Issue 20 Spring

Issue 20 Spring 2019

Featuring Yolunda Renรก Cooper

Editor’s Note It is Spring! Time to reevaluate your goals and dreams! How are you progressing? Are you where you want to be in your business? Your personal life? Your finances? Your relationships?

If not, don’t fret! You have time! Spring is the perfect time to do some cleaning out! Cleaning out of old ideas, plans and things that are not serving you!

You may want to do a 30-day purge of your closets, your home and your ideas! Let go of anything you are not using, that does not make you smile and is not helping you accomplish your dreams! Make a new plan and get back on track! It is your time! So, let’s make it happen!

Teresa Hawley-Howard CEO of WOM Enterprises Publisher, Author and Writing Coach

Teresa Hawley Howard is a best-selling author, blogger, empowerment coach, and radio host. She lives in Murchison Texas with her husband Rickey.

She is a mom and a Mimi. www.WOMEnterprises.com

Coming 2019

Yolunda Rená Cooper Cover Story I decided I deserved better and I believed that life could be better on the other side of abuse. And that freedom and true love would be waiting for me as I walk out my destiny.

My name is Yolunda Rená Cooper. CEO/Founder of 4 My Voice Matters, a not-for profit organization that advocates and brings awareness to domestic violence and suicide. I am an International Best-Selling Author of the book Assassination Avoided Destiny Defined.

I was born & raised in the Chicagoland area.

My book (AADD) is a short read about the abuse I survived at the hands of my ex-husband and how I survived being gunned down in 2008. I give signs to look for when faced with abused. Things victims and family/friends of victims can look for. And I give numbers of agencies to assist in several states. With… 4 My Voice Matters is a 501c3 organization and I travel around the country bringing awareness and raising funds to assist programs and shelter that serve victims and survivors of domestic abuse.

Well… I had to overcome my fear of being abused or shot again so I could share my testimony and help others. This is my why! I choose to share my story so others can connect, heal and be freed!

2019 Goals Well I have begun the journey of sharing my story with the world and not just my local area. I would like my book to assist as many as possible and my story of survival help others see and know that there is life after abuse.

Facebook – Y. Rená Cooper Instagram – y.renacooper Twitter - @YRenCooper1 Website - 4myvoicematters.org Email - Yrcooper11@yahoo.com Phone - 708-713-3686

“Empowering YOU, Transforming Lives” Compiled by Rebecca Hall Gruyter I am Rebecca Hall Gruyter, a Leadership Coach, Empowerment Leader, and Influencer committed to bringing experts and influencers forward, so that together we can lean in and make the world a better place, one heart and life at a time. I’m founder of Your Purpose Driven Practice, creator of the Women’s Empowerment Series events/TV shows, and CEO of RHG Media Productions™ .

So many people have told me how they have been powerfully served by daily inspiration books. As for me, I discovered that life is not a solo journey, and have been so very grateful for books that inspired and motivated me, that helped me know I was not alone in the world. So, I thought to invite open-hearted experts from my community to offer their own inspirations, in fact, 365 to walk beside readers every single day. Little did I know that this book would take on a life of its own and guide ME to its completion! It was a powerful experience for myself, my team, and the 40 co-authors. Perhaps that’s why it became a #1 International Bestseller in less than 12 hours!

I believe transformation and living a life on purpose takes place in the mindful choices we make on a daytoday basis. These choices add up to our week, our month - and our life. This book was designed to remind you to stop, pause, and reflect each day. To pour into you, encouragement, truth, motivations, and support on a day-to-day basis. As Zig Ziglar says, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.”

This is a wonderful, and practical, book to have at your side, divided into sections to meet you exactly where you are and support you each and every day of the year. The first section is the daily inspiration in order of the calendar year. The second section is categorized by subject for which you may want particular support. The third section is where you’ll find our authors and ways to connect with those with whom you feel a powerful resonance.

The audience for this book is anyone who wants to feel motivated and supported in their choices, to feel that they’re not alone, that there is someone by their side every single day.

My work supports people who need to understand some truths that will help them live a fully-expressed

life, with purpose and on purpose: We are all beautifully and wonderfully made and needed just as we are. When we step forward and share the gift of us, it makes a difference in our lives and in the lives of those around us. This means we have to be willing to be seen on the same level that we are wanting to serve. The more your SHINE, the more you pave the way for others while sharing the amazing gift of you with the world.

