From Bartender to Business Magic: Theresa Reed’s Journey to Becoming THE Tarot Lady

Jan 31

In this episode of the Visibility Medicine Podcast, Danielle Cohen shares an inspiring conversation with Theresa Reed, widely known as The Tarot Lady. From serving awful drinks as a bartender, with a deck of tarot cards to becoming a globally recognized tarot reader, astrologer, and author, Theresa’s story is one of resilience, authenticity, and evolution.

Together, they delve into the heart of what it means to stay grounded in your passion while navigating criticism, growing a sustainable business, and embracing the evolving role of divination in modern life. Theresa’s honesty, humor, and wisdom light up this conversation, offering practical insights and heartfelt encouragement for anyone exploring their own path of growth and visibility.

If you’re ready to be inspired by courage, determination, and the magic of intuition, this episode is a must-listen.

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Transcript:

Visibility Medicine: From Bartender to Business Magic: Theresa Reed’s Journey to Becoming THE Tarot Lady

Visibility Medicine From Bartender to Business Magic Theresa Reed’s Journey to Becoming THE Tarot Lady Final Edit

[00:01:46] Today's conversation is with someone whose story and wisdom are deeply inspiring, and I am so excited to share it with you. My dear friend Theresa Reed, also known as the Tarot Lady. The Tarot Lady. Theresa's journey is a testament to resilience, evolution, and the kind of courage it takes to stay true to yourself while growing a thriving, impactful business.

In this episode, we talk about everything from her beginnings as a bartender with a deck of tarot cards to becoming a globally recognized author and teacher with a prolific body of work. Theresa shares not only how she built her career, but also the internal qualities that have kept her steady and successful through challenges, qualities like determination, craftsmanship, and an unwavering belief in the work she does.

As you listen, you'll notice threads of visibility woven throughout her story. How she's navigated being seen on her own [00:02:46] terms, life with personal boundaries, and embraces the evolving role of divination in her work and life. This conversation is packed with Theresa's unique humor, honesty, and heart.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, creative, spiritual worker, or someone who's exploring what visibility means for you, this episode is an invitation to reflect on the power of staying, the importance And the courage to do your work in your way and show up as you. Let's dive in.

Danielle: Hi, Theresa Reed, my beautiful,

Danielle: amazing friend. I'm so happy to be here with you.

Theresa: Hey, Danielle. Thank you for making time to chat with me. I'm always grateful to spend time with you.

Danielle: Can you tell us a little bit about your origin story?

Theresa: The origin of my business or the origin of social media and my business?

Danielle: I think I would love to start with the origin of your business or like the way the work became a [00:03:46] business and then the way the business decided to come online.

Theresa: Awesome. Well, I always think like a lot of things in my life happened by accident. Is it accident? Is it fate? Who knows? But I had been reading tarot since I was a teenager.

I began when I was 15 years old and got really obsessed with it. And when I'm into something, I'm really into it. You know, I'm not like a halfway on anything. I have very strong feelings about, my interests. And so I got, Into tarot and astrology at the same time, and I had read for about 10 years before I went professional and at the time, right before I started my business, I was like, in a really kind of a murky time in my life where trying to figure out who I was, I was overcoming a pretty nasty divorce and I was decided I'm going to get a job bartending.

I'm going to pick a job that's mindless. So I can think and breathe. [00:04:46] And by the way, bartending is not mindless. So I was very mistaken on that. It's actually a really incredibly hard job that requires a lot of presence. You have to be present in so many ways. I salute and tip my hat to waitresses and bartenders.

It's not easy work.

Danielle: I have a son who's deep in that world.

Theresa: Yes. I mean, but I thought I'd be, chewing the fat, serving beer and having time to think. Well, what ended up happening is I was a lousy bartender. And so the owners of the bar put me on a dead shift because,I don't know why they even hired me, but they did.

And so they put me on a really dead shift. And what ended up happening is I started bringing my cards to the bar just have something to do I thought I'll read some people's cards and what ended up happening is Suddenly my days became very busy because word spread and so I would have a lot of people showing up My days became very profitable not just for the bar But [00:05:46] also people were like tipping me and I was making more money hips, slinging those cards than I was with those awful drinks I served.

And so what ended up happening is after a while of doing this, I had people who would say, you know, I'd really love it if I could see you outside the bar and get something a little more in depth without all these other people around. And so I said, well, let me think about that. And, my husband and I kind of mused around the idea.

What I said, I think I might do that. I found out that the boss went and told everybody that I would fail and nobody would pay for it. Now, let me tell you something. I grew up with brothers in between 2 brothers. And when you grow up in between 2 brothers. You got to learn how to fight and the one thing I don't like is some man telling me that I'm going to fail and so I ended up quitting my job not on the spot, but pretty much I gave him like a week's notice after I found it.

I didn't tell him. I knew that just I was like, no, I'm going to quit. No one's going to be putting that energy on [00:06:46] me. So I quit. And I made little business cards and handed it out to the people at the bar and they started calling me for readings

Danielle: so I started doing all these readings and parties and I started, I was profitable right from the beginning because I had a very low overhead.

