How a Felon Sabotaged Her Dream of Becoming a Doctor

Long before Taii landed herself in prison on drug-related charges, she was a girl with dreams of leaving the crack house and becoming an obstetrician. So, what made Taii go from aspiring to practice medicine to spending nearly four years behind bars?

As Taii explains, she had gotten into a good school that could have set her on the path to realizing her dream, but she wanted to be with her friends instead. "I knew that I could, like, manipulate [my mother] because she was always high," Taii says. "[I got her] to transfer me to the zone school that all of my friends were going to. And once I did that, it's like I just started failing, like, miserably, hooking school, not going, being rebellious."

Digging into why Taii sabotaged herself, Iyanla coaches the 31-year-old to look into her heart for the answer. When Taii struggles to pinpoint a reason, Iyanla offers a possibility. "To be an obstetrician—was that dream too far and too big?" Iyanla asks gently.

When Taii replies in the affirmative, Iyanla follows up. "So, let me ask you this question: When did you give up on yourself?"

Here, Iyanla guides Taii through a breakthrough in the healing process.

Watch Episode 513, "Female Felons: Healing Is the New Black (Part 1)"

Tune in Saturdays at 9/8c on OWN.