Tammy Winstead (00:00)
Welcome back to another episode of Unmasking the Heart for Change, where we peel back the layers, uncover the truth behind transformation, and get to the heart of what helps us grow, one heart to heart at a time. I'm your host, Tammy Winstead, and I'm so thankful you decided to join me today.
Before we dive in, I want to tell you something upfront. This episode has the power to realign something inside of you. Because when purpose starts knocking, everything in your life begins to shift. Your peace, your discomfort, your direction. If you've been wondering why things felt different lately, then pull up a chair friend and listen close.
Today, we're unmasking it. In this episode, we're going to talk about something I've been wanting to do for months now. We are unmasking purpose. Not just mine, not just yours, but ours, collectively. As we step into 2026 together,
we are unmasking purpose. If you joined me for episode 17, you heard me talk about the power of one word. How choosing a focus word instead of a traditional New Year's resolution literally shifted the trajectory of my life personally. Well, this year, the word pulling at me for 2026 is purpose. And let me tell you,
it's already beginning to stir things up for me. I want to take you back to a chapter of my life that I've hinted at in previous episodes and touched on briefly, but today I want to open it up a little wider. It was 2019 and life had just given me one of my proudest accomplishments.
graduating from Arkansas State University two decades after high school with two full bachelor degrees. Not minors, two full bachelor degrees. I graduated with honors. I was high performing. I was winning in every metrics that mattered to me at that moment in life. I was on a high. Life was great. And then, suddenly,
things shifted. A place that once felt safe and steady and predictable started shaking. You know that feeling when something you've prayed for, you've worked really hard for, and suddenly it doesn't fit anymore?
When it feels like the life you've built is tilting, but you don't know why, I kept thinking, I don't deserve this shift. On paper, life should have been going good for me, not feeling so off. I didn't understand what was happening, but deep down, I could sense something. If I stayed where I was,
I'd get crushed when it finally collapsed. Now, let me pause here and say this. Sometimes God makes you uncomfortable
because he's opening a door and he needs you to be ready and willing to walk through it. For me, that was in 2019. I stepped back, I prayed more, I spoke less, and I listened more. And the longer I listened, the more I realized that a lifelong goal I once held onto so tightly, it no longer fit me. It wasn't failure, it was a revelation.
God let me have what I thought I wanted so he could show me I was wishing too small. That realization set me on a new path, one that led me to entrepreneurship, a journey that has stretched me, refined me, humbled me, and opened more doors than I could have ever imagined or dreamed possible. But...
being a small business owner, whew, it's rewarding, it's stressful, it's absolutely beautiful, it's chaotic, it's transformative, but it also brought into my life people I never would have crossed paths with. And it shaped me for the purpose I'm stepping into now.
Okay, before I share what's coming, I want to pause right here in this tender space and talk about something deeper we don't acknowledge nearly enough. The word failure.
I had a conversation recently with a dear friend who is walking through a life shift right now. After 10 years of giving her heart to something that she's loved, she felt led to step away. And after a lot of prayer, she told me she finally realized it wasn't failure. It was redirection. And that hit me really hard because this is what we do, isn't it? A door closes, a chapter ends.
season shifts and we immediately turn inward and judge ourselves as if we've somehow fallen short. But I can't understand why. When spring arrives, does winter stand in shame? No. Nature doesn't argue with the changing of seasons. It honors and embraces them. The animals adjust, the trees and flowers respond.
The world understands that a new season doesn't mean the last one failed. It simply completed its purpose. So why then do we treat ourselves so harshly when the season of our lives begin to change? Here's the truth. Most of what we call failure is really God moving us into alignment. Quietly
redirecting us toward the purpose we've been prepared for. Now, I want to talk about something a lot of people experience, but very few people openly acknowledge. There comes a moment in your life where nothing is technically wrong, but nothing feels quite right either. You're not in crisis. You're not confused. You're not being dramatic.
You've simply in a transition period, the kind that sneaks up on you quietly. A new season rarely starts with your circumstances. It usually starts with you. Your internal chemistry begins to shift. Your energy begins to shift. Your desires shift. Your tolerances shift. Even the things you used to crave start to feel
different. And then you wake up one day sensing, I can't stay where I'm at, but I'm not fully sure of where I'm going. That feeling isn't confusion. It isn't restlessness. It's the early signal that you're outgrowing something. Maybe you felt it. Something that once excited you no longer does. A room you used to fit in suddenly feels
too small. An assignment you once mastered now feels out of alignment. That's not boredom. It's not always burnout. It's redirection. It's your mind, spirit, and intuition pulling you out of what you've already outgrown. It's sensing the expiration date before it arrives. You're not losing passion. You're shifting into a new frequency.
a new identity and a new chapter of life. And when that shift starts to happen, it usually shows up in three quiet ways. And I want to talk about them today. Number one, you feel a pull towards something you can't fully explain yet. No details, no clarity, just a spark or a nudge that says, go this way. Number two,
You feel a release from something that you thought was permanent. It becomes harder to stay, easier to imagine yourself leaving, and you start realizing it's simply time. Number three, you feel uncomfortable staying the same. Your old routines feel tight. Your old identity doesn't match who you're becoming.
