Finding Your Voice & Trusting Yourself | How to Stop Settling and Live an Authentic Life with Tiffanie Janowitz

How do you know when it's time to stop settling and start living a life that's truly aligned with who you are?

In this episode of From Drift to Direction, I sit down with Tiffanie Janowitz—mentor, entrepreneur, and passionate advocate for intentional living—to explore what it takes to trust yourself, embrace change, and create a life that feels authentic.

Tiffanie shares her inspiring journey of walking away from a religion and marriage that no longer aligned with her values, learning to embrace failure as a catalyst for growth, and developing the confidence to make life-changing decisions.

She also opens up about one of the most defining moments of her life: advocating for herself after her health concerns were repeatedly dismissed—a decision that ultimately led to the early detection of breast cancer. Her story is a powerful reminder that no one knows your body, your life, or your intuition better than you do.

Together, we discuss the importance of listening to your inner voice, building self-trust through small daily actions, overcoming fear of change, and creating a life based on alignment instead of other people's expectations.

In this episode, you'll learn:

✔ Why so many people settle for a life that no longer fulfills them

✔ How to build self-trust and confidently make difficult decisions

✔ Why failure is one of the greatest teachers of personal growth

✔ The importance of advocating for yourself—even when others disagree

✔ How consistent daily habits build resilience and confidence

✔ Practical ways to stop drifting and start living intentionally

If you've been feeling stuck, questioning your current path, or searching for the courage to make a change, this conversation will inspire you to trust yourself and take the next step toward a more authentic life.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

I found myself at the crossroads of how much longer am I gonna check these boxes for other people and when am I gonna start putting myself and my voice first. I walked away from a religion that was not um, you know, a religion and a marriage that were no longer aligned with me was multiple providers telling me that my body was okay. Well I'm living the I'm living inside my own body and nobody knows my body like me.

SPEAKER_00 0:34

Welcome back to From Drift to Direction, the podcast where we explore the stories, experiences, and turning points that help people move from drifting through life to living with greater purpose, clarity, and intention. Today I'm excited to be joined by Tiffany Janovitz. Tiffany is a mentor, entrepreneur, and someone who is passionate about helping people stop settling for fine and start creating lives that feel aligned, meaningful, and authentic. Her journey has included multiple reinventions, walking away from relationships and beliefs that no longer align with who she was becoming, navigating entrepreneurship, and facing a breast cancer diagnosis that required her to advocate for herself when her concerns were initially dismissed. What I love about Tiffany's story is that it's not just about overcoming challenges, it's about having the courage to trust yourself, make difficult decisions, and find a new direction when life calls for a change. Tiffany, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

Thank you. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Thank you. Um I want to start with um introduce yourself, tell us about your journey and who you are.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Oh, my journey uh is anything but linear, which the older I've gotten and the more life experience I've had, I uh appreciate being able to say that. You know, I mean, I think that the more the older I've gotten and the more I have become appreciative of my failures and what they've taught me, that has become such a valuable lesson in my life rather than, you know, positioning something and feeling shameful about it, you know. So, anyways, my progression through life has been anything but linear. I am not your traditional gal. So I have continually like stepped out of the mold and stepped out of what maybe society or like my surroundings expect of me. And not in a rebellious way, like that's not that's not the purpose of my um breaking the mold, but more in a way of what is in alignment to my inner voice and trusting myself. And if that requires some mold breaking, then that, you know, so be it. That's not the case for everybody, and that's not the case for all scenarios, too, right? But um, but it's definitely taught me as I've had the courage to do that each time, it's definitely taught me to continue showing up for myself. And so that's what I'm on a mission to help others be able to do the same and have the courage to take those first steps to do that for themselves.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

That's awesome. Was there a moment in your life that was the turning point? Or have you always been that way? Or there was something that changed your way uh of seeing things?