Theresa: And I had a very dedicated group of people that I'd formed these relationships with.

Danielle: And

Theresa: so the word spread and I worked word of mouth for many years, but that's how it all started. And in the beginning, I didn't even have an office. I would meet people at their homes or at a restaurant or, a place like where there would be public space when we could sit.

So there was no office that evolved later. Everything evolved in time. but. I started with nothing, just a couple of business cards and word of mouth.

Danielle: Wow. And then you made the jump from there to online. How? How and why?

Theresa: So I am very introverted. You know that because you know me. I like to say I'm a professional [00:07:46] extrovert, but I'm deeply introverted.

I'm a one on one person. I like a lot of quiet time. And so the idea of going online didn't cross my mind for a long time. And I know people were online, but I resisted it. I never even marketed my business. And this is one of the weird things. I never mark it. It was all word of mouth and I did great with just that.

I was like a very good secret.

Danielle: And so I

Theresa: was secret for a long time and I operated just fine . But one day , I remember it was almost like, I was looking around and I resisted computers, by the way, my kids forced me to get one, they forced me to get one. And I just remember looking around saying, I think I need to have a website.

I'm leaving dollars off the table here. This doesn't sound like it's smart. And I think I need to get with the program. And so I created this terrible little website.

And I started putting some astrology things on there and people were actually liking it.

And then I hired a designer to actually give me a proper website. And from there [00:08:46] and Twitter, Everything just seemed to take off and suddenly I was doing more business, not locally, but globally and that really changed a lot for me and suddenly I didn't have to depend on. the seasons here or any of that I was able to connect with people from wherever and from there just continued to grow and then a book deal came and that took things up to the next level.

Danielle: Wow. So the transition from being a bartender to being a published author. It sounds like there was a lot of organic momentum and also these qualities of your, I'm just gonna, part of this is informed by I know you, right? But I also can hear it in this story. You're such a hard worker.Like you are a worker, you have this kind of this impeccable, rigor around that.

So yes, hard worker, but [00:09:46] also there is thiscraftsmanship that you bring to the things that you do. There's this excellence. There's a way in which you are very reliable. You do the things that you say you're going to do. and there's This will piece, which has come up in some of my other conversations of I, I am going to make this happen.

and also that part where, like, someone else in your case directly, I think many of us get the message. Indirectly, if not directly, that, you're going to fail, right? Who do you think you are? It comes in all kinds of forms and all kinds of packages. But for you, that actually lit a fire.

Whereas for someone else , it might be the thing you have to overcome because that might really dampen your fire. But for you, it like lit the fire of watch me.

Theresa: If you tell me that I can't. Do something now, unless it's a realistic. I can't lift 200 pounds. I know that.I don't have a desire to lift 200 pounds.

If someone told me I'm not gonna do it, I'm probably gonna say, you [00:10:46] know what, you're right. But if you tell me that I can't make it or that I can't write a book, Or that I can't, do this or that. You bet I'm going to do it. I do not like the word can't. And you know, it's really funny, Danielle. Also, my parents were horrified that I started a business, horrified as a tarot reader, they never had anything to say about me doing tarot or astrology when I was a kid, but once I started a business, they were really, absolutely upset with me because they were embarrassed.

I mean, my dad was like, do people really pay you for that? And I'm like, yes, and I'm good at my work and, so they were, they initially would tell people when they would say, when people would ask, what's she doing for a living now? Oh, she works for a corporation. Now, anybody who knows me knows that's never going to happen.

And so it took time for them to really get comfortable with me doing a business, but they were also from that mindset. Why would a woman run a business? Why not just get a job as a secretary? So I [00:11:46] had also that real sexist stuff coming in. But once again, I'm like,You can't tell me this. I'm going to do it and you're going to have to like, you're going to have to get used to this because this is the way it's going to be

Danielle: so I hear so much of like, these are just some constitutional qualities that you either came in with or.

learned or cultivated very early on, which is incredible. And I'm also curious as you have traveled this path or even now, what are things that you've had to, that didn't come naturally that weren't there that you. Add to, overcome, or work with, or develop in order to continue.

Theresa: Well, learning how to be a good writer took time.

I was a natural writer when I was in school because I was an early reader, loved to write. I worked on the school newspaper, all that jazz. But, you know, then I didn't write for a very long time after school. And never thought I'd be a writer, And so when I began [00:12:46] writing on my blog, it was very rusty.

I'm like, what am I going to say? And it was uncomfortable. It was really uncomfortable, but I thought, you probably need to talk about Tarot and stuff. And so a lot of my writing wasn't very good in the beginning, but people liked what I had to say.

Danielle: So

Theresa: one of the things I had to do is I had to develop confidence in my writing.

I also took writing classes.

