E342: Tina Weiss - Turning Trauma into Triumph
Tina Weiss is an author, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of the Hugs and Smiles Children’s Foundation. Her book, Fear to Faith, was born from a series of deeply personal challenges—including a frightening experience abroad that left her without identification, money, or a clear path home. In this episode, Tina shares how she transformed fear into faith, pain into purpose, and trauma into triumph. She and Leticia explore resilience, spirituality, the loss and rediscovery of identity, listening to your heart, reconnecting with your inner child, and choosing how you respond when life changes without warning.
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SHOW NOTES
💬 [1:42] Tina's early years – fashion was in her blood from age six
🤝 [3:55] Entrepreneur lessons: find mentors, learn the industry before starting
🧴 [7:10] Pivoting from fashion to skincare
🤝 [10:01] Mentorship is 360 degrees – a mentee can open doors for you too
👧 [12:54] Visiting her niece studying in Florence
👜 [14:40] First robbery in Florence – wallet stolen, but passport was locked in the safe
🌊 [15:57] Arrived in Venice where the second robbery happened
🙏 [18:04] Her strength, resilience, and faith guided her home
✡️ [19:33] Orthodox Jewish upbringing – Why did God put her through this?
🦷 [24:34] Before Italy, dental surgery left her unable to speak properly for 3 years
📖 [27:14] A film producer friend said, "You have to write a book first so people understand"y
👩 [28:36] Women take care of everyone else, and forget themselves
😢 [30:09] She watched her dad's slow decline during COVID
🔄 [34:52] Take your pain to purpose, trauma to triumph, fear to faith
🎨 [35:43] Drawn to old world art, architecture, culture, music – she was raised on classical music
🌟 37:45 Live every day, every moment, the best way you can
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Entrepreneur
ABOUT TINA WEISS
Entrepreneur • Visionary • Author • Advocate for Women & Children
My Journey, Your Mirror
For more than 30 years, Tina Weiss has built businesses spanning fashion, textiles, skincare, and purpose-driven ventures while living and working in New York, California, and now Florida.
Along the way, she founded Hugs and Smiles Children's Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing music, art, and dance to underprivileged children, helping them discover hope, healing, and self-expression through creativity.
Through her entrepreneurial journey, Tina has met countless extraordinary women—visionaries, professionals, caregivers, and women from all walks of life—who give endlessly to everyone around them, yet often feel unseen, exhausted, and spiritually drained. She understands that struggle because she has lived it herself.
After several years of personal and professional challenges, Tina embarked on a long-awaited journey to Italy to heal, reset, and reconnect with her purpose and passion. What she expected to be a journey of renewal became the defining turning point of her life.
In 2024, while traveling through Italy, Tina was robbed twice in three days, leaving her stranded in a foreign country without a passport, identification, money, credit cards, or any sense of security. Alone, frightened, and with no way of knowing who she could trust, she faced the terrifying reality of finding her way home with every safety net stripped away. What began as a journey of healing became a journey of survival, se… Read More
