“Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it.”
–Judy Blume
WHAM. KAPOW. WALLOP. KABANG. That’s what Tammy Hewitt shouts as she claps her hands free of fears that attempt to hold her mind claustrophobic from peace. Tammy is kicking fear IN THE BUTT and rallying everyone and anyone to join her in her campaign for confidence.
Since COVID-19 global anxiety and depression has risen 25.6%. That is an ADDITIONAL 76.2 million people suffering than prior to the pandemic. As the world shifted to ‘normalise’ it’s now evident that many of us wanted to be taken out on a first date and kissed a little bit before jumping back into the thick of society. With many people feeling awkward to do so, Tammy exorcises her lust for life by helping you to enjoy yours.
After concluding a turbulent pregnancy with an excruciating course of postpartum depression toppled with crippling anxiety on that rollercoaster ride of recovery many know so well, Mrs Hewitt is a veteran expert at positive neuroplasticity. She wrestled with the two options she was facing on how to move forwards with her health. Either give up and fade away. Or get up and do something about it. Tammy applied all of the love she dotes on the world to herself with might, got lost in the eyes of her newborn and husband, then drew the courage to use her experience as a powerful aid to other new parents by completing life coach training and setting up Mummas Life is Now. A triumphant safe haven for parents facing emotions and thoughts they never thought they would face in an online world of not much help.
“I just know that once I started to hear other people’s stories, it started to make me feel less alone and give me some hope. So I wanted to give that back to mums and dads and I guess I am the type of person even more so since going through this, I do share things really openly. And some people struggle with that. But I think you know, vulnerability is such a gift.”
Adamant to impact as many people’s lives as possible with the knowledge that it does get better, Mrs Hewitt became a mental health ambassador for Australia and New Zealand and a heavy advocate for the Gidget Foundation. As anyone who has experienced challenges with their mental health knows, recovery is a journey not a race.
Returning to work in the corporate world dawned to have about the same appeal as the pasta you’ve had sitting in the back of your fridge for two and a half weeks. Once upon a time it was good. You might just heat it up and have a hopeful taste, only to realise you need to sell an organ if you have any hopes of affording enough drinks to swill the foul flavour out of your mouth. She entertained her old role for a mere two hours before putting herself on top and left. The following months threw challenge after challenge, test after test, and when Tammy copped shingles to the eye and had to be isolated, it saw her hit a new rock bottom that was disguised as the embers of a miracle.
Kick Fear In The Butt is built off of Mrs Hewitts’ life pillars. Inclusion, equality, kindness, integrity and authenticity. Her 30 day kick it challenge is specifically tailored with care, bursting with the fizz of her personality glowing just to boost your self esteem and is absolutely not standing for anybody feeling like their only option is to be alone.
You can sponsor someone who you know needs a kick, join up with a pal or rally behind a stranger simply because it’s a really nice thing to do. Every donation you make towards encouraging someone to get out there and love being alive again, goes towards nominated charities from which you can chose. Businesses built off of moral understanding are the ones that change the world!
Tammy and her friend Lauren dished out a healthy 5000 affirmation cards at a day festival in the Hunter Valley which alone brought new connections through storytelling and appreciation.
“We had so many people that day share their stories with us and literally give us hugs, like really in tears and it was just magical because I think that’s the thing with humans. We need connection, and especially after the pandemic, to actually create that safe space in person and online for people to share like that. Honestly, that’s one of the most incredible moments I can still feel in my body.”
There is no scale to measure the boundless waves of joy that sweep the lives of those she has touched so far. A woman who once had lumps in her throat from vomit strain in the depth of her emotion, went and kicked that right in the butt and now motivates a new community of self empowerment. Sustainability, the hot word on everyone’s lips, encouraged Tammy to be an open book about her experiences, methods and techniques regarding her mental health journey, becoming a mother and setting up a business in a pandemic.
“I’m not gonna say I’ve nailed it because I’m continually learning and as I change and evolve and heal in different ways, or go through different things I need to adapt, but for me, something that I learned was to slow down. And I practise intentional mindfulness every day. I meditate most days. I’m doing a lot of research and experiments on different things, you know, heart focus, breathing…”
Below is a guided meditation led by former monk Jay Shetty. If you’ve never meditated before, this is a fantastic place to start acquainting yourself with peace.
Tammy shares how she is already getting ahead of the game by including her 2 year old daughter in self help methods,
“I’m an EFT practitioner so I’d be tapping away and then, even though I’m feeling anxious and tapping, I do it with her. So almost created, like a bit of a game.
I meditate most days, and shout affirmations with her but with a really heartfelt feeling to it, not to say it for nothing.”
All escaping words have a heartfelt feeling to them. There’s a weight of urgency to her words that comes only from experiencing how much power they hold.
She encourages nature, throwing a ball for you child/partner/pet. Not being afraid to get vulnerable and reflect with yourself and loved ones about the current place you might be in as well as honouring the place where you are. Whether you like being there or not, you’re in it. Your body is telling you that something needs to change before it can start to heal and the more we get around each other in support, the more success we will see through the shine in our neighbours eyes.
“We have a responsibility to do all we can, to really help get people through that trauma and to deal with it on the other side. However, it might manifest and look. I think we have to be realistic when people go through that sort of level of intensity. That trauma, science shows that the trauma stays stuck in your body unless you release it.”
A bustle of ‘we need to do everything we possibly can’ fills the air with a passionate roll of ideas and plans to infiltrate homes with healing and happiness in the light of what the Hewitt family felt as a group. If there is ever a movement to keep an eye on for exciting things in the coming months, Kicking Fear In The Butt is on the high alert radar for many motivated Aussies.
As a species of compassionate beings, we don’t want to see someone hit that emotional wall before taking action. Mental illness doesn’t discriminate on any character, so the more we practise self love, care and boundaries in our day to day lives, the better equipped we will be to stand in the face of life’s next mess. It’s easy to brush the budding feelings to one side and discredit them for irrelevance, but it’s in these moments we need to highlight these thought patterns in our mind and take effective action so as to preserve our healthy ones.
Tammy says; “We can be credibly resilient, and you know, we’ve got so much power within us to heal ourselves.”
And The Jolly Times wholeheartedly agrees! What are you waiting for? You got a fear that needs kicking in the butt?!
Recommended books
The Power of Now
Feeling the Fear but Doing It Anyway