Danielle: I

Theresa: attended writing workshops. I had to really build skills

Danielle: and,

Theresa: there was also a lot of anxiety around that. The imposter syndrome. Who am I to be writing this stuff? I'm just some tarot reader from Wisconsin. Who cares? so there was a lot. Around that, and I will even say when my first book came out, I was incredibly anxious about it.

And the funny thing is when the first book came out, my very first review was a one star review.

Danielle: Wow.

Theresa: And this was before the book even hit the shelves, and the person left a one star review and said, This is not an original idea. And I [00:13:46] remember reading that, and I was horrified. And really upset and it felt like it was a validation then that I had no business to be writing a flipping book.

And then, but then I'm like, you know what? I'm just gonna let this go. I got, congratulations. I got my first negative review. Now, let me just go ahead and get people to know about the book.That was a really hard thing. And I still sometimes struggle with the imposter syndrome around writing, even though I've written all these damn books, because, I don't have, I don't have a degree in English.

I do not have a, an MFA. I don't have any of that. I just write.

Danielle: I just write. You just write. Yeah. Oh, that's so beautiful. Like there, there's. I mean, I hate that that happened. And I also hear the way that there was something galvanized in that moment that you said, okay, I am not going to let this crush me.[00:14:46]

Let's keep going. And you didn't even say, let's bury it. You said, now my job is to make sure more people see this book. Yeah. that's. That takes something right like that's that is a conscious choice that isn't quite the same as I'm hearing it. That's not quite the same as that. your boss says something shitty and you're like, yeah, watch me.

That's that feels more. Impulse within and this other thing, though, is you had a decision to make. Do I let this define me? Do I let this take me down? Do I pretend this book never happened and move on? And instead you said. I just have to get more eyes on this book. I have to keep going. Yeah.

Theresa: I also have to accept the fact that, and I'm actually okay with people not liking me.

I've always been okay because I've always been an outsider. I've always been a weirdo, different, a loner, I, again, I can be very friendly, but I am a very, very to [00:15:46] myself type person. And, when you are more of a lone wolf, People are kind of funny with you. And I know people can be weird about whatever, especially if they see you succeed too.

I'm okay with people not liking me, but it still sucks. I mean, getting a one star review right out of the gate is, It's pretty big thing to overcome. one of the funniest things, too, and people also could be really weird and in a different way when I started taking writing classes, I remember I got hate mail from a woman who was outraged and said that she thought I was somehow, Stealing someone else's words because something about because my writing got better, she thought that wasn't me and she was really offended.

it was like, I'm taking classes. What? I'm trying to become a better writer and you're mad. People are weird.

Danielle: Yeah, so this is an interesting thing that I think is worth naming. I don't know [00:16:46] where this may be the only place you've experienced it, and I hope so, but it's worth naming. There is this thing that happens where somebody exists in a public way.

this happens in our private life as well, but somebody exists in a public way. And we attach all kinds of meaning and projections onto that. And that's not always a bad thing, right? Like those people that we look at out into the world and they are beacons to us. And we project stories about what that means, but then they change in some

[Mic bleed]

Danielle: I remember Roxane Gay wrote a beautiful. I can't quote too much more as I don't remember, but I believe it was an article that I had read. I'll see if I can find it. If I can, I'll put it in the show notes. Anyway, talking about a weight, her weight loss journey and the low back that she got. Right around that, because there was this sense that she was no longer true to some of the things she had said or to who she was, right?

And [00:17:46] this bizarre thing that we put around people to say, you're not supposed to change. And if you do, you are somehow. Inauthentic or what you were before is no longer true or you're faking or some other thing and wow, actually, there's only one thing that's true if we don't change. And that is something we're dead.

that's the only time that we're not actually changing, and even then, there's decomposure happening, right?

Theresa: I tend to ignore people who come from that perspective, because David Bowie is my idol. and I also thought the world was better with Bowie in it, but he's gone, and here we are.

But Bowie was always changing, always evolving. always doing things differently. And you know, I grew up with Bowie, not grew up with Bowie personally, but with Bowie's music and his persona and the constant evolution and change that really deeply inspired me. We're not here to just I mean, listen, I'm [00:18:46] reliable as hell that I am.

Yeah, I'm like, always what you see is what you get. If I say I'm going to do something, I do it. But I also know as a human, we are on a journey, we are always going to be evolving and changing and shifting, and usually it's for the better. we should be celebrating people when they have a glow up.

One thing I find also is when somebody shifts or changes or achieves a new level of success, people get very threatened because it doesn't feel safe any longer for them.

Danielle: And that's

Theresa: where I think a lot of this comes from, because if you succeed, they feel somehow you're holding up a mirror to them. And that's not safe.

Or if you succeed, you might leave them.

Danielle: That's not

Theresa: safe. If you change and evolve, they don't know what to expect. Or they feel like, hey, wait a minute, shouldn't I be doing something? People get really threatened by change and evolution and growth [00:19:46] because. oftentimes it's reflecting something back to them

Danielle: or it's

Theresa: bringing up this feeling again, like you're going to leave them.

