Tara Bernstein: How Consistent Social Media Branding and Athletic Resilience Built a Multifaceted Media and Events Empire

As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Tara Bernstein.

Born and raised in Queens, NY, Tara Bernstein is a multitalented athlete, and media personality who has achieved remarkable success in the worlds of sports, fashion, and lifestyle. With an amazing start to her athletic career as a college softball player at Pace University, where she secured an Division 2 NCAA National Championship and made three regional appearances. She has since developed a deep passion for Pickleball, becoming a formidable 5.0 player and signing with Franklin Sports. Embracing her love for the sport, she actively participates in celebrity Pickleball events and shares her knowledge and passion through mentoring the sports’ next great athletes. Collaborating with esteemed athletes like Eli Manning, Drew Brees, and the Gronkowski brothers, Tara has created engaging pickleball content, captivating fans and enthusiasts alike.

Tara has also made her presence known in the sports media industry over the last 8 years, most notably serving as a producer and digital on-air personality with the New York Mets. She brings her expertise to the forefront, creating engaging content and representing prestigious brands such as Ferrari USA, Franklin and the U.S. Open. In addition to her work in sports, Tara showcases her versatility as a model, gracing the runways of New York Fashion Week and New York Swim Week. Her influence extends beyond the fashion industry as she takes on the role of producer for Jovani’s Fall NYFW show, organizing a group of twelve influencers to walk the runway and spearheading the social media campaign.

Tara is deeply committed to community outreach. She actively mentors aspiring young women through her involvement with the WISE Organization and Girls Inc., helping them navigate the sports industry and achieve their career aspirations. Tara has organized pickleball events for younger girls, introducing them to the exciting world of the sport and providing opportunities for growth and empowerment. Through partnerships with the New York Mets, Tara organizes sports clinics, coordinates exclusive events, provides networking opportunities, and donates equipment, ensuring that younger generations have the tools they need to succeed.

Through sharing her own inspiring story, she aims to empower others and break down the limitations often placed on women in the sports and lifestyle community. Tara firmly believes that with determination and the right mindset, anything is possible. Her unwavering commitment to making a positive impact continues to inspire women to pursue their dreams and forge their own paths to success.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory of how you came upon this career path to where you are today?

From my early days in Queens, NY, playing on concrete courts, to the moment I discovered my true passion for softball, my journey as an athlete has been nothing short of transformative. After high school, I continued my athletic career at Pace University, where my teammates and I won a DII NCAA championship. It’s surreal, considering I never believed college softball was within my reach being from NY and playing in cold conditions and on rough fields.

Throughout my journey, I had the privilege of interning and collaborating with organizations like NBC Sports, NY1, MTA, Mets, MLB, and the Knicks G league. Sports molded me into a resilient and hardworking individual. It expanded my mindset beyond broadcasting and taught me how to become an entrepreneur. Today, I wear multiple hats as an influencer, digital correspondent, creator, athlete, and the founder of my own events marketing company, TBCreative. After COVID hit, I realized when the world shut down, I needed another stream of income which led to my expansion of growing digitally on social media.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I’m extremely family oriented and they mean the world to me. They are my biggest support system and have always supported my dreams no matter how unreachable they seemed to be.

I come from a modern family that has shaped me into who I am. I have a bonus mom and a bonus dad (step mom & dad). My dad was a big 80’s musician, my mom is an interior designer, and my grandma is a holocaust survivor. My bonus mom (stepmom) is an OBGYN and my bonus dad (step dad) is a construction worker. My days in college were insane, from intense practices to rigorous classes, balancing internships and practice, all before starting early morning lifts. I would end my days at 12:00 AMand wake up at 6:00 AM for a lift. Today, I find myself running multiple social media platforms, directing brand campaigns, and orchestrating unforgettable live events.

Embracing my unique family background and wanting to break the mold, I pursued a career in sports and entertainment, charting my own path. My grandmother Anne, has taught me a lot. She was a holocaust survivor, knew over 6 languages and always corrected my grammar. She was at all my softball games and supported me like no other. My dad is another person I am inspired by. Growing up, he was a musician but knew I had a passion for sports and became my travel softball coach. He practiced with me everyday until I got recruited to play at Pace. Looking back, he was never easy on me, but all his constructive criticism built character and made me a strong person on and off the field.

As an influencer, you have been blessed with great success in a career path that many have attempted, but eventually gave up on. In fact, perhaps most people who tried to follow a career path like yours did not succeed. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path but know that their dreams might be dashed?

I would say to live by good character and not purely focus on just your goals. Goals expire but the way you live your life daily and interact with others is what matters at the end of the day. No one can validate you, you have to do that for yourself. You must constantly decide that you are more powerful than your adversities. Although I have been blessed throughout my career path, I can relate to going through a lot of hardships and trial and error behind the scenes, even currently until this day. A lot of people see the finished product of successful events, interviews, social posts but not the hard work and consistent effort put in. Everything is either a blessing or a lesson, if something doesn’t work out your way you can learn from it and maybe get to know yourself a little better and where your purpose lies. Don’t do something just to do it, have passion and purpose behind it.

Can you share with our readers some of the strategies you’ve used to build an engaged, loyal, and large online community?

Be yourself and post personable content! I think Reels are great. You can tell your story or what you do on a day to day basis, give recaps and demonstrate who you are as a person. It’s about being positive!

Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the focus of our interview. In my work, I focus on how one can thrive and care for oneself in three areas: body, mind, and heart. You are a busy person with a demanding schedule, can you share with our readers two self-care routines, practices or treatments that help your body thrive?

- Body: Move your body at least 15–20 minutes a day. My routine consists of an EARLY AM workout, which helps keep me energized for the day and stimulates my brain.

- Mind: I think reading is great! I try to read as many books as possible and one of my favorite books is 101 Essays to Change the Way You Think. I think it’s great because it allows you to decompress and learn everyday.

- Heart: I think meditating and always keeping my mind and body-centered.

Can you share with us two routines that you use to help your mind or heart to thrive?

1. Spending time with people who support the things you’re passionate about. Even if they don’t fully understand.

2. Surround yourself with people who have the same energy as you!

Can you help articulate why self-care is so important for your mental wellness?

Self care is extremely important. Sometimes you get so caught up in life, work and being “busy,” but your body needs rest. Your mental needs rest. When you feel good it generates positive energy and I feel the most productive that day.

Can you share five ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”?

1. Positive affirmation. Perspective in life controls your peace in life. I know I can never be anyone else, I have my own journey and purpose. Saying statements like, “I can.” “I will” “Lets do this”

2. I think working out or doing something you love and are passionate about.

3. Have a skin routine

4. Laugh with friends or family

5. Pray and meditate

Is there a particular resource, a practitioner, expert, book, or podcast that made a significant impact on you and helped you to thrive? Can you share a story about that with us?

There is a book called, “101 Essays that will change the way you think” by Brianna West. I love this book because it’s a psychology based book that provides different chapters with real life situations.

As an influencer, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

Playing pickleball! This sport came into my life over a year ago and changed my life. It’s brought so much positivity, movement, and new friends that became family. It is a social sport that anyone can play and can become as good as you want.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you’d like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this. :-)

There’s so many people that I have learned things from and great experiences with that it would be hard to choose one specific person. That being said, there is one person that comes to mind and it would be Mark Walhberg.

What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?

Readers can follow me on Instagram @Taralynn.nyc, day in the life on Snapchat @taraa28, and Facebook Tara Bernstein. I also have my own marketing, events business, TBCreative if any brands need an event with influencers, celebrities or a pickleball activation.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.

About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.