Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin M. Tucker.
Hi Kevin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a native of Columbia/Hopkins, South Carolina. I moved to South Florida, nearly 13 years ago, in April of 2009. I had no friends or family here at the time, but I knew I was destined to make an impact in the South Florida community. I am the President & CEO of KMT Enterprises, LLC., a coaching and speaking company. I’m also a full-time youth pastor and manager at The Faith Center Ministries, located in Sunrise, FL. I recently released my first book, The Core Lifestyle: Take the Leap and Win in Challenging Times for pre-order and have a t-shirt apparel line coming later this year. I’m a husband and father of two boys and a girl. I love my family dearly. My life has always been full of grit and grinding toward achieving my goals and trust me, it was no easy feat. I’ve used early moments of pain to fuel a string of successes, both in relationships and in building a career.
From middle school through college, I was always that guy on the campus. I’m sure you know the one: he’s constantly getting pulled into heavy conversations, sometimes with almost strangers. “Kevin, you are always talking to somebody,” my friends liked to point out, sometimes in amazement. Back then, I didn’t understand what was going on; I didn’t get the reason people sought me out to talk about decisions or regrets that were on their minds. I was a willing listener, but I wondered: why did people come to me with things they’d never said out loud before? Now, though, it makes sense. Now I understand God has put me on the earth for the specific purpose of lifting people up.
A passion for helping others reach their highest callings has fueled my life’s work as a leadership and relationship strategist.
My experience has taught me that most struggles are associated with four primary aspects of our lives: families, relationships, leadership, and personal fulfillment. I have walked with countless people through times of transformation and seen relationships restored and long-held ambitions reached.
I hold a bachelor’s degree from The University of South Carolina and a master’s degree in leadership development and entrepreneurship from Nova Southeastern University.
My experience includes more than 20 years of leadership and sales, partnerships with the Leadership Broward Youth Summit, the Urban League of Broward County, and the Broward County Schools Equity and Academic Attainment Department. I’ve facilitated numerous seminars and moderated forums. During my early years, I served as the advisor for the African American Male Institute at the University of South Carolina.
For three years, I served the Broward Public Library Foundation as a board member.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My vision and goals were tested—by delays, by jealousy, long hours of sacrifice, fear, insufficient finances, personal struggles, and uncertainty. So much got in my way at times. However, I had to stay grounded in my faith, focused on my vision, and got back up when I experienced moments of failure or setbacks. Although I’ve long led others in repairing broken bonds, I know what it means to hurt. Let me introduce you to young Kevin, who grew up in a home where the thing he felt the most was fear. I dealt with many years of family dysfunction and domestic violence which challenged my perspective of myself, leading to self-doubts, insecurities, and many other feelings and thoughts that could have completely stopped my progress in life if I had allowed it to.
In those bleary-eyed, exhausted moments of the struggle, my purpose kept me grounded in the storm. As mentioned in my book, “a deeply felt sense of purpose will keep you strong in the fight.” It was my strong sense of purpose that stopped me from taking my own life as a sixteen-year-old victim of abuse. Even in that darkest moment—and at that tender age— I knew there was something vital I was called to do. I thought about the peers who sought me for advice. I knew my purpose was to help the people who were feeling like I was feeling then. To save them, I saved myself. I chose to make that day about a different kind of death. It was a death to fear and a death to all the things that could have held me back from living as the light to others I was meant to be.
Even when pursuing job opportunities, I had to fight, believe in myself, and go the extra mile to prove myself. I remember in the early stages of my banking career, there was a particular job that I really wanted but was turned down twice. When a recruiter reached out to me a third time, I didn’t just give up. I knew I was qualified! I wanted that position! So I sought to understand what had gone wrong before. I told her all the reasons I thought I was a fit and about the interviews that had ended in rejection. That conversation led me to add things to my résumé that would help the interviewers better understand my experience and background. The result: I got the job. Handling rejection required me to feel comfortable with my authentic self. This was huge for me because there was a period in my life during my younger years when I allowed my voice to be crushed by fear. When I crushed that fear instead of letting it crush me, things slowly began to change. Even as I wrestled with my own difficulties, I became a student body president when I was in middle school. In high school, college, and beyond, I continued in the role of an effective leader and confidant to many.
