Tahnee is a clever, creative, talented, kind soul whom I had the honour of teaching drama to back at the start of my career in Kitchener, Ontario at CHCI.  She is a “dynamic entrepreneur, coffee shop owner – Bruud Coffee Shop, marketing professor, host of the Entrepreneur Unlimited podcast, and a coach helping entrepreneurs and creatives reach their ideal audiences to build feel-good businesses and brands that align with their passions” (and I’ll add that she’s an incredible singer).   

When I was growing up, my mom told me I could be anything I wanted, and while that was coming from a loving place, it left life wide open and directionless. I didn’t know what to focus on and never narrowed in on any one career goal. I loved to sing and pursued that path for many years, but throughout high school, I felt lost.

On top of feeling like I was coasting through school because I wasn’t challenged and often bored and checked out, I found out in Grade 10 that I had endometriosis – after years of too-painful-for-a-teenager periods. I had no perspective during that time of my life. I hadn’t travelled far or explored much outside of my hometown. I didn’t have a lot of guidance or understanding of what I was going through at that time, and I was as confused and scared as I had ever been.

Over the next couple of years, I was losing weight, felt lethargic and foggy, and didn’t feel like I was truly present in my life. I now know it’s because my body and nervous system were out of whack, but then, my only relief was prescription pain killers and my gynecologist promising to help me figure things out.

At 18, it was official – I needed surgery to remove scar tissue that was causing my pain, and I was devastated. Being so young and hearing about possible fertility issues and low chances of becoming a mother was overwhelming, especially when I was already so uncertain about life. I was becoming familiar with terms like ‘hysterectomy,’ and I was obsessed with shows like ‘A Baby Story’ on TLC, feeling sad that I might never have a family of my own.

This surgery, which turned out to be the first of many, was scheduled for exam week, so before I was admitted into the hospital and exams were due to start, I hobbled into the building to coordinate my absence and ensure I handed in all required materials and had the marks to pass without taking my finals. Each of my teachers and the vice principal told me that I was good to go, that I would pass even without taking my final exams, and I even received some words of
empathy and encouragement.

Fast forward to two weeks post-surgery, still processing and healing, I returned home to a voicemail stating that I failed two classes. It had to be a mistake. I did my best to prevent this from happening. I made another visit to that building to inquire about this obvious mistake, but was told it was no mistake, and I failed. This time, I was met with dismissive non-explanations and basically told, “Too bad for you.” I was treated like I had done something wrong. I was a good student, did what was expected of me, and was just met with a 180 reality check that didn’t add up. After that experience, I left feeling more directionless than before, and like I had aged a decade in just a few weeks. Defeated, I had no choice but to move on.

I took a year to ground myself and decided to attend college as a mature student. Even requesting my transcript was an unpleasant experience, but I got it, was accepted to college and stepped into the next chapter of my academic career.

It took me about 10 years to go back and complete one of my missing credits, and then another 13, after starting two businesses and successfully jumping into full-time entrepreneur life, to finally receive the second missing credit to become a high school graduate at 41.

The years sure fly by, don’t they? It feels like just yesterday I was navigating through one of the most challenging times of my life, and now, I’m proud to say that even though it took longer than I anticipated or hoped, I took back control of that passage through time and closed that chapter. It feels cathartic and freeing. Instead of being ashamed of those dark moments in my formative
years, I feel excited about my academic journey again.

With so much life and work experience, I’ll (if everything goes as planned) forge a new path in my educational journey and pursue an accelerated degree next year. I visualize turning back toward my younger self with a smile of assurance that even though life was a big question mark for so long, and I didn’t feel I had the support I needed at the time, I figured it out, and past me should stay hopeful that in the end, hers will be the story it was always meant to be. And to find peace knowing she was stronger and more resilient because of that chapter. Even though faith wavers, hindsight is always 20/20.

My advice? Don’t give up. No two journeys are the same, and I know firsthand how guilt and self-judgment can linger, but no one has it figured out, and if you think you do, you’re missing the big picture and some necessary life lessons along the way. It’s never too late to give yourself the permission to close or open chapters, write or rewrite your transitions or endings. You are more in control than you think, and embracing the clichéd but accurate idiom, there’s no time like the present, can be the perfect introduction to your liberation chapter.

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tahneeunlimited/
• Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2kj9rtNHzl7WWYtE2HCwIS?si=7814e515a03b4571
• Website: https://www.tahneehipel.com/
• Resources: https://stan.store/entrepreneurunlimited
• Bruud Coffee Shop: https://bruudcoffeebar.com/