If you’ve found your way here, thank you for taking a few moments to get to know me. My hope is that, over time, this becomes a place where you find encouragement, practical guidance, and the reassurance that no matter what you’ve experienced, your best life is still within reach.
My name is Tanda, and I am a 63-year-old Black woman proudly born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. While many people today prefer the term African American, I continue to proudly identify as Black. It is the word that has always felt like home to me, reflecting both my identity and my history.
I grew up as the middle of three sisters. We were each born four years apart and shared many of the experiences that come with growing up in a close-knit family. Sadly, my oldest sister passed away at just 34 years old. Losing her was devastating—my world felt like it was falling apart. But I couldn’t allow myself to collapse, because I stepped in to take custody of her 12-year-old son and needed to be strong for him. Unfortunately, her passing was not my first experience with profound loss; life had already shown me just how fragile it can be.
Education became one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. I attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick thanks to a full financial aid package—without it, college simply would not have been possible. Earning my degree was a major accomplishment, but the path to get there was far from straightforward.
The summer before my senior year, I believed I had my future all figured out. I moved in with my boyfriend and had no intention of returning to Rutgers to complete my final year. I thought I knew exactly how my life would unfold.
Then, in a single moment, everything changed.
Just before the fall semester began, my boyfriend was murdered in the apartment we shared.
There are moments in life that divide your story into “before” and “after.” This was one of them.
I was devastated—shocked and heartbroken. The future I had imagined disappeared overnight, and I had no roadmap for what came next.
I returned to Rutgers that fall, not because I had found clarity, but because I didn’t know what else to do.
The years that followed were filled with victories, mistakes, heartbreak, personal growth, marriage and divorce, and lessons I could never have learned from a textbook. They shaped me into the woman I am today—a woman who understands that peace is something we intentionally build, confidence is something we cultivate, and joy is something we choose to pursue, even after unimaginable loss.
Those lessons are the reason Best Life Now exists.
I didn’t become a life coach because my life has been easy. I became a life coach because I’ve had to rebuild it—more than once.
This blog is where I’ll share that journey honestly: the successes, the failures, the wisdom I’ve gained, and the practical tools that helped me become the healthiest, happiest, and most peaceful version of myself.
If my story helps even one person believe that healing is possible, that purpose can be found after pain, and that it’s never too late to create a life you truly love, then every difficult chapter will have been worth telling.
