Biggest Best Life

Living P.I.N.K. with Tammy Loving—Faith, Fearlessness, and Finding Purpose

• Lauren Chapnick • Season 1 • Episode 9

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Tammy Loving Links:

Gnivol Events

Tammy's Susan G Komen Race for the Cure Donation Page

A single decision can change the arc of a life. That truth shines through Tammy’s journey—from eldest sibling and natural organizer to Navy veteran, Fortune 500 problem-solver, BRCA-positive breast cancer survivor, and now the founder of G-NIVOL Events in Dallas. We dig into how service forged resilience, how grief refined faith, and how a double mastectomy became a doorway to purpose rather than an endpoint. Tammy shares the moment she chose courage over fear, what BRCA positivity means for long-term vigilance, and why her P.I.N.K. ethos—Purpose, Inspiration, Nurturing, Knowledge-sharing—guides her advocacy and outreach.

We talk about the invisible tax of “always on” careers and the quiet health costs that accumulate under relentless pressure. Tammy explains how she translated project management into a client-first event planning model that returns presence to the host: “We create, you celebrate.” Along the way, she offers grounded advice for anyone feeling stuck at work—get in the room, get connected, or build your own table—and compassionate guidance for those at the start of a cancer journey: do not walk it alone, find resources, and let community carry part of the weight.

There’s joy here, too—jazz road trips with her husband, a favorite verse about asking for what you need, and a renewed love for ordinary days. If you’re seeking insight on breast cancer awareness, BRCA testing, resilience, career reinvention, women-owned business, or event planning in Dallas, this conversation is for you. Listen, share it with someone who needs hope, and tell us the bravest step you’re ready to take. If this story moved you, subscribe, leave a review, and pass it on to a friend who could use the lift.

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Lauren Chapnick:

What were some of the first thoughts and emotions that you had when you heard those words?

Tammy Loving:

I thought about it. I was like, Lord, I know that you got me. I know that you will protect me through this. But if my outcome is similar to what my mom was, I'm okay with it.

Announcer:

Welcome to Biggest Best Life, the podcast that dares you to dream big, look louder, and step fully into the rock star life you are made for. You're not too late. You're right on time. And we're just getting started. Here's your host, Lauren Chapnick.

Lauren Chapnick:

Hi, friend. Welcome on back. Pull up a chair. I have an incredible guest to introduce to you today. But before I bring her on, let me just remind you if you would like a weekly dose of inspiration, motivation, text it straight to your phone. Just something to live your day, remind you to take action, to live your biggest last life. That's one word. Let me tell you. It's not the same. To hear their story live. That is what you all deserve. An entrepreneur, and a breath cancer survivor. She's here to tell her story today. And she has faced adversities in her life, and she has come out on top. And she shows us all that it doesn't matter what your circumstances are, your attitude, your perspective, it is everything. And you truly can live your purpose, your most authentic life, and turn pain into purpose. Tammy is the owner and founder of Ginival Events in Dallas, Texas. And I cannot wait for you to meet her and hear her story. Here she is. Welcome, Tammy. Tammy, I am so happy to be here in Dallas with you.

Tammy Loving:

I'm truly excited for us to connect over LinkedIn and we really connect, which is so awesome. So I'm glad to be here today.

Lauren Chapnick:

So let's go back and talk about your childhood just a little bit. What was young Tammy like?

Tammy Loving:

Always the person that's gonna take charge of the moment. I had two brothers, only daughter, the oldest, and we grew up in a time where family was so close. And so being the oldest out of my mom's sisters, it was like I had, I'm gonna say ten kids to take care of. I'm the person who, when the adults are in the other room, Tammy's there to make sure everybody's doing what they need to do and taking charge. So I would say that I've always been independent, uh, always been strong-willed, and always had focus that makes sense.

Lauren Chapnick:

Yeah. Who would you say were some of your biggest influences or role models growing up?

Tammy Loving:

For me, my mom. Always. My mom was my biggest advocate, my biggest fan. She always believed in family. My mom was a person that she didn't have a lot, but she always did the dinners, always invited over kids the family over. She always wanted to have the Easter egg hunts, although she didn't even have small kids. She wanted to make sure everybody was family. That makes sense.

Lauren Chapnick:

Yeah. Love that. Would you say that as a kid you always were called to serve others?

Tammy Loving:

I would say so. I would definitely say so. I have a servant heart.

Lauren Chapnick:

So you enlisted in the United States Navy right out of high school. What led to that decision?

Tammy Loving:

So my mom, my parents, they didn't have a lot of money. I was not ready to go to college. And I really wanted to see the world. And you know, the commercial with the Navy would come over. You can see the world, and they show all these exotic locations. Yeah. I wanted that. I really wanted that. And I got that.

