Giving With Your Whole Heart

Lessons on love, loss, resilience, and community from our conversation with Tiffany Eggett

When we sit down for a Community Mic interview we just press record and let the conversation flow. There are some conversations that leave a lasting imprint long after they end. Our conversation with Tiffany Eggett was one of those — honest, heartbreaking, loving, and deeply human.

Tiffany is a West Ender through and through. Born and raised in Council Bluffs, she carries a fierce love for her roots, her family, and her community. From the very beginning of the episode, it’s clear that giving isn’t something Tiffany turns on or off — it’s the way she lives. She gives with her whole heart, even when it costs her even when it hurts.

Tiffany shared her story openly, starting with becoming a mother at a young age, navigating abusive relationships, and experiencing profound loss early in life with the sudden death of her father. Through every chapter, one thing remained constant: her devotion to her children and her determination to build a better life for them, no matter how uncertain the path felt.

After leaving an unhealthy relationship with two young daughters, Tiffany returned to school with no clear roadmap — only the knowledge that she wanted more for her kids. She graduated at the top of her class while working, raising her family, and leaning on the support of her parents. It was a defining example of the quiet strength that shows up again and again in her story.

As her life continued to unfold, Tiffany found herself drawn to roles centered on care and connection — working in schools, supporting children with special needs, coaching, and later stepping into leadership in senior care. Even when she didn’t feel prepared, she showed up anyway, trusting her ability to care for people deeply and responsibly.

But the heart of Tiffany’s story — and the most difficult part of our conversation — centers on her son, Tristan.

Tiffany spoke with raw honesty about the trauma Tristan experienced as a teenager, the way that trauma went unaddressed, and how it slowly evolved into substance use and legal trouble. She shared the impossible position of loving a child deeply while watching addiction pull him further away — a place where fear, boundaries, hope, and heartbreak coexist.

In December, Tiffany received the news no parent should ever hear: Tristan had died by suicide.

What followed was a period of unimaginable grief — and, at the same time, overwhelming love from the community around her. Tiffany described being profoundly broken while also completely surrounded, a contradiction that shaped how she began to understand grief, support, and healing. That duality of devastation paired with love became her turning point.

Out of that loss came purpose.

Tiffany shared how Tristan’s death became a catalyst for change in others’ lives, including the mother of his child, who entered recovery and has remained sober. From that ripple effect grew a message Tiffany carries forward now: You are loved. Not as a slogan, but as a truth born from pain, survival, and connection. With this passion Tiffany has started the You Are Loved Project based out of Council Bluffs, Iowa. The You Are Loved Project supports families and children navigating mental health loss, grief, and hardship by raising awareness, offering financial assistance for children’s activities, and building community during seasons when connection matters most.

Throughout the episode, Tiffany never framed herself as a hero. Instead, she spoke as a mother, a caregiver, a woman who has been broken open and chose — again and again — to keep loving. She talked about boundaries, mental health, regret, forgiveness, and the long, uneven road toward healing.

This conversation is heavy, but it’s also full of light. It’s about showing up for your people, letting community hold you when you can’t stand on your own, and believing that even the worst losses can carry meaning forward.

Tiffany’s story reminds us that love doesn’t disappear when things fall apart. Sometimes, it’s the very thing that helps us survive. But no matter what, Tiffany’s story can be summed up in three little words: You Are Loved.