Danielle: And for you, like for just your own personal journey, as you have had bigger successes and yeah, bigger successes, what is the hardest part about that for you?

Theresa: The hardest part of a bigger success is. Really dealing sometimes with other people's perception of it. For example, you will have, I've experienced people who felt like, oh, you know,maybe you're going to be stuck up because you're doing well.

That's mostly been more in my personal life with family stuff. the word they use is highfalutin. Which is whatever, so there's sometimes that misunderstanding, but I found the absolute hardest for me has been the parasocial relationships. Those have been very, very hard for me to navigate.

I've had to do a lot of work around that. Thank God to Tanya Geisler for [00:20:46] helping me with that. She's an amazing coach. She does imposter syndrome coaching. But the parasocial thing has been very, very hard. I've had to learn how to be a public figure and how to protect my boundaries. And I've had to deal with some really pretty nasty things, which was shocking to me.

I'm like, I'm just writing books and trying to have a good time here. What the hell is that to be controversial for? so that's been very hard for me and without going into all the details,I'm a very friendly person by nature and some people really misread that or again, I'm going to go back to the statement.

People get weird.

Danielle: Yeah, are you comfortable sharing anything more about what has been specifically hard and how you've navigated that or how you navigate that?

Theresa: I've had a couple instances where there were people who would come into my world and be very friendly. [00:21:46] And then if I didn't reciprocate an immediate, intimate friendship, they got weird.

really weird with me. I had one woman that was tuning into the livestream, and she didn't like something I said. And then she started a whisper campaign with my other followers, telling them to not follow me weird stuff. who does that? That's so strange to me, because for me, if I tuned in and someone that didn't like what they said, I just mind my own business, or I would not be trying to force.

Some kind of an intimate connection with somebody just because they're online and they've been friendly to me. I don't get that. So it's been very strange boundaries and some of it's been, and I'm not giving you the dirty details, but some of these situations were like, I couldn't believe it. It blew my mind.

Danielle: Yeah, yeah.

5 years that I am like doing things like running communities and being online as much as [00:22:46] I am, I want to make sure that people will walk away with some good information that's helpful and feeling like they had a good experience at my party.

Theresa: Because it's like a party. Why do I want people to have to tiptoe around someone who's feeling mad for whatever reason? No, get out then. Go to a different party. It's okay. Yeah. No more feelings. Bye.

Danielle: That's such a great segue. So I'm so curious. What are you most excited to talk about? Be about work about like, where are you right now in terms of what's really turning you on with your work, even if it's not stuff that you're fully bringing forward yet?

Theresa: I am working on book number 11 officially, and of course, I'm not going to reveal what the topic is. Of course you won't. But it's a very complex book that I'm writing, so it's been requiring more research than the other books, which I really love. So I've been very excited going down all kinds of rabbit holes and studying.

I feel like I'm a student all over again. And even though it's stuff I [00:23:46] know, you still want to learn new things about it. So. That's been very exciting. I'm also dipping into some creative things in my free time, which I've been enjoying,just trying to get the artists within to get out there and start doing things.

So that's been something also that I've been excited about. And lastly, I've been writing for the Old Farmer's Almanac, which is so full circle for me because My earliest introductions to all things magical and mystical was actually the Old Farmer's Almanac. My uncle, Uncle Joey, always had one. my, by the way, my background is farm folks.

Danielle: But he

Theresa: always had an old farmer's almanac sitting amongst his true detective magazines. So I would go over to grandma's house, because he lived with grandma, they had a farm. And of course I read the true detective stuff and all these horrible magazines that no child should have had any exposure to. But then I would look at that Farmer's Almanac,

Danielle: and

Theresa: there was an astrology section in it, [00:24:46] and I was also like, what is this, as a little kid, just being fascinated.

So now that I've been writing for them for over a year, it's been a great honor, and I really am happy about that. Oh, little Theresa must be so happy. Yes, and it's also it's forcing me to grow as a writer because some of the things like I'm writing for their next year's printed almanac is requiring again all this research.

we want you to write on this topic. And I'm like, Oh, my God. Okay. oh, shoot. I got a really good research. Yeah. I've been doing again all this. Research. And I've been really digging that.

Danielle: That's so fun. Okay. So on the topic of tarot and astrology, which are the two things that most of your work centers around, are there any current themes or it's a long time, especially tarot you've been working with for so long, but astrology you've been doing for a long time as well.

What feels fresh and alive. In this moment about [00:25:46] those 2 mediums or either 1 of them,

Theresa: I'm going to talk about what is no longer resonating for me. Okay, great. Instead, great, because there has been a trend for quite a long time of using and I'm going to really talk mostly about Tarot, but using like Tarot for more like psychological self reflection and all of that.

And I love that. I love Tarot for that. but I'm really. Tired of it. Actually, it's almost like every book that comes out is do I really need to reflect this much? And so what I want is old school divination. I am an old school diviner. as because you've worked with me. Yes, I love divination.

