Lemonade Legend Magazine – Special Edition - Issue 4

Issue 4

•

October 2020

SPECIAL EDITION: Featuring Sharon Lechter PAGE 7

Magazine Connecting people with their stories and their stories with the world.

STORYTELLING Heritage of Mankind It is the foundation of history, legends and genealogy. It’s cutting edge in both personal and professional growth. The new generation of storytelling has arrived and it’s dynamic, real, and a little bit raw.

Lemonade

LEADERS

What’s on Their Minds

Lemonade

Love

Shining a Spotlight on

Founding members:

Angel Tuccy - Page 9 Carolyn Andrews - Page 11 Angela Totman - Page 13 Dawn Moore - Page 15

Kim Tuon-Menella New Mindset + New Attitudes + New Habits = New Results PAGE 29

Photograph by Mackenzie Mennella

Community Needs

Is this Your Time to

SQUEEZE the Day? Day

Sharing your story essentially serves an important role in both your personal and professional development.

At Lemonade Legend we are dedicated to ensuring your voice be heard. Even if you feel you have no voice, or don’t know how to express it or develop it. We will elevate your This is about YOU, story to be heard above the your story, and crowd, to resonate clearly amongst the noise by giving what you want you unique stages to share to do with it from. Storytelling is a powerful means of healing yourself, helping others, and creating a personal brand for yourself. We offer several platforms for sharing to help you find the best fit for you and where you want your story to be heard.

This is about you, your story, and what you want to do with it. Even a story that is written and tucked away in your private spot is an empowering process.

But, sharing it to the world and showing up brave, courageous and real is an extraordinary place to reside and rejoice in who you are, and all that you offer. You have a personal experience that is a sacred and treasured life story that you have lived and survived. It is your passionate gift to yourself and the world.

Lemonade Legend offers: • The Lemonade Stand Series • Lemonade Legend Magazine • The Lemonade Legend Podcast • Self-Publishing Services

Get Ready To SHINE! Exposure • Credibility Authorship • Marketing/Branding and much, much more!

It will also boost your brand, because your ideal market will resonate with your story. They will know, like, and trust you for your honesty and authenticity.

It’s how people do business now.

Schedule a call today to talk about the story that’s bubbling up inside you now. https://scheduletimewithMichelleFaust.as.me 1

www.LemonadeLegend.com

Sometimes you have to let go of the picture of what you thought your life would be like and learn to find the joy in the story you are living.

-author unknown

Magazine Connecting people with their stories and their stories with the world.

PUBLISHER

Lemonade Legend

Editor-in-Chief Michelle Faust

Copy Editor Michelle Faust

Graphic Design

Aaron Tutunick - 2TUcreative.com

Project Manager Aislinn Ellis

Contributors

Sharon Lechter Maria Tomas’-Keegan Angela Totman Dr. Wendy Labat Carolyn Andrews Dawn Moore Kim Tuon-Menella Lisa Williams Angel Tuccy Melinda Tavera-Boyer Dr. Sakeisha Hylick Dawn Bates Aislinn Ellis

Media Consultant Angel Tuccy

Marketing Manager Michelle DiMuria

CONTACT US AT: lemonadelegend123@gmail.com

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From the

Editor’s Desk

October Arrives with a Bang!

As the editor and publisher of Lemonade Legend Magazine, I am beyond honored to represent Sharon Lechter, the Assets are $exy Event and the outstanding assemblage of women who are founders, contributors and associates of “Assets”. They are proven leaders, business owners, mentors, coaches, moms and wives, and community ambassadors, all dedicated to serving others with their knowledge and experience. And, yes they are pretty damn sexy too. We have redefined what sexiness represents: strength of character, courage to lead and take risks, with powerful shoulders to lift up their sisters and help them stand tall.

I make it a practice to wait until the magazine is nearly done before I write this because the contents of each edition take on a life and a meaning of its own as it grows into a full issue.

Having just reviewed it (more than once) I have to say I am at a loss for words! What! Me? Perhaps it is more accurate to say I am at a loss for words that accurately represent the magnificence of the content. My thesaurus included the words splendor, glory, brilliance, majesty, and radiance. All of which are rich in descriptive verbiage of what lies between the pages of this front and back cover.

When referring to great mentors and business leaders we tend to use, and overuse words like powerful, inspiring, amazing, influential, empowering and compelling to name a few.

All of these terms will be found in this edition but, they just didn’t quite sum up the lessons, leadership, honesty, and vulnerability that these exceptional leaders packed into the space of an article.

I am excited, and still a little bit in awe of the expertise and wisdom contained within 36 pages.

Think of it as your cliff notes to all the great business books available to us for learning our way to success and financial security. I hope you will take the time to not only enjoy, but to savor the robust content so freely shared with you.

As always, Seek the Sweet Life

Michelle Faust Editor

We want to hear from you.

Share your feedback.

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We proudly announce 2 new shows coming soon on ZondraTV Network.

Legendary Leaders – Literary Trailblazers and Trendsetters and Lemonade Life – Storytelling for Growth and Impact.

© 2020 Lemonade Legend Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

Table of Contents Lemonade Love – Community Needs Daring Lemonade

5

The Silent Enemy of an Entrepreneur Sharon Lechter

7-8

I Bought into the Myth

By Angel Tuccy

9-10

Are You Ready to Play in a Bigger Space

By Carolyn Andrews

11-12

Sweetening Life Through Accountability

By Angela Totman

13-14

Phoenix Rising: Courage to Be Confident

By Dawn Moore

15-16

Discovering the Financial Cure

By Dr. Wendy Labat

17-18

Lemonade Legend Library Juicy Reads

19

On a Mission to Empower, Equip, and Inspire

By Lisa Williams

21-22

As Your Story Changes So Do You

By Maria Tomás-Keegan

23-24

Becoming a Game Changer

By Dr. Sakeisha Hylick

25-26

The Awakened Woman

By Melinda Tavera-Boyer

27-28

New Mindset + New Attitude + New Habits = New Results

By Kim Tuon-Menella

29-30

Assets

By Dawn Bates

31-32

Lemonade Legend Leaders Success and Sex - By Aislinn Ellis

33-34

A Little Lemon Zest Lemon Marmalade

35

COMMUNITY NEEDS

Daring Lemonade It is with great honor, respect and anticipation that I

As the relationship between Michelle and I grew

I do believe however, there are many things as lay I do believe however, there are many things as lay people we can do to improve our mental wellness. people we can do to improve our mental wellness.

For me it starts with helping people to connect with For me it starts with helping people to connect with their stories. To discover their goodness and worth, their stories. To discover their goodness and worth, and redefine themselves as dynamic individuals full and redefine themselves as dynamic individuals full of treasures to create purpose and to inspire. I did of treasures to create purpose and to inspire. I did that for myself so I know it can work. that for myself so I know it can work.

promotions, borrowed insights, and intuitiv passage. I am confident that you will delight in th sharing of our teamwork and group effort to help yo make a powerful potion of Daring Lemonade!

It is with greatannounce honor, respect that We identified many help each otherin our wor a newand andanticipation important collaboration with beganopportunities to recognize atocommon thread I announce a new and important collaboration with Foundation. further our passion grow both Lemonade goals. W Michelle DiMuria, CEO of BEE Daring and inand ourhelp personal and professional Michelle DiMuria, CEO of BEE Daring Foundation.

Legend and BEE Daring Foundation.

This is mostly The foundation was the first charity organization I share a love of stories, self-care, personal growth The foundationchose was the first charity organization because Michelle D. is so much smarter than I am, especiall to support when the premier edition of acts of kindness, patience, and tolerance, I chose to support when the premier edition of but also, because two heads and twice the exposure Lemonade Legend Magazine was published last of those whom we lack an understanding of the Lemonade Legend Magazine was published last can create some pretty magical moments. We are April. Since then team M&M have partnered in truth.

April. Since then team M&M have partnered in working to create something bigger than the sum of several ways to support each other. several ways to support each other. the two of us. We In the end, we lookopportunities to be able totoserve identified many help each othe people in a more significant way to assist in their At the core of the mission of Lemonade Legend and further our passion and help grow both Lemonad At the core of the mission of Lemonade Legend journey andand wellness.

Legend BEE Daring Foundation. This is mostl the very soul of the work that I do is centered on to growth and the very soul of the work that I do is centered because Michelle D. is so much smarter than I am achieving mental wellness. Digging down into the on achieving mental wellness. Digging down into You will be seeing a lot of shared marketing, cross depths of our being, our humanness (aka but also, because two heads and twice the exposur the depths of our being, our humanness (aka promotions, borrowed insights, and intuitive imperfections), and the experiences that have been can create some pretty magical moments. We ar imperfections), and the experiences that have been passage.

