Meet Tineke Tammes
Midlife women are in their Own Business Era: 25 for 25
For so many reasons, midlife women are in their Own Business Era.
I’m lucky to know many women who’ve left corporate culture, and are now building and scaling their own thing. Trademarking their IP, working solo or employing and contracting others.
During December, I’m publishing an alternative advent calendar featuring midlife women who’ve decided to be the boss of their own careers.
This series of posts, 25 for 25, features midlife women on the rise. Behind the next door on my alternative advent calendar is Tineke Tammes, career and creativity coach.
“Happiness is a choice”: Tineke Tammes
Tineke is a career and creativity coach who helps generalist, creative and multi-passionate women to be happy at work and make successful career transitions.
Her lightbulb moment was this simple realisation - happiness is a choice.
“You have a choice to be happy, right here, right now. Not when you've achieved something, reached that big milestone. Now.”
Tineke is a firm believer that the key to career change and happiness at work boils down to one important thing - creativity. As a bonus, it’s also fun and vital to your wellbeing.
“I believe we don't use our creative brains enough. That we're great at planning and doing and making things happen, but when we need to access our creative brains for ideas, inspiration, curiosity and creative problem-solving - like when we're considering the question 'what shall I do next in my career' - we get stuck.
So that’s what I want to help women do. Access that part of their brain. Access their inner wisdom and creativity. So that they can figure out what they want. So that they can go and make that happen.“
2025 is for …
Tineke launches a new community in 2025. Change Artists will focus on creative thinking and doing for happy and fulfilling careers (and lives). It’s open to her paid Substack subscribers and participants in her programmes and workshops.
Inspiration & motivation comes from …
Tineke’s been inspired by her (female) line managers over the years. The best ones encouraged and challenged her, were open and transparent, supported where necessary and stepped back to let her fly.
Tineke’s advice for her younger self
Tineke has thought about this deeply, as coaches do. I’ve summarised her advice here -
1. You’re ok. You don't have to try so hard, because you're good as you are. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone, least of all to yourself.
2. Try different things. You're a multi-passionate, a generalist. There's a wide world out there, with lots of ways to make a living. Go and find out. Play!
3. Mistakes are not the end of the world. Everyone makes mistakes, even you. Don't beat yourself up about it. Learn from it and move on.
4. Pay attention to the times when you were doing things you loved.
5. Channel your anger. It’s your fuel, as long as you don't turn it inward or hurt other people. Make change happen.
6. You can choose to be happy (or happier).
7. There’s no such thing as a permanent job. One day you’ll break free and see there’s risk in everything.
“I was so scared. Scared to lose my job. Scared to do something wrong. I felt caged for such a long time. Only now have I escaped from this cage.
Happiness - and the choices you have to make to be happy - is in your grasp. You're not stuck.”
Tineke Tammes
Like what you hear? Then connect with Tineke Tammes here
And on Substack: The Career Freedom Newsletter by Tineke Tammes
Just arrived at Ink Tank? I’m Sue Moore, Messaging Strategist and Copywriter. I share smart stuff for writers and hot takes on midlife messaging.