Lauren Chapnick:

Yeah, so you served, thank you for your service for 11 years. What were some of the biggest lessons that you learned? What was that season of your life like? You were so young.

Tammy Loving:

There's no place like home. I went to a lot of places. When I first went into the service, I was stationed in Road of Spain for three years. Beautiful country. But again, no place like home. And I always stayed rooted in, although I wanted to see a lot of places, those places weren't home. So I knew I was I was gonna come back to home because that is where the heart is.

Lauren Chapnick:

Yeah. Did you ever get to come home during No, I didn't. During the whole 11 years?

Tammy Loving:

Well, during the whole 11 years, there was some um tragic things that happened in my life. So yeah, I did come home. Uh I was stationed on a ship. I was stationed on a what is it's like a traveling gas station where you refuel the fleet. So I was on that. We stayed out for a whole year, didn't come back. You could actually see land. I mean, you could see land, but that's all you could do was see it. You're in the water floating, replenishing other ships. Uh I was also stationed here in Texas. I was stationed in Beaville, Texas. I was stationed in Puerto Rico, where I met my husband. Um, and then my last day duty station was I was I worked for NATO. Uh so I went to school in Rome, and I was in school with Germans, I was in school with all types of nationalities, and then Norfolk Virginia was my last duty station.

Lauren Chapnick:

Wow, that's incredible. Did any of your other family members serve?

Tammy Loving:

My dad was in Vietnam War.

Lauren Chapnick:

Okay. Did that inspire you to do it?

Tammy Loving:

Yes, it did. Yes it did. Yes, it did.

Lauren Chapnick:

Okay, so after the Navy, you went to work for a Fortune 500 company. What drew you to that world?

Tammy Loving:

Well, they were looking for some qualities that you definitely get in the military. Commitment, the ability to pivot easily. It was a Japanese company and it was a very um multitask, multi-faceted uh company. It was uh a telecommunications company that developed uh applications and solutions for the larger phone systems. And I loved it in the beginning because I love to learn. I'm like a little inspector gadget almost. So I love to tinker with things, I love to disprove that I can make it work. Yes. So it was driven that way. So in in being that type of person, uh, God put me in a lot of places that I wasn't qualified to be in. I was in rooms with CFOs, XOs, presidents, uh, because I had that type of tenacity. But it just got to be very stressful to be able to actually deliver constantly. Always feeling like you have to deliver. Always on. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And I really feel like that affected my health. That's stress.

Lauren Chapnick:

How long did you stay in that company?

Tammy Loving:

23 years.

Lauren Chapnick:

What did you love the most about it?

Tammy Loving:

I love my teams, the people who I worked with, because most of the people that I work with were also there for more than 20 years. And so we just became family.

Lauren Chapnick:

Yeah. Did you have it in the back of your mind somewhere that you were meant to do something else?

Tammy Loving:

Most definitely.

Lauren Chapnick:

Yes.

Tammy Loving:

And I always had it that I want to reset and do something I love. Because this is not it.

Lauren Chapnick:

Yes. Yeah. I understand that. So take us back to the moment when you first learned you had breast cancer.

Tammy Loving:

Okay.

Lauren Chapnick:

What stands out to you about that time?

Tammy Loving:

So, can I go back actually to my mom? Because my mom was the person who had cancer. She had worked all of her life and retired. And as soon as she retired, she got a cough. That cough transformed into what they call pulmonary fibrosis. She had to have a double lung transplant. But what it really was was when they removed her lungs, she had lung cancer. Never smoked or any of that. Wow. Yeah. And so she loved to live. And as long as she wanted to fight, I was there to fight with her. Because I loved my mom. She was my best friend. And whatever we had to do for her to have a quality of life, I was gonna do it. And so by being driven like that, I think when I went to do my mammogram, and they said something doesn't look right about your mammogram. You need to do a biopsy. And I did the biopsy and they came back and said, You have breast cancer. I think it didn't phase me. Because that fight with my mom, I knew I was up for it.

Lauren Chapnick:

You had that warrior mentality. What were some of the first thoughts and emotions that you had when you heard those words?

Tammy Loving:

I thought about it. I was like, Lord, I know that you got me. I know that you will protect me through this, but if my outcome is similar to what my mom was, I'm okay with it.

Lauren Chapnick:

How long did your mom fight?