I am confident that you will delight in the our life’s path, we begin the hard work towards working to create something bigger than the sum o our life’s path,mental we begin the hard work towards sharing of our teamwork and group effort to help you wellness. There are many levels of mental the two of us. In the end, we look to be able to serv mental wellness.

There are many levels of mental make potion Daring Lemonade! health that may require medication, counseling, or a powerful people in aofmore significant way to assist in the health that may require medication, counseling, more intense programs. I’ll leave that to the journey to growth and wellness. or more intense programs. I’ll leave that to the professionals. professionals.

You will be seeing a lot of shared marketing, cros

As the relationship between Michelle and I grew I began to recognize a common thread in our work and in our personal and professional goals. We share a love of stories, self-care, personal growth, acts of kindness, patience, and tolerance, especially of those whom we lack an understanding of their truth.

5

Upcoming Releases Pre-Sale: $20.00 which includes a signed copy and $5.oo from the proceeds goes to a veteran's charity

"Agent Orange Broken DNA – the Enemy Within� is written from a place of love and understanding, with the intention to create awareness and inspiration, by sharing her families challenging times and their journey to health through their personal stories.

AGENT ORANGE BROKEN DNA

By Maryam Martinez

A behind the scenes look at mindboggling human relation tales from the world of sports, veterinary, and youth

Pre-Sale: $16.95

By Joric McLean 6

The Silent Enemy of an Entrepreneur

By Sharon Lechter

You spend years building success and your expertise and reputation within your industry and then your entrepreneurial spirit ignites! An opportunity presents itself to you or your own burning desire motivates you to strike out on your own and build a business that can create financial freedom for you and your family. The thought of being your own boss is intoxicating.

You are familiar with the common pitfalls of entrepreneurship, like having insufficient capital to get the business up and running (let alone profitable), accepting the financial risk of a potential failure, thinking too small, creating a job for yourself instead of building a business…just to name a few.

You are proud that you have carefully planned your new venture so as to avoid those pitfalls.

In your prior position you may have participated in an R&D group where you and your co-workers met regularly to brainstorm and bounce ideas off of each other. Or maybe you were a C-suite executive in a large corporation where you participated in regular management meetings.In either case you were working with your peers…and they had respect for you and your contributions to the group. Your very identity may have been based on the position you held and the influence you wielded.

But your vision of being your own boss in control of your own future was so exciting that you didn’t even think twice about the possibility of experiencing a lack of self-confidence.

Your passion and adrenaline drive you forward with great enthusiasm and your business is launched with great reception. Sales start flowing in, business is great, but something is not quite right.

You find yourself at your desk, as CEO of your own business, surrounded by wonderful and enthusiastic

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employees…all looking to you for direction and the “right” answers. You should feel great…right?

But instead, you have come face to face with the silent enemy of an entrepreneur… loneliness and self-doubt. You have made the decision to become your own boss but in doing so it meant walking away from the environment where you are respected and enjoy the camaraderie of your peers. You have heard the expression…”it is lonely at the top”…but what is worse is what that loneliness creates… an environment of fear and self-doubt that can become an entrepreneur’s greatest downfall.

Your identity, both personally and professionally, is no longer tied to your former title. If your prior company was an active contributor in the community but your new company cannot contribute at the same level while it is in its growing phase, you may find that your influence in your community has suffered as well.

So how can you avoid this silent enemy? Or overcome it if you are currently experiencing this loneliness and self-doubt? Consider the following steps to streamline your transition into a respected entrepreneur with great industry and community influence.

As you are contemplating leaving your position, get involved in one or more professional networking groups and consider becoming an officer in one of them. This will allow you to replace your former prestigious title with another one of equal or greater prestige.

Form a Mastermind of Peers to support you in the creation and strategic planning of your business.

Then set regular on-going meetings (complete with agendas)where you can connect and brainstorm with your peers in your industry as well as other

entrepreneurs. Their advice and wisdom can help you navigate any obstacles that may come into your path and turn them into opportunities.

Offer to share your expertise and wisdom by serving as a mentor or member of a mastermind for another up and coming entrepreneur.

Find a mentor who has experienced success in your field. Schedule regular meetings with your mentor.

By reaching out and expanding your network of entrepreneurs and your systems of support, you will eliminate loneliness, or avoid it entirely, and feel your self-confidence soar as your reputation and sphere of influence grows in the process. After all, it is much more fun at the top when you have others to enjoy the journey and share the success with you!

Join an online community that is where you are. I launched the Assets Are $exy initiative to support women entrepreneurs to build successful, scalable, and eventually sellable businesses. Joining this community is like finding a home for entrepreneurial and executive women who are building a life by design of both success and significance. Connect with the community at https://www.facebook.com/ assetsaresexy and register for our upcoming virtual event at www.assetsaresexy.com.

And remember the concept of reciprocity. Show your appreciation for the members of your mastermind and your mentor. Just as they are offering their support to you and your business, remember that you can contribute to their businesses as well.

Sharon Lechter - CGMA Founder & CEO - Pay Your Family First Author - Think and Grow Rich for Women, Save Wisely Spend Happily Co-author - E xit Rich,Success & Something Greater, Outwitting the Devil, Think and Grow Rich-Three Feet From Gold, Rich Dad Poor Dad and the Rich Dad Series

8

Bought Myth

I into the I believed it, too. We’ve all been taught that you can’t make money selling your book. We’re told “The money is in the funnel, in the courses, in the long lifetime customer value”.

That’s true.

But what if it was also true that you could make money selling your book?

I’ve done exactly what everyone says to do when it comes to using your book to get interviews, build credibility, and attract clients. It’s the reason I strongly encourage my clients to write a book. It is one of the most powerful tools for marketing and exposure. In fact, I wrote the book about it – ABC’s of Exposure.

Here is something important I’ve learned about business. Never stop growing. Frequently, we are so busy taking care of business that we are too distracted to be creative, to think of new streams of revenue or take advantage of opportunities right in front of us. There is a business strategy that seems most contradictive, yet, is always effective: Take time away from working in your business to work on your business.

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By Angel Tuccy

This is the breakthrough that happened to me recently as I sat in the car for 30 hours!

I was driving from Denver to Orlando, listening to a series of different podcasts, experts, and professionals who were leveraging their assets to scale and automate million dollar businesses. What I learned over the weekend I immediately implemented along with a few key folks. I interrupted my set way of doing things and opened my eyes to the missed opportunity of selling books online. For years I have advocated that I am not in the business of selling books.

That’s what booksellers do. I write them, and then leverage them to build my funnel, sell from stages, and continually increase my credibility.

As I rode in the little lime green car that we were delivering to our daughter in Florida to replace the old one that had surrendered its last mile, I had a bit of a revelation. There are millions of people already buying books every day, and many of those millions would love to read my book, if they knew about it. Why not partner with the world’s largest online booksellers to

take advantage of existing massive marketing systems designed to sell books?

My clients know this about me; I learn it. I do it.

I teach it.

I don’t teach you anything that I haven’t learned, done myself, and tested the theories. The concept of selling books online is more than a theory that works and I’m excited about using this approach to promote the 11 books I’ve already published. I’ve become obsessed with learning how to create a million dollar business. To drive that kind of revenue requires passive streams of income and multiple business channels. Why put your valuable time, energy, and intellectual property into a book to leverage your business when, with a little extra effort, it can be a revenue stream of its own? As a founding member of Sharon Lechter’s Assets are $exy movement, I take to heart the principles of leveraging your expertise to be income producing assets that accelerates your success.

Your greatest asset is you, and your time in a day or a lifetime is limited.

This is why the key to true wealth is creating that economic engine that allows for a healthy and balanced lifestyle. What assets do you currently have that can help you scale your business and your income? It may be time for an assets audit.

As a believer in publishing a book to enhance your business in countless ways, it fits perfectly into this model to rev up the book sales engine.

It’s not only about creating cash flow, it is about creating a greater impact. Create more exposure to more individuals so you can serve with your skills and talents. One of the nuggets I regularly share with my clients is to build your business “one to many, not one to one”. Leveraging your published asset is a strategy that becomes “one to many more.”

If you want to publish a book, or already have a book, you can trigger the sales machine designed to help you sell more books online. We already teach our clients how to build the audience. Now, we can teach them how to leverage those assets into a million dollar business.

Go ahead, shine the light a little brighter on yourself as you serve a greater audience and create that extra revenue stream.

Being a published author is an exciting experience.

Seeing other people hold your book in their hands and having others read your book is a tremendous gift to the world. When you sell more books, you make a bigger impact and you leave a greater legacy.