Your capacity is stretching in new directions. This discomfort isn't punishment. It's pressure. The kind that signals growth, realignment, and rising into a truer version of yourself. You won't get the full map all at once. You'll get the first movement. The first hint.
the first shift, it teaches you to pay attention to what is pulling you, to trust the subtle signs, to sense the next step before you fully understand it. This is self-awareness. This is evolution. This is personal growth at its deepest level. So, as you begin to feel that shift, honor what's ending.
create space for what's becoming and move toward what feels right, even if the direction feels incomplete. You're not lost, you're not confused, you're being repositioned. And this, this is the quiet way purpose begins to unfold. So let's talk about what's coming this next year in 2026.
This year, I'm unmasking purpose. And I don't feel like this is just my word. I feel like it's our word. There's a shift happening, and I've felt it since April of this year. The kind of shift that whispers, get ready. Build capacity. Prepare your heart. Something new is coming.
I don't have the full picture yet, and I'm not supposed to. Purpose doesn't arrive fully formed. It unfolds. It reveals itself piece by piece. It grows with us. But here's what I do know. This year on Unmasking the Heart for Change is going to look a little different.
We will still have our normal interviews. We will still be highlighting leaders and change makers in various communities. But we are adding a brand new layer as we unmask purpose. It will be bonus content, deeper conversation, and behind the scenes wisdom.
On the podcast and inside our Facebook group that we've created Unmasking Purpose, we're talking leadership skills that shaped our guests, the failures that redirected and rerouted them, the training, books, mentors, and resources that they've used, the uncomfortable moments that pushed them forward, and how they discovered and continue to discover
their purpose. I've already began connecting with leadership powerhouses who are going to pour into the journey with us. 2026 will not be surface level. We're unmasking the real stuff. The stuff that grows you. If something at all of that stirred you, if you felt your spirit straightening just a little,
but also felt that familiar tightening in your stomach wondering, do I really have what it takes to walk into my purpose? Friend, pause for a moment, breathe. You're not alone, not for one moment, because stepping into purpose rarely feels comfortable. It often feels like standing at the edge of a doorway, you're not quite sure you're ready to walk through. So let me tell you this.
If you don't feel brave enough yet, if stepping into that room feels too big or too overwhelming, I'm coming to meet you right there where you're at, in the hallway. And right there between what's ending and what's beginning, we're gonna talk. We're gonna learn. We're gonna grow.
Until the moment comes when you step boldly into rooms you once thought were too big for you.
Through this process, you won't be stepping into purpose alone. Not anymore. This year, I'm reaching out to small business owners, to community leaders, to people who want more but don't know where to begin, to anyone who feels the tug but needs a little guidance. I'm connecting you to programs, resources, and knowledge I had to fight to find. No gatekeeping. No more figuring it out alone.
No pretending everything is easy when life feels so heavy. This year, we're linking arms. We're walking toward purpose together. Now, I wish I could tell you everything that's coming, but the truth is the details are still unfolding even for me too. I'm taking it day by day, step by step. I'm just trusting the author of my story because he holds the pen.
And I know I can trust him. But what I can tell you is this. Doors are opening. Opportunities are forming. Purpose is aligning. And how do I know? Well, Because...
I've been having the same conversation in multiple rooms with people who have no idea I've had that exact same conversation elsewhere. That's how I know alignment is happening. And I am boldly walking through every door that God opens. And I'm taking you with me. Every table I sit at.
You have a seat right beside me. So if you've been feeling that tug toward your next chapter, that whisper that says there's more for you, that ache to step deeper into who you were created to be, then consider this your personal invitation.
You belong here. You're a part of this movement. And this next chapter, we're unmasking it together. So, I need you to go join our Facebook group, Unmasking Purpose. I need you to visit the website and join the mailing list. Subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode or any of our bonus content.
And most importantly, get ready. Because 2026 is the year of unmasking purpose. So keep pushing forward, keep leaning in, keep taking the next step, even if it feels small. Momentum is built by consistency, not perfection. And every step you take is pulling you closer to the life you're meant to build. And friend,
If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that change begins within and it starts one heart to heart at a time. See you guys next time. Bye.