Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Tam (Lupie) McDonough of San Diego

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Tam (Lupie) McDonough. Check out our conversation below.

Good morning Tam (Lupie), we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Integrity, without a doubt. Intelligence and energy are amazing tools, but without integrity, they can easily be misused. I’ve learned through experience—both personal and professional—that staying true to your word, your purpose, and your principles is what builds real trust and impact. Whether I’m advocating for wellness, raising awareness, or just showing up for people in my life, integrity is the foundation. It’s what keeps everything aligned. The world doesn’t need more clever or loud voices—it needs more honest ones.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Tam (Lupie) McDonough, half of the voice behind 520Aftermath and the heart behind Reba’s Tomorrow: A Legacy of Hope and Healing. My life has been shaped by chronic illness, loss, and spiritual awakening—and instead of letting it break me, I chose to build something with it.

520Aftermath is a multimedia platform that my husband created—blog, YouTube channel, and podcast—that explores cannabis, herbal wellness, current events, and real-life healing. It’s a space where faith and fire meet, where we break stigmas and speak truth without shame. Whether it’s education, inspiration, or just a breath of fresh air, 520Aftermath is about living fully and healing naturally.

Reba’s Tomorrow was born from both grief and prophecy. It’s a faith-driven wellness brand and spiritual project created in honor of my late mother, Reba. She was a bold woman of G‑D who left behind handwritten scriptures, warnings, and revelations. Her words are now becoming a book—and her legacy lives on through devotionals, support resources, and handmade remedies rooted in grace, healing, and divine purpose.

What sets all this apart is the balance and purpose. I walk with G‑D and I use cannabis. I believe in prayer and in plant medicine. And I’m not here to be perfect—I’m here to be real. Both brands reflect that: one unapologetically bold and grounded in truth, the other tender, spiritual, and full of legacy. It’s real. It’s personal. It’s not driven by profit or popularity. It’s driven by purpose-and by the deep belief that healing is possible, truth is powerful, stories matter and if my story gives someone else the strength to keep going, then I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My earliest memory of feeling powerful didn’t come wrapped in some shiny success story—it came in the middle of pain, frustration, and straight-up exhaustion. I was deep in my lupus journey, barely eating, body wrecked, mind foggy, and doctors just kept pushing pills like I was some experiment. One night, I had a real moment with G‑D—raw, ugly tears, no fancy words—just me saying, ‘I can’t do this anymore.” And that’s when something in me clicked.

I stopped waiting on someone to save me and decided to take control of my own healing. Cannabis wasn’t some rebellious move—it was a lifeline. It helped me eat, helped me rest, helped me breathe. It brought me back to myself. That’s when I finally felt powerful—when I said, ‘No more suffering in silence. No more letting this disease run my life.’ I chose natural healing, chose to trust the process, and chose to speak up even when people didn’t understand it or want to hear it.

Faith and fire carried me. That’s how 520Aftermath was born—real talk, real healing, real cannabis conversations for people who are tired of the BS. And Reba’s Tomorrow? That’s my heart. It’s my mama’s legacy wrapped in purpose—offering love, light, and support for those walking through pain, illness, or just trying to find hope again. I don’t have all the answers, but I’ve got experience, passion, and a voice that’s not backing down. That’s power. And I’m just getting started.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
What did suffering teach you that success never could?

Suffering taught me who I really am — not who I pretended to be, or who the world told me I had to be. It stripped everything fake away. It showed me what strength actually looks like — not loud, not always pretty, but steady, raw, and real. When you’re lying in pain, fighting an invisible illness like lupus, and still getting up to care for your people, speak truth, and fight for your healing — that’s power success can’t teach.

Suffering taught me to listen — to my body, to my spirit, and to G‑D. It made me turn inward, then upward. It’s where I found cannabis, natural healing, and the divine wisdom of slowing down and paying attention. It’s how Reba’s Tomorrow and 520Aftermath were born — not from easy wins, but from the aftermath of pain, betrayal, illness, and still choosing purpose.

Success never taught me to survive — suffering did. And now I use that survival to speak up, educate, and help others do the same — and I do it with a little sass, a lot of faith, and zero apologies.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
A cultural value I protect at all costs is cannabis — not just as a plant, but as a symbol of healing, empowerment, and community. My journey with lupus opened my eyes to how powerful natural remedies can be, especially cannabis, which helped me regain control over my health when conventional medicine fell short.

For me, cannabis represents more than just medicine; it’s a cultural cornerstone for many who seek alternative paths to wellness, connection, and freedom from stigma. Protecting this value means fighting for access, education, and respect — because cannabis carries with it the stories, struggles, and strength of countless people. It embodies a legacy of resilience that we cannot afford to lose.

I stand firm that honoring and safeguarding cannabis is essential not only for my own healing but for the broader movement toward holistic health and social justice. This is a call to everyone to join in protecting this sacred resource — to challenge outdated laws, to support those who rely on it, and to educate our communities about its true value. The future of cannabis is tied to our ability to protect it today, and that’s a responsibility I carry with pride and urgency.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
When I’m gone, I hope people tell the story of a woman who refused to be broken—who took her pain, her illness, and her battles, and turned them into purpose. I want them to say I was real, raw, and relentless in the way I loved, healed, spoke truth, and fought for others, especially those who felt unheard or unseen.

I hope they say I didn’t just survive lupus, trauma, or loss—I transformed them. That I stood for natural healing, for cannabis as medicine, for speaking your truth no matter how uncomfortable it made people. That I kept my faith, even when I didn’t have answers. That I made people feel like they weren’t alone.

I want to be remembered as someone who lived with fire and heart, who didn’t pretend to be perfect, but who always showed up real. Someone who broke generational patterns, who wasn’t afraid to speak on things folks usually whisper about. A woman who created safe spaces—through her words, her work, and her love.

Through 520Aftermath, we spoke to the world about healing through cannabis, about what it means to reclaim your body, your voice, and your peace. And through Reba’s Tomorrow: A Legacy of Hope and Healing, I honored my mom by continuing her work—offering light, truth, and comfort to anyone walking through darkness.

And most of all, I hope they say I honored my mom, carried her light forward, and left something behind that helped someone else believe they could make it too. If that’s the story they tell—I lived well. I loved hard. And I didn’t waste my pain.

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