We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tamara Turkai a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tamara, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
If my last story was about reinvention, this one is about becoming.
A year ago, I thought resilience meant pushing through—the ability to outlast the storm and rebuild what was lost. But this past year taught me something deeper: resilience isn’t just about endurance. It’s about evolution. It’s about grace. And it’s about learning to trust God’s plan even when the path isn’t clear.
A Year of Becoming
This year has been one of radical change—divorce, entrepreneurship, parenting a teenager, rediscovering faith, and learning to love again. Each of those experiences reshaped me. There were moments I felt strong, and others I fell apart. But through it all, I’ve learned that resilience doesn’t come from never breaking. It comes from allowing yourself to break open, to feel, to surrender—and to rebuild stronger from truth, not pride.
When Strength Looks Like Starting Over
Divorce is not a story of failure—it’s a story of courage. It’s choosing peace over pretense. I walked away not because I gave up, but because I finally understood that staying small for someone else’s comfort isn’t love.
Resilience meant setting new boundaries, not building walls. It meant showing my daughter that you can walk through pain with dignity, and that strength sometimes looks like choosing yourself when it would be easier not to.
The Big Frog Journey: Grit Meets Purpose
Owning a small business has tested and refined me in ways I never imagined. I’ve faced late nights, tight budgets, and moments of doubt. Yet, every challenge reminded me why I started—to create joy through creativity, to celebrate people and their stories, and to serve my community.
At Big Frog, I’ve learned that success isn’t only measured by profit margins—it’s measured by impact. It’s the smile of a local teacher getting custom shirts for her class, or a family proudly wearing matching shirts on vacation. My store has become a place where creativity and kindness intersect, and that’s something worth building.
Faith Reclaimed
In the midst of everything, I found my faith again—not in the way I expected, but in the quiet places where I stopped trying to control everything. Faith shifted resilience from “I can do it all” to “I don’t have to do it alone.”
I began to see God’s hand in the details—in the opportunities, in the people placed on my path, and even in the setbacks that redirected me. Gratitude became my anchor. Faith became my compass.
Redefining Success
For most of my life, success looked like achievement—titles, income, milestones. But this year redefined it completely.
Success, to me now, is peace. It’s the quiet confidence of knowing who I am and what I stand for. It’s being a present mom, a compassionate leader, a forgiving human being. It’s building a business rooted in integrity, a home filled with laughter, and a life guided by faith.
And as I look toward love again, I’ve also redefined what a happy marriage means. It’s not about perfection—it’s about partnership. It’s a love that chooses “we” over “me,” that gives without keeping score, that forgives freely, and that finds joy in the simple, shared moments. Love, in its truest form, is an act of faith—a daily decision to nurture connection over ego.
Love, Family, and the Work in Progress
Raising a teenager while rebuilding your life can be humbling. My daughter has watched me stumble and rise again. And I hope she learns that resilience isn’t about having it all together—it’s about standing back up with grace and trying again.
I’ve also been blessed with new love, one that honors authenticity and growth. It’s not a fairy tale—it’s a partnership built on respect, vulnerability, and faith in each other’s becoming.
Becoming the Person I’m Meant to Be
A year ago, I believed resilience was about standing tall after the fall. Now I know it’s about kneeling—in faith, in gratitude, in humility—and rising again with purpose.
My goal is no longer just to build a business. It’s to build people up—to inspire my daughter, support my community, and remind others that no matter what breaks, beauty can still grow from the pieces.
Resilience isn’t a finish line. It’s a way of life. And I’m just getting started.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
At Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More of Albuquerque, I get to blend creativity, community, and connection every single day.
What makes Big Frog special isn’t just what we print — it’s what those designs represent. Every custom shirt, hoodie, or hat tells a story: a small business celebrating a milestone, a family preparing for a reunion, a teacher surprising their students, or a nonprofit rallying for a cause. We help people bring their ideas to life in a way that’s personal and meaningful — and that’s what I love most about what I do.
Professionally, my focus has been on building Big Frog into more than a print shop — it’s a creative hub where customer service feels like friendship and every project gets personal attention. As a woman-owned small business, I take pride in creating a space where people feel seen, heard, and supported.
We’re also growing in exciting ways. This year, we expanded our DTF (Direct-to-Film) printing services, offering local creators and apparel brands faster turnaround times and professional-quality prints without shipping delays. And as we continue to serve Albuquerque, we’re deepening partnerships with schools, nonprofits, and local businesses who share our belief in community-first collaboration.
At its heart, Big Frog is about joy through creativity. My hope is that when people walk into our store, they feel inspired — not just to order shirts, but to celebrate what makes their story worth sharing.
Because in many ways, entrepreneurship has become my faith in action — a daily practice of resilience, purpose, and gratitude, lived out through the joy of helping others tell their stories.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Looking back, the three qualities that shaped my journey most are faith, adaptability, and integrity. Each one became a cornerstone as I navigated change — both personally and professionally.
Faith taught me to trust the process even when I couldn’t see the outcome. It helped me stay centered when things felt uncertain — in business, in parenting, and in rebuilding my life. My advice to others is simple: don’t wait for clarity to start. Step forward with faith, and the path will reveal itself one decision at a time.
Adaptability has been vital in entrepreneurship. The only constant is change — whether it’s shifting customer needs, staffing challenges, or market trends. I’ve learned that flexibility isn’t about giving up your vision; it’s about finding new ways to achieve it. Stay curious. Be willing to learn. And don’t see failure as defeat — see it as data.
Integrity has been my compass. In every situation — tough conversations, business decisions, or personal crossroads — I’ve asked, “What’s the right thing to do?” Not the easiest, not the fastest, but the right thing. When you lead with integrity, trust follows — from customers, partners, and yourself.
For anyone early in their journey, start by nurturing these three. Faith will keep you grounded, adaptability will keep you growing, and integrity will keep you aligned with your purpose. Together, they’ll carry you through whatever chapters life writes next.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
My ideal client is a small business owner — someone who’s as passionate about their brand as I am about bringing it to life. They value quality, creativity, and genuine partnership. They care about how their employees, customers, and community perceive their business, and they understand that branded apparel isn’t just clothing — it’s storytelling.
What makes these clients special is that they see us not as a vendor, but as a collaborator. They appreciate that at Big Frog, there are no minimums, because we believe every idea — no matter the size — deserves to be celebrated. Whether they’re ordering one shirt or one hundred, we give the same care and attention to detail.
My ideal client also values supreme customer service — they want to work with someone who listens, communicates clearly, and delivers with pride. That’s what we do best. We make the process fun, personal, and seamless from start to finish.
At the end of the day, the perfect client for me is someone who shares my belief that when you combine creativity, kindness, and quality, you don’t just make great products — you make lasting impressions.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bigfrog.com/albuquerque/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bigfrogabq
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamara-turkai/
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