Yes, we’ll be releasing another anthology called Experts & Influencers: The Leadership Edition, in July of 2019. Our amazing co-authors will share their personal expertise on everything from leadership mindset, habits for success, leadership skills and abilities, to showing up and stepping into powerful leadership and influence.

I also coach and support independent authors, so several exciting titles in a range or subject areas are newly released or in the works. I invite readers to connect with me to find out what’s available and to be the first to know what’s coming down the pike.

The Kindle and print versions are available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L32QNL9?fbclid=IwAR15wTZVkeZnaVD6Q1Fyz4fvOzXWrX0JA0O2nPXDh0Zg0tfd6d4akOYz0o Rebecca@YourPurposeDrivenPractice.com Your Purpose Driven Practice www.YourPurposeDrivenPractice.com Owner of www.RHGTVNetwork.com Leadership Coach, Empowerment Leader, Business Coach (925) 787-1572

What if others want to write their story?

I would say that if your heart is being pulled to write but you’ve never done it before, consider looking to be a co-author in an anthology. The compiler is responsible for the details of publishing the book, so you don’t have to have that expertise. You can concentrate on your gifts, your passion, and the message you want people to know. Many of my “new” co-authors have gone on to publish their own books, short stories, or syndicate columns.

Also know that you DO have something to say, there are people who want and need to know the gifts you have to share. So, stay inspired and motivated and it will happen for you!

Spotlight Wendy K. Benson and Elizabeth A. Myers “Most of us understandably feel vulnerable and don’t feel confident when we are sitting in an exam room or lying in a hospital bed, but we can take steps immediately to help feel that way. We need to own our experiences, to let others know how important this critical information is to us, that we are truly invested in our own health and well-being, and that we are passionate about living a healthy, full life with an increased understanding.”

Our book is The Confident Patient, Successfully Navigate Your Healthcare Journey The Confident Patient is written as an extension of our own philosophy: it is important for us to help guide, reassure, and support you and your family, especially when you are dealing with a healthcare crisis. Our company, 2x2 Health: Private Health Concierge, was created to support those who have a healthcare need. Our mission is to guide individuals with complex healthcare issues with our compassionate experts who possess invaluable knowledge, experience and relationships. We focus on care coordination, clinical companionship, as well as health education and wellness. We strongly believe that relationships matter and expertise, care and support, during critical times is an absolute. In this book and when we talk with our patients, our communication style is the same as when we talk with a very close friend. We are all in this together. Our aim with this book is to increase your comfort level, increase your knowledge, and ultimately to increase your confidence level in your healthcare experiences. This book is a guide that provides several real-life examples and gives practical advice that you can use immediately. The tactics in this book will help you feel empowered and more in control.

We have worked together with our team to build this business by helping others, being genuine, and collaborating with medical professionals.

We would like to continue to spread the word that support is out there and available.

Whether you need Care Coordination or the support of one of the thousands of organizations that exist, when you need extra assistance, there are specific ways that you can make or enhance connections, reach out for it. http://www.2x2health.com care@2x2health.com (833) 2x2-NRSE (833) 292-6773 Most of us understandably feel vulnerable and don’t feel confident when we are sitting in an exam room or lying in a hospital bed, but we can take steps immediately to help feel that way. We need to own our experiences, to let others know how important this critical information is to us, that we are truly invested in our own health and well-being, and that we are passionate about living a healthy, full life with an increased understanding.

Share your story and change the world!

Spotlight Arlene Majors “Weeping may endure for a night but JOY comes in the morning!”

Psalm 30: 5

Arlene R Major is originally from Albuquerque, NM the Land of Enchantment. She is the oldest of three children; she has one brother and one sister. Arlene’s Dad passed in 2010 and her mother is living somewhere in the United States; they have not been able to speak in over 5 years. She is a happily married mom with four children and soon to be first time Grand momma. Arlene started writing in high school but always kept it to herself because she never really thought anyone would take it seriously. She dabbled in poetry as well as magazine articles. In 2014 after much encouragement from her aunt and her cousin; she started her first blog site called ‘Joy Does Come in the Morning.’ She has been writing ever since. Arlene penned the name ‘Lady Blue’ after her first ‘open mic’ session and a piece she wrote called, ‘Forgiveness.’

