EVERY MORNING, before stepping into her day, Rikki Tucker stands in front of the mirror and reminds herself of something simple but powerful: “You got this. You can do this.”
It’s more than a mantra. It’s the foundation of how she rebuilt a life once clouded by uncertainty, change, and identity loss. It’s how she has transformed her life into service, leadership, and an example for her three kids.
Tucker, who grew up in Lynchburg, spent years following her now ex-husband’s Army career across the country, from Colorado Springs to Georgia to Kentucky, while raising their three children, including twins born just after he deployed to Afghanistan.
“When I look back, I think, wait, what? I went from Tennessee to Colorado, to Georgia, to Fort Campbell. Then back home, a mom, a wife, and I had completely lost my identity,” Tucker said. “It just kind of hit me after the divorce. I had to figure out who I was outside of all that.”
A new chapter began here. No longer tethered to the expectations of being a military spouse or a stay-at-home mom, Tucker chose to rebuild on her own terms.
She began working at a local bank and then transitioned to another financial institution, where she was encouraged to get involved with the Tullahoma Chamber of Commerce.
“I knew, wow, I like this. I’m good at this,” she said. “I’m going to represent my job well, but I’m also going to represent myself. So I started volunteering for everything.”
She has volunteered for the Wobble Gobble, the Christmas parade, Women Impacting the Community, and more. She said she wasn’t doing it just for herself or her employer, but for her children — Jackson, 15, and her 12-year-old twins, Emily and Lucy.
“They’re watching how their mom is handling life. And I want them to see what it looks like to be a productive member of society,” she said.
In 2024, she was named the Tullahoma Chamber’s Ambassador of the Year. She also joined the Military Affairs Committee, where she raised an often overlooked issue: military wives.
“What about the wives?” she asked during one meeting. “They’re staying home during deployments, raising kids, supporting their spouses, and sometimes they get lost in the weeds. That was me. I came out of that, and I didn’t know who I was anymore.”
Through her work in the community and her involvement in the Coffee County Leadership Program, where her class project focused on helping residents find local volunteer opportunities, Tucker is shaping systems she once struggled to navigate.
When a new opportunity opened up at the Tullahoma Utilities Authority in February, she saw it as no coincidence — it was the direct result of her commitment at the start of the year to become her best self.
“I prayed about it,” she said. “And now, I’m in a leadership role at a company that supplies power and utilities for the town I call home.”
She thinks back on the past four years, tearing up.
“If I had to go back four years and wonder where I’d be, that version of me would be proud, for sure,” she said.
Divorce and identity loss are real, but she believes the story is ultimately about resilience and hope.
“That moment in time didn’t define my future,” she said. “Your past doesn’t define your future. You decide what’s next.”
Now, with three kids watching her every move, Tucker keeps showing up for herself, her family, and her community.
“I just want to keep setting a good example for them, to continue growing, giving, and being present,” she said. “Every year, I want to add a little more to everything I’ve already done.” GN