SPEAKER_01 3:42

I have always been a self-driven leader that has kind of just come naturally in my life. I'm the youngest of eight kids. And when people normally hear that, they're like, oh, you're the youngest. I bet you were handed everything. I bet that that was just like, you know, you get what you want. And I didn't experience the typical stereotype of the, you know, the youngest. What I did experience was I got to develop my independence at an early age. I got to use my voice at an early age because I had the opportunity to observe my siblings that were older than me, I could look at some of them and say, I don't want to do that. I do want to do that, you know, and I really got to observe and then start exercising my voice from a young age. Now, with that said, I did check the boxes for a long time simultaneously to that. So while I was being independent and, you know, and being a self-driven leader and everything like that, I also wanted to feel accepted and I wanted like other people's opinions of me mattered. I wanted to fit into the societal norms, and that worked until it didn't. And that's the breaking point that you're asking about. Um, and that's that's really the first one that was the catalyst for me as an adult. Now, when I say an adult, I was very young. This was like 20 years ago. So um it was, it was a many years ago in my life, lots of chapters, as we like to call it, ago. But I found myself at the crossroads of how much longer am I gonna check these boxes for other people? And when am I gonna start putting myself and my voice first? And that's a tricky point to come to when you're only 20 years old. I was really young when this was happening. And that's when I walked away from a religion that was not um, you know, a religion and a marriage that were no longer aligned with me. And I had the courage to say, is this my life forever? Is this where I picture myself in 20 years? And the answer was no. And so I had to do something to change that because no one was gonna change that for me. If I'm gonna listen to everything that's gonna be done for me, I'm gonna stay checking those boxes forever, right? So that was the first really big pivotal moment for me personally, and that then gave me the courage to continue to use my voice and have pivotal moments in my professional career and in relationships, you know, both personally and professionally. Like it just gave me a foundation to work off of that let me feel sure in my own opinion and decision-making capabilities.

SPEAKER_00 6:38

You mentioned something very interesting. Uh, do you think that a lot of people are feeling the same way that they don't belong there? They, you know, their voice is not heard, but they keep going because uh the way they grew up, the way they're raised, the way society is nowadays, what do you think is that um, you know, pushing pushing uh you know people to stay where they are and not make a change?

SPEAKER_01 7:07

I think everything that you just described is so relevant and reasons that keep people boxed in. And it's at the end of the day, it's easier to stay boxed in. It's so much easier to stay comfortable, to stay fine. And that's why that word is so difficult for me when I hear people say that. It's like a it's an instant red red flag for me when when I say, Oh, how is this that you're working on? And and someone says, it's fine, we're doing fine. I'm like, err brakes on. Let's let's dig a little bit deeper to this because there is usually a factor like that that it's easier to stay in the comfort of that. Change is hard. Change is hard for people because there's a lot of unknown with change. There's risk most always in change. And sometimes looking at the risk, at the unknown, letting go of control, that's very difficult for people to do. And so when you're asking, like, what are these reasons? I think it's a compiling effect. And so then having the courage to move that takes a lot for some people.

SPEAKER_00 8:28

Right. And I think the change is hard, but it takes only one step to move forward, and many people were not ready to take the first step. Uh, what's life like now, right now, after your moments of drift and um your path right now?

SPEAKER_01 8:47

Tell us so much different. The the little tiny Tiffany that I described to you that was 20 years old, that was gathering up the courage to speak for herself for the first time. I was I lacked in confidence with my own decision making because I was questioning myself. I hadn't built up that self-trust yet. And so then I spent the next 20 years with small wins that added up to great wins that then let me make big decision, big decisions without blinking. I was sure in my voice, you know, and so the Tiffany today that you're looking at has failed more times than I can tell you. But what I've done with those failures is taken a really great look, a deep look into those failures and saying, okay, instead of saying, why did this happen? And why, you know, that the victim card essentially, I'm looking at them and saying, okay, this happened. What are we gonna do about it? What are we gonna learn from this? And how can this benefit my life that then can benefit others because I'll pour into others and pour the same knowledge that I've gained from this and hopefully optimize someone else's, expedite someone else's growth from my failure. And so the, you know, again, the Tiffany that's in front of you is okay to fail because I know how fast I'm gonna recover from my failures now, rather than afraid to fail because I don't want to stay on my face from my face plant, you know. Right. So I'm living in alignment, I'm living in truth, I'm living in forward motion, in growth. There's so much up that's happening in my life rather than stagnant comfort.

