Episode 16

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Published on:

3rd Jun 2026

EP16 Small Beginnings Are Launch Points, Not Limitations with Tamara Phillips

Tamara Phillips walked into a bank every week for six to eight weeks. She was not a customer. She was just a woman who knew she wanted to work in banking and decided to show up until someone gave her the chance. Finally, a hiring manager called her and said: I am just tired of you coming in here asking if we have openings. I have a job for you.

That job was in the basement. She sat in front of a microfiche machine all day looking at customer statements. She gave it 100 percent anyway. She finished every day knowing she had left nothing on the table. And the opportunities grew from there.

Four decades later, Tamara is a Business Development Officer at Citizens Bank, a woman who has walked the halls of finance from the bottom floor to senior management, raised a family, navigated hard personal seasons, and built a philosophy of life around one conviction: small beginnings are not your limitations. They are your launch points. In this episode, Sami sits down with Tamara for a conversation about persistence, patience, and the kind of character that compounds over decades. In this episode, we get into:

  • How she got her first banking job by showing up to ask for one every single week for six to eight weeks
  • What it means to give 100 percent when your starting point is a basement and a microfiche machine
  • Why she believes all of life is sales, and what that actually means day to day
  • The personal financial season that gave her credibility to teach financial literacy in a way no textbook can
  • What she would say to a young woman at the very beginning of her career who wants to know how to find her path

Tamara talks about the gap between destination thinking and journey thinking, and why she believes the fixation on climbing quickly and reaching the top causes people to miss the strength, wisdom, and growth that only come through the season they are in right now. She says: the way you do anything is the way you do everything. Your habits, your attention to detail, your attitude toward the small tasks, all of that defines your character. And your character is what compounds.

She also speaks with real honesty about a hard personal financial season she and her family walked through, and how the principles she had been teaching others were the ones she had to live for herself. That experience, she says, is exactly what makes her credible when she sits across from someone now and helps them navigate their financial life.

The Women of All Generations event is June 16, 2026, 3 to 6 PM at the Fayetteville Town Center. Grab your tickets at fayettevillear.com/woag.

Mentioned in this episode:

  • Citizens Bank (The Citizens Bank): thecitizensbank.net
  • Women of All Generations event: fayettevillear.com/woag

Connect with Tamara:

  • Citizens Bank: thecitizensbank.net
  • LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tamara-phillips-67782930

Mentioned in this episode:

Women of All Generations | June 16, 2026

The Women of All Generations event is almost here. Join us June 16, 2026 from 3 to 6 PM at the Fayetteville Town Center for an afternoon of real conversation, connection, and celebration. Tickets and sponsorships are available now. You belong in that room. Grab your spot at fayettevillear.com/woag.

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About the Podcast

HerStory Podcast - Presented by Chamber Fayetteville and Be Freaking Awesome - Featuring Stories of Women of Fayetteville
Every woman you admire has a story she almost didn't tell. The version where things didn't go as planned. The pivot that looked like a failure before it became the thing that changed everything. The moment she almost talked herself out of the room she was born to be in. Those are the stories that actually teach us something. The ones that make you feel less alone and more ready to go back out there and try again. That's what HerStory is about, and it starts with an invitation. Chamber Fayetteville's Women of All Generations returns on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, from 3 to 6 PM at the Fayetteville Town Center. It's an annual panel, celebration, and networking event that brings together women across industries and age groups for honest, meaningful conversation. This year's theme is "You've Earned This," and it's exactly what it sounds like: a pause worth taking. A room full of women who have worked hard, grown a lot, and earned the right to celebrate that together. The 2026 event features a panel discussion moderated by Brittany Phillips, with confirmed panelists Samantha Gregory (influencer, @MunchinWithMantha), Kelsi Musick (head coach of the University of Arkansas Women's Basketball team), and Carol Gray (General Manager, Village Inn). You'll also find meaningful networking with 400-plus attendees, The Curated Collective marketplace spotlighting local and women-owned businesses, and the Sarah Jessie Young Award presentation, honoring a woman who exemplifies leadership, impact, and generational influence. HerStory is how we're getting you ready for that room. This limited podcast series is produced in partnership with Chamber Fayetteville and hosted by Angela Belford and Sami Kinnison of Be Freaking Awesome. Each episode features a different woman from the Fayetteville community, sitting down to share the real version of her story. Not the polished LinkedIn bio. Not the highlight reel. The actual journey: the grit it took, the confidence she had to build from scratch, and the growth she wouldn't trade even on the hard days. We're not here for surface-level inspiration. We're here for the honest, specific, "I needed to hear that" kind of conversation. The women featured in this series come from different industries, different generations, and different starting points. What they share is a willingness to talk about what it actually took. Because here's what we know after years of coaching and facilitating conversations about leadership and communication: the stories women tell each other in quiet moments, the real ones, are some of the most powerful professional development tools that exist. And most of those stories never get told out loud. HerStory is our attempt to change that. Angela Belford has spent decades helping people understand the beliefs underneath their behavior, the invisible edges that shape how we lead, how we communicate, and how we see ourselves. Sami Kinnison has built a career helping teams and leaders say the things they've been avoiding, and find out what's possible on the other side of that conversation. Together, they bring a warmth and depth to these interviews that creates space for guests to go somewhere real. Each episode is a conversation, not an interview. You'll hear laughter. You'll probably hear something that makes you catch your breath a little. You'll definitely hear something you want to text a friend. If you've ever sat next to a woman at an event and thought, "I want to know more about her story," this series was built for you. If you're the kind of person who drives home from a conference replaying one conversation that changed your whole perspective, you're going to love this. If you've been waiting for permission to tell your own story out loud, we hope something you hear here gives it to you. Subscribe now so you don't miss a single episode, and grab your tickets to Women of All Generations at fayettevillear.com/woag. This is the kind of event that reminds you why community matters, and why your story matters too. HerStory. Real women. Real Fayetteville. Real talk.

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Sami Kinnison