If you’d like to learn more about this system and get information about our Media Mastery Bootcamps, go to www.MakeYourBigImpact.com and download your complimentary media starter kit.

10

READY Bigger Space?

Are You to Play in a

By Carolyn Andrews

Sometimes the lemons in our lives are great tragedies or the unbearable pain of loss. They seem insurmountable but we know we need to find a way to recover. Sometimes lemons are quiet and deceptive.

They sneak up on us, disguised as everyday thoughts.

They are easy to dismiss or ignore. We make small adjustments to compensate for them or tell ourselves that we don’t really need to deal with them, everything is ok. And then one day, we realize that they are also a very real tragedy. They keep us from finding the joy and success that we deserve. They blind us to the opportunities that exist. They prevent us from living our purpose and finding the success and happiness we deserve. Those are the lemons I discovered, and I want to share with you how they snuck in, how I made them into lemonade and how you might use them in your special lemonade recipe.

To be honest, I have a very blessed life.

I had a wonderful childhood with the balance of being spoiled with love and learning strong values wrapped in a sense of responsibility. To be completely truthful, sometimes the spoiled side was a little heavier. In my first year of college, I met the love of my life. When he talked with my Dad about getting his blessing for marriage, my Dad confided that he always made sure I knew I was loved and that I got almost everything I wanted. He told Mike he would need to do the same! He successfully took on the challenge and after 50 years together, he still honors that pledge.

I am grateful for the love and encouragement in my life. I use the Power of Gratitude to remind me of my blessings and to see the possibilities in my life. Do you feel grateful for everyday joys and for the lessons in life?

A key ingredient in making lemonade is Gratitude.

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It’s important to remember that our growth doesn’t happen through the times of success, it happens when we are challenged. Those are times when we grow stronger and find inner strength to create inspiring outcomes. Are there times when you had to draw on your Inner Strength to succeed? What did you learn from that experience and how did you grow?

With extra effort and great support, I had the courage to continue to move forward.

My career in the corporate world was for a Fortune 100 company with a positive culture and values that I shared.

As one of the few women in technologies, there were some difficult times! I progressed to a senior leadership role, leading the successful implementation of multimillion-dollar projects around the world. An amazing team, successful ventures and worldwide travel was more than I ever expected, and I was grateful for the opportunities and the successes. After more than 30 years in the corporate world, I knew it was time for me to do something on my own. I didn’t know what that meant and yet I knew it was the direction I should follow.

My parents were entrepreneurs, so it seemed natural to think about a small business venture. I thought about my skills, knowledge and passion to help others. I saw so many small business owners fail and lose everything.

I was sure there were ways to use my experience to help them. Even with business experience in a corporate setting, I was new to the world of entrepreneurs and I knew I needed to add knowledge, tools and processes to the experience I already had. I found a great coaching company, purchased a franchise, became a certified business and executive coach, and started my firm.

A coaching FIRM? Of course, after all, I had led hundreds of team members in multiple countries. This would be easy.

We got off to a great start! I had a team of 5 amazing people, the perfect coaching office and great clients.

While we were successful in helping them, we didn’t have enough clients to support the large and costly infrastructure and that allowed the first lemon, FEAR, to creep in. Then more lemons rolled in…INSECURITY, LACK OF CONFIDENCE, and even a LOSS OF TRUST in me and others. Soon I was telling myself “This isn’t why you started this! You wanted to be a coach, not run a business!” It was hard to know if I was on the wrong path or if I was just coming up with excuses. It was even more difficult to admit that I might not be doing things right. I wasn’t ready for the next lemons that dropped from the tree…SHAME and GUILT! When you have been very successful and those around you assume that is still who you are, you want to run away and hide and that is what I did.

The lemons that rolled into my life steered me away from finding solutions and kept me from seeing what was possible. I gave up on the dream of making a difference to many people and decided to PLAY SMALL and help a few people. Have you ever felt that you weren’t doing all that you could do? Like you want to make a bigger difference; you just don’t know how?

Maybe you don’t have the time or resources to make it happen? It can be easy to give up like I did. After all, life would go on. I would be fine…or would I? What I never lost was the support of people around me.

My husband and my friends were angel mentors in disguise, they wouldn’t let me quit and they reminded me that I had a purpose. If you are struggling, you have the opportunity to build a supportive community around you and they will help you realize your full potential.

I knew I couldn’t give up! I had a dream. I had experience, knowledge, and great supporters. With that in mind I searched for a recipe for lemonade! I looked deep inside for my purpose, and I found that God had a plan for me all along… it was just on HIS timeline and not mine. I realized that I was trying to do everything on my own, not understanding that this was all a learning experience that gave me the opportunity to walk in the shoes of the entrepreneurs that I wanted to support.

Here are some of the sweet ingredients in my lemonade recipe:

gifts you have been given to make a difference and lead a life of significance?

• Develop your Leadership skills and use them in your business, your family, and your community. My greatest mistake was that I didn’t bring my leadership talents, knowledge and skill to the table.

• Put in the hard work, build your expertise, clearly define your goals and have the accountability that makes them happen. I discovered that I had more to learn to be the expert that others needed me to be.

Are there areas that you need to develop and grow?

• Use the Power of Association. To achieve your goals and dreams, it’s important for you to surround yourself with successful friends and mentors who will bring positivity and prosperity to you. I am so passionate about this that I joined with other amazing women to create the Founders Team of Assets Are Sexy. We partnered with Sharon Lechter to create a community to support women in achieving financial freedom. I hope you will learn more about our mission by joining us in this adventure.

How did all of this turn out for me? I know where I am going and why!

I am creating maximum personal impact because now I PLAY BIG and have a business with many channels and programs to support more people. I am creating maximum financial impact because I understand the power of having multiple assets with both passive and active income streams to accelerate my success. And of course, I am surrounded by people who provide encouragement and collaboration.

Think about how this might apply to you and your business. Are you ready to live a life of success, significance and not sure where to start? Are you clear on your purpose and vision but you are struggling with how to get there?

Visit https://www.InspiredLeadersNow and get your journey started with our 5 Proven Leadership Strategies for Success.

We would love to support you in creating your special recipe so put “LEMONADE” in the comments section of the request and I will schedule a personal call with you to explore your possibilities!

• Discover your purpose, create your vision and build a positive culture with strong values, even if you are the only one in your business. Have you explored your WHY? Do you know what your purpose is and what 12

Sweetening Life Through Accountability

By Angela Totman

Have you ever met someone that is positive all the time? They seem to face any adversity and maintain an optimistic outlook. I very much admire these individuals.

They seem to have the personality to know inherently how to turn lemons into lemonade.

In contrast, I am intense, cynical, and my mind naturally leans towards over analysis. In times of adversity, I find it easy to “what if” myself into uncertainty and sit in inaction. I’ve been this way as long as I can remember.

As someone who declared at a very early age that I had no interest in being average… my tendency for anxiety and over empathy proved to be problematic.

I remember in the third-grade lying on the ground in the fetal position on the playground simply not knowing what to do with myself because I was so overwhelmed with emotion. I was at a new school after having moved from another state and I remember it so vividly, I can even describe the light purple romper outfit I was wearing that day.

How does someone whom is inclined to lean into fear and safety live an exceptional life?

How does someone who wants to be better than average overcome themselves enough to be accountable to and realize that vision? Isn’t it much easier to turn adversity into victory when you live life through the lens of hope and possibility?

Throughout my career, I have been blessed to meet and work with the most amazing individuals. Some of whom I would put into the perpetually positive category.

This allowed me to realize that even the most positive individuals have moments that seem insurmountable.

I’ve learned through my own experience and necessity, as well as by working with others, that we all have the ability to cultivate the skills needed to face these metaphorical mountains. Not only are we able to mount the peaks, but in doing so, redefine success and then 13

look towards the next mountain not just ready, but optimistic about the process of the climb. The result has been a career working alongside amazing brands and people like Sharon Lechter and being a founding member of the Assets Are Sexy financial empowerment movement.

I turned what seemed would be my greatest weakness into what has become one of my most powerful assets.

What could have been a crippling need for control and known outcomes has instead become the driving force for how I not only empower myself, but now empower others to be accountable to their own goals and vision.

I continue to fulfill my desire to live a life that is not average… and in doing so have developed a pathway to help others create their own exceptional life. And it all starts with the following questions: Are you clear on your priorities?

Not everything can be a priority. Be clear on what is most important to you and give yourself permission to honor those priorities. If you have a priority, it deserves your time and energy and there will be temptations to direct that energy elsewhere. Have a plan for managing that temptation. Say yes to the action steps that serve your priorities and release yourself from the guilt of saying no to the things that don’t.

