My name is Tammy Higdon Stebbins, and I am an author, speech-language pathologist, and lifelong advocate for the power of words. After growing up in extreme poverty and violence, I learned early that words could wound—but I also discovered they could heal, restore, and set people free.

My memoir, The Weight of Fear: One Woman’s Journey from Fear to Freedom to Forgiveness, chronicles my journey from a childhood shaped by trauma to a life grounded in faith, resilience, and grace. With honesty and compassion, I invite readers into the hardest chapters of my story in order to offer hope to those still finding their way.

As a speech-language pathologist, I have spent decades walking alongside children and adults who struggled to find their words—or had lost them altogether. I have witnessed firsthand how fragile language can be, how devastating it is when someone cannot express what lives inside them, and how much courage it takes to recover a voice. Those years deepened my conviction that words are sacred—that they can gather or divide, strengthen or shatter, bless or break.

Because I have worked with people who fought to speak a single sound, I do not take words lightly. I write with reverence for language and with urgency for truth, encouraging others to get their stories out of their heads and onto paper—no matter how painful or unfinished they may feel. I believe healing often begins when we dare to say what has long been silent.

I live in Kentucky with my family and continue to write stories rooted in faith, forgiveness, and the enduring value of every voice.

Toward The Light Books was born from my deep love and reverence for words. I believe words are sacred — they have the power to wound or to heal, to divide or to gather, to silence or to set free. Through memoir, meaningful fiction, speaking engagements, and writing mentorship, I create spaces where honesty is honored and healing can begin. My work is rooted in lived experience, professional insight, and faith that restoration is possible, no matter how heavy the story may feel. Whether through the pages of my books or in person at an event, I seek to connect heart to heart, reminding others that their voice matters and their story carries purpose.

What makes my books different is that they are not written from theory — they are written from lived experience. I know the cost of silence, and I know the courage it takes to speak. As a speech-language pathologist, I have spent decades helping others find their voice. As a survivor of trauma, I have fought to reclaim my own. That intersection shapes every page I write. My stories do not rush past pain or tidy it into easy answers. Instead, I confront it with honesty, faith, and deep respect for the sacred power of words. Readers who pick up my books find authenticity, emotional depth, and a message that healing is not only possible — it is worth pursuing.