I love prediction. I love looking at, Omens and signs. And because that's what I grew up with. why did I get into Tarot and all this stuff? It wasn't to understand myself, of course, to some degree, but also to try to figure out what the future is so I [00:26:46] can make better decisions. But I got to tell you, every time I get another book handed to me, and it's got this psychological thing.

I'm like, okay, I'm done with navel gazing. I want to gaze at the stars. I want to gaze at the crows. I want to look at the bigger picture. I want to look at where things are going and what the trends are. And so for me, what feels new and fresh for me is the old. And I really have become such a fan of fiddling around with other divination methods and even looking at things like Hellenistic astrology, which isn't my thing, by the way, but looking at it and pondering it and the wisdom of looking at the stars for the future.

Gosh, I really, really want that.

Danielle: Oh, that's so fun. I feel, tell me if you think this is, have any legs. I feel like, as you say that almost is a divine message that you're offering up, right? That [00:27:46] there is this, I imagine folks listening and many people feeling like, yes, whether it's a direct understanding or just a felt sense of, Ooh, I want more of that.

Do more of that. Tell us more about that, Theresa. Yeah.

Theresa: Well, you know, for a long time too. There would be people out there saying things like, Oh, I'm not a fortune teller like it was a bad word like the like it was the F word. I kept calling it like somehow it was bad, but I'm like, but people don't come to me for some big psychological things.

Although the readings can be very psychologically helpful. They're coming to figure out the damn future

Danielle: and that's

Theresa: what I'm here to do. And why is this considered suddenly a bad thing? Why? I mean, listen. I've written books on how you can use tarot for dealing with the political landscape. I've written books on how you can use tarot for grief and working through all this hard stuff.

But we also have to remember that divination does still have a place [00:28:46] in this work. And that's what I'm hungry for. I want to see the young, the younger set, because I'm retiring. A lot of us are retiring,

Danielle: really

Theresa: embracing the F word fortune teller

Danielle: and not

Theresa: looking at it like it's a dirty thing. And let me see your new perspective on the old school art of divination.

Danielle: I am

Theresa: looking right now, I'm looking for that unicorn. I'm not seeing it. I haven't found it yet, but I'm looking, although there is one guy that I really dig, golden mirror fortunes. Fernie Salinas does more like the old school divination. He's young, he's fabulous. He wears beautiful caftans. Oh my God, and he makes me smile and he's just, I don't know.

There's something about the way he's doing it that makes me feel like good. Thank you. He's got like a Walter, he's got like a Walter Mercado vibe. And I love that. That's so funny. I love that. [00:29:46]

Danielle: I think that the future, the fortune telling part, it takes a different kind of chutzpah. Like it takes a certain Um, I'm willing to say something from a place of authority where and I'm not diminishing the other.

I think it's all. No, of course it all works. It all works. It's all valuable. But I do think that, uh, another piece to me around that, the divination aspect that you're speaking of, it invites us into a more reciprocal and intimate relationship with. The non human sentient beings that are around us, whether that's the cards, whether that's the whether that's the music, right?

Like, I don't I don't sometimes I think that it gets, uh, spoken about as though we're, we're abdicating our own decision making our own authority. And that is, that's possible, like, like any tool. Right. Any technique, [00:30:46] anything is really usually pretty neutral. It's how we use it. That makes it either right. A problem or not a problem.

So sure we could be doing that, but it also invites us into relationship with like the greater. unseen or seen in different form aspects of life. And that's really beautiful.

Theresa: Yes. And it also awakens our childlike side, which we try so hard to repress. I mean, little kids think about them. They're functioning fully on intuition.

And I remember being a little kid and I couldn't wait to grow up to be an adult. What do you want to be when you grow up an adult? So I can have freedom to do what I want. That was always the goal at a very young age. I was cognizant of that, but I was also, I just remember being. So interested in everything around me and the possibilities.

I don't look at divination as a negative thing or fortune telling, whatever you want to call it.

I see it as something very magical with all the [00:31:46] possibilities and it's like a key and it unlocks a door and you can go through that door or not. But if you go through it, who knows what's going to happen? Maybe, maybe something really exciting that's going to happen. There's that kid sense of waking up on Christmas morning and seeing a present under the tree.

That's how I see divination.

Danielle: every one of us has had a Christmas present that's been a bummer, so we know what that feels like, the lump of coal, so to speak.

Theresa: I'm a very pragmatic person, and if I see something that looks dicey or that I don't like, we're going to sit down and we're going to try to figure out what is the best way to deal with this, how can we avoid this, or move around this, what other decisions can we make.I'm going to give a really brief example.

Bland example, like yesterday, I woke up in a really crappy, salty mood. I was salty. A few reasons to be salty, but also no reason. And I was like, just stomping around. I'm like, oh, wait a minute. Let me go look at those planets again, [00:32:46] because I remember they were dicey and I went and looked.