SPEAKER_00 10:42

And something important that you say is you failed so many times, but failing is really important because if you never failed, you never really tried. You're staying in the same same spot. Uh, and that's I feel like a lot of people are struggling because they don't want to fail, they're perfectionists, they want to live that great life, but they never try, they never get out of that comfort zone. And comfort zone really kills.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

Uh tell me oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:13

Yeah, uh, tell me about uh breast cancer. That that's something huge.

SPEAKER_01 11:19

It is, it's a huge, it was a huge teaching moment for me because it got to really reveal to me why I had worked on building a foundation and preparing my voice for however many years before. If I wouldn't have put in the work to turn the lens inward and learn about myself and learn what scared me, learn what I loved, face my failures and embrace them, pattern break. I mean, you name it, there has been so much work that I've put into myself over the last two decades of my life, my whole lifetime really, you know, that it gave me the opportunity when something didn't feel in line, which was multiple providers telling me that my body was okay. Well, I'm living the I'm living inside my own body and nobody knows my body like me. And if I wouldn't have had the courage enough to like give myself the space to listen to that inner voice and had put in the reps before, that the reps before are really what made it possible for me to say, Well, I feel this nagging, I feel myself not agreeing with the fact that I'm fine and I should come back in six months and get more tests. And because of the reps I had put in for myself previous to this, I trusted myself to listen to that voice. And so what it taught me was these grand moments that we have in our lives that are either earth-shattering, like a breast cancer diagnosis, or perhaps it's when you're getting a job opportunity of a lifetime and it's a it's a positive, groundbreaking moment for you. If you haven't prepared for those moments where pressure is coming in, then you're not going to have the surety in yourself to say yes or no, or we're gonna push for more, or I'm okay with what this is looking like. You won't have that surety in yourself because it's not in the times of pressure that you want to start building. Imagine if I would have got that breast cancer diagnosis and I wouldn't have spent the time in years past listening to my voice, building healthy habits, cutting out things that no longer served me in my life or what I consume in my body, or I mean, you name it, I had really dialed down to be the healthiest version of myself all around, you know, not just physically, but like spiritually, I was the healthiest. Emotionally, I was the healthiest. And imagine what that could have looked like if I wouldn't have spent the time preparing in those different areas and those different pillars of my life. If I wasn't, let's take, for example, spiritually healthy in that moment, I probably would have been shook because I wouldn't have had my faith and my relationship with my God to be like, okay, we've got this. I feel held right now. I feel strong because I know I'm not navigating this by myself. I know my family's not navigating this by myself. And if I wouldn't have had that foundation, I would have probably been very fearful and scared. And there were unknowns. I was scared. It's not like I was walking into this breast cancer diagnosis being like, all right, we got this, you know. I felt confident that I could handle it, but I felt so prepared. And that really is the key of like the biggest thing that it taught me is we don't have control of many aspects of our life, but what you do have control of is your preparation. And so, how are you going to be prepared for not if life hands you something, but when life hands you something? And again, it could be good, it could be bad, but prepare yourself the best you can.

SPEAKER_00 15:33

Right. To me, it sounds that you are really ready for that, you know. The way you described it, you are really prepared for something like that. Right. You mentioned something about your inner voice. Why do you think many people are not listening to their inner voice? Is it because they uh what is the reason?

SPEAKER_01 15:54

There is we we live in a very, very noisy world, and there's a lot of outside influence. I think it's there's a lot of pressure on people to live up to expectations, or they they care what people think of them, or um, you know, they've projected what's next, and maybe they want to change that, but they're again nervous of unknowns. There's a lot of things on the other side of that that I believe makes it easier for people to say, I'm gonna quiet that voice down. There's also a spot where if you haven't put in that work to start listening to yourself in small wins, then there's no way I can ask you to listen to yourself. If I so again, going back to that breast cancer diagnosis, if I wouldn't have spent time listening to myself and making smart decisions for myself, starting to build that self-trust in little moments, daily habits, consistency, discipline, like different areas of my life that are not perfect, but they're consistent. And it gave me those like reps and wins in those small moments, then surely I wouldn't have the courage to speak up in a big moment. And so if you're finding yourself in a spot where you're like, I struggle with that inner voice, I struggle listening to that inner voice, I would encourage you to pause right there and really take inventory because we can't change anything that we're not aware of. And so if you're not aware of why am I not listening to this, is it because I've had failures and I haven't sat with those for a minute? Is it because I have made mistakes or I just haven't, you know, I'm nervous about all of the things that we've just said? There's so many factors that could be there. But let's just take a pause and take some inventory and understand what's going on. All of our data is very unique to ourselves. Mine is different than yours. And so for you to pause and again turn that lens back inward and say, okay, how am I feeling? Why am I struggling to listen to myself? And let's make one small change to allow myself to honor myself and what my voice is capable of, then those small wins get to begin, and those are what add up brick by brick.

