Get ready to be inspired!  

My guest this week, M. Teresa Lawrence, who has one of the most inspiring stories I’ve heard in a very long time.  

She is an award-winning author, international speaker, and leadership coach. She is the founder and president of the Trueness Project, a non-profit dedicated to empowering children and adults to cherish their imagination and own their power to write their own narratives. 

Hear the amazing story of how Teresa and her family came to the U.S. as Cuban refugees after her father was put in prison for being “an enemy of the state”.  After they secured his release, they were able to get to Spain, where her father finalized his credentials and became a pediatrician.  

Teresa’s book, Gloriousness, was inspired by her grandmother, who was a master storyteller and knew the power of story. Before they left Cuba, her grandmother knew that Teresa was going to go through a lot of terrifying experiences.  So, she gave Teresa a doll, and counseled her, “Whatever happens to you, keep sharing your stories with this doll, and make sure that whatever stories you tell, the outcome will always be glorious.”

And with that, Teresa and her family finally were able to leave Cuba and go to Spain, where she continued to tell her stories to the doll.  

Many years later, today as a former refugee, Teresa has witnessed the horror being perpetrated on children who are caught up in war zones and border disputes and felt she had to do something for them.  This led to write her book, Gloriousness, a story about a little girl who always manages to find a glorious ending to her life experiences no matter how challenging they are.  

As part of her mission today, through her non-profit, The Trueness Project, Teresa is donating her award-winning transformational children’s book to disadvantaged children throughout the world.  In 2023, she traveled to Kenya as part of a group dedicated to supporting the education of children, and spoke before thousands of children and educators, giving away copies of her book to all of them. 

She was invited to return to Kenya in December, 2023, and was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by the Kenyan government for her work with the children there.   

As if this weren’t enough, Teresa is presently working on the Grand Butterfly Gathering scheduled for June 29,2024 where her nonprofit the Trueness Project will host the largest number of people dressed as butterflies in history both in person and virtually. 

A world record will be set, and a joyous community of change makers will make a statement dressed as butterflies that they stand for a world filled with community, creativity and love. 

If you’ve always wanted to dress up like a butterfly and it isn’t Halloween, learn how you can get involved in the Grand Butterfly Project.  Teresa is looking for “Butterfly Captains”. You can be a part of creating this world record!

In addition, if you’ve always wanted to be an author, be in a TV documentary, and travel to Costa Rica, holding light for the planet, there is still time to get in on her Butterfly Sanctuary Retreat offering, Feb.19-25.  Link is below for more information.

Connect with Teresa and learn how you can support/participate:

Email: yourtrueness@gmail.com

https://www.instagram.com/thebutterflygathering/

https://form.jotform.com/Pattie_pattiesadler/actiontaker?fbclid=IwAR2rm1XeFQqQm7S7WWluZtiba3ZyimhLQxDW01HPvs-zR5Hq3-4y1VpJe80- discount link for Costa Rica

 Musings and Meditations Legacy Audio Series- 9 meditations based on my writing, set to music

 FREE copy of my Seasons of A Life video

Use the link below to leave a message, respond to a question or to give us feedback on the podcast: 

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thenewbeyond/message

Judith’s email:  judith@judithrich.com 

Facebook Group: Living in The New Beyond

 Original theme music: “Each of Us”, was written and performed by Ken Ashby, and produced by Gopal Metro of Metro Studios.