Editor’s letter

When Empowered Women Empower Women, they do so by giving them the opportunity to thrive, they will not only improve their own lives, but also have a positive impact on their families, communities, and most of all, their businesses.

This is easy to say but not as easy to do. To be a woman that empowers other women you must:

Be yourself I thought that if I acted tough, I’d achieve more success. I dressed more professional when I went to work. My hair and makeup were always neat to perfection. I rarely dared to talk about my family. I was taught to keep my family secrets to myself. I was embarrassed about who I was and where I came from. But one day, I decided to stop pretending. I started talking about my family with those around me, and to my surprise, people began relating to me, our relationships grew stronger. I did not have to hide from my nationality anymore. I became unbelievably transparent. I am Mexican and I grasped my culture and language and when I showed pride, others were proud with me and for me.

Trust your instincts. Trusting your instincts is very important. Women are naturally wired with great intuition. I had to do a lot of self-talk to gain confidence in knowing that what I set out to do I would succeed. I had to shut down that negative voice and speak affirmations that matched and edified my skills and abilities. I faked it until I felt confident, I would make it. It was not until then that I began to trust my ability to succeed, and now I never look back. I walk forward and know that I can and will accomplish all that I set my mind on.

Embrace your mistakes. I love this one the most. I look at Thomas Alva Edison. He is my role model. He failed 2774 times according to his records and then reached a working design of an electric light bulb. I do not know how many mistakes I have made in my lifetime, but I bet its more than Edison’s. The one good thing about mine are that they are in the realm of life experiences not just in light bulbs. I now have a plethora of memories/

by Dr. Cathy Coker

mistakes to draw from. I was afraid to talk about my mistakes because I thought it would make me look too weak. But little did I know other women were going through similar trial and tribulations and since I had that color of t-shirt it was easy for me to share from what I had learned. I can give some solid examples of what Not to do. I bet If mistakes were holes in our body my body would look like Swiss cheese.

When women adopt leadership roles, they contribute a unique set of skills, ideas, and life experiences that can broaden their circle of influence. So Empowered Women Empower Women just because we are not afraid of who we are, what we have done to get to where we are, and what we must do to achieve more than what we have.

I am a teacher, a woman, a mother, a wife, a colleague, a friend, but most of all I am a mistake maker. That is why and how I can empower those around me. What do you need help on? Send me you trial and tribulations to cokercathy70@yahoo. com and I bet I have that t-shirt. Just let me know what color and size you need yours in.

Let me know what you think. Should we have Spring Forward or shall we have consistency. Maybe we should ask the Farmer’s cows what they want? Send me your ideas to cokercathy70@ yahoo.com. ed for the winter of 1974, but there were complaints of children going to school in the dark and working people commuting and starting their work day in pitch darkness during the winter months, and it was repealed a year later. Then why are we still springing forward and falling back? We need to make up our mind. Don’t we have a say in this?

Let me know what you think. Should we have Spring Forward or shall we have consistency. Maybe we should ask the Farmer’s cows what they want? Send me your ideas to cokercathy70@yahoo. com.

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Stephane Bowker

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Andy Dominguez

Advertisements: Dr. Cathy Coker

Marketing: Alicia Grace

Thank you to Stephane Bowker at Working Dog Resources for providing tailored training for the layout of Teachers Making a Difference.

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Empower Yourself