I'm like, oh, yeah, today's a really ugly day. Astrologically, and I had advised other people to lay low. And I'm like, what terror lady, you're going to take your own advice. You're not going to give into this. Negative energy and walk around wrecking everyone else's day. So I got busy, I cleaned my house, I made art, I took a long walk, I cooked dinner.

I got busy creating and getting out of that mindset and I was like, not getting into it, nope, you're not going to go on social, nope, you're not going to read the news, you're going to do all these other things. Things because the energy is really volatile. And so I had a choice at that moment. Do I go with my ugly mood and the volatile energy of the planets and turn this day into a shitshow?

And then I can say look the prediction came true. No, I got conscience at that very moment when I looked back at what I had written and I'm like, You're not going to do that. You're going to be better, not better. That's how divination [00:33:46] works. Divination isn't just saying, here's what's going to happen, you're going to have an ugly day.

Divination is saying, hey, planets are like this today. What are you going to do with that now? You still have an option on how you're going to show up.

Danielle: my main recommendation is get a teacher, get somebody who's versed in that aspect of it because divination is tricky. It's very challenging, and you said, too, it does require a certain amount of chutzpah, but you need somebody who knows how to do it, knows how to do it in an ethical way, get a good teacher, find somebody who reads the way you want to read, and see if they teach, and if they teach, sign up with them, get a good teacher.

Theresa: I did not have the fortune, the good fortune of having a teacher when I began. However, I had a psychic mother and a psychic grandmother. So I was very lucky. I didn't have parents interfering with what I was doing, so I could let it blossom. But having that around me, it was like, for us, the mystical was typical.

There was no [00:34:46] big deal about it. So it was easy for me to tap into that. But knowing what I know now, I wish I would have had a mentor. Oh, I wish I would have, because there were so many mistakes I made in the beginning. And having somebody who can guide you lovingly, who really understands it, that would be my number one recommendation.

And the number two recommendation, if you really want to learn, whether for reflection or divination or for whatever purpose, and maybe you don't have access to a teacher, then it really is about committing And doing it daily and eventually you will get it. You will. It will. It may take a longer time for other people.

it may take a shorter time, intuition, divination, even self reflection. These are all muscles that need to be exercised regularly. And if you do it regularly, it will get stronger, whether you're connecting with yourself, the divine or whatever. It requires daily maintenance. Same with self care.

Self care means daily maintenance. [00:35:46]

Danielle: Yeah. Yes. Okay. So if you ever find yourself in a place where your vision's gotten a little fuzzy, let's say you're just feeling a little off or disconnected from the signs in whatever forms they come, do you have a go to practice for coming back into that more sharp? I will say as someone who has received your readings many times for probably over 10 years now, you don't pull punches like you say it as you see it, which I fucking love and you are so accurate, right?

And I imagine because I've yet to meet a single person who in any craft who doesn't have moments of offness or disconnect from their skill. So when you're there, yeah, what's a go to practice for you to kind of recalibrate and get back into clarity?

Theresa: Well, first of all, I am, like, I come from a place where I know that you can't see all and be all.

I'm very okay [00:36:46] with that. Sure. And I'm very forgiving for myself when I can't see things. on a professional level, there's gonna be people that you can't read, for whatever reason. Maybe you're having an off day. Maybe that person isn't open. Maybe they're a jerk. Maybe you're a jerk. Who knows? there are also times you just can't see, and I'm very, very Compassionate about that, because nobody can see I'll be all 24 7.

So when I'm having trouble seeing something now, I don't read for the public anymore. But back in the day, I would say I need to take a little time off here. to get back and ground myself. Usually I find the biggest culprit is I'm probably not grounded. And so I might take time for more meditation, time off.

or sometimes this is going to sound really weird. If I felt really ungrounded, I always would eat a hard boiled egg. Like if I was doing a lot of readings with clients and I started feeling like, okay, I'm not, I'm feeling cloudy, hard boiled egg. The reason why is a hard boiled egg is the most yang [00:37:46] of all the foods.

Yes. And so it brings you right into your body immediately. There's a lot of different little tricks. I would have when I was working with the public. And sometimes it's really just leaving it alone and taking time off. But when it's a personal thing, when I'm having trouble seeing for myself personally, it's usually because I have an emotional.

invested energy around the outcome I want to see or the outcome I fear. And so I know that, oh, you're not going to be able to see clearly. And so I hire a professional. I hire another reader who I trust to look at my stars or cards or what I have better luck with astrologers and tarot readers, by the way, tarot readers are always afraid to read me because they're afraid I'm going to grade them.

So I tend to go to an astrologer. And that's what I do. I hire a professional. To look at it for me because I am not seeing I am cloudy. I've got too much emotion invested. And so usually it means, Sam Reynolds is my go to. He's a very straight talking astrologer and he's [00:38:46] fabulous and it's usually I will get an appointment with Sam.

I get a point with Sam once a year anyways, but it's always going to be like, I've got to get in touch with Sam. So that will be what I do. The other thing is I have a straight talking friends. And she's also very psychic. She's a medium and she will always snap me back when I am like feeling some type of way.