What is the exact problem you are facing?

How can you overcome a challenge if you don’t know what the challenge is? Be as objective as possible so emotion doesn’t cloud your perspective and convince you that the problem is anything other than what it is.

There is a difference between solving the symptoms of a problem and tackling the problem head on. If you have difficulty being objective, describe the problem and then for each statement, ask yourself if that statement is factual or is based on your perception alone. Most importantly, is the problem you are facing related to one

of your priorities or are you picking up a burden that you really don’t need to own?

Are you committed to finding a solution for the problem?

This seems obvious, but many times we dive into situations without actually deciding to be committed to the process. Ask yourself… can you think of anything that you started but didn’t finish because you weren’t truly committed? I can certainly find examples in my own life. The practical application of this will probably involve doing things that are uncomfortable, like admitting your own limitations or that the way you’ve been doing something doesn’t actually work. Without having made the commitment to what it takes to find a solution, it is easy to become susceptible to giving up or to half hearted attempts.

What are the skills and tools needed to solve the problem you are facing?

We all have specialized knowledge and by focusing on the application of that specialized knowledge, we can fast track our success. But sometimes our own specialized knowledge isn’t enough to find needed solutions. Often outside council, skills and expertise will better serve us than relying only on our own bank of information and talent. Part of any planning process for creating success, tackling a problem or preparing for growth is identifying what skills and tools are needed in order to proactively gather the necessary resources in order to get desired results.

These four questions help you shift from uncertainty to action and from fear to informed faith with decisiveness.

And you will find opportunity where you may not have seen it. By considering a few key questions, you can experience the kind of accountability that comes with clarity, focus and the tools and systems that will support your success. This is you sweetening life for yourself through empowered accountability. It is fueled by choice and action from the most powerful source: YOU! • Are you on the verge of your next move?

• Do you know what you want to accomplish, but the step to getting there seem to be elusive?

• Are you clear on the steps but still struggle to turn your ideas into reality?

Visit angelatotman.com/accountability for a guided journey through the questions that will support you in creating momentum and getting results.

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Phoenix Rising: COURAGE to be

CONFIDENT

By Dawn Moore

By setting off a chain reaction, one event changed my life.

Phoenix Rising is that syndrome where we decide to reinvent ourselves.

Do you remember where you were on 9/11/2001?

My husband is a pilot for American Airlines based out of New York. We are very grateful we didn’t lose our lives that horrific day, but we did lose 50% of our income and the company eventually went bankrupt. With an uncertain future ahead of us, I went back to school and got my Master’s degree in English. My undergraduate degree wasn’t proving useful after being a stay-at-home mom for more than a decade.

Much had changed. I became the queen of carbs craving the quick energy to get me through my courses. Then, one beautiful Spring morning, a friend said, “Let’s play tennis.” I opened my closet, took out a tennis skirt, and wondered how it could have shrunk over the winter! For the first time ever, I found myself overweight and out of shape. I humbled myself and FaceBook messaged a friend who had offered me OPTAVIA five years earlier. Of course, I was insulted then because I didn’t want to hear about a weight loss solution. With OPTAVIA, I was like a snowman in front of a blow dryer…melting. While the results might not be typical, I lost 25 pounds in 6 weeks.

Now, I live the habits of health and coach others toward living a longer healthier life. (www.ASAP.Optavia.com and www.MooreAndBetterHealth.com) Why do people struggle with reaching goals?

Blind spots, self-sabotage, procrastination, overwhelm and fatigue is just a few of the mindset challenges my clients face on a regular basis. Because my health and theirs became a driving force in my life, I stuck my nose back in the books and acquired life, leadership, health & wellness, nutrition, and bioenergetic coaching certifications. I became a thought leader and advocate for health as I hosted an internet-based radio show, and 15

promoted medical and health practices at 100s of health fairs and trade shows in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Texas, hosting a vendor booth and speaking at dozens of Business and Women’s events.

Understanding human behavior has become a passion.

Along the journey of transformation I developed a keen awareness of conflicts that could be avoided.

I legitimately raised my family on this question: “What’s more important—what was said or how it was interpreted?” My geniuses know it’s both! Words have power. Words make thoughts visible. Words make the intangible tangible. Consider that thoughts and beliefs precede action and are followed by emotion. It’s amazing what one picks up and imprints subconsciously in one’s life.

To name a few, things such as: • Thoughts and beliefs of childhood.

• Direct and indirect suggestions/directives of parents, teachers, peers—whether we admire or fear them.

• What we are taught by family, religious institutions, school, government/state/military, media.

• What we hear over and over—sayings and advertising.

Subconscious “imprints” are acted upon automatically by the subconscious mind. We don’t even have to think about them. We don’t even have to be aware of them.

They become ours unless and until we change them.

At a Small Business Expo in New York City in 2017, Powerteam International Founder and CEO Bill Walsh challenged me to share my knowledge with entrepreneurs and small business owners nationwide. I designed and then delivered presentations on 110 stages across the USA, London, and the Bahamas in 20 months.

I asked my audiences, “Who’s the first person who hears what you say when you speak?” You are! Then you better say something you want to hear.

How can we change our self-talk?

Write your Narrative as a Positive Statement in the present tense, not future or present progressive: Write what you DO want, not what you don’t. For example, you don’t want to write, “I’m not worthless.” Instead, write: “I am valuable.” Also, don’t write in the future tense, “I will be” instead write in the present tense “I am, I have, I enjoy, I wake.” Change the present progressive “I am eating healthy” to the more powerful “I eat healthy.”

Why? Thoughts are energetic fields. All change occurs FIRST in the energy field of the mind. The thought, “I will be healthy soon” does not change the present condition in the energy field of the mind. The thought, “I will be full of energy and vitality” does not change the present condition in the energy field of the mind. The thought “I am healthy” DOES change the energy field of the mind.

The thought “I wake each morning full of energy and vitality” DOES change the energy field of the mind.

Take every thought captive within your conscious will and remind yourself that the change takes place in the energy field of the mind. Thoughts become things.

It takes courage to be confident.

For example, a 30-second video a colleague and I shot proposing a collaboration with Sharon Lecter—an international speaker, best-selling author, and premier

expert for financial literacy and entrepreneurial success resulted in the founding of “Assets Are $exy”, an initiative dedicated to helping female entrepreneurs leverage their expertise into income-producing assets that become economic engines accelerating their success. As a founding member, we recognize that only 4.2% of women-owned business exceeds $1M in revenue. We support women entrepreneurs who want to take their already successful businesses and make them sustainable, scalable, and saleable. www.AssetsAreSexy.com From the universal language of Esperanto, Konfiday means: the Confidence to Seize the Day For nearly 20 years, I have been inventing and reinventing myself much like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. As life hands me lemons, I make lemonade. I am now a confident and poised woman secure in my identity and my profession as a business coach specializing in language and communication (www.Konfiday.com) and as a health coach creating predictable transformation (www.MooreAndBetterHealth.com).

I welcome conversations with people who want to unblock, unlock, and unleash their life-changing message. For more information, visit https://vip.konfiday.com/discovery-call/pNXk.

November 11, 2020 16

Discovering the Financial Cure

By Dr. Wendy Labat

People often ask what makes me an expert financial strategist. I start with my entrepreneurial journey that began over 36 years ago. I started a business with zero business experience and very limited financial resources. This was a time when there was no internet or social media, and the only thing you could do with a cell phone was make an expensive phone call!

I was in the office equipment sales, service, & supplies industry at the time. My clients were major corporations. To be considered for the big contracts, my company had to project the right image. That meant having a brick and mortar office, employees, inventory, and all the overhead that goes with it.

If you projected anything less, your company was perceived as a mom and pop operation not capable of handling the big contracts.

Times were tough because my cash flow did not match my overhead expenses.

Payroll, rent, utilities, and other expenses had to be paid whether the company made money or not. The more sales and contracts my company acquired, the more inventory had to be purchased to fulfill the contracts. My limited financial resources forced me to think outside the box to meet my expenses.

I used creative ways to increase revenue, improve cash flow, and position my company for growth and development. I had to learn how to take control over my finances, make my money work for me, negotiate with my clients to pay my company sooner rather than later, and continue to find creative ways to acquire the things needed to increase the growth and development of my business.

So, I purchased the products I was selling and sharpened my financial services skills. This move was done as part of a business and marketing strategy, not from a personal financial planning perspective.

In 2017, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Every three weeks for a year, my chemotherapy infusions were $67,000 each. I had 5 surgeries, multiple CAT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, mammograms, and lab tests that exceeded a cost of $300,000. Can you imagine having to pay those kinds of medical expenses in addition to your personal and business expenses while battling breast cancer?

