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"There is a loftier ambition than merely to stand high in the world. It is to stoop down and lift mankind a little higher." -Henry Van Dyke.
"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being." -
-- Johann wolfgang von goethe
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"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step." -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I'm an author, teacher, and motivational speaker, but most importantly I'm a mom, an activist, former foster kid (Namaste to my fellow foster bros and sisters- see the Heroes section for some exciting stuff!), former homeless person, and one who believes in the power of kindness. I am living proof that The Secret works! My first book, Damaged Goods: Adults Can Heal from Childhood Trauma, was released in 2005. I will be writing the revision and adding a lot to it this year. There is also a major motion picture being made about me, so that's really exciting!The book I'm currently working on is called The Fundamentals of Success with Dr. Jack Canfield (yep, the creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series). This book is loosely based on Jack's The Success Principles, but where The Success Principles was written for someone in middle management who wants to make it to the top, The Fundamentals of Success is written for those at the bottom who are ready to climb to the top. Homeless to factory worker to anyone in a dead-end job, this is the book for you! I've been there and done it and it's not as tough as it sounds. Look for The Fundamentals of Success to be out later this year. I promise you'll love it!I'm also the CEO and president of Chicken Soup Kitchens, Inc., where we feed hot meals and provide education to the homeless and needy. Our first Chicken Soup Kitchen is opening in Denver soon and I'm so excited about it! Our other mission is to help regenerate dead farmlands in Africa, giving the beautiful folks there a better economy and returning their sense of pride.My favorite job in my life is being the mom of three wonderful boys, ages 16, 9, and 6. I got lucky- they're great guys! My six year old, Bryan, was born with the congenital heart defect (CHD) called TGA, or transposition of the great arteries. The docs said he'd die, had no chance of making it, but he fought and won. I've got some incredible kiddos!
Free Image HostingMy second favorite job is teaching The Fundamentals of Success and The Secret to welfare-to-work folks, though I prefer to call them "Divas In Training". Got a nice ring to it, eh? Some are homeless, some are prostitutes, some are recovering addicts, etc., but what they all have in common is that they're looking for a positive change in their lives. My own mentors did this for me when I was dirt poor and had nothing. It's amazing to see the look of confidence on another's face when she realizes that you don't have to have even a quarter in your pocket to begin building emotional and financial riches; you just have to have the correct mindset and you can begin to manifest anything you desire. Go back and read that last sentence again, please; it's important! Teaching this is fun, but seeing others flourish is the real prize. What a rush! It makes me high! I love it! It's worth saying again- "Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. How cool is that? Dr. King rocked! And he emcompassed so much of what I teach- that no matter who you are or where you come from, we ALL have the same chance of making it- it's just that some of us have to take a different route to success like I did. I was an unwanted child who was terribly abused by my mother and hated, having to hide in closets from her to survive, but the power of my thoughts kept me sane. They drew the right people to me and led me to listen to their words. I kept the right thoughts in my mind, only thinking of how wonderful it would be someday when I built my own powerful life. I didn't allow my thoughts to wander to, "Why me?" because that would've ruined me and my survival instinct told me that. So I kept my thoughts on what I manifested and drew to me. Even though I was a tiny little girl with no parental positive reinforcement, when Earth, Wind, and Fire sang, "You're a shing star no matter who you are, shining bright to see what you can truly be," I listened as though they were talking to me, parenting me. It was survival, but I kept that thought. I knew that I had drawn into my life these words, manifesting what I needed to hear at the time. I was comforted, as if a parent had hugged me, tucking me into bed. That is just one example of how I was parented without parents, so to speak. (And thank you EWF, for responding to that story in my comments. That's very sweet of you!) It was survival, but I survived using my thoughts. And thoughts become things, so now I use my thoughts to prosper. Believe in the power of your thoughts. And couple that with kindness. You can't lose.
