Meet Tara Johnson

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tara Johnson . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tara below.

Tara, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience is fostered from being told no, “failing” and learning things the hard way. I have worked in sales since I was a teenager in high school so being told no has never impacted me because there will always be a yes, you just have to muddle through the no’s. Failing isnt failing until you give up but what I’m referencing here is doing things that don’t equate to instant success. Not succeeding the first time at things teaches you lessons for your future self and business, so it’s providing knowledge that wasn’t there before. When you fight through adversity in business and in life you toughen your mental muscle of resilience. When you continuously show up for yourself, pushing through the difficult times knowing just on the other side is a win you are proving your confidence in your own ability.

Resilience is a core trait that has fueled my life. My upbringing wasn’t the prettiest or easiest, challenging to say the least. But I always believed in myself and my ability. When I started Happy Hounds back in 2018 it was for a handful of reasons. I wanted to make additional income for my son and I, I love animals and I was battling alcohol use disorder…and I was desperately trying to find a way to keep myself busy. Not only was it the personal struggles that I was fighting through it was naysayers who I thought were friends that joked about how pet sitting wasn’t a career. I started to feel shame and embarrassment.

Here I am on the other side. Happy and thriving because at the end of the day I am the most important. My business isn’t a million dollar business, but It’s helping me and others and that’s what is truly important.

Knowing that my clients feel safe to leave for a week or three, sometimes out of the country and take care of their fur kids it makes it worth it. Fighting the adversity makes it worth it.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Tara I am 34 and I have a squirrel brain so I am currently working on multiple different things.

For the last 9 years my day job has been as an insurance agent for various different companies. I recently left an agency due to a couple of different circumstances. I love insurance, but I don’t love unethical or disorganized places. I am currently on the hunt for a new agency I can hang my license at that will allow me flexibility to work on my other passions as well.

Happy Hounds Staycation, my pet sitting business is where the majority of my focus is right now. I’m hoping to scale and drive business so I can add a few more sitters to my team. My dream here is to have a pet sitting and boarding facility that generates enough revenue that I would be able to start a non profit dog rescue.

Lastly, I currently blog on Instagram and Facebook about my journey will alcohol use disorder, mental illness diagnosis and growing up in a home fueled by addiction and violence. I am working towards coaching certifications in the sober sector, and will hopefully be of service to this community. Whether it’s me starting my own coaching business or joining forces with an existing establishment in the recovery sector I’m on board. One day I will be speaking to students on the importance of seeking
Help. Whether it be for their own struggles or something going on at home. Until this happens, I will continue to take on podcast interviews like I have been sharing and spreading my story in hopes that it will aid in a positive way for someone’s life.

So as you can tell, I am mostly a work in progress. Battling lots of adversity and working on that resilience. One thing I know, I will continue to push forward chasing my dreams no matter what.

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?
Vulnerability/authenticity. Empathy. Student mindset. I feel like all three of these attributes are necessary to succeed in today’s world. Or they at least make you more marketable and enjoyable to be around. All of these take practice and patience it’s not something you will conquer over night. But becoming self aware is a great first step, just acknowledging there are places that you can grow as an individual.

Vulnerability and authenticity help connect you with your true self/purpose. This also leads you to your people whether that be your inner circle who is impacting you directly or your specific client base.
Empathy is just an important human skill. We are all different. We all view life different and that’s okay learning to leave and hold space for people go a long way.
Student mindset, we always should be learning. If you’re the smartest person its the time to find another room. Always be open to learning new avenues for completing a task or knowledge in your industry.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I usually run to physically get the anxious/overwhelmed feeling out of my body. I’ve been an avid runner since high school and it’s such a useful tool. Journaling helps me to get my thoughts out of my head onto a sheet of paper so I can see them physically. Most of the time once I see them I can start to pick a part what I can and cannot control. If I can’t control it, I simply mark it off and tell myself out loud to release the worry and control. If I can control it I can start to break down how to attack it. But also just turning on my music really loud and dancing and singing. It’s a fun and carefree way to pump some positive feelings through my brain.

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