Welcome to “Making a Difference!” Step into the inspiring world of business owners who are making a tangible difference in their communities. Join us as we spotlight passionate entrepreneurs who go beyond profit, dedicating their time, resources, and innovative ideas to create positive social impact. Today our hosts, Greg Chapman and Morgan Allen, spoke with Tammie McClafferty.
Tammie McClafferty
CEO of Lifework Leadership
Website Address: https://lifeworkfirstcoast.com/
Short company description:
Lifework First Coast is a faith-based leadership development program for influencers in the First Coast that strives to breathe new life into marketplace leaders – equipping and inspiring them to live more intentional, Kingdom-centered lives thus enabling them to become a greater force for God. At Lifework we dream about transforming cities by transforming leaders. In this regard Lifework has been influencing culture for more than 25 years. First in the USA, then in Africa and now in several cities across the globe. Join us as we learn how faith in Jesus integrates with business & everyday life. Get connected with likeminded leaders and build dynamic relationships. Let your heart get captivated for the city and learn how to leverage your God-given influence and platform for the good of the city.
What is a tip for success that you would provide someone in your same industry?
It’s not RISK, it’s OBEDIENCE.
What volunteer experience has impacted you the most?
The Longest Table.
What’s one cause you’re passionate about?
Kingdom Impact through Business.
Transcript:
Morgan:
Welcome back to another episode of Making a Difference, where we highlight those who are making a difference and making Kingdom impact. I’m Morgan Allen, joined today by Greg Chapman with FCA. Thank you for being here.
Greg:
Thanks for having me. It’s my privilege today to introduce to you a pretty well known person in our city when it comes to Christians and Christian business leaders. She won’t be a stranger to many of you. She’s also a friend of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, so we can’t wait to hear some of her story with her experience with coaching and coaches.
So welcome, Tammie McClafferty. Tammie, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Tammie:
Yeah. As you mentioned, mom of three kids, all athletes. So I mean that was the world we’ve grown up in. My husband was an athlete prior all through college. I was an athlete. So sports have always been a huge part of our life.
And Greg, you know my husband, he is with FCA, sits on the board. And so FCA has been a huge part of our lives.
Greg:
So just briefly tell us about life, work, leadership. What is that?
Tammie:
So that’s my big girl job on the side. Life Work Leadership is a faith based leadership development. So we take business leaders and put them through an eight month training on really how to take their faith into the workplace.
So legally what are you allowed to say and do tactfully, what’s appropriate. We’ve been in the city now about 18 years. It is a global organization, so we’re in 34 nations around the world.
But here in Jacksonville, over 650 alumni. So we have quickly become the largest faith based networking system in the city, which is really the blessing behind Life Work, is just the people. Wow.
And so Greg had a chance to be in the class this year.
Morgan:
So yes, you’re great. So Greg, what has your experience been like so far?
Greg:
It’s been great. I love it. I think the world of it and what you’re doing to move business leaders to see their city as their mission field and their job as their calling to fulfill the Great Commission here in Jacksonville.
Tammie, one of the reasons I wanted to have you on is because you bring a different perspective to coaching. Married an athlete, raised athletes.
I really believe that coaching is coaching. What you’re coaching, whether it’s business, sports, whatever, that changes. But coaching kind of stays the same.
From your experience, from where you sit as a mom, share some times where maybe a coach missed it.
Tammie:
I mean coaches have been a part of our life. Like I said, my kids all started sports at very very young ages.
And I think what we learned quickly, which is why my husband got involved with FCA early on, was how much better the kids listened to their coaches than us.
We know that. We say that half jokingly as parents. We can say something and they kind of just roll their eyes. But when a coach says it they respond.
Whether it’s because they want to start on that team or whatever it is, there is power behind what the coaches are feeding into the kids.
And that’s what drove my husband to FCA ultimately. We saw the power of those coaches in our kids lives. And we had some amazing coaches who did it well and did it right and poured into our kids, all of them.
They would say that to you. They were instrumental in our kids lives.
