CLAREMORE, Okla. — Tulsa's She Brews Coffee Roasters & Transition Program has expanded in Claremore.
It's where 2 News Oklahoma met the new manager, Tamra Bissell. She tells 2 News she spent 34 years behind bars and struggled with addiction.
WATCH: From prison to purpose: Claremore woman now managing She Brews after 34 years behind bars
"I know me coming into recovery, and coming into a program to change my life, I've had to do it with different people, places, and things, and you have to be strong," Bissell said.
Through this expansion, the non-profit says it's been able to help more women. The goal has always been to equip and empower women transitioning out of incarceration.
“We are now able to employ every woman that comes into our transitional homes," Bissell said. "Due to the increase in the size of the building and the job training programs we can offer now.”
Bissell has been promoted several times because of her good spirit and people skills. They say she was previously the team trainer for all of the She Brew locations supporting Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Claremore, Oklahoma.
Francois Cardinal is the Board Chair of She Brews Coffee Roasters and Transition Program.
"Tamra, you could say, is the shining example of someone who has taken this second chance and has completely turned her life around, a true transformation, and is now leading the other women in our program through this transformation process, modeling the transformation journey and outcome for them as a leader in our program. You won’t find anyone more committed to our mission.”
“I didn’t know my potential, you know, at all," Bissell said. "When somebody is telling you that you can do this, you don’t see it. So, for my leaders and this community to see something in me that I couldn't see in myself, and giving me the opportunity and telling me to just say yes and they’ll show me how to do it; is just a blessing.”
Bissell says getting the title 'Manager' isn't what mattered most, but that she has gotten the opportunity to take her life in a new direction.
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