Copyright timesnownews
When Tatiana Teppoeva, a 49-year-old tech veteran, received an email from Microsoft in January informing her that she had been laid off after 14 years of service, she didn’t respond with anger or despair. Instead, she described her reaction as one of “disbelief and pure happiness.” For most people, a sudden job loss from a major tech company can bring anxiety about the future. But for Teppoeva, it was the push she needed to follow her entrepreneurial dream — one she had quietly nurtured for over a decade. Speaking to Business Insider, Teppoeva shared, “For more than a year, I had been thinking about leaving to start my own company, but it was not an easy decision after a 17-year stable career at Boeing and Microsoft. I even had a resignation letter saved in my drafts, waiting for the right moment. When the layoff happened, I felt it was a green light, and I was grateful.” Soon after leaving Microsoft, Teppoeva launched her venture, One Nonverbal Ecosystem, a company that helps executives enhance their presence and communication skills. “Now I teach executives how to command the room and project the presence they want,” she said. Her impressive academic background includes a Ph.D. in economics, two master’s degrees, and ongoing MBA studies. Teppoeva also holds a US patent in predictive AI, and certifications in nonverbal communication, voice, and speech analysis. From Boeing to Microsoft Teppoeva began her corporate journey with Boeing, leading customer satisfaction and employee engagement analytics. She joined Microsoft in 2011 as a senior research manager and later transitioned into a senior data and applied scientist role, where she developed and patented an AI model for predicting hardware failures. Reflecting on her time at Microsoft, Teppoeva said the company had been instrumental in providing both clarity and financial security, thanks to severance and medical coverage that allowed her to focus on her startup without financial strain. Inspired by Her Son Teppoeva credits her son — a successful entrepreneur in the construction industry — for inspiring her leap into business. “I watched him start from nothing and build something impressive. He wasn’t interested in college, but I told him it was the perfect time to experiment,” she said. “I've always believed we either win or we learn; there are no failures. Watching his journey encouraged me to take the same leap,” Teppoeva added. After years in corporate America, Teppoeva’s story is a reminder that setbacks can become turning points. What began as an unexpected layoff has transformed into an opportunity for reinvention — a journey driven by optimism, resilience, and the courage to start over.