So if it's a professional thing, I got a ground and center. I got to take time off. I need a break. If it is a personal thing, I hire a pro. Or I go to my friend, who's the medium because I know she's going to give me the straight truth.

Danielle: This is so interesting because as I have thought about this theme of those who have evolved, continue to evolve and therefore succeed.

Success is in the staying, right? Like that moment when you got the one star review could have been a moment that you left either entirely or, maybe you just never wrote a book after that and just [00:39:46] did tarot or, you know, could have, there's all kinds of ways you could have left.

But you stayed and there's been a million other times where you consciously or unconsciously chose to stay no matter what messages you were being given. I'm sure at one time or another, you've been told the market saturated or the economy. No one's going to buy or, whatever truths or trends.

That have come your way in the time that you've been here, you've one way or another, you've decided to stay. Another thing that I find is just a truth across the board is that success and support go hand in hand, like they are essential. And even this piece that you were just speaking about right when you become ungrounded.

You reach for food in a particular or a certain kind of substance medicine, right? You reach for a paid professional or mentor has come up multiple times as you've been talking. [00:40:46] And then also the kind of friend who can meet you in this particular conversation, right? I'm sure you have many other friends that maybe you have fun with and do other things with, but having

Those colleague type friends and those friends that understand this kind of business, or in this case, it's a particular skill that they have also, which is amazing, but that having that circle of support. Those are essential qualities and central ingredients for being able to succeed. It's not just, a quick one and done,

Is there anything else you would add to like, what does it take? To succeed as an online entrepreneur of any kind of creative form. I think it takes a

Theresa: lot of courage. I really do. Yeah. ultimately, to put yourself out there requires a lot of courage. It requires a lot of courage to be a tarot reader astrologer.

Being an entrepreneur online [00:41:46] requires courage. All of it requires courage. It requires a really big heart. You have to love what you do so much. You have to love it with so much, I don't even know the word, but you just have to love it so hard that You're just not going to give up on it.

So love and courage, but courage is really a big thing. Yeah, it takes courage to be out there. It takes courage to be online and it really takes courage if you're in this type of work because it's not easy. It looks like easy money, by the way, and it's not. It's very hard work. And

Danielle: we didn't even touch on the witch wound.

We didn't even touch on the very real threats that come with doing this type of work, even now, and in part, there's all kinds of reasons. I feel like that's a whole other big conversation, but if there's some anything that you feel about that or sense about that or want to say about that, I would love to hear it.

Theresa: I don't know if I would be able to say anything really [00:42:46] eloquent about that, but, you know,somebody had posted online that I just saw today that we were afraid of the witches, but why weren't we afraid of the people who tried to burn them? And that really struck me. Think about that for a second.

And I remember, too, when I first started out as a professional, I would have people who would make, a little sign of the cross and hiss at me when they found out I was a tarot reader. I've been physically threatened by people in public places. so for all those folks right now who are having a good time doing this work, back in the day, 30 some years ago when I started doing this work, I had to deal with some real big ignorance and negativity and scary situations.

Danielle: And

Theresa: that is still, I think a lot of us still feel that from our ancestors too. Of being a different woman, of being a woman, a female, or being someone who's different, who doesn't fit in.and that is also something. That is hard to [00:43:46] deal with and requires again, a lot of courage because if you're going to be out there doing something like this work,

there's going to be some people who really hate you just for doing it. And that is something again, that is also very ancestral. And all I can say is do it anyways.

Danielle: Yeah. that is so much the way that we mend that lineage, Is by showing it and doing it anyway, when you think about, so much of this work, so much of divination and is women's work, right?

It's the work that our mothers and grandmothers did in their teacups, in their palm readings, in so many different ways, in so many different cultures. I imagine that there's not a culture out there that doesn't have some version of their own Divination pathway, and it was often either expected within the family or maybe even within the village, but it was also oftentimes kept hidden, kept secret.

For safety reasons. And then so many did die. And then now [00:44:46] there is this movement of folks coming into a public domain and saying, I am here doing this very work that others were burned, literally burned at the stake for I'm doing it. I'm calling myself it. And I'm telling you, you have to pay me for it.

It is. Actually quite revolutionary in so many ways. So for folks who feel a sense of fear, a sense of nervousness, a sense of anxiousness, I always remind people, well, of course you do. How could you not? We change it by showing up and doing it. Okay. So do you have a favorite way that you cultivate courage?

I know you have so much of it naturally, and some people do, or that was cultivated early in life. But do you have any practices for cultivating courage?

Theresa: I don't have any real practices, except showing up and just doing the work [00:45:46]

Danielle: day

Theresa: by day. this really, for me, the courage happens. sometimes, you take those risks and that, but really it's the day to day.