But we also saw when a coach didn’t have Christ at the center or didn’t have those characteristics and those morals and those values.
Particularly with my one son, he was doing very well in his sport of choice, receiving lots of accolades and winning all the awards and doing all this stuff.
And one particular coach, unbeknownst to us at the time, we didn’t find out until years down the road of a trajectory we didn’t want to go, introduced weed to our son from the sense of it will help you gain weight because you get the munchies when you smoke weed.
And so years down the road we’re like what is happening, how did this happen, where are we.
I mean it was just this life path that we did not see coming. And we’re like where did this come from.
And when we really pulled back the layers, it was he was introduced to it by a coach and was so passionate about being successful in the sport and thought that’s what I need to do.
If that’s what the coach is telling me to do then that’s what I need to do.
And it took us years to unwind what one coach said in passing that our kid took to heart. It changed the trajectory of my son’s life because of one comment that a coach said.
Morgan:
Heartbreaking because it is so addictive. And when you think that something like that is okay, it’s okay by the world’s standards, it’s okay by your coach’s standards, but biblically it’s not okay.
Tammie:
No. And as a 16 year old he knew but he was still developing.
He was just like this is going to make me bigger and I need to be bigger to get the scholarship. And that’s going to you know all the stuff.
So it just led us down a path that we had to fight for years against that.
Greg:
That’s tough.
One of the ways through one of the trainings that we do for three dimensional coaching, the way we define coaches is to think back to the stage coach.
A stage coach is a vehicle that takes someone of importance from where they are to where they want to be.
And that’s a coach taking someone of importance, someone else’s child, taking them from where they are to where they want to be and desire to be.
In FCA we always say coach said, coach said are the two most powerful words our students hear.
To that point, on the flip side of that do you have anything on the other side?
Tammie:
Yes. And I think that was where again with this particular son in this story.
There was an offensive coach that wasn’t really his coach because he played defense.
But this offensive coach did it well and did it right and that was the coach that made us aware of what was happening.
He took the extra step and the hard road to say hey listen there’s some things going on.
As a parent we had no idea. And once it all came out we had to fight through that.
Our son was mad at us because we had to call out some coaches. And this is in the prime of the season when scholarships are on the line.
We had to walk in some really muddy waters with some coaches.
But the other coach was absolutely invaluable to us at that time.
He kept saying it’s just a game.
To our son at that time it wasn’t just a game, it was everything.
And even from our perspective as parents I always say this when I talk to students now.
I really thought my son knew his identity was in Christ because that’s how we raised him.
But ultimately it wasn’t. His identity was in football.
He was popular because of football. He was the best in the state in football. He had scholarships coming.
And when all of that was stripped away he ended up fracturing his back and his career was over.
And when that happened we realized that we had missed that as well.
When football was taken away from him everything was lost.
And again that one coach came in and it was just that constant reminder.
It was just a sport. It was just a game. He’s worth more.
Those were the words we needed.
He was the one that stepped in and helped us navigate that.
Morgan:
Wow. God has a way of making things work for his glory and his good.
I’m sure that as things played out when your identity is stripped away in one realm that’s when the Lord comes in and shows you your real identity.
Tammie:
Thank God he’s doing well now. All that to say he’s doing great.
It was a rough path but there were good people on both sides.
Morgan:
So what is on the horizon for Life Work Leadership?
Tammie:
We’ve got a big graduation coming up with this year’s class.
Life Work also has four coffee shops. We just opened our fourth coffee shop on Trinity College campus.
It’s the first ever do it yourself coffee bar for students. That opened a couple weeks ago so that’s really exciting.
And we’re just continuing to grow businesses around the city and grow business leaders to make Kingdom impact in the city.
Morgan:
That’s incredible. Well thank you for the great work that you are doing. We truly appreciate having you on the show.
Tammie:
Thanks for having me.
Morgan:
And viewers, thank you for tuning in to another episode.
If you want more information on Life Work Leadership head on over to livingmyfaith.com and we have it right there.
We’ll see you in the next episode of Making a Difference.
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