Live Brighter with Tara

Live Brighter with Tara Empowerment to Live a Brighter Life!

I've spent a lot of my life being the helper in relationships. And as a recovering high-functioning codependent, I've ha...
09/11/2026

I've spent a lot of my life being the helper in relationships. And as a recovering high-functioning codependent, I've had to learn that being needed isn't the same as being known.

We can be great listeners, helpers, fixers, and supporters—and still leave very little room for ourselves in a friendship.

Healthy friendship needs mutuality. It means allowing ourselves to give and receive, listen and speak, support and be supported.

And sometimes that requires knowing ourselves well enough to say what we actually think, feel, want, and need.

That's something I'm continuing to practice in my own friendships.

So here's a question worth considering: Do the people closest to you know you—or mostly the version of you that takes care of everyone else?

🎧 I'm talking about this and much more in this week's episode of Live Brighter with Tara. Listen now, and send this to a friend you value.

I was taking a walk and I came across this gigantic sunflower. I had no idea they grew this big.😳😍 ...
09/10/2026

I was taking a walk and I came across this gigantic sunflower. I had no idea they grew this big.😳😍

09/09/2026

I've had times when being guarded felt safer than being open.

When we've been hurt, rejected, or betrayed, it's understandable that our minds start creating beliefs like “I can't trust people,” “I'm better off alone,” or “I don't need anyone.”

Those beliefs may feel protective. But I've learned that they can also keep us from the very connection we're longing for.

For me, part of healing is bringing those places to God and asking Him to help me soften what I've hardened—not by trusting everyone immediately or ignoring what I've learned, but by becoming willing to open my heart again.

I think there's an important difference between having healthy boundaries and having a closed heart.

We can use wisdom. We can let trust develop slowly. And we can still remain open to being known and loved.

That's part of what I'm talking about in this week's Live Brighter with Tara episode on adult friendship, trust, betrayal, mutuality, and deeper connection.

If you've ever felt yourself pulling away from connection because being alone feels safer, this part of the conversation may resonate with you. 🤍 The full episode is available now if you'd like to listen.

This is something I’ve had to think about in my own friendships. I naturally tend to be the listener, the helper, and th...
09/08/2026

This is something I’ve had to think about in my own friendships. I naturally tend to be the listener, the helper, and the person who wants to support others—and those can be beautiful qualities.

But healthy friendship needs mutuality.

There will absolutely be seasons when one person needs more support than the other. But over time, there should be space for both people to talk, listen, give, receive, and be known.

I’m learning that being a good friend doesn’t mean always being the strong one or the one who has it all together. Sometimes deeper connection comes from allowing ourselves to be supported too.

So maybe a good question to ask is: Do the people I know deeply also have the opportunity to know me?

That’s a big part of what I explore in this week’s Live Brighter with Tara episode on building healthier, deeper adult friendships.

If this question made you think about your own friendships, I think you’ll connect with this conversation. 🤍

09/07/2026

I've noticed something about myself as I've been recovering from high-functioning codependency: I really like to fix things.

Someone I care about tells me they're struggling, and my brain immediately starts looking for solutions. What can I do? What should they try? How can I make this better?

It comes from a place of caring—but caring doesn't always require fixing.

Sometimes what someone really needs is for us to sit with them, listen, and make space for what they're experiencing.

I'm learning to ask more often: “What do you need from me right now? Do you want me to listen, validate, or help you think through some ideas?”

And then actually listen to the answer.

I think that's part of what creates deeper intimacy in friendship—being able to hold space for another person's experience without needing to change it.

That's one of the things I'm talking about in this week's Live Brighter with Tara episode on building healthier, deeper adult friendships.

If you're a natural helper or fixer like me, I think this conversation might resonate with you. 🤍 The full episode is available now if you'd like to join me.

3 years of Live Brighter with Tara. 🤍When I started this podcast, I simply wanted to create a place for honest conversat...
09/06/2026

3 years of Live Brighter with Tara. 🤍

When I started this podcast, I simply wanted to create a place for honest conversations about the things that help us heal, grow, know ourselves better, deepen our faith, build healthier relationships, and live more fully.

What I didn't realize was how much I would grow right alongside all of you.

Over these three years, I've had the privilege of learning from incredible guests, sharing pieces of my own journey, asking hard questions, changing my mind, growing in my faith, and continuing to discover what it really means to live brighter.

I'm incredibly grateful for every person who has listened, watched, shared an episode, left a comment, sent me a message, or told a friend about the podcast.

Thank you for being part of this community and this journey.

Three years down—and I'm excited to see what Year 4 brings.

Here's to continuing to Live Brighter, 1% at a time. 🤍

09/06/2026

3 years of Live Brighter with Tara! 🤍

I’m so grateful for every person who has listened, watched, shared, commented, or simply joined me along the way. Thank you for allowing me to share what I’m learning and for growing alongside me.

Here’s to another year of learning, healing, growing, and choosing to Live Brighter—1% at a time. ✨

Honoring a woman who lived loud and let her light shine 💓✨
09/05/2026

Honoring a woman who lived loud and let her light shine 💓✨

One thing I'm realizing more and more is that good friendships don't just happen—we build them.And healthy friendship is...
09/04/2026

One thing I'm realizing more and more is that good friendships don't just happen—we build them.

And healthy friendship isn't about finding someone who never disappoints us or always sees things exactly the way we do.

It's mutuality. Honesty. Trust built over time. Being able to celebrate one another. Having hard conversations and repairing when something feels off.

I've also learned that being needed isn't the same as being known. We have to be willing to bring ourselves into our friendships too—not just what we can do for someone else.

This week's episode of Live Brighter with Tara is about why friendship matters, why it can become harder as we get older, and how we can intentionally build deeper, healthier relationships.

Here's my challenge: think of one person you'd like to know better and reach out. Don't wait for them to go first. ❤️

🎧 Listen to the full episode, and send this carousel to a friend you're grateful for.

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