Tammy Loving:

She fought for seven years. And she fought all the way up until the end. And I think she kept going or she stayed here, but because to go to the doctor and learn that what they tell you is that we've done all we can do for you, and your mom has um two weeks to live. She stayed at least three months later. Um, and in her final moments, you know, I just because it was I wanted her to live so badly, but I know that it wasn't my will, it was God's will. And I told her, I was like, Mom, you know, it's okay. We are going to be okay. And that's when she took her last breath.

Lauren Chapnick:

Has faith always been a part of your life?

Tammy Loving:

Most definitely. Most definitely. Uh God is at the center of everything that I do. That me and my husband, everything that we do in our life, he's there.

Lauren Chapnick:

What do you think surprised you the most about yourself during your journey through breast cancer?

Tammy Loving:

I'm not gonna say that it surprised me, but to be able to pivot and walk through it without being phased, without even people thinking anything has happened to me and not um letting it show. Yeah, I think that's what that you could actually do that. Yeah, that kind of surprised me the most.

Lauren Chapnick:

Yeah, that's incredible. That's really incredible. How has it changed how you live your life now?

Tammy Loving:

Yes, because not only did I identify that I had can't breast cancer, but I even went to take the gene test, the BRCA, and I I am BROCA positive. So in everything I do now, I have to have everything checked to make sure that I haven't developed some other form of cancer. But not only do I do that, I want to spread my pink. My pink is for purpose, for inspiration, for nurturing, and for knowledge sharing because I feel that a lot of people, if cancer is not knocking at your door, then you feel like it can't touch you or it won't touch you. And I want to spread the where the awareness that people need to be vigilant and aware because today I'm fighting with my brother. He thought he had a back problem. He was going to see a chiropractor. That turned into plasma melanoma cancer. So he has blood cancer. It's not curable, but it's treatable. Okay. So again, just spreading the awareness for people to really take the time to learn and know the signs and know about cancer.

Lauren Chapnick:

Yes, absolutely. How are you now?

Tammy Loving:

I've like I told you, I feel like something has been lifted and I'm living my best life. I love life. I love what I'm doing. I love the message that I'm trying to spread, and I love the reception that people are really listening and taking. Are you cancer free now? I am, thank God. Yes. I had to have a double mastectomy, but I am keeping free. You did. Yeah. Um, for how long now? Um, two years.

Lauren Chapnick:

Good for you. Two years. God is so good. Yes. He is so good. So then what sparked you to step into entrepreneurship?

Tammy Loving:

I've always been a planner of some sorts. But being a project manager and being an event planner, that's the offset of a project manager. Okay. That's the fun part for me. Yes. So I've always wanted to do that. I said being an event planner is going to be my reset job.

Lauren Chapnick:

You knew it. Yes. You knew it. Okay. You knew it back in the days of your corporate life. Correct.

Tammy Loving:

Okay. Um, but and I was like, I never had the faith to just step out on it. And God kind of pushed me. It's like, you've been lifting these corporations up for years. Why aren't you lifting yourself up? Yeah. And he pushed me out to step out on faith, and I did, and I'm so glad I listened.

Lauren Chapnick:

Yes. What have been some of the proudest moments since launching your business?

Tammy Loving:

I'd love to be able to just support a client, make them look good, and the they are not stressed about it. They're actually able to be in the moment. Because I realize that so many people want to celebrate, but they try to do things themselves. They can't even remember the moment because they were too busy trying to plan it or making sure everything goes the way it should.

Lauren Chapnick:

Oh, yeah, I can relate to that. Yeah. So one of your tagline is we create, you celebrate. That's right. So tell me about that, how that came to be.

Tammy Loving:

So it's like I want them to be able to just show up and be in the moment and not be stress-free. So let us do that for you. Let us create the vision that you've painted. Let us actually uh manage the timeline so that you can show up, be in the moment, and celebrate and be able to go back and look at those memories and actually do remember that.

Lauren Chapnick:

Yeah. Wow. What do you what do you love the most about being an entrepreneur?

Tammy Loving:

I don't have to answer to an idiot.

Lauren Chapnick:

Okay, tell me more.

Tammy Loving:

Because in the corporate space, you're working. I used to always have to work for people that it's like, my god, they are so clueless. Yes. But this is your boss. You have to support them. Now I'm working for a boss that has a clue.

Lauren Chapnick:

Yes. Which is me. That's one of the best answers I think I've ever heard. That is so funny. I love it. What would you say to somebody who feels stuck in their career? They feel burnt out, and maybe something is whispering to them that they want to do more. What would your advice be to that person?

Tammy Loving:

One word. Get. Get it together. Get in the room. Get connected. Mm-hmm. And get a table. If they're not inviting you, get a table that's built around you.

Lauren Chapnick:

Love that. Just take action. Yeah. Do it. Yeah. Yeah.