SPEAKER_00 18:26

Right. There's uh you something you mentioned is there's a lot of destruction, and I feel like sometimes it's easier to listen to other people, to our friends, to our family, to our coworkers, to the people around us, but we never really take the time to stay with us, with ourselves and listen. Um, if there's um if anybody's feeling stuck, what what would you be your advice? So what would you say to that person?

SPEAKER_01 18:55

My advice would be to again, like first and foremost, pause and understand like why do you feel stuck? Is it that you've been trying the same thing over and over and you're stuck in the hamster wheel? You know, if if that's the case, understand what that looks like. Understand your surroundings as they are, because then that allows us to change those surroundings. So then my next piece of advice would be to change your scenery. And what I mean by that is change what you've been trying. So let's, you know, let's take any habit, for example, if if we're trying something new and it's just not sticking, what's the route that we're trying to go to? Is there are there friction points that are stopping us from finding that consistency? Or if it's the inner voice and I'm too afraid of what my family is going to think. Okay, well then maybe we look at a different angle of if it's what I'm worried about with my family, like what they're going to think of me, what is the decision that's weighing so hard of their opinion? Can I start with a smaller win that I don't mind what my family thinks of me? If it's something big like religion, when I walked away from my religion, that was a very difficult conversation with my parents. My parents are still active today in the religion that I walked away from. And we actually live in the same home. We have a multi-generational home. They live with my wife and I. And it's a beautiful dynamic because I was able to change the scenery and have a different type of conversation that then allowed progress. So there's not one way of doing things, and that's really like the ultimate principle of what I'm trying to tell to tell, you know, the listeners is there's not one way of going about things. And take it from me because I'm not your traditional gal. I've tried to, you know, I've done things differently my whole life, but it served me well because maybe the traditional way isn't for you. And I'm not saying again that out of rebellion, but maybe it's that we just need to look at it through a different lens. Maybe put on a different pair of glasses, like we were talking about at the beginning of this call. Maybe you just need some new things on.

SPEAKER_00 21:12

Exactly. And and also everybody's journey is different. What worked for you, it might not work for me. But I think the principles are kind of the same. We just need to try to understand the process. Is there a practice or a habit that keeps you grounded?

SPEAKER_01 21:35

Yes, the the practice of being present.

SPEAKER_00 21:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

We are, I I mentioned at the beginning of this call, I'm a very like forward motion individual. I am really goal oriented. I've been like that my whole life. And there's such value in that. But if I spent the time always looking at that goal. And I wasn't practicing the art of being present, I would miss everything. And then what's a life what's a life fulfilled if we're missing everything? And when we're high achievers, or you know, if we're in that go-go mentality, whatever it may be, just stopping and pausing again. I guess pausing is a common denominator in this call today of like just taking a minute and observing your surroundings. And there's always something to be grateful for. And that's what I find in my moments that I am able to pause and be present. That I get to hear, I work, my office is here in my home, and I get to hear my little boy playing in his room or in our home. I get to hear his laughter. And I would miss that if I didn't just take a pause and just say, oh, he's having a really fun time. I'm really grateful that I get to provide him this life. And then I can get back to work and get back to my busyness. But it's those moments that really refuel us as human beings and recharge our batteries. And most importantly, it allows us to practice that gratitude.

SPEAKER_00 23:14

That's great. And um, sometimes I feel like we need to slow down in order to move forward faster. And the main thing I feel like is people are struggling with having a vision, having a goal. They don't know what they want. And if you don't know what your goal is, what your life looks like, you never get there. And do you feel that you achieved your goals? Do you feel like you have the life that you always wanted to have?

