The Summer of Strong Women

We honor those women who's strength inspires us all to reach higher! 

Chalee co-wrote seven of the 12 songs on This Woman's Heart, including  autobiographical numbers like the title tune, "Yes I Was" and "I'm Healing," all inviting listeners into her heart and soul on a thrilling and deeply moving journey of moods, emotions, attitudes--shades of sorrow, reconciliation, healing, happiness and personal discovery.

Click here to order   Chalee's award winning music  

"When I was a kid, Granny would set me on the hearth and tell me and my sisters to sing, or we'd sing with our mom. It was just a family full of music and songs."
-Chalee Tennison

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Ladyfire-You have certainly inspired us by following your dreams. What steps for the Ladyfire readers can you suggest to help inspire us to follow ours?

Chalee- For me, what inspired me to keep going is I've worked lots of jobs, I was a substitute teacher, a waitress, I did electrical work, plumbing, tape and bedding for sheetrock and the whole time I was doing these side jobs, I was still doing my music 6 or 7 nights a week. 

When I had my 2nd child that kind of slowed me down to around 5 nights a week, and then I'd pick up the substitute teacher job and waitress in the daytime so I usually had two or three jobs at a time. 

Then I had my third child and one day I thought, that I'm so tired, I'm so tired and my hands are hurting. I don't want to be 46 years old or whatever and too old to start what I chose as my career and end up wondering if I could have done my dream. 

I was an older country artist when I arrived here in Nashville. Most of the artists are in their early twenties when they get started at this level (I know there are exceptions). I was in my late twenties; I was 28 years old so that window of opportunity and fear was huge for me. 

I kept procrastin' and putting it off and finally I said look, I'm just gonna go, and I just did it. I picked up my stuff, moved to Nashville and I can remember driving into the town and I said, wow, I live here now! Tears filled my eyes, it was very scary, I knew no one except my manager and it was moving me and my three children to a strange place. 

It felt so good to have been that strong. No one really knows how good it feels until they do it. I was scared before I did it. That was a key thing for me, is that everybody is afraid to do that, I was frightened to death, scared! But when I got here and stepped on Tennessee soil I was like, Oh my gosh, look what I just did. It was quite an experience for me!

Ladyfire-You did it!  You're inspiring me Chalee to pursue my dreams, taking that first step is always the hardest.

Chalee-I felt like in my heart I had no choice, when you know in your heart and you believe in yourself so much and you have a dream you have to just keep working at it. 

To me they're called dreams because they're obtainable, not because they're not. I've taught my children that hopefully, if I don't succeed at a certain level that's ok, but at least they saw me fight for it. So my children hopefully will have that fight to go for their dreams too!

Ladyfire-Thank you Chalee!