Danielle: When

Theresa: you are day to day showing up and doing the work, you develop courage. When you are day to day dealing with slings and arrows, you develop the courage. It's just really self determination, or I don't know, again, if that's an eloquent way of saying it, it's really just daily doing it. Yeah,

Danielle: I

Theresa: don't,

Danielle: you don't need to be eloquent and you are, so you don't need to be and you are, but I would say there's a bias towards action,

don't wait for the courage to come in order to act. And this is very similar to confidence in my opinion, yes. It comes from the doing do. Absolutely. And then you can look back and you can start to have a bank of that. It doesn't mean that it always works out exactly how you want it to.

It just means that, that you can get back up and

Theresa: keep going. And that's been the way my career has worked out. There have been, there've been many challenges, but I just believed in what I was doing [00:46:46] so much that kept getting up and just doing the work.

Danielle: So before we wrap up , the thing I would like to ask you is if you just take a moment and think about if there's anything that I, anything that you'd want to be asked that I didn't think of to ask

[Mic bleed]

Theresa: Oh, I don't know. You ask great questions. I think I'm feeling pretty good here. I could go on talking with you for hours, of course. We

Danielle: will. Thank you, my friend. Anything you want to say about where folks can find you? Of course, I will share all the links and things.

Theresa: Yeah. The best way to find me is at the tarotlady.

com. That's my website. I'm also on Instagram. My handle is the tarot lady and you can find me on threads. and Facebook, I'm also at the Tarot Lady, and just so you all know, my favorite place right now is Threads. What a great place for conversation. I love it there.

Danielle: Oh, fun. Okay, I'm not really over there, but I'll have to go check you out.

You do still do tons of free forecasting out in the world. So [00:47:46] for everybody who's listening and is like, I want to read with Theresa and she doesn't read for public anymore. Just know that there's. It's so much abundant giving that you do of your gifts to the collective. So go check out all those places and scoop

Theresa: it up.

Yeah. And if you want to learn, I also have a Patreon that will be going just for a few more years until I retire. And that's where I do all my main teaching. So you can find me there too. Amazing. Thank you. Thank you, my friend. Thank you.

Time Stamps:

[00:03:46] The origin story: from bartender to tarot reader: Theresa shares her journey of discovering tarot as a teenager, navigating a challenging time in her life, and turning her passion into a thriving business after an unexpected start as a bartender with a deck of cards.

[00:11:46] Overcoming negativity and imposter syndrome: From naysayers to a one-star review before her first book even hit the shelves, Theresa reflects on how she navigated criticism, doubts, and imposter syndrome. She explains how she built confidence in her writing and turned challenges into fuel for growth and resilience.

[00:24:46] Why old-school divination matters now more than ever: Tired of self-reflection trends, Theresa shares her deep love for traditional divination methods and why she’s passionate about bringing the magic of fortune-telling back into focus.

[00:28:46] Chutzpah, intuition, and the nuances of readings: Theresa and Danielle explore the boldness it takes to embrace divination as an art of prediction and decision-making. They discuss the reciprocal nature of readings, Danielle's insights into connecting with unseen forces, and how each reader’s approach offers unique gifts to the querent.

[00:30:46] Using divination to make conscious, empowered choices: Theresa explains how divination is more than predicting outcomes—it’s about making informed, intentional decisions and staying grounded in your personal power, even on challenging days.

[00:32:46] The essential role of support: Danielle and Theresa discuss how success is deeply tied to having the right support systems. Theresa shares how she leans on mentors, trusted professionals, and a close circle of friends to navigate challenges and gain clarity when she feels stuck. Danielle highlights the importance of having colleagues and friends who understand your work, knowing success is not achieved alone. Community and professional support are vital to sustaining courage and growth.

[00:40:46] The witch wound and the risks of visibility: Danielle and Theresa discuss the historical and ongoing risks tied to divination and women’s work. Theresa shares personal experiences of facing public ignorance and threats early in her career, while Danielle reflects on the courage required to reclaim this lineage. Together, they highlight how showing up despite fear is a revolutionary act of healing and visibility.

[00:42:46] Honoring ancestral courage through action: Danielle discusses the ancestral roots of divination, describing it as women’s work passed through generations. She frames reclaiming this practice publicly as a way to mend the wounds of those who were silenced or persecuted. Theresa adds that doing the work despite negativity is how we honor and evolve this lineage.

[00:44:46] Courage is cultivated through daily action: Theresa offers a grounded perspective on courage, explaining it’s not innate but built day by day through showing up and doing the work. Danielle likens courage to confidence: a muscle strengthened by consistent practice. Their insights encourage listeners to take small, consistent steps toward visibility and growth.

Reflection Prompts:

To take the conversation deeper, use these journal prompts to reflect on your own journey:

How are you showing up for yourself and your work right now?
What fears or doubts are holding you back, and how can you move through them?
What does courage look like for you in your daily life?
Who or what is part of your support system, and how can you lean into it more?

We’d love to hear your reflections—share them with Danielle on Instagram, and connect with Theresa on her platforms for more inspiration and resources. Don’t miss this powerful conversation filled with practical tools and insights for navigating creativity, spirituality, and entrepreneurship.