SPEAKER_01 23:46

I am living my version of freedom right now, and I do have bigger goals because I have been able to understand what I'm capable of as a human being, and I've been able to understand that I'm so much more capable, then it's broadened my goals, it's made my goals bigger. So the life I'm living right now was the life that I was wishing for and working toward years ago. And because I had made a delusional goal for myself years ago and then proved to myself that now I'm living it, what else am I capable of? And I say that in I say that because I want people to understand truly how gifted and how powerful we are as individuals if you let yourself dream and visualize what that really could be. Because the habits that we're doing today and the consistency that we're putting in today, yes, it's serving me today, you know. So when I woke up and I drank my salt and my creatine this morning, because that's how I start every morning, is with, you know, that's my habit in the morning before my coffee, before anything else, that's my habit. That's yes, it's serving me today for hydration and brain clarity and everything, but it's also serving my future self that is staying in line with my health goals, physically, emotionally, mentally. That is serving me rather than opening up the morning with a soda or something that's not going to be serving me. It's serving my future self. And my future self is hooked into the vision and the goals that are up here that I'm working toward. And then as I attain those goals, that ceiling now becomes my floor. And we just get to keep moving up as individuals. And that's a really beautiful concept that people need to experience oftentimes rather than just hear. Once you've experienced that with growth and personal development, it is a really powerful feeling that gives you a new level of unlock.

SPEAKER_00 26:11

And something I feel like something important you say is that you keep building, you have to have good foundations. You keep building because you have those foundations already set, and you know, you keep going. It doesn't happen overnight, but you keep putting those foundations and make it stronger.

SPEAKER_01 26:30

When you're like looking at something for so long, and you're like, it all is kind of looking the same right now. I feel like that's oftentimes what happens when we're just in those monotonous habits that aren't like fun or exciting or anything, but you're like, I know it's serving a purpose though, and just stay the course. And then when you pull out of it for a minute and you like look at that bigger picture, you're like, oh my gosh, I've done that for X amount of days. Look how that's moved the needle, you know. And and you can think of it in the degree concept, right? Like if it's one degree every day, a whole, you know, that's gonna be a massive change in 180 degrees. So it's it's just the concept of like, yes, you might not feel like it's making a difference because you're just doing the same thing over and over, but it's the it's the win and it's the foundation, like you said, that's building massively for us.

SPEAKER_00 27:25

Right. And the first step is just to start because many people never start.

SPEAKER_01 27:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:32

If there's anybody that's um uh wants to connect with you and learn more about what you do, what is uh what's the best way?

SPEAKER_01 27:43

Um over on Instagram is where I am probably the most uh active over there, Instagram or LinkedIn. Um, and both of those are just my first and last name for where to find me. Tiffany spelled, of course, with an IE instead of a Y, so I'll throw in a little spelling, spelling wrench there, but you can find me over there. And and I'm here to help. So if you do find yourself in that space where you feel stuck, then speak up. And I'd love to help like nudge that, change that frame for you, and let's put on a new pair of glasses.

SPEAKER_00 28:16

Thank you. Thank you, Tiffany. Uh, it was a great conversation, and thank you for sharing your story. Uh, definitely was uh empowering, and I feel like a lot of people can learn a lot from your journey and your story, and I'm sure you'll be able to help people. And I feel that's something really important is that when you go through a through a journey, through a rough time, and you're able to get out there and share, there will be always somebody that will you know will benefit from it, and somebody that will get inspiring, get motivated. My last question is is there my last question is is there anybody that um you like to listen to, maybe a self-help uh guru or uh you know, anybody that inspires you to do more and uh fuel your mission?

SPEAKER_01 29:11

Yeah, I am a raving Emma Greed fan. I think she is an incredible woman that really helps us understand that you are capable of anything. She wasn't handed her life, she worked relentlessly to get the success and and life that she's living, and she's also a mom and a business owner. She wears many hats. It's not either or for her, it's both and. And I think that that's an important principle that people can understand is to break those self-limiting beliefs.

SPEAKER_00 29:47

Thank you. Thank you so much, Tiffany. Thank you everyone for listening to From Drift to Direction. Remember, direction doesn't always come from having all the answers. Sometimes it starts with having the courage to take the next step. Until next time, keep growing, keep learning, and keep moving forward to the life that's right for you. Thank you.