Hi! I’m Terra
And this is my story in a nutshell
MOST PEOPLE YOU KNOW WHO SHARE MY NAME PROBABLY SPELL IT “TARA”
But my Dad - a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy who was raised on a farm in North Dakota - chose the spelling, Terra, because it’s Latin for “earth”. He wanted a girl who was down to earth and that’s what he got. While I’ve dealt with my share of anxiety, overall I’m a pretty level-headed no drama mama who's got a knack for getting to the heart of the matter and being a voice of reason.
While my Dad chose a name for a girl who would have her feet on the ground, he also encouraged me to dream big. He was a dreamer, too, and a visionary, and I was fortunate to inherit those qualities. It’s what allows me to create a clear picture of something I want to create; then, the practical, down-to-earth aspect of my personality takes over and gets it done.
You’d think it would be a recipe for success, right? And it was. Until I got lost.
Life happened, self-doubt crept in, I shrank, and I started making a lot of decisions based on fear over faith in myself in multiple areas of my life. It was totally unconscious, of course, but the consequences caught up with me over time.
As you can imagine, and may even know from experience, things don't go so well when you sell yourself short for years on end.
By 41, I was navigating the trenches of a nervous breakdown and confronting crippling panic and anxiety amidst a perfect storm of massive family upheaval…a sinking business…and a profound financial loss.
I thought it was going to break me. In fact, there were times I thought I’d have to be committed to a mental hospital and times I contemplated whether life was worth living anymore.
FORTUNATELY MY STORY HAS A HAPPY ENDING! AFTER MONTHS OF WORKING WITH A LIFE COACH, AN EMDR THERAPIST, AND 2 DIFFERENT DOCTORS, THE CLOUDS BEGAN TO PART AND I STARTED FEELING LIKE MYSELF AGAIN!
While the path since then hasn’t always been smooth, I've stayed focused on chasing the deepest desires that fuel my life. In other words, I finally got back to that vivacious, ambitious girl with her feet on the ground…a big dream in her heart…and a clear vision in her mind! I’ve rebuilt myself from the inside out, created a business that resonates with my passions and purpose, and pursued new interests that light me up, like starting pole dancing at 47!
My journey is a testament to that fact that you can face the darkest corners of despair in mid-life and emerge not just intact, but stronger on the other side!
Through it all, what I’ve learned is this: crafting a life you love isn’t for the faint of heart. That’s why it’s so easy to settle. Choosing safety and comfort over expansion and possibility never becomes less tempting. And sometimes that’s ok. Sometimes it even makes sense. But when you make it a pattern for years on end, selling out your highest potential and most intrinsic aspirations, it’s death by a thousand cuts to your soul.
What I know now is that, to build a vibrant life - a life that feels interesting, rewarding, fulfilling, and ALIVE - you have to make bold choices that feel scary and uncertain. You have to take risks - small risks and big risks. Everything from getting involved with new people and new activities and choosing to show up, be seen, and be real…to choosing to follow the pull of your soul in your career, relationships, and other key areas of your life- even when there are no guarantees.
IT’S A DAILY CHOICE. SOME DAYS I’M BETTER AT IT THAN OTHERS, BUT IT’S WHERE MY COMPASS IS ALWAYS POINTING. BECAUSE, WHILE IT’S RARELY EASY,
IT’S ALWAYS WORTH IT.
P.S. Curious what I got from my mom?
MY MOM IS WARMTH PERSONIFIED! SHE’S THE ONE WHO MAKES EVERYONE IN THE ROOM FEEL WELCOME!
With her big smile and genuine love and kindness, you always feel like you belong when you’re around my mom. She truly sees the best in everyone. Based on insights from a book she read while pregnant, her primary parenting goal was to raise my brother and me as individuals and let us be exactly who we are - helping us recognize and develop our unique strengths and interests.
All of this I picked up from my mom. I have my moments like everyone else, but overall, I’m a warm, genuine, fun-loving person who loves making everyone in the room feel like they’re in exactly the right place! Feeling like we belong, exactly as we are, is such a primal need in all of us and I think the world would be a happier place if we all felt that way more often.
Before I became a life coach, I spent years managing people. What I loved most was helping my employees recognize and develop their skills and strengths. If and when they chose to move on, I wanted to make sure they left my team better than when they came in. Thanks to my mom's influence, I had a passion and natural talent for coaching long before I officially became one!
The Brass Tacks
Terra Goeres Ramachandran is a certified life coach, writer and speaker. Having triumphed through her own challenges, she’s now dedicated to helping other women in mid-life find their purpose and passions, changing mid-life crises into catalysts for renewal and reinvention.
In addition to her work, she’s into staying fit, getting outside, traveling, and listening to 80s music (everything from the Police to Prince to Poison) and old country (blame her Montana roots for that one!). She also loves spending time with her friends, her mischievous but adorable mini-goldendoodle, Midas, a dry martini, a great restaurant, and parking it on the couch with a good movie and a pizza, with her loving husband by her side. A former step aerobics instructor, Terra’s latest passions include dance aerobics, chair dancing, and pole dancing!
Politically, she believes in health care for all, reproductive rights for women, equality for our LGBT+ community, reasonable gun control legislation, and many other left-leaning ideals.
She also believes in personal responsibility and capitalism - just not unfettered capitalism. She believes we should all be able to make as much money as we can and want to by using the best of who we are to serve others. And she believes that money is power, and that with great power comes great responsibility. Oprah is Terra’s personal money hero and she sees Oprah as one of the best examples of how to make money, enjoy money, and be responsible with the power and privilege that money affords us in our society.
Spiritually, Terra was raised Catholic, but she believes in spirituality or personal ethics over adherence to a specific religion.
Hear from Bolder Women
