Today we’d like to introduce you to Tilly Levine.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Tilly. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I believe my attitude and positive mindset is what got me to where I am today. Our thoughts shape the way we see the world and the way that the world sees us. Every thought that you have comes with a feeling. Positive thoughts come with positive feelings. Negative thoughts come with negative feelings. I learned this from personal experience at a young age… I was around 12 years old when I learned that positivity is much more powerful than negativity and that I could achieve what I wanted in a kind way versus hurting others.

This served me well as a young person, especially when I immigrated to the United States with my ex-husband, Hezy Shaked. I was 23 years old at that time. We had no family here in America. Everything we owned was in one suitcase. We had no money in our pockets and no place to live. We barely spoke English but we had this powerful tool in our toolbox – thinking positively and working very hard. Even though I had a college degree in education, I cleaned houses. I was a clerk in a jewelry store. I didn’t take a day off for seven years. I was so grateful because I was in the United States of America. I was certain this country would give me the opportunity to excel.

My husband and I lived in a studio apartment. On the weekends, we sold toys and clothes at a local swap meet. Eventually, we saved up enough to open our first Tilly’s store in 1982. Today there are over 200 Tilly’s stores around the country.

Over the years, Tillys was involved with many different charities doing great work but I noticed a need for an empowerment program – a need to teach our youth how to take control of their own lives and make positive changes for themselves.

Five years ago, I founded an organization called Tilly’s Life Center to spread the value of positive thinking to young people. We offer a year-long program in high schools that gives teens the tools to develop a positive mindset, overcome adversity, and find happiness and success. My dream is for this program to be a required class like math or English… in EVERY high school in the country.

Great, 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?
I have certainly had struggles along the way – in my personal life, at Tillys and now at Tilly’s Life Center. However, I’ve learned that while you cannot control many things in life, you can control the way they affect you, and the way that you react to them.

I learned this the hard way. After 12 years of marriage – even with many therapy sessions – my relationship with my first husband fell apart. The passion faded. The romance died. I wanted him to be something that he wasn’t. I wanted the marriage to be different than it was. In other words, I wanted a change to happen that was impossible. I didn’t want to let go of the past and accept a new identity as a divorcee and single mother. I was confused. I felt disillusioned and angry. Then I realized: I had a choice. I could stay upset or I could let go and move on. Once I accepted that my marriage was ending, it was easier. It wasn’t easy but it was easier. I was finally able to let go of the negative feelings. I stopped blaming my husband and I chose to forgive myself, which was equally important.

When we got divorced, my ex-husband and I did not hire attorneys. We remained partners in business and in raising our children. To this day, we are still best friends. We continue to celebrate holidays and our successes together.

What is the lesson here? Focus on the things you love, and don’t dwell on the things you don’t like. After you accept what you cannot change, it becomes much easier to pursue your dreams.

As mentioned, it is my dream to reach as many teens as possible and as with many nonprofits, funding is a challenge. We rely mainly on donations from the public to take our curriculum to schools and other 3rd party partners like after-school programs, juvenile halls, and hospitals. There is such a need and such a demand for our program but we need additional funding to expand.

Please tell us about Tilly’s Life Center.
Tilly’s Life Center (TLC) is a youth-focused, 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable foundation aimed at empowering all teens with a positive mindset and enabling them to effectively cope with crisis, adversity and tough decisions. Our mission is to inspire today’s youth to reach their full potential as productive, kind, happy, and responsible individuals.

TLC’s program empowers teens by teaching life skills that build confidence, inspire compassion, and encourages them to set goals, continue their education, build a future career and pursue their dreams. Using experiential learning, including journal writing, open discussions, and activities, our 36 classes promote self-discovery and cover relevant topics in a safe and caring environment. In short, TLC equips teens with the tools they need to make the right choices.

Target outcomes of our program focus on Emotional Intelligence, Executive Functions, Coping with Stress, Self-Esteem, Resilience, Making Better Choices, and Mindfulness. Considering that several studies point to Executive Functions as one of the most predictive indicators of life success, TLC built its program to strengthen these skills and help mitigate mistakes that teens often commit in high school. Rooted in the theories of Mindset and Positive Psychology, we truly believe that our curriculum helps teens move towards a growth mindset, enabling them to effectively cope with crisis, adversity and tough decisions. In turn, we believe they can ultimately find happiness and success.

I am most proud of how quickly we’ve expanded since piloting our first program 5 years ago. In Fall of 2017, we will serve 10 different high schools in 18 different classrooms as well as numerous 3rd party partners. What sets us apart is that we are not simply providing a service or fulfilling a specific need – we are instead teaching these teens how to be empowered to overcome their crisis, whatever it may be. Additionally, we serve as an added component to many other nonprofits as we facilitate our curriculum at schools, in shelters throughout Orange and Los Angeles counties, in various after school programs as well as at CHOC Hospital and Central Juvenile Hall Los Angeles.

What do you like best about our city?
I appreciate LA’s openness and willingness to embrace change in education and it has welcomed our program in local high schools, into the Juvenile Hall system, in partnership with the LAPD’s Operation Progress and in the LGBTQ community. Los Angeles embraces a philosophy that everyone is equal and has a uniqueness and ability to be a valued contribution to the community – and this philosophy is also the foundation of our curriculum.