Tara Martin is an inspirational speaker and author of Be REAL: Educate from the Heart. Tara firmly believes machines and artificial intelligence will never replicate an individual’s REAL identity–the unique strengths, talents and life experiences of every human. Her story will touch your heart. 

 
Tara’s ambition is to lead a culture of innovative change and to motivate others to become the best they can be, all while staying REAL and yet never reaching a plateau. Listen to the podcast and check out the resources and excerpts from the podcast below. Enjoy!
You and your family
I grew up in Southeast Texas where we didn’t have seasons only hot, humid, and rainy. I moved to Kansas eleven years ago with my husband, Darrell.  I met my husband when I was in high school and he was in college. As high school sweethearts, we have been married this past November 20 years. We have a sweet boy, Kaleb, who is 17 and a senior who got accepted into his first choice college so we are embarking on filling out scholarship applications. We live in Kansas out on a farm with no animals and absolutely love it here. We have four seasons in Kansas and my boys love the outdoors where I’m more inside, cooking, or traveling.

What it was like when you were a student
As a student in Texas, I grew up in a home life that was less than stellar. It was an abusive home life. School became my safe place. It was the place, like Dave Burgess says, that I wanted to get in, not out. It didn’t matter if the teachers were engaging. It was my favorite place to be, ever. I got hot meals, hugs, and more. The school was a place I loved going to. Unfortunately, as an early elementary student, I struggled in school. It wasn’t easy for me. I wasn’t reading even when I got into second grade. My second-grade teacher, Mrs. S, was fantastic. She just saw this little girl that wanted to learn more than life herself and taught me to read every day when I got off the bus. It was so cool because I got to go straight into class when all the kids were lined up outside the class. I thought I was super special and didn’t realize that was getting tutored.
I learned to read that year. I wasn’t aware of how she taught me, but that year I leveled up with my peers. From that moment forward I’ve always been a high achiever and excellent student. She saw something in me that inspired me all along to believe in kids and not to place them in a box or that their family is like this so they’ll automatically be like that. She gave every individual the chance to be the real them. That’s where BE REAL has been so embedded in my heart because every single individual has their own identity. They get to be what they want to be.

Mrs. S told me, “I believe in you, Tara. You are an overcomer. You are not defined by your circumstances.” I am so thankful that she changed the wiring of my brain to make me think differently so I could believe that I could become whatever I wanted to be. I can still remember when she told me that, and I can still smell her perfume. It is so vivid in my mind.
I think as adults that serve others I need to express that to them “You’ve got this. You can help people follow their dreams. It is possible. Nothing is really impossible if you put your mind to it.”
I call the words “I believe in you” HEART words. When people that matter to you say that to you, it means something. You can anchor your thought process on those words.
Tara Martin – Be R.E.A.L. – Episode #20 …

 
 
 
 
 
 
Your journey as an educator
I wanted to be a doctor, actually, a neuroscientist to study the brain and all facets of the brain.