition just two years after nearly dying.

Kenna: What has been your biggest challenge so far?

Tamara: Finding the time. It’s not just the risk of the unknown; it’s the opportunity cost of not taking on guaranteed revenue. I’ve turned down a number of speaking engagements to give this a try. It’s a nerve wrecking stretch. I woke up the other morning at 4:30 a.m. trying to figure out what else I can cut out. And of course my #1 job is and always will be mom. I am lucky to be working with Alisa Katz who works incredibly hard co-producing the show—together we divide and conquer!

Kenna: As you asked ESPN Analyst Hubert Davis in your premiere show, what are YOUR top three tips for doing work that you love and staying sane?

Tamara: 1) Evernote. I heavily rely on seeking out and using technology, such as Evernote. It keeps me organized across platforms with two Macs, an iPad and iPhone. I no longer search for notes all over the place and have lots of folders to classify ideas and easily find them. 2) Health. I force myself to get exercise regularly and I eat organic & vegetarian. 3) Nightly Journaling. I find tracking and documenting my experiences helps me stay quickly aware of what is and what’s not efficient. I also map out what my average ideal week look likes down to half hour. I make sure I incorporate the things that matter most – family, workouts, shopping for healthy foods. How can I hope to achieve what I want without knowing what it looks like?

Tamara is so hooked on sharing practical tips that I learned about two new tools during our chat. When I told Tamara I was typing up notes the old-school way as we talked, she told me about Soundpaper – an iPad app that pairs audio recording with note taking. She also reminded me that I could record interviews via Skype. How Did I Not Know About This?!

Thank you Tamara! To stay in the loop, watch reDefine on Tamara’s website, Like the show on Facebook and follow @reDefineShow on Twitter! While you’re at it, sign up for Tamara’s upcoming creativeLIVE workshop: Taking Care of Business.

~Kenna Klosterman