Tammy Loving:

Even if you're afraid, do it afraid.

Lauren Chapnick:

Yeah. What about what would your advice be to somebody who is just starting their cancer journey?

Tammy Loving:

Oh my gosh. So don't do it by yourself. Don't take on that burden by yourself because it will eat you up. Find a support channel. Find the resources. There are free resources to help you walk through the journey. And just know that there are people that do care about you and your success in your journey. Yeah. Seek support.

Lauren Chapnick:

Absolutely. Do you feel now that you're living your true purpose?

Tammy Loving:

I am. I really am. God sent me here to be a voice for the voiceless to help those who can't help themselves. No matter how that should look, how that looks, whether it's to be a support for somebody that doesn't have a support system in cancer. Because when I have gone with my brother for his treatments, it looks like a sporting event. It's so many people there. And it just it hurts my heart to see people there by themselves, not with anybody to help them walk through that. Yeah.

Lauren Chapnick:

I can't imagine what that would be like. Oh my god. So scary. Yeah. Yeah. So before we get into the fun questions to wrap things up, where can people find you?

Tammy Loving:

So the name of my company is G Naval Events. Yes.

Lauren Chapnick:

Tell me the significance of that.

Tammy Loving:

If you look at it backwards, it's really loving. Loving spell backwards.

Lauren Chapnick:

Which is your last name. Which is my last name, yes. I love that. G Naval Events is how you say it. G-N-I-V-O-L. G Naval Events. I love that. It's loving backwards.

Tammy Loving:

So they can find me at my website, which is www.g-n-ivolevents.com. My handle on Instagram, Facebook, uh X is G Naval Events. G-N-I-V-O-L events.

Lauren Chapnick:

Perfect. That's easy to remember, but I will link it in the description of the show so people can absolutely reach out to you.

Tammy Loving:

Okay.

Lauren Chapnick:

Anybody who lives in the Dallas area or anybody who just wants to tell you how amazing you are after seeing you on the show.

Tammy Loving:

Thank you.

Lauren Chapnick:

Is there anything else that we didn't cover that you wanted to share? Either about your business, about living your biggest best life, anything at all?

Tammy Loving:

So I am running in the Susan G. Coleman Race for the Cure. Good for you. I am trying to raise $1,500 to give back. And I would love if I could give you or send the box, send the link to you for those who might want to donate. Again, they can donate their lunch money. 100%.

Lauren Chapnick:

Yeah. I will certainly post that for you. I would love to support you in that. Thank you so much. Yeah. That's it. Perfect. So a few questions just for fun to wrap things up. Tammy, do you have any guilty pleasures or anything that you love to do to just unwind?

Tammy Loving:

Yes. I love a good glass of Moscato and a good crab cake. Mmm.

Lauren Chapnick:

That sounds delicious.

Tammy Loving:

Those are guilty pleasures. Also, me and my husband, we love, love, love jazz. We love jazz. So we will seek out jazz concerts, whether it's going to Houston or to California. We will go and find some jazz because that just kind of puts us at ease. Love it.

Lauren Chapnick:

Do you have a favorite quote or mantra or even scripture that you live by? Yes.

Tammy Loving:

For me, it's you have not be because you ask not. And I always will ask for the support that I need.

Lauren Chapnick:

You have not because you ask not. Beautiful. Okay. Two questions that I ask all of my guests. Okay. Whatever comes out. Complete this sentence. Happiness is the life you make. Perfect. Tammy, what do you think it means to live your biggest, best life?

Tammy Loving:

It means being happy. It means being stress-free. And it means loving what you do and doing what you love.

Lauren Chapnick:

Tammy, I'm so glad you're here with us. I'm so glad you're here on this earth and here in this room with me. Thank you for making the world a better place and for living your true purpose and helping others to do the same.

Tammy Loving:

Thank you so much. I really am grateful that you reached out to me. I hope people will actually listen to my story and I hope it resonates with someone who is in the struggle or who's still in the battle and to seek out or reach out to seek help.

Lauren Chapnick:

I know that it will. Absolutely. Thanks, Tammy. Thank you. Tammy, would you just stop being so damn fabulous? You are an incredible human, and it was truly my privilege to sit with you and meet you. Whenever I meet any of my guests, I always think of a word within the first seconds of meeting them. And for Tammy, that word was warm. Tammy just radiated warm, friendly quality. And it really felt like I was sitting down with a friend that I have known for years. You can find Tammy at GinnevalEvents.com. The link is down below. And I will also put the link to her Susan G. Coman race for the cure. Thank you so much for listening. Until next time, trust your gut, get off your butt, and make today awesome. See you the next time. Bye-bye.

Announcer:

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