The cost of treating this disease could have ruined me and my family financially. Thank God I practiced what I preached and my health insurance paid all of my medical bills. With the supplemental coverage I purchased, it paid me a significant tax-free payout that allowed me to focus on my recovery without worrying about money. I considered this “The Financial Cure”.

The Financial Cures SystemTM (TFCS) was developed.

My crusade began to improve the financial lives of entrepreneurs, business owners, families, and individuals across the country using my system, TFCS. As a direct result, my clients have evolved in the following ways: • Became more empowered to create specific strategies to diagnose their financial health • Take control over their finances

In 2014, the Affordable Care Act mandated that everyone have healthcare coverage.

• Make their money work for them

As a result, I expanded my business to include insurance products and financial services. Not wanting to be a hypocrite, I believed if I was going to sell my clients these products and services, I needed to acquire them for myself and my family.

• Build a financial legacy

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• Acquire proper protection to prevent financial ruin • Create generational wealth • Enjoy financial freedom, and • Live the life they DESIRE!

Are you a faithful servant over your finances?

Many people think getting more money will be the answer to all their problems. In reality, understanding how to manage money, no matter the amount, and making money work for you is the real solution. If you do not manage and control what you have now, how will you manage and control more?

Most people keep a written record of their income and expenses but overlook their spending.

Uncontrolled spending prevents you from paying for essentials, reduce/eliminate debt, building an emergency fund/cash reserves, and becoming financially free.

The objective is to plan where your money goes instead of wondering where it went.

To achieve your financial goals, you must know your current financial situation. Once you have a realistic picture, no matter how good or bad, it takes these three essential elements to move forward.

1. You must decide, commit, and take action to achieve your financial goals.

3. Y ou can not want a rich man’s wealth and have a poor man’s mentality.

I wrote, Diagnose Your Financial Health, to empower people to overcome the obstacles to winning the money game and achieving optimum financial health.

Many professional women and entrepreneurs are responsible for the financial well-being of their families and businesses. It can be a struggle if you do not have the mindset, knowledge, and tools to take control over your finances and make your money work for you.

Evaluate your journey to optimize your financial health by taking a realistic look at your financial condition and finding the right prescription to cure your financial ills whether it involves anorexic income, overweight expenses, obese debt, or a spending addiction.

To make an appointment with the Financial Healer to diagnose your financial health, Text “TALK” to 770-796-4944 for a FREE 20-minute strategy session!

2. Y our mindset and discipline require the transformation of your thinking and habits as they relate to your desired level of achievement.

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Telling stories is at the heart of our community, the world needs stories, almost as much as nourishment, shelter, and companionship.

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“

Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice.

Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving

is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.

– Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

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On a mission to

Empower, Equip and Inspire

1 Million People to Hire Themselves!

By Lisa Williams

Have you ever taken that class that made you ask, “What am I meant to be when I grow up?” Me neither! If you are like most, you accidentally landed in your career, hopefully found relative success and fulfillment but never considered another profession again. You may have thought about new things but the golden handcuffs of Corporate America hold you back. I understand and was in your shoes not too long ago! I was blessed to land in the career of recruiting and absolutely loved it for many years.

Did you ever stay at a job two years longer than you should have? That was me! After over two decades of market ups and downs I found my learning curve had waned and I was feeling less joy in my day to day life of match making. The politics of corporate life got more complex. I had 19 bosses in 23 years. More importantly, the clients I was serving seemed to also be asking, “is this all I am meant to do?” It seemed the people asking for my help actually wanted “to be” something new.

I started to evaluate a lot of different industries and businesses.

I considered a few franchises, spiritual counseling, went to a variety of networking groups and started working on my own self development. Who knew there was so much amazing free content out there to absorb and learn?! One of the opportunities I said yes to allowed me the chance to start a side gig in financial education. Something I’d always been passionate about and I fell in love with it. I was suddenly learning something new every day, and started dreaming again. I realized that really what I had been searching for was not another JOB but a business. I took a leap of faith and decided to “hire myself!”

Lisa Williams Co is on a mission to empower, equip and inspire 1 Million people to hire themselves! I have taken the skills I mastered in Corporate America and have shifted to helping others find their true passion and business pursuits.

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I believe we all do better in life when we serve others and find the purpose we are meant to fulfill.

We offer several programs and are constantly adding more valuable content. Perfect Side Gigs was my original program I created that takes people on a journey of what it takes to be a business builder.

We explore your greater purpose, your why, your strengths and fears and help you create a business plan. We focus a lot on the mental toughness needed to have your own business. We are currently partnering with 8 business pursuits that all offer a home based business in a box that our clients evaluate and make an educated decision on if that business may suit them. I’ll touch briefly on the criteria I use when partnering with a company. In order to represent their brand, I need to believe in what they offer the consumer. All of the companies I select have a product or service that is in demand in the market and somewhat recession proof. I’m a recruiter first and foremost and always have supply and demand drilled into my brain. They are all companies I am currently drawing an income from myself or benefiting from the product or service they offer.

One of my greatest passions is financial education.

Our “Journey to Financial Wellness” program is a really popular. The financial services vertical in general is an area I’ve recruited in my whole career.

It’s the oldest and sorry, I have to say it, most stuck up industry in the world but also the most lucrative business in the world in a time where the demand is at the highest and supply is at the lowest. That gets me excited as a recruiter! At the core of every business we represent will always be financial education. Financial wellness is paramount to success in any business. It’s important to understand how money works, where you are today and what your end goal is.

The “why” behind my own shift is simple.

I was living life less than I realized I was capable of living.

I have been through challenging adversity in my life like most, sick children, infidelity and divorce, loss of loved ones too soon, you name it. I have also seen firsthand how God has used that adversity for my ultimate good. I’ve come to realize that I was meant to use my gifts to help others discover their gifts to live a more purpose driven life which I think can be found through entrepreneurship.

Our firm is dedicated to the memory of my mom, Sue Wiese and one of my dearest friends, Elizabeth Meier. We lost both of them to a horrible battle to cancer just in past 18 months. These were two of the most inspiring and God loving women on the planet.

They lived their lives with purpose, a heart for serving others and were lifelong learners until the day they went to heaven. One thing their loss did for me was to make me very aware of how suddenly life could be cut short and that I better get busy striving to make a greater impact on my world however I could. My parents instilled in me a deep-seated faith that God’s plan is big and huge for my life, and I realized I was thinking way too small. I love what I do, I love the people I am serving, and I love who I am becoming in the process. I encourage you all to never stop searching for that masterpiece you are each meant to be. I would love to help aid you on that journey!

We are not meant to be human BEINGS, we are meant to always be humans BECOMING. As most people these days, there are probably WAY too many ways to connect to me but would love to do so!

Subscribe to our Inspiration in your Pocket, newsletter here! https://lisawilliamsco.com/ Let’s connect on FaceBook as well! We have a private FaceBook group called “Wealth Minded Woman” where we offer loads of complimentary content every week helping families get their finances in order and own their power around money. We love to help promote our fellow women entrepreneurs as well! https://aw16ec6b.aweb.page/p/f97000cc-9acc4344-bf53-83486800ddcc Please also check out our Dream Big Nation podcast.

Think of us as your online mentors and if you have a story you think our listeners would like to hear, schedule a chat to apply!

Dream Big Nation Episode one: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1293983 If you’d like to explore our programs at www.LisaWilliamsCo.com, please schedule a chat here https://x.ai/calendar/lisawilliams/demo30 Bless you all in this amazing life journey and I hope to meet you sometime very soon!

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As YOUR changes

STORY

So Do You

By María Tomás-Keegan

As I read each beautiful, heartfelt, and vulnerable story found here in the Lemonade Legend Magazines, it strikes me how different each contributor’s journey is through Transition. Every story takes the author to a point where she looks back and notices that she has reinvented herself. Sometimes she envisions the end goal and lands just where she wanted to be. Other times, where she finds herself comes as a complete surprise—and that’s a good thing. I have become friends with reinvention—having done it many times already. I suspect there are more to come. In my work with women in Transition, I am often a witness to their reinvention.

So, I thought I would share an excerpt from my book, Upside down to Right Side up: Turning Transition into Triumph, in which I commit an entire chapter sharing information and stories about the topic.

It starts like this: “Courage, Faith, Determination, and moving in a forward direction are the elements of successful reinvention.”~MTK Reinvention. The action or process through which something changes so much that it appears to be entirely new. It is what happens when you go through something in your life, after which you are profoundly changed.

Think about going through a divorce, for instance.

We start as Mrs. Someone and end up Ms. New Person.

