What are Tiffany's credentials?
The Insatiable Quest for Beauty's premiere national speaker, Tiffany Dawn, is one of the few speakers who has devoted her focus toward body image issues. Not only is Tiffany a relatable young women who establishes a deep connection with her audience, but her extensive research, poignant work experience, and graduate education have also made her a leading voice on this topic.
Education:
From her graduate thesis focusing on music in the treatment of eating disorders, to her graduate internship at Golisano Children's Hospital in Rochester, NY, Tiffany has tailored her educational training toward this topic. During her graduate internship, Tiffany used music therapy to work with adolescents with eating disorders. She was invited to present an in-service training session for the doctors and other members of the adolescent medicine treatment team about music therapy in the treatment of eating disorders. Music is a powerful modality to bring into therapy, as these patients are often resistant to talk-oriented therapy due to shame, confusion, denial, and disconnection with their emotions.
Education:
From her graduate thesis focusing on music in the treatment of eating disorders, to her graduate internship at Golisano Children's Hospital in Rochester, NY, Tiffany has tailored her educational training toward this topic. During her graduate internship, Tiffany used music therapy to work with adolescents with eating disorders. She was invited to present an in-service training session for the doctors and other members of the adolescent medicine treatment team about music therapy in the treatment of eating disorders. Music is a powerful modality to bring into therapy, as these patients are often resistant to talk-oriented therapy due to shame, confusion, denial, and disconnection with their emotions.
Book:
After completing her graduate internship, Tiffany released her first book, entitled The Insatiable Quest for Beauty. This book is broken into twelve coffee dates for a personal, storytelling feel. She shares her journey through struggles with body image and disordered eating, and the practical steps she took toward freedom. The book has an accompanying workbook, leader’s guide, and website with video interviews from other women sharing their stories. The response has been incredible as women relate with and find life change through Tiffany’s story. Time and again we receive emails from young women who have finally recognized they are struggling with an eating disorder and found a treatment team, and from others who said Tiffany’s book was the primary motivating cause for them to begin overcoming their personal struggle with body image.
Work Experience:
With four years of experience working in Student Development at Nazareth College of Rochester, Tiffany has insight into working with students struggling on a college campus. When she speaks on college campuses, she puts this knowledge to good measure, as well as offering staff development trainings. As Vice President of Student Development Martha Asselin said, "You were remarkable. You provided the student affairs folks with a great deal of information, all of which is extremely useful and will help us to better serve our students. Your knowledge about eating disorders is extensive, from not only a personal basis but also from the impressive amount of research you have done on the subject. You truly have evolved into an expert on this topic!"
Speaking Experience:
Over the past five years, Tiffany has conducted trainings on working with patients with eating disorders for health care professionals and music therapy students, including presenting at the National Music Therapy Conference. In addition, Tiffany speaks at high schools, colleges, churches, and treatment centers across the country, including Youth for Christ conferences, Biola University, Colorado Christian College, and Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Even with the education, knowledge, and experience Tiffany brings to this important topic, the true measure of this ministry's success is in the lives of many who have been changed through the Lord's work in and through this ministry. Many of the stories of individuals who have been set free from body image struggles will never be heard publically due to privacy reasons, but there has never been a conference, small group meeting, or other event where there has not been a powerful response. However, we do have a few stories that girls have given permission for us to share, and you can read a little bit about their stories at this link. We hope your community can be another opportunity for the Lord to invade lives and bring transformation.
What is Tiffany's testimony and statement of faith?
(Written by Tiffany.)
I grew up in a Christian home and gave my life to the Lord at three years of age. From that young age, I have had a deep awareness of His presence and call heavy over my life. As a teenager, I became involved in mission work and my church’s youth ministry. My heart was to reach my generation with truth, but I wasn’t sure how to do so.
Starting college, I courted a Christian young man who appeared perfect on paper, but in reality treated me like anything but a daughter of the King. After being in the relationship for a year and a half, I was smothered with self-loathing, disordered eating, poor body image, and looking to guys for my identity. I was lost on a quest for beauty, thinking that would bring the love and worth I so desired.
Jesus kept calling me as I traveled a path far uglier and more painful than I ever imagined. When I finally surrendered my quest for beauty, He took me on a journey from brokenness to wholeness. It was a long and painful journey, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world, because along the way I found a deeper relationship with Him than I had ever known, even in my innocence. He showed me who I am, and that my identity is only found in Him. As I lost my life in Him, I found everything I was after.
Today I continue to pursue Him above all else. My greatest desire is to know Him and make Him known. He brought me to a place of freedom from my quest for beauty, and now is allowing me to share that message of freedom with others, men and women of all ages.
I believe that the Bible is the active, living, and inerrant word of God; I believe that Jesus Christ came to earth - fully God and fully man, died for our sins, rose again, and will return one day; and I believe that while I am here on this earth, all my life is for His glory, purposes, and praise. I believe in preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth, and in loving everyone around me as He would love them. Everyday I strive to know Him more, and continue to rest in His love. I also have wonderful mentors speaking into my life and holding me accountable.
I am so excited to see all that God has in store as I continue walking the journey of a fully surrendered life – a life that is about knowing Him and making Him known.
