Teral Evelyn Champion was born in Washington, D.C. where she learned Transcendental Meditation. She has been practicing this technique since 1975. Teral earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin. At age 50, she earned a Master's of Social Work degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Currently, Teral holds a professional license in social work in the state of Iowa. In Wisconsin, she is licensed as a substitute special education assistant for the Madison Metropolitan School District.