Not really—it just feels that way. If we are taking advantage of the opportunities that present themselves during our transition process, we have the choice to become someone better. And, we have the chance to get back to the basics of which we are, stand firm in what we want, and show up authentically as though we appear to be entirely new.

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Does that make sense to you?

Let’s take Sylvie’s situation, for example. She was a stayat-home mom who was blindsided by her husband’s request for a divorce. She gave up her career to become a mom and chose to stay home to raise and homeschool her three children. It had been 12 years since she last worked as an attorney. Her life had been play-dates, volunteering at church, and chauffeuring her kids to their sports, music, and dance lessons.

Faced with the requirement to return to work, Sylvie worried she would not be able to reenter the workforce quickly, nor was she confident she could command the salary she needed to take care of her family as a single mom. The work we did together led to Sylvie, reinvented—from lawyer to mom to lawyer again.

Smartly, Sylvie kept up her license throughout those years at home, so she always had a back-up plan, even though she never imagined she would need it. She started with her former law firm to request recommendations, which they gladly gave her. It took a while for Sylvie to land a good starting job, yet she stayed positive and envisioned in detail what she wanted—and she worked to make that happen.

That included figuring out how she could continue her children’s homeschooling without losing the momentum they each had created. Through Sylvie’s resourcefulness, she researched and found another stay-at-home mom, Alicia, who offered her services to other moms who had to work. Alicia was also divorced.

It was through providing these services that she could earn enough income to continue to stay at home for her kids while allowing other divorced moms to have a safe and supportive educational environment for their kids.

Two inspiring reinventions here.

Each woman made changes to their lives, out of necessity, and they seemingly became someone entirely new. Sylvie became a lawyer—someone new for her children and most of her friends, and her new employer. Alicia became an entrepreneur, running a thriving business helping other moms homeschool their children—someone she never was before.

Here’s another reinvention that inspires me to this day.

In Chapter 9 on Divorce, I shared the abusive story of my client, Nancy, who wouldn’t press charges on her husband George until the police were called to their home three times. After Nancy realized she deserved better, she left that abusive relationship and made a promise to herself to never again allow anyone to take away her power. It was indeed a turning point for Nancy, who up until then had been a waitress at a coffee shop, barely making ends meet.

She decided she wanted to do more for herself and others. With some research under her belt, Nancy

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reached out for financial help to get back to school to earn her degree in social work. She worked two waitress jobs while going to school full time. She was more dedicated to this than anything ever in her life previously. When she finished her studies, Nancy started working for a non-profit organization that helps battered women and children escape from the life that held Nancy hostage for so long.

A reinvented Nancy—helping others, as was her dream once she allowed herself to dream again.

There are so many ways we can reinvent ourselves.

Some may seem like small reinventions, while others are mega-transformations. And sometimes, where you end up might surprise you. When I think back through my journey, there are several significant reinventions: from a New England country girl to a New York City career woman; from careers in human relations to public relations to investor relations to marketing; from 30 years in Corporate America to an entrepreneur—and those are just the big ones.

Here’s what I know for sure: when major life events happen, they will change you from the inside. That’s what we call Transition. It’s impossible to avoid. It is, however, possible to ignore. And that’s when you can get into trouble. Reinvention is not a bad thing. I’ve learned to welcome it because fighting it is more challenging.

Opening to the possibilities that come with change can be refreshing, energizing, and scary all at the same time.

When I feel the fear, and I assure you I do feel it more than I’d like to admit, I turn it into something else— excitement or anticipation of something good. That helps me.

How you show up for change makes all the difference in the world. Putting new tools and techniques into your treasure chest will help you each time there is a new life event that threatens to turn your world upside-down.

Please join me as the producer and host of the international video podcast Tips for the Transition, the #1 most-watched channel on VoiceAmerica TV and let me help with your Transition Today!

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Becoming A

GAME CHANGER Even When Things Do Not Go as Planned!

By Dr. Sakeisha Hylick – Marriage Can Win

I have overcome the odds, both personally and professionally. After being reared in single parent homes, my husband and I decided at the initial phase of our marriage that divorce was NOT an option. We decided that our marriage was going to succeed where our parents’ marriages had failed. Fueled with a desire for our marriage to win, we embarked upon a 20-plus year journey to ensure that our marriage would win. Together we have endeavored to be transparent in our marriage to help others win in their marriages! We offer a” no holds barred” approach when it comes to love and marriage.

After going through several ups and downs, my husband and I faced another setback.

One day I experienced one of the most traumatic series of events in my life. I received a phone call from my husband informing me that his contract with a major company in Miami, Florida had been unexpectedly terminated. A difficult eight months serving as an associate pastor, spear heading a marriage ministry and raising two children who had both been struggling due to severe bullying ensued.

As a result, we decided to sell our “dream home” and rent a townhome nearby where we could regroup.

Although the living quarters were tight we settled into our new normal.

After 19 plus years in the Healthcare industry, I was excited to see a new pathway open up in terms of being accepted into a mentorship group that was designed to help take my pharmaceutical career to the next level. A breathing issue developed that eventually prohibited me from returning to my passion which 25

was helping others in the community as a pharmacist.

This was the most devastating blow of all. What was supposed to be a brief time out from work, turned into a 1 year plus battle with my health.I was informed that I could not return to my position as a pharmacist.

Instead of focusing on the obstacles I decided to focus on the opportunities.

I decided to pursue full time my true passion to educate, empower and encourage couples to embrace that Marriage Can Win! Together, my husband and I host weekly live interviews on Facebook to tackle what we refer to as “The Great Divide” in Marriages: Challenges in communication, finances, and sex. We launched a radio show called “Marriage Can Win”.

This passion and energy led us to launch our first virtual summit ‘Vows to Victory’ that 650 motivated couples registered to participate. The premise behind the project was that we would take a group of bold couples willing to share their truths and triumphs in a transparent manner.

Finally, everything seemed to be back on track when life happened again! During the final day of the summit I began to get ill. I had trouble breathing, fevers, cough, fatigue, etc. and ended up having to watch the rest of our summit from a hospital bed!

However, that did not stop me. I rested and was ready to get back to helping couples win in their marriages.

Four days later, everything came to a screeching halt after a conversation with a powerful intercessor, who was a nurse who encouraged me and my entire family to return to the emergency room where I, my husband and our daughter all tested positive for COVID-19.

Although a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 knocked us down temporarily, it could not keep us down.

My husband and I launched an all-out crusade to help married couples. We have written our 4th book, entitled Struggling to Keep the Vows which will be officially released on September 30, 2020. I quickly realized something, when life doesn’t always go as you planned, you have one of two options: 1) You can either make a choice to stay where you are or 2) Take a chance and get up, dust yourself off and try again.

Here are some of the lessons I learned along the way:

4) Look for opportunities for growth Sure something bad happened to me, but if I could take one moment and really look, I can see positivity all around me. I had to make the choice to use these situations as an opportunity to grow and to learn and develop into who I was ultimately called to be.

Although those negative experiences may have been extremely painful, they were the driving factor to helping me become an even better me!

5) Learn when it is time to pivot

2) Leverage temporary setbacks to your advantage

This year has caused many, if not most of us to hit the refresh button in our lives, businesses, ministries, and relationships. Many of us have experienced a job loss, the loss of a loved one, our businesses and/ or families were financially impacted. I had to learn to pivot. It is during seasons like this that I had to look for new opportunities or take advantage of the time afforded to me to pursue my true passion like never before.

I started to consider what I thought were negative experiences in a more positive light. Consider them as lessons to prepare me for the future.

I believe that Marilyn Monroe said it best, “Sometimes good things fall all so greater things can come together!�

1) Learn to Change Your Perspective I had to learn to step outside of my situation, by shifting my perspective. I asked myself, what could I do differently if I were in a similar situation?

What could I take from this event to apply to future situations?

3) Listen to the Voice of God in every situation Although things may not go according to plan, God always has me exactly where he wants me to be.

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The

Awakened Woman

By Melinda Tavera-Boyer

Aren’t we all awakened? I asked myself one morning as I was watering my grass, don’t most women have the ability to tap within themselves and create anything they want? I believe we all have this gift. If we as women could have a child and endure the pain of birth, we can accomplish anything we desire. But I asked myself this question, is inner soil awakened all the time by our intuition and senses of feeling everything around us?

For generations women were the housekeepers, the mom taking children to and from school, then taking them from school to baseball, drill teams and then still had to go home and make dinner. Most had to also go to work in between all that going on. Did we really have any time to define ourselves? I have said this for many years. Most woman come to the point of their life not knowing their purpose or who they truly are.