Arlene started doing radio in 2015 and she has been with wmskonlineradio.com since 2015. Things seemed to have blossomed since then with events, meeting and speaking with celebrities and artists and mostly inviting the community to see that there is still some good in the world. She also writes for World Prayer, a Christian website and Urban Image. She has penned articles for ‘Compulsive magazine’ and for the upcoming ‘State vs. Us, magazine’ due out in 2018. Writing her personal story has allowed her to not only reflect, but too share what her life was like, in the hopes that it would help someone else.

We are Spotlighting Arlene for her, 50 Shades of Blue which came about when she turned 50 and was reflecting on her life and how she could give back at this stage in her life. “Being that I have survived domestic violence, it only seemed fitting to have an event that would give survivors and victims’ alike a place to gather, share and uplift each other.” Domestic Violence, now called Intimate Partner Violence or IPV, is a stigma in our society. It is something that when it happens, the situation is swept under the rug and ignored until someone dies as a result of the violence. It is not an easy subject to talk about or to live through or live with. She wanted to use her voice to let others know that together if we combine our efforts, we can raise enough awareness that we are not ignored. Arlene spoke with us and said, “Our current administration wants to treat this violent act as a preexisting condition or something that we asked

for. That is not true and the victim is not the problem. We need to wipe the societal view that it only happens to women. Men and children are also affected. It is not just in heterosexual relationships that it happens. The LGBTQ community deals with high rates of violence and homicide. Children are affected in many ways as well as social, economic and other areas. Pets even suffer the consequences of this act. We have too many lazy laws and too many people that don't see that all suffer when it comes to this type of violence.”

When speaking on the topic of overcoming, Arlene said; “I have won awards over the past few years for my writing and involvement in the community. I would have to say that my biggest success is when I learned to forgive.” “It takes a lot for someone to understand and to do that without looking back. It was not something that I needed validation for. It was something that I needed for me and for those in my life currently. Learning to accept my part in what happens in my life and to look at the entire picture not only allows me to have a view of the world that is no longer tainted but allows me to look at the entire picture and see a situation for what it actually is and not what I wish it to be.”

You can contact Arlene R. Majors by visiting her website or email; Ladyblue1.com https://50shadesofbluebalt.wixsite.com/50shadesofblue Arlene’s Lady Blue Book is now available on Amazon.com and you can find Arlene at these Social Media sites.

Instgram: @ladybluu1 (radio and blog) @50shadesofbluebmore (domestic violence advocacy) and @lbfabulous (follow my weightloss journey) Twitter: @ladybluu1, @Alwayzmotivate and @50shadesofblue3 Tumblr: @ladybluu1 Facebook: Inspirational group: Joy Does Come in the Morning: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php? fbid=10210816199582033&set=gm.1735932433084269&type=3 CovenantConnection: https://www.facebook.com/wmskcovenantconnection/ Lady Blue: https://www.facebook.com/TheRealLadyBluu1/

LadyBlueTalkRadioGroup: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1345471592136930/? ref=group_header Lady Blue Radio Show: https://www.facebook.com/Ladybluuone/ 50 Shades of Blue Baltimore: https://www.facebook.com/50shadesbmore/

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Ready to Become an Author If your answer to this question is YES, this class is for YOU!! This class will help dispel the myths and help you to take steps to make this a reality!

There are several ways to go about the process and some questions you need to decide before you begin. So let’s get started right now!!

1.

How will you use your book?

a.

Sell at your events

b.

Give away or sell on your website

c.

Promote yourself or your business

d.

Launch your speaking career

2.

What’s Your budget?

This is your most important decision! So think about it carefully! This will decide everything else in your project!

Once you decide on the subject; Take time to brainstorm on a title! Take out a piece of paper and write down all your ideas. You should just let the creative juices flow! Making a list is the best way to do this.

So, you can look at all your options! Ok! Now your content is chosen, your title is chosen and you have decided your budget and publishing package choice. So it’s time to get the project going. You have to do this part with intention. You must decide to make it happen. You cannot treat it like a hobby. You must make a commitment.

Let WOM Enterprises help you make your publishing experience beautiful and amazing!