I grew up in a Christian home and gave my life to the Lord at three years of age. From that young age, I have had a deep awareness of His presence and call heavy over my life. As a teenager, I became involved in mission work and my church’s youth ministry. My heart was to reach my generation with truth, but I wasn’t sure how to do so.
Starting college, I courted a Christian young man who appeared perfect on paper, but in reality treated me like anything but a daughter of the King. After being in the relationship for a year and a half, I was smothered with self-loathing, disordered eating, poor body image, and looking to guys for my identity. I was lost on a quest for beauty, thinking that would bring the love and worth I so desired.
Jesus kept calling me as I traveled a path far uglier and more painful than I ever imagined. When I finally surrendered my quest for beauty, He took me on a journey from brokenness to wholeness. It was a long and painful journey, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world, because along the way I found a deeper relationship with Him than I had ever known, even in my innocence. He showed me who I am, and that my identity is only found in Him. As I lost my life in Him, I found everything I was after.
Today I continue to pursue Him above all else. My greatest desire is to know Him and make Him known. He brought me to a place of freedom from my quest for beauty, and now is allowing me to share that message of freedom with others, men and women of all ages.
I believe that the Bible is the active, living, and inerrant word of God; I believe that Jesus Christ came to earth - fully God and fully man, died for our sins, rose again, and will return one day; and I believe that while I am here on this earth, all my life is for His glory, purposes, and praise. I believe in preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth, and in loving everyone around me as He would love them. Everyday I strive to know Him more, and continue to rest in His love. I also have wonderful mentors speaking into my life and holding me accountable.
I am so excited to see all that God has in store as I continue walking the journey of a fully surrendered life – a life that is about knowing Him and making Him known.
Where can I view Tiffany's resume?
Why and how does music fit into the seminar?
Tiffany shares live music at different points during the seminar -- songs she has written along her journey. These songs are real, on relevant subjects with which young women relate. The seminar isn’t sugar-coated or masked with the way we should be, but with the way we are as women, shown through the songs.
Tiffany's master’s thesis researched how the music in "The Insatiable Quest for Beauty Seminar" impacted the self-esteem of women ages 18-25. The results showed that following the seminar there was an overall decrease in feeling badly about one's body, and that the music helped the attendees process and relate with the seminar in a deeper way.
Not only is music a critical part of our culture, but it also engages our emotions as well as our intellect. Sharing these songs shares a piece of Tiffany’s heart and connects with the audience in a way that words alone cannot do.
Tiffany's master’s thesis researched how the music in "The Insatiable Quest for Beauty Seminar" impacted the self-esteem of women ages 18-25. The results showed that following the seminar there was an overall decrease in feeling badly about one's body, and that the music helped the attendees process and relate with the seminar in a deeper way.
Not only is music a critical part of our culture, but it also engages our emotions as well as our intellect. Sharing these songs shares a piece of Tiffany’s heart and connects with the audience in a way that words alone cannot do.
What size group does Tiffany speak to?
Tiffany loves speaking with groups of all sizes and has a passion to reach the hearts of young people across the world. She is successful at reaching into the lives of each individual audience.
Is this seminar only for girls?
While we do enjoy girl time, and although Tiffany's book is written specifically for young women, The Insatiable Quest for Beauty Seminar has been developed for both girls-only and coed groups. The topic of body image effects both men and women alike. In fact, a 2009 study in the Journal of College Student Development found that men too put on their "man face," like putting on a mask to be the person they felt was wanted.
When speaking with coed groups, Tiffany opens the seminar by addressing the men in the room -- thanking them for their presence. She explains the two reasons she is glad they are in attendance: (1) This seminar will give them a deeper understanding of the way women's minds work, to help them as they interact with and support the women in their lives. And (2) The root issue of trying to be good enough is a human experience, it just manifests itself differently for different people.
Tiffany is continually touched by the response of men in the audience, particularly in college settings. Often young men are the first to come up following the seminar and thank her for sharing this needed message.
When speaking with coed groups, Tiffany opens the seminar by addressing the men in the room -- thanking them for their presence. She explains the two reasons she is glad they are in attendance: (1) This seminar will give them a deeper understanding of the way women's minds work, to help them as they interact with and support the women in their lives. And (2) The root issue of trying to be good enough is a human experience, it just manifests itself differently for different people.
Tiffany is continually touched by the response of men in the audience, particularly in college settings. Often young men are the first to come up following the seminar and thank her for sharing this needed message.
Is the seminar only for young people?
To be honest, originally Tiffany expected The Insatiable Quest for Beauty Seminar to only reach young women, but time has proved that expectation inaccurate. Over the past couple years, Tiffany has been invited to speak with people of all ages, hearing incredible, positive feedback from each age group. In particular, many mothers have shared with Tiffany that when they first heard about the ministry, they expected it would reach their daughters more than themselves; however, they became drawn into the story and felt God really ministered life and freedom into their hearts as well. Although at first glance it appears that body image and identity are more adolescent struggles, at second glance this struggle to be "good enough" and truly know who we are in Christ is a lifelong journey. (Note: Tiffany also tailors her seminar for each specific audience.)