Equipping Professionals With the Skills to Compete — and Win — at the Highest Level.
Soft skills are among the most valuable tools a professional can have — and among the least taught.
I don’t just inspire professionals to show up differently. I equip them with the habits and tools to do it every single day.
Who I Work With.
Colleges & Universities
Helping students develop the professional presence, confidence, and workplace readiness skills that academic programs don’t always teach — preparing them to enter the workforce and make an immediate impact.
Leadership Organizations & Associations
Equipping high-achieving professionals and emerging leaders with the executive presence, image, and interpersonal skills that accelerate advancement and distinguish them in every room they enter.
Corporations & Professional Organizations
Training teams and professionals at every level to represent their organizations with confidence, polish, and distinction — in every client interaction, meeting, and high-stakes moment.
The Advantage Training
Five areas of expertise. One powerful outcome.
The Advantage Training is a comprehensive professional development system built around the skills that separate good professionals from exceptional ones. Every session is customized to your audience, your industry, and your goals — whether you need a single high-impact session or a full multi-level engagement.
Level 1
The Command Advantage: Owning the Room
Having command of the business environment is a tremendous edge and is an essential foundation for success. Tamara Abney teaches the techniques peak professionals use to make a strong entrance, create positive and memorable first impressions, establish strength and poise through eye contact, posture, and handshakes, and confidently network with clients and prospects. The course also introduces effective strategies for electronic business communications.
Level 3
Level 2
The Image Advantage: Being the One to Watch
It’s been said that image is everything. And, while it is just one aspect of being a successful business professional, it is a powerful way to establish a distinct edge in any environment. Tamara Abney applies her advanced training to help professionals discover the power of their image as a non-verbal tool in business. Participants learn how to dress in a way that expresses their authentic self and projects the image they want and need. Learn how to convey confidence and professionalism in all situations. As an add-on, the course can include a personal shopping trip, closet cleaning and closet organizing strategies.
Ask about the Style Advantage services for Wardrobe Styling.
The Entertainment Advantage: Dining with Dignity
One of the most intimidating business environments can be the formal entertainment of clients and prospects, or the attendance at an important formal dinner event. Tamara Abney expertly guides professionals with proper training in the protocol of dining, hosting, and being a guest. In this customized training, topics include preparing and responding to invitations, proper toasting, how to conduct one’s self in receiving lines, knowing where and when to sit, and recognizing the silent service code. American, European, and Asian styles of dining are explained and coached.
Add On Enhancements
Deepen the experience with specialized modules available as additions to any core session:
Level 4
The Preparedness Advantage: Having a Plan for Everything
Being caught off guard can throw anyone off his or her game. Fortunately, by building awareness and being prepared in advance, a business professional can establish an advantage even before they arrive. In this course, Tamara Abney teaches precedence and its impact in business situations, coaches how to prepare for pre-planned seating arrangements, understanding proper forms of address, recognizing flags in a corporate environment, selecting appropriate official gifts, and always representing your organization professionally at an official event.
Level 5
The Global Advantage: Winning the World Over
To succeed in conducting business internationally, professionals must have full cultural awareness and an understanding of the distinct differences that can make or break a relationship. This course leverages Tamara Abney’s advanced training and builds knowledge about differing global business cultures and customs, and coaches how to act professionally in key situations—including knowing how and when to give an appropriate gift. International business travelers can have Tamara curate a custom travel brief. Here, professionals learn how to fit in while always being outstanding.
Industry-specific scenarios, organizational best practices, and tailored content built around your team’s unique needs and goals.
Custom Content
How We Work Together.
For Organizations:
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Single session (most popular — 1 to 3 hours)
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Half-day or full-day on-site training
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Multi-session engagement (full system delivery)
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Conference keynote or seminar
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Custom content tailored to your organization
For Individuals:
For the professional who wants a deeply personalized experience — content tailored entirely to your specific goals, industry, and career trajectory.
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1:1 individual coaching sessions
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Personal presence and image development
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Career transition preparation
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Custom action plan and ongoing support
What Clients Say
As someone who works with college students, I strive to find presenters that are not only knowledgeable in their field but contemporary enough to capture the attention of this busy demographic. Finding Tamara online was like a breath of fresh air as she embodied exactly what I was looking for. From our first contact, she was prompt, professional, and polished in her communication; her arrival on campus reinforced these attributes.
Not only was she able to command the room, but she could draw out participation from students who typically prefer to fade into the background. The real testament to her impact was the overwhelmingly positive feedback from students after the event. I look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with Tamara for future events and would recommend her without reservation.
Kristen Black
Assistant Director for Student Transitions
Office for Inclusive Excellence
Slippery Rock University
I work with a diverse, multinational group of graduate business students at Carnegie Mellon University, and oftentimes these students come from varying backgrounds of work experiences, networking experience, and levels of professional development.
Tamara was a PERFECT fit for our students! She masterfully led them through navigating awkward networking scenarios, real-life business situations, and how to conduct oneself in fine-dining settings. Our students left feeling equipt to host business clients, confident in speaking with higher ups, and empowered to achieve personal and professional goals when those opportunities arise in networking settings.
Tamara's training added so much value not only to our students, but to our overall programming for students. 10 out of 10 stars - we cannot wait to have Tamara back!
Wooten Gough
Associate Director of Student Services, Masters Programs
We had Tamara come and speak at our Business Development Training for our Managers, Directors and Partners. With client dinners and events becoming the norm again, it was great to have a refresher for our employees on etiquette. Tamara did a great job tailoring the information to the level of employee in the room, as well as to our standard business practices. Even our most tenured employees walked away with something new to think about when it came to etiquette and entertaining our clients. We will definitely be asking Tamara back again!
Rachael Seitzinger
Sr Internal Dev Coordinator
As the Director of the Center for Women, I prioritize working with workshop presenters who are engaging, knowledgeable, and professional. Tamara is the embodiment of this ideal. Her style and grace tackling a tough topic with participants (with significant variation in their familiarity with the material) was inspiring. I would book her again in a heartbeat!
Megan V. Rose
Director, Center for Women Pittsburgh
Tamara helped me a lot. I was struggling while trying to find the right career path for me and overall my self-esteem was very damaged. Tamara was like a breeze of fresh air to me. She helped me see my true potential, guide me to find the best career path, and just helped me navigate this job-hunting world with a much better attitude. Before finishing our program, I was already scheduling interviews with great companies. Things are progressing nicely and even if they fall through, now I'm confident that it is just a matter of time that I land my dream job.
Nadiezhda Cantu-Medellin
Aspiring Business Professional
Only two years ago I was an entry level Sales Assistant, lacking the preparation needed to advance in my career. While I was ambitious, educated, and experienced, there was still something missing from my repertoire. That is, until I met Tamara Abney. I was drawn to her ability to execute action plans in the most difficult of situations. She was a walking brand, confident, full of knowledge, and connected from coast to coast. Through her training I developed the capability to enact projects with purpose and distinction. I have shaken hands and formed relationships with industry leaders that otherwise wouldn’t have happened. The valuable insight and resources she provided aided my advancement from Sales Assistant to a high performing Sales Manager and has helped me progress from amateur to influencer. To this day, her guidance continues to evolve my talents and desires and empower my success. Tamara Abney is more than a consultant, she is more than a mentor, she is an experience.
Ronnie Mayo
Sales Manager, Duke Energy Convention Center
Every session is customized to your audience and delivered with the energy, expertise, and presence your professionals deserve. Let’s talk about what’s right for your organization.
Ready to Equip Your Team?
