Why I Do What I Do!
For many years, I lived a good life, but something was missing. I was a busy mom, supportive wife, hard worker, and a serial volunteer. Yet, I still felt, I was not living up to my full purpose and potential. It all went back to dreams I had as a young girl of being a teacher, but the things I wanted to teach had nothing to do with math or science, but everything to do with language skills. The language skills I wanted to teach was how to speak to yourself, how to call out greatness in others, and how to raise up others to their potential. For me, it all happened by sheer accident, I was again in a place that was simply being present and serving. I wasn’t even supposed to be on the stage, but due to some last minute challenges I was asked to lend a hand. I had been having fun the first day of the conference, I was playing the slap-stick person to my counterparts more reverent side as we co-emceed. The next morning as I entered the room for the morning pre–conference briefing, I was asked to share my story. One of the Non-Profits was to be featured, and since I had a personal testimony to the confusion, the healing, and the beauty of that organization they thought my story needed to be shared. Not even realizing it I agreed to share. I remember the feelings like it was yesterday, the time had come, for me “the funny one” to step before these women and open up my soul. To share from a very difficult time, in a way that will leave those in the audience a clear picture of this ministry, and how important what they do is. There was no prep time, we had been busy running the show up until the very moment, I quietly asked the audience these words. “Ladies, can I be transparent with you for a minute?” The room fell silent, even the air system shut down. My feet suddenly felt like concrete, my mouth was dry, and I was seriously contemplating guzzling the bottle of water that was waiting on stage for the next speaker. Yet I kept moving forward, because I knew that something BIG was on the other side of how I was going to challenge myself in this moment. The next few minutes I shared about deep pains and hurts I had experienced as a young girl with an unplanned pregnancy. I shared about the shame I carried and how it was magnified by my so called friends shunning me. Then I shared about how my daughter calling from college to tell us the news that she was pregnant and how that brought all those emotions forward for me. Then I shared, how the Non-Profit Embrace Grace helped to love my daughter and I through it all. I can never say enough about them, because their ministry was not only responsible for loving on and helping my daughter, they helped me to heal from over 20 years of shame and self hating.
As I shared in that moment, I felt like I was putting my skin on for the first time in a very long time. See, I had given up my dream over 20 years earlier, I had not been on stage to speak, until that weekend. As I walked off the stage, I was humbled and my heart broke as I realized how many people, give up on their dreams because of life situations, or other people’s rejections.
The beauty of the moment was not lost on me, I knew I was to keep speaking, and empowering people with the truth that was spoken about them when they were created. I also knew that I had not wasted those 20+ years I had been hiding from my dream. See, I am one who loves to learn the things that no one else cares about. I pay attention to details as I listen, read and see between the lines of what is being shared with me. These skills have served me well, allowing me access to events as small as 10 people and as large 100,000s of thousands of people. I have seen people make the limelight, and still retain their kindness and compassion, and others who “Arrived” with an arrogance and lack of care for the people who they are there to speak/perform for. I have run events big and small from beginning to end, the front of the stage, to the back of the stage, to the book/product table after the event. I have helped Speakers craft their messages, and make them adaptable to whatever time frame they must give it in. I have also helped authors launch their books, and market themselves in a way that keeps them engaged with their audience for speaking engagements and future book launches. I have had the privilege of helping entrepreneurs not only dream, but pave the path to their dreams in manageable steps for the life that they are currently leading. I still serve my clients in these areas, but I am also stepping into a lot of these spaces myself. I would love to visit with you and find out how I can help you achieve your dreams.