Make no mistake about it; uncertainties, delays, and unexpected obstacles are almost guaranteed. It’s not in dreaming but in enduring that winners set themselves apart. You might believe strongly in your purpose and long to do the work, but there still may come a time you feel too depleted to go on. People get bogged down in marriage issues, struggles with finances, failing health, and so much more. You must understand tough-mindedness is essential to our work on earth.
Even when writing my book, it was purpose that kept me going as I wrote the book in the middle of life changes that required a lot of my time and attention. In addition to holding down a variety of jobs (youth pastor, church manager, business owner, coach, and speaker), I was focusing on some personal milestones. I moved into a new house with my family and welcomed a new daughter.
A whole lot going on! But when I began to drag, I knew somebody in New York was struggling with relationships and needed part two of the book. Someone in New Mexico, I said to myself, is trying at this moment to figure out her life. She is working at it so hard, and yet she is stuck—held hostage to the opinions of her family and friends. So, you see, my purpose—rooted in my love for humanity—kept my fingers on the keyboard when my body longed for sleep.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The key is not to lose your fight before you get to the win. As a relationship and leadership expert, I empower individuals with strategies to strengthen the core areas of their lives. I equip leaders with the tools needed to fulfill their roles with wisdom and self-accountability. My passion has allowed me to travel across the country with an invigorating message about fulfilling one’s life purpose and building strong relationships.
As mentioned previously, in January 2022, I released my inaugural book, The Core Lifestyle: Take the Leap and Win in Challenging Times. My experience has taught me that most struggles are associated with four primary aspects of our lives: families, relationships, leadership, and personal fulfillment. The book centers around these four core areas of our lives.
I illustrate points with real-life examples, wisdom from the Bible, and my own struggles through the years. The book deals with, among other topics, confronting uncomfortable truths head-on in an effective way, dealing with rejection, building friendships that sustain, and loving well to lead well.
Book buyers will also be partnering with me as a “Core Impact Champion” to offer life-impacting guidance for high school seniors. For every two hundred books sold, I am adopting a high school senior class and providing them with twenty-five books in addition to perks such as free group coaching and mentoring and an opportunity to participate in my discussion series.
Here’s what some of the Core Lifestyle Readers are saying:
“It is said that only he who has traveled the road knows where the holes are deep. Kevin’s personal experiences and passion to overcome obstacles have enabled him to write a book that can help people take the deep holes of life and turn them into a bridge to success.”
— Karen Jones, CMO & EVP, Ryder Systems, Inc.
“Kevin Tucker in The Core Lifestyle, Take the Leap and Win in Challenging Times gives keen insights into the deep personal and professional challenges we all face. With advice grounded in Biblical wisdom and deep personal experiences, Kevin shares a path forward to live your greatest purpose.”
— Dr. Ben Sorensen, Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner, Co-Founder & VP, and Executive Leadership Trainer, Optimum Associates
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Anywhere near water is my happy place and creative thinking outlet. So, it’s no coincidence that I love the beautiful, white sandy, South Florida beaches. I love the palm trees, tons of unique parks and diverse culture. I love the many art galleries as well. I get to spend a lot of time riding my bike along the beach and at the parks. Often, my family and I enjoy times of bonding at the parks. Overall, whether in Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, or Miami, the tri-county offers endless entertainment, shopping and R&R experiences.
There isn’t much that I dislike about our city but I do wish there were more indoor and outdoor combination social areas similar to that of Houston and Atlanta. I wish more people were able to take advantage of affordable housing, this is a key area that our city struggles with and is making an ongoing effort to address.
Pricing:
- Book: $21.95
Contact Info:
- Email: info.kevinmtucker@gmail.com
- Website: kevinmtucker.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kevinmtucker/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/KevinMTuckerFL
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevinmtuckerfl
- Youtube: YouTube URL (Seach for The Core Lifestyle)
- Other: https://linktr.ee/kevinmtucker
Image Credits
Photo Credit: Brenian Goodrum of B. Ashton Visuals @justbashton
