It is no accident that Tonya Hinch, the little girl who grew up spending summers on her grandparents’ farm in the hills of Tennessee, became a high-ranking New-York-based executive for such internationally known companies as Procter & Gamble, Clairol, Neutrogena, and The Edison Schools. From an early age Tonya understood the importance of having a dream for your life, and also taking the necessary steps to make your dream come true. Without the dream, you have no roadmap, no way of knowing where you’re going. But even when you do have a dream, without action that vision of who or what you want to be remains a mere fantasy. This is where most people get stuck. They want to be a movie star without the hard work. Most successful people did not get where they are "by accident."

One powerful factor that made a difference for Tonya was her father’s attitude. Her father, who laid the framework for her life plan by encouraging her to budget her money and make what he called "Spending Tradeoffs, "also treated her like a son. This alone, in a chauvinistic society that encouraged girls to marry young and take their sense of themselves from being a wife and mother, was a precious gift.

Another "gift" – one that Tonya gave herself – was to actively seek and find a mentor in college, one who would guide and encourage her. She chose well, and credits the wise input she got from her mentor for motivating her to develop the Retiring Backwards! Series, so that she could give people some of what was given to her, and show others how to successfully plan an early retirement that takes into account all of life’s aspects, including the emotional, physical and financial.

When it comes to recruiting a mentor, Tonya will tell you: "My granny always said, Tonya, if you don’t ask you don’t get." In addition to asking an accomplished person, in her case one of her business professors at the University of Tennessee, to directly advise and mentor her, Tonya also worked on her personal presentation. "I knew I could not make it to an executive suite as I was at the time," says Tonya. "There is not a big market at the top for someone who had big hair, lots of heavy blue eye shadow, a thick Southern accent, and a wardrobe of frilly clothes that play well in Tennessee." Tonya also knew that she wanted as much freedom and control as possible – in her health, relationships, activities and finances. "I looked around. There were many books on retirement, all targeted to older consumers. None addressed the issue of retiring early and pre-planning all aspects of life. I saw a growing need that was not being met. These seminars, and the book I am writing, are an attempt to give others the strategies and tools that have helped me formulate my dream and then make it a reality that is consistent with that vision."


Tonya Hinch's Professional Chronology

Edison Schools, 1998-2003. Tonya rose from Senior VP for School Operations and Start-up Schools to Executive VP for Operations. In that position Tonya was responsible for the management of 7,000 employees and $500 million in business. Edison Schools is a for-profit manager of public schools and operates 120 schools in 23 states. During her tenure Edison moved from 1000th largest to 43rd largest school systems in the U.S. - out of 15,000 school districts.

At Ultrafem, Inc. a startup women’s health care company, Tonya, from from1995-1998, served as Senior VP -Marketing and Sales and launched "Instead," the most innovative new product in feminine protection in over 60 years.

At Neutrogena from1991-1995, Tonya served as Sr. Marketing Manager, Facial Cleansing, 1991; Director of Marketing, Haircare from 1992-1994; General Manager, Haircare, 1995. There she had full Profit and Loss responsibility for a $100 million division. Also responsible for launching new products, Tonya helped grow the business by a staggering 45%!

At Clairol from 1987-1991, Tonya rose from Associate Product Manager to Senior Product Manager for New Product Development at this Fortune 500 company.

At Procter and Gamble from 1985-1987, Tonya served as Assistant Brand Manager, Citrus Hill Plus Calcium

During the summers of 1983 and 1984, Tonya, then a student at the University of Tennessee, worked as Director of the University Restaurant Guide. Completely through Cold calling, she sold 100% of the advertising for this Guide, and was the company’s #1Salesperson.

In 1985 Tonya graduated from the University of Tennessee with a with a B.S. in Business Administration. Her major was Marketing and her minor was Psychology