Today we’d like to introduce you to Tunisha Andrews.
Hi Tunisha, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I stepped into coaching after a really scary incident with my son. His stress over life and our relationship had gotten to the point that he attempted to take his own life and told me about it so that I could get him some help.
I had been so deep in my depression and being self-absorbed with my stress, that I wasn’t taking care of him on an emotional level.
I didn’t know him outside of how much he likes cars, wants to be in the military, and drove me crazy with his schoolwork.
When I combined how little I actually connected with my son with parenting habits that were focused on obedience and control, I really noticed how much of a weight I was around his neck.
When I started sharing my thoughts on social media and telling our story, I saw how many moms are just like me.
They want the best for their kids and want to give them the world. That’s a fantastic thing, but the world isn’t what kids really want.
They want connection, to have a mom who’s happy and kind, mutual respect, and to be seen for who they really are instead of who we try to make them be.
I’ve used my voice to help other moms rethink their approaches to parenting for something that literally saved my relationship with my son…connected leadership and Damage-Free Discipline.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This road has been challenging on so many levels.
I’m rooted in my mission and message now but for a while, I was all over the place. I started focused on stress-management. Then I wanted to talk about people-pleasing. There’s a period of time when I don’t even remember what I was talking about.
My problem was everything seemed too small. I couldn’t find satisfaction in what I was doing. I’ve realized that I’m meant for a bigger mission and that dissatisfaction pushed me to dig deeper.
Another challenge came with the pressure I put on myself to be practicing what I preach to the letter.
That’s a good thing. What wasn’t good was the way I would beat myself anytime I fell back into old patterns.
I had to fight off the negative thoughts of being a fraud or failure.
Parenting is hard and messy.
I was still developing my current approach. I wasn’t following someone else playbook.
I had to remind myself that sometimes you have to go back to the drawing board when you’re creating the blueprint.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The name for Maximum You is truly my mission. I want to help other moms optimize themselves and their resources to be the happiest, most whole and confident version of themselves so that their kids get the very best.
Outside of coaching, I’ve always been a teacher because I care about kids and enjoy serving them and helping them grow.
Maximum You helps me do that on a whole new level. I get to help shape the environment those kids live in.
One of the biggest complaints in teaching is that we can’t control their home environment. We just can’t.
But we can definitely influence it and give parents the tools to be more prepared, less reactive, and more empathetic.
I’m known as the V.V.S. Life Coach and my brand, V.V.S. Living is all about the way we get to be our maximized selves—by living according to our Vision, Values, and Serenity.
I’m most proud of the way moms have implemented even a tiny bit of what I talk about to make their own lives less stressful and their homes more peaceful.
The best way to get started is by learning about my approach to parenting that tackles the main reasons parenting is so hard and overwhelming.
Most parents don’t know enough about how kids’ brains develop. We expect them to do things they’re not ready for—like explain why they hit their sibling when they don’t have impulse control yet, calm down right away when their emotions are too big, or “just listen” when their brain is wired to explore and push limits.
When they can’t do it, we take it the wrong way. We think they’re being difficult, testing us, or disrespecting us. But really, they’re just acting their age.
That’s why so many parents end up yelling, punishing, or feeling frustrated. We’re asking for things they can’t always do yet. And when we don’t understand that, we parent from frustration instead of teaching in a way that actually helps them grow.
We were not taught enough ideas to handle attitudes and behaviors. If your upbringing was like mine, discipline meant yelling, fussing, and belts.
That’s what we saw, so that’s what we learned. Nobody gave us better ways to handle it. We were just told us to “be the parent” and “make them listen.”
All that does is continue a pattern that makes our kids avoid us, fear is instead of really respect us, and add to the resentment they feel.
The most important part of my work is finding our parenting philosophies that do more harm than good.
The ones we don’t even question because they were drilled into us. The ones that make us feel like we’re doing the right thing until we see the damage on our child’s face and in their behavior.
Things like thinking respect means fear. Believing obedience is the goal. Thinking a “good” child is one who doesn’t challenge us, push back, or have emotions that inconvenience us.
But when we stop and really look, we see that these philosophies don’t build strong, emotionally healthy kids. They just create adults who struggle with boundaries, who feel like love has to be earned, and who either fight authority or fear it.
That’s why I do this work—because breaking these cycles isn’t just about parenting differently. It’s about raising kids who don’t have to recover from the way we raised them.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
My reflectiveness has been the most important part of my success. It’s that quiet time to think about what I’m doing and how much it aligns with my Vision, Values, & Serenity, that shows me when I need to pivot, adjust my own behavior, or get the help I need from my coaches.
If we don’t reflect as we go, one day, we’ll look back disappointed and wonder “what in the world happened?”
I’d add to this, humility. I can’t do any of what I’m doing without God’s grace and hand in my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vvsliving.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/vvslifecoach
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@momsemotionaltoolbox
- Other: https://damagefreediscipline.com