Contact us today! www.teresahawleyhoward.com

Thankfulness Sharon Gulley Cultivating a spirit of thankfulness honors God and strengthens our faith. It also strengthens our relationships with other people. We can’t be in a right relationship with God or with anyone without a spirit of thankfulness.

Cultivating a spirit of thankfulness is more than a good idea; it’s a direct command from God. In the Old Testament, God laid down specific guidelines for the Israelites to bring offerings of thanks. In the New Testament, believers are instructed to be thankful in all circumstances.

When we’re struggling with trials and difficulties, this sounds like a strange command, especially since we live in a culture that encourages us to act on the basis of how we feel in the moment; but God knows that when we focus on our blessings instead, it’s easier to keep our problems and concerns in the right perspective.

Being thankful also improves our physical and emotional health. Holding on to feelings of thankfulness boosts our immune system and increases blood supply to our heart. Daily guided affirmations or the habit of keeping a weekly gratitude journal can increase our alertness, enthusiasm, and energy, and improve our sleep. People who describe themselves as feeling grateful tend to suffer less stress and depression than the rest of the population.

Reminding yourself what you have to be thankful for and recording your thankfulness each day helps to cement how thankful you are. It doesn’t matter how difficult your life is at the moment, there is always something to be thankful for. Finding that will help you deal with the other parts of life. Record 3-5 things you’re thankful for at the end of every day. When you’re having a particularly difficult time, it can be beneficial to go back to what you’ve written previously.

Each day as you read the Bible ask yourself, what can I give thanks to God for? There will be many things: for who God is, what he’s life, what he’s done for us in Christ, blessings of friends/family/church. Keep on mulling over/meditating on these things throughout the day, rejoicing and giving thanks to God for them.

This attitude of thankfulness will see you through all the trials and tribulations of life.

I will give thanks to you with all my heart, O Lord my God. I will honor you forever because your mercy toward me is great. Psalms 86:12-13 Ask yourself today: How often do I express gratitude to God or to other people?

Sharon Gulley of Beautiful Expectations of Faith

Sharon Gulley – of Beautiful Expectations of Faith Sharon Gulley is an Author, Co-Author, Editor, and Creative Writer, Article Writer, Spiritual Healer & Coach, Motivational Speaker, Domestic Violence Survivor and Advocate.

Sharon Gulley spiritually counsels Women whose lives have been touched by Domestic Violence to help them to move on from the past in a healthy and productive way. She has also had a secret love for the field of Ancient Medicine; so she is studying in the fields of: Medicine vs. Science, Metaphysical Healing, Ancient Medicine and Spiritualism. She wants to bring back to the world, the Traditional but Ancient ways of healing for those who have been told they are terminally ill.

Sharon’s Books & Co-Authored Books: From Fear to Freedom, Echoes in the Darkness, Sisterhood of Stories, The Beauty of Color-Poetry & Prose, I am Beautiful, Resilient, and The Butterfly Flutters By - Poetry. Books can be found on Amazon.com

Connect with Sharon Gulley at: Facebook.com – Sharon Gulley Sharongulley.weebly.com – website Twitter- @greenilygulley Linkendin.com – Sharon Gulley Amazon.com – Sharon Gulley Poetrysoup.com – Sharon Gulley

Spotlight Dr. Cheryl Lentz

I am Dr. Cheryl Lentz, author, scholar, keynote speaker, business owner, and university professor, known as The Academic Entrepreneur.

“Have the courage to simply begin. Many people talk about writing a book.

Be the one that actually writes your book. The world is waiting!”

My passion is to get doctoral research off the coffee table and out of the hallowed halls of academia to reach a broader audience, particularly within the business community. Often, information gets stuck in the doctoral process; our goal is to build a bridge to connect this research with the people who are searching for these answers. Our purpose is to offer a premier publishing solution for doctoral scholars to publish their research in an easy to understand format to reach beyond the walls of academia into our business communities to provide answers to many of the questions businesses are asking.

With the new generations joining the workforce, many in business remain challenged with how to motivate and inspire these new employees, entrepreneurs, and business owners as they join the work force. Our contributing scholars provide amazing research with these answers and effective and proven strategies to overcome these challenges.

