Lynn Parker is the only person to graduate from The Academy twice.

She was one of the first people to participate in our 10-week entrepreneurial program. But then, just earlier this year, an invite to our Masterclass hit her inbox.

Somehow, with the transition to a new CRM, her email had ended up back on The Academy Waitlist. So she came. And then, by some crazy chance, she was accepted into The Academy for a second time.

“I was like, okay God, I surrender. Because I didn’t apply for the program when I thought I should have done it, and now it’s been such a blessing for me and my business.”

She runs Food 4 Life Meal Prep, a vegan and vegetarian prep business serving Nashville and Clarksville.

So Lynn has seen The Academy in its first moments and at its most recent height, after booming growth the past couple of years.

“I remember my graduation… It was at some little place, we had one room and it was crowded. I got a little certificate, there was some punch and that was it. But now it’s – whoa! I would have never ever imagined that it would have grown to this magnitude. Shana Berkeley has been doing an amazing job. I’m thankful to Will for having the foresight to actually create this program. So it’s just totally amazing because the opportunities that you have to grow your business after becoming an Academy Alumni are just exponentially over the top. So I am grateful.”

Lynn had memorized all the words to her pitch perfectly. But when she called her best friend to share the pitch over the phone, her friend said, “The pitch is great. But I don’t hear you. Where’s Lynn?”

“I was like ‘What?’ When she said that to me, a light bulb went off and I just decided to have fun with it. Because Food 4 Life Meal Prep is my baby. I am here, I have arrived, and this is what is on the road that I’m on.”

So she rewrote her pitch, re-memorized it, and after the last-minute changes, she was ready to take the stage.

“I will say though, maybe one or two people might have seen me wobble because my legs felt like spaghetti strings afterward walking down the stairs!” 

But up on stage during her pitch, we all heard Lynn. We heard about her passion for Food 4 Life Meal Prep, and she ended up winning second place in our Compassionate Pitch Contest. 

So what’s up next for Lynn and her business?

“I’m in the process of creating a weekly meal prep that people can choose from and I’m gonna launch it very very soon. [You can find Lynn’s meal prep options here now!!] I have the ability to give people a culinary experience.

“The best compliments I’ve received are changing people’s minds about certain foods. Like a gentleman saying he doesn’t eat spinach, but loving my frittata with spinach and mushrooms. Or a man whose wife had been trying to get him to eat fresh salmon for about 25 years, and then he couldn’t get enough of my salmon croquettes!”

In addition to changing hearts and minds (and pallets!), Lynn is hoping to dedicate more time to live cooking videos to engage with her audience on social media.

“I’ve done the 9 to 5, I am 54 years old. And I’ve never, ever been this free in doing something that I love – ever.”

Because entrepreneurship is more than just working for yourself – it’s the freedom to pursue your passion, to turn your dreams into money-making realities.

But entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone.

“It’s rough. It isn’t for the squeamish or the weak, I can tell you that much. But for the people willing to put in the effort and the work: Do The Academy. It is worth it. It will change your life. The facilitators are amazing, and they walk you through each step, and if you are struggling and you need some kind of guidance, they’ll be there for you.”

Our entrepreneurs who sign up for The Academy, walk across that stage and continue to better their businesses through The Academy Amplified are some of the most dedicated and driven business owners. They constantly put their businesses first because they believe in themselves and their missions, and we’re there rooting for them every step of the way. 

Tamara Tuckson is an Academy Aulma, a 1st-place pitch winner, an Academy facilitator, and the CEO and founder of Mission 2 Advocate. Phew! Tamara is a woman on a mission and has been for quite some time.

“My daughter has Rhett syndrome, the most severe form of Autism there is for a female. The doctors stated that she wouldn’t be able to walk, or talk, she wouldn’t have purposeful hand movements, and that she would have seizures and probably wouldn’t have a life expectancy. But she has exceeded all expectations, and Rhett syndrome does not define us. We define Rhett syndrome. So I started this company because I learned how to advocate for her and just felt like there was such a great need for parents.”

Tamara was vulnerable and scared when her daughter first received her diagnosis, and through years of educating herself, she realized that all she’d learned could be shared with others in similar situations.

“I wanted to give compassion, plus the knowledge that I have gained, to other families. And I’m not scared to speak. So I learned how to master my IEP meetings, and I wanted to help other parents to be able to learn how to advocate for their individual loved ones in IEP meetings, but also help them with free resources that they would look to in their time of need and also be a listening ear for them.”

Thus, the Mission 2 Advocate dream was born!

But before it was a nonprofit, it was just a passion. Tamara and her daughter found purpose in helping other families, and they just kept at it. 

“I always phrase it like this. I had the carriage but not the horse. My carriage was full. My daughter and I have been volunteering and doing this work for absolutely nothing at all. We just have the passion for it. We love it. It does something for us to help other people who are in this situation. 

“So I met with a young lady who is in the Millionaires Club for Women. We sat down at a coffee shop and we talked, and I told her all about my carriage, what was in there, and all that my daughter and I had done. And she said, ‘Great, but you don’t have the horse to pull it. You’ve got to make all this legit so you can start a business.’

And I didn’t even know where to begin. But she said, ‘I do. You go to Corner to Corner and they’re going to hook you up, and they’re going to teach you how to start this business from the ground up at The Academy.’”

So that’s exactly what Tamara did.

“I had no social media. I had no website, nothing. But I had the work, the purpose. The Academy pushes you off the porch without pushing you down. And I mean that. They push you off that porch. They stretch you. But the bonding is real, and it gives you a team and it gives you a network of people that are there for you.”

And that’s what Corner to Corner is all about: the network. Connecting our 1,000+ and growing community of Black entrepreneurs with each other, with other business leaders in Nashville, with funding and mentorship and so much more. Building that network with intentionality, so that entrepreneurs like Tamara can flourish within the program – and maybe even make it up on the stage for our Compassionate Pitch Contest.

“I’m a public speaker, but let me tell you, the pitch was different because I was able to tell my story. I was able to tell what I’ve lived with my daughter. And to be able to come on stage and tell that story of overcoming obstacles, to be able to bring my daughter out on stage for people to see how we were able to overcome together… it was a night I’ll always remember. 

“And I have to shine a light on my classmates. They left no stone unturned to make sure they supported me for this pitch. They played a big role in my winning that contest that night. My whole community did – I practiced with my daughter’s teachers, with the church, with my family

“On top of winning the pitch, I won so many prizes to meet with people who are going to help me to get that portfolio all put together so that when I go back and meet with that lady from the Millionaires Club, I’ll have the horse for my carriage. And I will represent Corner to Corner very well.”

And Tamara is ready to take this passion to another level. To a place where her business can grow and evolve as she continues to learn, and with that growth help and reach more families in vulnerable situations like she once was.

“I love that entrepreneurship is emotional.

It’s a big investment in yourself, in your family, and in your dreams. And that can feel scary for sure. But I’m addicted. It’s almost like I’m addicted to checking to see what’s new. What you got for me? What are we going to do? There’s a mixer next Thursday and then I’m looking for your email today. It’s magnetic. I would say that The Academy is contagious, you know what I’m saying? Like you just want to grab it. Because Corner to Corner will kick you off the porch. But they won’t push you down. They’re going to help you stand up. But you got to get off that porch. You got to walk around. You got to maneuver. You got to get out of your comfort zone.”

Visit Tamara’s website here: Mission 2 Advocate