We’re looking forward to introducing you to Tiffany Hopkins. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Tiffany, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
I feel like so many of us are struggling with loneliness, but we really can’t talk about it. It would be offensive to the person we’re talking to! But just because we have people in our lives, even people we enjoy, care about, or even love, doesn’t mean that there isn’t still a part of us that is missing connection. As humans, we need a dizzying array of support, input, feedback, love, engagement, and other forms of interaction every day. We need almost as many different kinds of relationships to provide that. Sometimes, a special person can meet many of our needs, but usually, we need a variety of relationships to truly thrive.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Tiffany Hopkins. I’m a researcher and writer. I provide support for organizations looking to innovate or transform their operations, products, or services through consumer research and insight. I also write both fiction and non-fiction. My most recently published book is titled Beyond: A Living Person’s Guide To The Dead, which was released in June. It is a mix of my story, research, and how-to on being a medium. I inherited a house in the world’s largest community of Spiritualists and found myself conversing with the dead alongside my neighbors. It has been a wild ride, and I loved telling the story in Beyond. I’m now working on a novel about three women who walk from Buffalo, NY, to California in an alternate version of 1848 where the Gold Rush never happens.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
I’ve found the simplest way to build bonds with people is by sharing ourselves. It is not the easiest – but it is simple. Because revealing ourselves to others is so naturally connecting, it is the act of hiding our needs and desires that so often breaks (or at least tests) bonds. Whether we are hiding something on purpose, lying, or most commonly, we are not even aware of the things we’re leaving out, any time we aren’t bringing our truth to the table we aren’t offering others something to really connect with. Repairing this starts within ourselves because if we can’t find and accept our own needs and desires, we aren’t able to share them with others.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
As you may have guessed from my answers, I was a pretty lonely person for a lot of my life. I moved around a lot both as a kid and an adult. I always made new friends wherever I went, but it takes time to develop deep bonds, and I always wanted the kinds of connections that felt like family. It wasn’t until I started researching different forms of spirituality that I realized I was severely limiting my potential connections. While people remain the most important part of my life, developing relationships with pets, my home, the nature and wildlife around me, my ancestors, characters I write about, my past and future selves, and all sorts of other connections. This has allowed me to use my deep need for relationship and connection no matter where I live or who is around.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
I have experienced so many meaningful connections that have no physical proof. You could call these ‘spiritual,’ but I feel like that makes them sound like they aren’t part of normal, everyday life when they are. The beauty of a tiny stream tumbling over smoothed rocks, the warmth of being reminded of my grandmother when I see a painting she loved, the exuberance of understanding in a conversation, the joy at getting an idea down on paper. It’s just a stream, a painting, words. But they mean so much more. I can’t prove there is more than meets the physical senses, but I can feel it is there. And those are the moments that make life meaningful.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
The role connection plays in our lives. I can’t pretend to fully understand it, but I feel like part of the success of our culture over the past few hundred years has required us to focus on the power of the individual. We’re now seeing the effects of this loss of community and interdependency. I have done a lot of research and study to remember what connection is and how to live in a way that respects the ways we are all relying on each other – not just people but everything on the planet and beyond. I think most of us feel it somewhere deep down, but our society is built on not noticing so usually we can’t tell what it is we’re feeling. I think it is very natural and normal to eventually start to come back to connection and that we will as a people and a species.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tiffanyjhopkins.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/normalizetalkingtothedead/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tjhopkins/
- Other: Link to Beyond (you can use your own affiliante link to any bookseller if you prefer): https://bookshop.org/a/112088/9781454958406
Image Credits
Kirby Stenger
Amanda Zackem
Kathleen Boldt
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