Our primary audience are students and faculty attending institutions of higher learning3. We also appeal to business owners who seek answers to the questions many doctoral scholars ask in their research. We are matchmakers—to connect those asking the questions with those who have found the answers. our next book in the series will be The Refractive Thinker® Vol XVII: Managing a Cultural Workforce: The Impact of Global Employees, with a publishing date of August 1st. 2019.

Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com; and please join us for our Book Signings at DePaul University in http://refractivethinker.com/authors/dr-cheryl-a-lentz/ https://twitter.com/DrCherylLentz https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Cheryl.Lentz email: drcheryllentz@gmail.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcheryllentz/

Spotlight Martha Hanlon and Chris Williams

“Your customers don’t care about you. They care about themselves.

Tell them how you take away the problem they want to be rid of .”

We are Martha Hanlon and Chris Williams, founders of Wide Awake Business.

In March we launch our new book, Customertopia, at our retreat, Lead Her Up, for women small business owners making at least $500K in their business.

In Customertopia they’ll discover the insights about their customers they must have in order to be seen and heard in today’s noise, crazy, changing, challenging markets. They’ll be guided on how to uncover those insights, how to use them and then how to put them to work to create a business that’s machine-like, fun and profitable…rather than something that’s different everyday which is highly unprofitable, unpredictable and stress-producing. We share and guide small business owners to the real path to build a business that grows.

Businesses grow when you build your business from your customer’s point of view, from them in to you, and you speak the language of your customer. Then you have what most small business owners want—an easier, simpler and more profitable business!

We’re sharing this in detail because many of your readers want to know, not just the problem we had, but how we pulled ourselves out of it.

Like many businesses we were deeply affected by the recession of 2009. We lost about 75% of our revenue as our clients retracted their business development efforts, pulled back on their marketing, sales and team development. Our Ideal Customers no longer wanted the things they were desiring before. They wanted something else, something different. But customers don’t send you a letter telling you what they want! You have to become a detective to determine their new desires.

We watched their behavior, talked to our prospects…asked them questions that revealed their desires for themselves and their businesses as their businesses were hurting, too. We reworked the services we offered based on the information we were gathering, and we, frankly, cut back

how we were personally paid. We didn’t turn things around right away. One of the lessons we’d share with our readers is to be patient when you make changes. Be persistent and consistent in conveying what you do for your clients, particularly as you make changes. Don’t pull the plug immediately on new things you try to reinvigorate your business…but also don’t hang on too long to things that aren’t working for you. That’s called “busy, but not productive” work.

When we got stuck, didn’t know exactly what to do, we sought help from those who did know.

Any of your readers who feel stuck should do the same thing…hire a business mentor who can see your business with fresh eyes to target the efforts that can end (not productive) and what to start (that will turn the business). This is one of our “Super Powers” at Wide Awake Business!

Our efforts to regroup, to align to the new requirements of our Ideal Customer enabled us to first survive the recession, and then to conquer it and begin to grow again.

What we experienced will sound familiar to many of your readers. Where there might be a difference is: are they still doing too many things themselves? Doing rather than leading their business? Getting stuck and not know what to do next so they sit still? Feeling overwhelmed and stressed about how to grow?

That’s what we’re masters at: taking businesses out of the stuck stage, getting them focused on only the executions that move them forward.

Some of the new things that popped up as the year progressed, we didn’t anticipate in January put exciting opportunities on our plate. This coming March we have created a leadership retreat for women small business owners, called Lead Her Up. This is a small, intimate, invitation-only retreat for women owners making at least $500K in their business. Many of our Wide Awake Business clients are women who own small businesses, $500K to $8M. They have had a difficult time pulling themselves out of “doing” the work instead “leading” the company’s work. And they don’t have a network of women in similar positions to them. We’ll work with them to build their leadership talent for themselves, their team and their Brand. Plus integrate them into a facilitated Master Mind of women peers for support and advancement.

These are just some of the things Lead Her Up will deliver. https://www.facebook.com/wideawakebusiness/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/customernavigator/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/marthahanlon/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriswilliams10/ https://www.instagram.com/wide_awake_business/ https://www.wideawakebusiness.com/ Martha Hanlon: Martha@wideawakebusiness.com 302-212-2643 Chris Williams: Chris@wideawakebusiness.com 530-878-1491