Back to School, Back to Purpose: Tera Carissa Hodges on Raising Confident Children and Building a Legacy That Matters

As a new school year begins, parents everywhere are preparing backpacks, buying school supplies, adjusting schedules and getting their children ready to step into another year of learning and growth. But for entrepreneur, author, faith-based empowerment speaker and mother Tera Carissa Hodges, preparing a child for the world goes far beyond what can fit inside a backpack.

It begins with what a child learns to believe about themselves.

For Tera, motherhood is not simply one part of her busy life. It is one of the greatest responsibilities and privileges she has ever been given. Her approach to parenting is deeply connected to her faith, her commitment to empowering others and her desire to help the next generation understand their value.

“Motherhood is the stewardship of the younger generation,” Tera says. “As a parent, there is no greater reflection of your work or impact on earth than your child. Motherhood is a gift, an honor, a privilege, a call. For me, as a woman, there is no greater calling.”

That belief has influenced the way Tera approaches everything from entrepreneurship and philanthropy to authorship and advocacy. While she has built an international platform that reaches thousands of people, she remains intentional about the lessons being taught at home.

Her accomplishments are extensive. Tera has earned seven figures through her empowerment work and has expanded her influence into more than 30 countries through weekly teleconferences that connect and inspire more than 10,000 people. Her work has been featured in Essence, Yahoo Finance, Hype Magazine and other publications, and she has delivered more than 100 keynote presentations, including events sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Johannesburg and JPMorgan.

She has also invested in minority-owned businesses, created opportunities for economic empowerment and partnered with Culture Greetings on a custom greeting card collection available at Walgreens.

But when Tera talks about impact, her daughter is never far from the conversation.

“My daughter is a reminder of what matters,” she shares. “The world can be falling apart and a million people against me, but as long as I can go outside and play with her, good luck on ruining my day. It’s just not going to happen.”

For Tera, peace begins at home. That philosophy is especially meaningful as families enter a new school year, when children can face new classrooms, new expectations, new friendships and, sometimes, new insecurities.

Tera believes parents have an opportunity to help children develop a strong sense of self before the outside world has a chance to define them.

That message is at the heart of her children’s book, “I AM: A Little One’s Guide to Affirmations.” As an author and certified clinical hypnotherapist, Tera understands the influence that words can have on the way people see themselves. She created the book to help young readers build confidence and healthy self-esteem through positive affirmations, and the book is distributed through donations so more families can access its message.

For parents preparing their children for a new school year, that message can be just as important as the first-day outfit or freshly sharpened pencils.

A child who hears “I am capable,” “I am worthy,” “I am loved” and “I can learn” is receiving something that cannot be purchased at a school supply store.

Tera’s work reminds parents that education does not begin and end in the classroom. The conversations happening at home can shape how children respond when they struggle, how they handle criticism, how they advocate for themselves and how they understand their own potential.

Her approach to motherhood also challenges the idea that being a great mother requires a woman to sacrifice every part of herself.

“Most people think that motherhood means struggle. It does not,” she explains. “I planned for my motherhood journey and encourage other women to do the same.”

Tera openly discusses the importance of creating support systems that allow mothers to show up for their families while continuing to pursue their own goals. She has built a structure around her life that allows her to travel, grow her businesses, write, speak and serve while remaining present for her daughter.

“I employ nannies, cleaning services, and more,” she says. “I made sure I had th

e resources to support my motherhood journey, so that my daughter has the best of me, not what’s left of me after a long, stressful day.”

There is a powerful lesson in that philosophy for mothers entering another demanding school year: asking for help does not make you less of a mother.

For Tera, authentic motherhood means understanding what works for your family rather than allowing outside expectations to dictate every decision.

“Authentic motherhood is you doing motherhood your way,” she says. “I don’t care what society is doing, saying, or advising. The question is what I feel led to do in this moment.”

That does not mean ignoring knowledge or resources. Tera reads parenting books and follows parenting resources online, but she believes information should be paired with personal wisdom and intuition.

“At the end of the day, you have to blend knowledge with your intuitive wisdom. That is where authenticity kicks in,” she explains.

Her faith is an important part of that wisdom.

“I am a praying mama,” Tera says. “I put God first in everything, especially concerning my daughter.”

She believes prayer has helped guide her through the decisions that come with raising a child and navigating life as a mother.

“As a praying mama, I have received much guidance and insight from God on what to do, how to do things, where to go, and where not to go,” she says. “I can’t imagine parenting without God. He’s the ultimate guide, the blueprint for parenting.”

That commitment to faith and service extends well beyond her household. Tera serves as an ambassador for the Institute for Economics and Peace, publisher of The Global Peace Index, and was selected as one of 100 Voices for Our Planet through the United Nations Partnerships Progress initiative. She has also served as an ambassador for Global Christian Relief, with philanthropic efforts including sponsoring water wells in Nigeria and freshwater systems in Zimbabwe.

Her work demonstrates that creating a meaningful legacy is not only about what one accomplishes personally. It is also about what becomes possible for someone else because you chose to serve, encourage, teach or give.

As parents send their children back to school, Tera’s message offers a timely reminder: The goal is not simply to raise children who earn good grades. It is to raise children who know who they are, understand their worth, recognize their gifts and have the confidence to use them.

And perhaps that is one of the most important lessons a parent can give.

Tera Carissa Hodges continues to build a legacy through entrepreneurship, authorship, philanthropy, faith and empowerment. Yet her greatest investment may be the one happening every day at home, through the love, guidance and affirmations she pours into her daughter.

Because long after the school year ends, the lessons children carry about their worth can remain with them for a lifetime.

For Tera, that is what true impact looks like: empowering women, serving communities and helping raise a generation of children who know they are capable of becoming everything they were created to be.

Connect online here: @teracarissahodges