As a child I was able to sense things and because of that I would either shut myself out and stay away from everyone or get myself into trouble. As I got older I was able to understand that it truly is a gift and how we use it, is really up to us. In the last couple of years I have finally decided it was time to come forward and really understand who I truly am.

So what is your purpose really and when will you become the awakened woman?

The I AM factor, life and what that really is.

You see if we can’t truly define who we are then, how good are we for everyone else, such as, our husband our children and even our grandchildren?

Believe me this was not easy for me as being an only child and being there for everyone but myself.

I really had to go deep within and ask, is this really good for me or just for everyone else? My upbringing dictated that if you wanted something you had to take action in order to have it. Yes, this is true but, that does not mean you have to make do until you exhaust yourself because then you are no good for anyone. So, I asked myself where did this come from and why did I think I had to do for everyone and not myself?

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I had come to the point of self reflection where I really began to answer the question, what does “awaken” mean? Well, in the dictionary it says: awaken; a·wak·en; verb: rouse from sleep; cause to stop sleeping. So, in order to become awaken, you must first begin by being asleep. Meaning we do things from an automated state. Like the subconscious mind and being in an automatic state of doing means doing so without thinking.

I can’t tell you how many times my kids will say, “Mom we will be over later to visit.” Automatically the mom and grandma kicks in and I start to think of what I should make for everyone and my mind goes crazy thinking about dinner and snacks for the kids, making sure everything is in order. That is when Don (my husband) looks at me and says they are grown kids let them help you or we can just order pizza for everyone. But because of how I was raised that just does not seem to be enough. How many of you feel like this? It’s just insane! I am not saying

that things should not be like this, but sometime we just need to stop and ask, am I doing this because I enjoy it or because I feel I have to do it?

This is where I think the awakening happened for me.

I had to stop and say do I really enjoy this or do I want to spend time with the kids and not have to do all this work? Because in reality they can do for themselves right? As I started to awaken to everything in life I realized how many other women feel the same way about defining who we really are as a person. I know as I was with my mom in her last days on this earth I wondered did my mom really live her life to the fullest or was she really living her life through me. Without even realizing it, my mom got everything she ever wanted, no matter what. That is just how she lived. She really pushed me as a child to be the best at everything I did. If she thought it wasn’t good enough then I’d do it again, until it was perfect. Looking back I wonder which one of us I was doing it for. I will say one thing I learned from her was that if I wanted something bad enough, then to never give up! You see, my mom never had a job. She was always home, took me everywhere I needed to go and never left my side.

Even when I had my children she was there for them as well. I wonder now if this was what she enjoyed or was it just automatic because this is all she knew.

Maybe this is why I did the same thing for many of years even though I was absolutely miserable. I was asleep just doing what I only knew how to do until the day I came to realize, I wasn’t really happy and began wondering what was wrong with me. When I started asking what it was that I truly desired; that was when my true awakening happened! When is it your time to become truly awakened?

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New Mindset + New Attitudes + New Habits = New Results

By Kim Tuon – Menella Have you GPS your business for success yet?

More people than ever are looking to start their own business and am ready to embark on a new journey whether it is for business or for their personal lives.

They are also looking for YOU to provide a service or solve a problem. You are an expert in your field.

Inspiration can only get you so far. Make it real, take the Project Management Approach Mine Map to assess and craft a customized plan to move your inspiration to implementation.

This is the crux of the SuccessGineer: Re-Invent Me Program® that focuses on three key pillars: New Mindset + New Attitudes + New Habits = New Results. The only program that helps entrepreneurs and individuals go from feeling overwhelmed to feeling strategic and savvy while experiencing major clarity and confidence in extracting their ideas to create a roadmap using the project management framework. The focus is simply on innovation, design, and architect using the key building blocks to get crystal clear on the scope of work, outcome, timeline, the big picture as well as the breakdowns of key steps.

Success doesn’t happen overnight, it is achieved for those whom engineer, design, plan, and execute with preservation until they get their desired outcome.

It all starts with a new growth mindset. Think of it as adopting a black belt attitude and an integration of new habits in order to get new results.

If something doesn’t exist… be innovative, and 29

create it. A quote from Jim Rohm “If you don’t like something, change it, you are not a tree”. The best part is the overall strategy and Project MindMap (PMAP) is customized to the client’s specific needs.

The Coaching program is offered digitally as well as via in person mastermind sessions and boot camps.

I am a Public Speaker and Entrepreneur with the authority, certifications, specialty, and leadership in Project Management and Information technology.

Armed with a niche in cloud computing technology I help with the implementation of multi-million dollars executive-level portfolios and programs.

I am the Founder and CEO of Jorani Solutions and SuccessGineer®. I am also one of few minority women leaders with experience in public transportation and public Health IT. I use my proven framework of integrated experience and know-how to pay it forward by helping entrepreneurs and individuals confidently take their Inspiration to Implementation by applying these secrets: Secret # 1 - The 7 building blocks your business needs in order to confidently and aptly navigate and implement your goals and visions for optimal results. I teach the steps to have crystal clear scope of work, outcome, and deadlines.

Secret # 2 - The one mindset shift, that will move you from overwhelm and uncertainty with how you will execute your goals to confidently navigate and GPS your business for success (this one shift will give you control and visibility into all the key elements and implement your goals and visions immediately).

Secret # 3 -The 3 biggest myths being told to you as an expert business owner that is keeping you from executing and closing deals (everyone says to just do it, yes that is true, but without the strategy and a clear picture of your big vision and what your destination is, it is a big risk you take on that can be costly, time-consuming, and slow your flow).

I am a survivor of the Cambodian Khmer Rouge Genocide war where over two million people lost their lives.

At a very young age, my family and I, like many others in Cambodia during the new regime take over, barely survived the war-torn ravaged country.

I saw many deaths resulting from systematically being murdered, dying from famine, or disease. My family found refuge when they escaped on foot and crossed the border to Thailand and into the refugee camp. Eventually, we migrated to the US where we had to adjust to a new society and ultimately became victims of racism. Later on, I endured yet another hardship when I decided to start over with only bags of possessions after I took my daughter and left a dangerous domestic violence hell lead by my ex-husband.

I didn’t quit, instead I persisted and persevered as a single mom who put herself through college.

I had gathered the courage to make the decision to leave and with the help of angels, my daughter has grown into a remarkable and thriving woman. I am remarried to a wonderful husband and we have two beautiful children together. Today I am an advocate for the prevention and awareness of domestic violence. In addition, I help empower women to know they can do it too. This is backed up with the SuccessGineer program where anything is possible.

The only sure-fire way to succeed is to re-invent or transform your situation. I show you how to do this by using the framework of project management and condensing my 20 years of experience to teach entrepreneurs and individuals only what they need to know for them to execute like a BOSS. I am an innovator, a change agent, a SuccessGineer, who views life’s struggles as stepping stones to build continuous success.

We are in charge of architecting and engineering our own success.

The Assets Are Sexy movement is exemplary of Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals who engineer success in their business and life by building the foundation to become economic engines.

For more information, please visit my website: https://kimtmennella.com/.

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ASSETS

By Dawn Bates

Assets….a word that can be broken down into a variety of different ways. Regardless of whether they are digital assets, financial assets or the peach that we all sit on, the biggest asset any of us have is ourselves and the journey we take through life.

We are our biggest asset, yet so many people do not realize just how important they are to the world and to some people, we are their whole world.

One of the biggest gifts I have in life is the honor of holding space for authors as they go through the healing experience of writing their autobiography or having me write their biography for them. They have to get present to aspects of their lives which they may have overlooked, not given enough power to or even dismissed as something trivial, not important or ‘just something that happened’. As we travel through each day, putting one foot in front of the other, either as a purposely placed footstep or a step of trepidation as we next level our lives and businesses, we often forget to consider that our own footsteps are seen as giant leaps for those who are observing us.

We come so far and so fast, that the person we were a year ago feels like a stranger.

We look back a year ago, 3 or 5 years ago and we are unrecognizable. Not many people have that level of growth; and yet it is something we as leaders take for granted. We forget we used to only make lemonade with our lemons, preferring these days to make toothpaste with our bicarbonate of soda and coconut oil, or the lemon cheesecake, or even an environmentally friendly lemon cleaner combined 31

with apple cider vinegar and water. Or how about that vegan, sugar free lemon curd we now make? Or even the gluten free lemon sponge cake with poppy seeds?

Our lemons are also not the kind we used to buy from the supermarket either. Having become incredibly aware of the carbon footprint it took just for us to have that slice of lemon in our Gin and Tonic, which of course we now don’t have because our higher consciousness doesn’t allow us to have alcohol. So we settle for a cleansing green smoothie filled with super foods and refreshing lemons, Oh! And of course we add blueberries just to spice things up a bit.

When we write our autobiographies, it gives us time to take stock of our lives.

We review the lessons we learnt at each 5 year mark, the people we had in our lives, the teachers and mentors we had, and the beliefs and values we once held so dear, which have now simply melted away like the lemon scented candle we used to love; before we found out it was fake lemon and filled with carcinogenic chemicals.

We’ve learnt to heal ourselves naturally, bleach our hair with lemon juice, and relieve the symptoms of flu and other common colds with fresh ginger roots, 2 whole lemons and the most organic honey we can get our hands on, hence being almost vegan and not fully vegan. (Sorry bees, but if it comes down to us being at our very best and living longer to create an even greater legacy, we’re taking that honey from

the recycled glass jar, which has a recycled metal lid and toxic free ink printed on it; which we promise to reuse and recycle so we can reduce our carbon footprint even further than before).

Our evolution of self has gifted us so much.

Yet here we are so busy working on our next level of success and creating our assets, we forget that the amount we spend on a bottle of lemongrass organic cordial is enough to feed a family of four for the night. So we go looking through our wardrobe and think about what we can gift to the local women’s refuge or homeless shelter, only to get distracted by that gorgeous and vibrant, lemon yellow dress and red killer heels at the back of our wardrobe that we are saving for when we have lost a few pounds, because we’ve eaten too many lemon cookies whilst watching Marie Kondo tidy up the place.

Putting on the dress and slipping on those gorgeous Jimmy Choo shoes we feel a million dollars, and then we have a distracted moment thinking about

that multimillion-dollar condo we were looking at last week with the gorgeous lemon trees in the garden. Then you remember you need to speak with the gardener because he mentioned it was his wife’s 45th birthday next week, and she loves lemon meringue pie, so you need to find out what day he is working next week so you can have it delivered on time; because you ain’t got time to do no baking lady! You have got that asset you’ve been wiggling and jiggling in that fine lemon dress to sort out, otherwise that asset you have been sitting on whilst reading this article is going to have more dimples than the peel of the lemons that have inspired this entire concept of turning lemons into lemonade.

Which reminds, me, did you want a cup of tea? Was that an Earl Grey with a slice of lemon? Or lemon infused white tea, which these days is all the rage don’t you know? www.dawnbates.com

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Success and Sex: Cornerstones of My Journey

By Aislinn Ellis

I will forever be indebted to Michelle Faust and the experience of writing my story in The Lemonade Stand. Coming to terms with my story and putting it into words has been so healing and life changing.

There’s something very therapeutic about literally leaving your pain on a shelf and having a tangible way of identifying what happened to me then and I’m moving on from that.

It’s coming up on a year since my chapter hit the world and my life continues to amaze me!

Since connecting with my story I have been on a mission to understand how it has shaped me, what I desire and what I need in my life to feel content. I’ve overcome both sexual and physical abuse. Today I’m learning to overcome emotional abuse. Part of what comes after healing and self discovery is self care.

To this day I know my mother has no idea what that is. I’ve never been close enough to females before to talk about personal things and I’ve been mostly isolated and independent from the world around me.

I’ve known only how to give myself to others and how to please people so they’d see value in me. That is about as unhealthy as one can get. I’ve always been afraid to expend any energy into myself. Afraid that would only create more drama and chaos. That it was selfish and conceited to improve myself. As a young, attractive female there were many times when I felt my looks and false perception of confidence were the root causes of my problems. If I were ugly, men

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wouldn’t seek me out to hurt me, they wouldn’t try to squash my confidence by using physical power over me. If I were overweight, men couldn’t throw me around. If I closed my emotions off to the world, men couldn’t use them against me. These are the subconscious thoughts that raced through my mind for years. As a result, I never waxed my eyebrows, did my nails, wore make-up, or dressed more than comfort. I put on weight after my first husband treated me like his personal punching bag. I didn’t talk to people about myself at all. I barely even looked them in the eyes.

Men had become the enemy in my life and I let myself fall victim to them repeatedly.

I let my experiences with the men in my life shape me and I felt powerless in doing so. That has come to an end and I’m learning more about myself and what it means to take care of myself. Let me tell you, it has not been easy and is not for the faint of heart. I have great desires for success and sex that I’m only beginning to understand. In my current relationship it has been a source of pain for nearly a year. As I became more successful and in tune with myself, I started communicating my deepest desires. Things I’ve never shared with a partner before. A part of me wishes I hadn’t because it has stirred up the status quo in the home that he and I share. When I first met him, we had sex nearly every day. I enjoyed being close to him a great deal. He’s tall, athletic, charming

and easy on the eyes. Why wouldn’t I? Unfortunately, by communicating my intimate desires, our relationship shifted in a negative way.

I remember the day when something changed. It was like a switch got flipped on inside me. I was finally able to put words to what I was feeling and wanting.

Oddly enough it was with a client. Up until March of this year with the explosion and fear surrounding Covid-19, I had a successful business working as a Professional Organizer. As I was working with this client, she and I started to talk about ourselves. Most people don’t realize the very nature of my job is very intimate and this client, as afraid as she was, found enough comfort in me to have a very raw and honest conversation surrounding sex and her journey with it. I felt instantly at ease and connected as she and I shared such similar thoughts and experiences. I recall feeling; finally I don’t feel so alone, I don’t feel ashamed or dirty for how I enjoy being touched and how often I want to be touched. There are women out there who feel like I do and who want what I want when it comes to intimacy and sex with a partner.

I enjoy sex…there I said it! Do you?

Since then that client has become a close friend and she’s helped as I’ve reached deep inside my thoughts and talked to other women I know, trust and love. I was shocked by how much that hurt! As a result, I now realize how difficult it is for a female to connect

with another female if they don’t share something similar in their backgrounds. Having been abused the way I was it has shaped many unhealthy habits.

Isolating and reversing them is something I may end up doing until my end of days. I’ve opened up to and have spoken with women who I would die for, only to feel humiliated and ashamed. It wasn’t that they were trying to hurt me; it wasn’t even that they were judging me. They simply couldn’t understand where I was coming from.

I’ve spent a lot of quarantine time researching, conversing and experimenting with what I enjoy. The most important thing so far has been how to have real, raw and honest conversations about it with women, men and even my adult son. According to research published in September 2012, people who are more comfortable with sexual communication are happier with their sex lives and I’m determined to be one of them. Being a successful woman shouldn’t mean we have to compromise when we’re naked. That’s when we should be able to relax and just be our truest selves. Whether it’s with a long term partner, a husband, a different guy every night, or even by yourself, taking the lead when it comes to how you are pleased and communicating your specific desires is life changing and an absolute part of self care. Let’s change the conversations and maybe then we’ll see a different world where sex is strictly for pleasure and connecting instead of it being used for power and pain.

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Lemon Zest A little

Lemon Marmalade As prepared by Michelle Faust

I have never made marmalade so this was a true test to its simplicity and taste.

It was easy and it’s delicious, a perfect blend of tart and sweet. This will go well with many fall dishes and makes an excellent hostess gift during the holidays.

From now on, when life hands you lemons, make marmalade!

Ingredients

To sterilize the jars:

1. 500 g lemons approximately 1.2 lbs

Use glass jars with an airtight, metal lid. Wash them either in the dishwasher or by hand in hot soapy water, and rinse well. Check that the metal lids do not have rubber inserts.

2. 6 cups water 3. 1.8 kg sugar converts to 9 cups

Place upright jars and lids on a baking tray. Heat in the oven for at least 20 minutes, then remove and immediately fill with marmalade.

To make the marmalade: Place 2 saucers or small plates in the freezer, you’ll need these to check for the setting point of your marmalade.

Thoroughly wash the lemons. Remove each end of the lemons and cut the lemons into quarters lengthways. Holding two of the quarters together, slice as thinly as possible and remove any seeds.

Place the lemon slices in a non-reactive bowl1. Add 6 cups of water, cover the bowl and leave the lemons to stand overnight.

The following day, place the lemons and water into a large, non-reactive1 saucepan.

Over medium-high heat, bring the fruit and water to a boil. Boil for approximately 15 minutes or until the lemon peel is tender, stirring occasionally with a long-handled wooden or plastic spoon. The time may vary slightly depending on the variety of lemon and the thickness of the slices.

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Top 5 Reasons You Should Drink Lemon Water Every Day • Lemon water alkalizes your body (Balances Your PH) • Lemon water boosts your immune system • Lemon water is a natural Diuretic (makes you pee & keeps the bloat off) • Lemon water aids digestion • Lemon water makes your skin pretty https://www.elizabethrider.com/why-lemon-water-should-be-your-new-bff/

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