Never Ever Give Up Hope

Fatima Oliver is a wife, mother of four boys, an author, and an extreme lover of chocolate. The loss of her first child was the epitome of heartbreak. She felt like a tremendous failure to her husband and as a woman. When her marriage ended she felt bamboozled as though life was one big joke at her expense. Have you ever felt that way? Both tragedies taught Fatima how unfair life can be but also exposed an opportunity for faith to carry her.  Fatima has embraced self-discovery and acceptance by challenging insecurity, anxiety, and depression from childhood trauma, heartbreak, and physical abuse. The result brought tremendous breakthroughs in her life and helped cultivate some baby steps she shares with others. We are not meant to do life alone. Everyone needs a safe place to fall. It is critical to change a victim mentality to a victory mindset - here is how Accepting hard truths is essential Releasing people from great expectations is a path to forgiveness During Fatima's interview, she will give you the key steps for your soul healing journey and give you the strength to continue: Fatima is offering a bonus for anyone listening to this interview - a 20-minute "Safe Place” session, where you are able to share what's on your heart, uninterrupted. There is great power in being heard and what is shared stays in this safe space.  The Prescription is in the Dirt is a bold, funny, illuminating, and sometimes hard-to-swallow inspirational memoir, that embraces the journey to self-love and acceptance. It served as an extension of freedom and therapy while writing it and is now used to lift the voices of those considering their own soul journey. Speaking the truth in love is not just powerful when it is towards others. It is even more impactful when it is used for self-reflection. Waiting on loved ones to grow, was wasting time I could be using to mature myself. I needed to start participating in the change that was happening in my life instead of reacting to it all the time. This meant releasing unrealistic expectations for people to live up to, and accepting them right where they are. Then, peacefully detached myself from any future scenarios that did not respect my growth. "For years I believed love meant suffering from someone unconditionally. Love is long-suffering but it is also gentle - not a host of emotional and mental torment. But hurt people hurt people.  This truth does not lose its value based on who is dishing out the offense. This is why some people should be loved from across the street. I am thankful for the route I had to take to learn these life lessons. Trudging through discomfort and down-right tragedies helped me to find my identity.    My pain exposed God’s grace. My fears exposed His protection. And the rejection I encountered by those I loved the most, revealed his undying love for me. Our behavior is a reflection of our freedom, and I was bound for most of my life, waiting for someone to come and do for me what I was unwilling to do for myself."  

Lori Vober suffered a massive intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke at age 29, which left her paralyzed on the left side. After a two-month stay in the hospital where she had two brain surgeries, she returned home and her husband lost his job in the aviation industry due to the effects of 9/11.  A cross-country move was necessary while Lori was still in a wheelchair.  Lori developed epilepsy from the stroke and lost more independence. Seven years later Lori and her husband were able to adopt three siblings, two of them with mental illnesses.  Lori's interview was both inspiring and challenging. You will love hearing her story: Life Rarely Turns Out Exactly as You Pictured it We All Face Challenges Along the Way God always has a plan. But He leaves it up to you whether you follow His plan or not Life is about CHOICES Lori Vober chose to depend on God's faithfulness through all life's challenges Everyone has doubts about their own abilities, but God has a plan Believe in Him - Don't give up Your attitude, drive, and enthusiasm can take you further than your talents Find happiness in who God says you are Do not allow someone else to define your happiness  

Almost 8 years ago, Tonya Eberhart’s 20-year marriage ended, and she left behind two businesses. She walked out the door with her first BrandFace book in her hand and a newly founded business of the same name. She had one client. This brought a tremendous amount of stress and pressure but when your dream is strong enough, you push through the pressure. Tonya Eberhart is an international bestselling author, host of the BeBoldBranding Podcast, and founder of BrandFace, a branding firm that helps podcasters, authors, coaches, speakers, and solopreneurs in four countries and 43 US states to stand out and become an authority in their market through the power of personal branding.  Tonya's humble career began while selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door to pay her way through college. This led to a job in radio and listening to local advertising, she realized the power that personal branding has on a business.  Almost two decades and many successful brands later, she founded BrandFace, a personal branding firm comprising a book series, speaking series, and personal branding program designed to help business owners and entrepreneurs differentiate themselves. Tonya and Michael are partners in BrandFace, the only comprehensive personal brand-building system across the globe. Their mantra is, "People don't do business with a logo. They do business with a person." They help speakers, podcasters, authors, coaches, real estate agents, solopreneurs, and business owners to STAND OUT from their competition and attract their ideal customers so they can become recognized and sought-after authorities. In her interview she will share how you can unveil your inner star for massive recognition and riches using their 3-D Formula: People don’t do business with a logo. They do business with a person. Marketing yourself as an entrepreneur and the face of your business has become more complex. New marketing tools and platforms are being introduced almost daily.  In order to break through the clutter and noise, you must define your point of differentiation and learn to develop and display your unique personal brand in a powerful, memorable way.  In this book, you’ll learn many of the principles and tactics we’ve used to position and market our clients for success, such as:  How to Become a Recognized Authority in Your Industry…even if no one knows who you are right now How to Develop an Attractor FactorThat Naturally Appeals to Your Ideal Customers…so you can work smarter, not harder How to Stop the Cycle of Poor Prospectingand Become a Sought After Expert…without the arrogance that can turn prospects away How to Use Today’s Marketing ToolsDifferently…and avoid the same vanilla marketing tactics your competitors are using How to Set Yourself Up for Long Term Success…regardless of the ups and downs of your industry.

Kate Wallinga spent her professional life in the fields of mental health and criminal justice, before breaking her back and being put on permanent disability in 2014. She has worked in the fields of correctional psych, forensic psych, and crisis assessment.  Kate studied criminal justice and mental health counseling and worked in the New Hampshire State Prison system, locked psychiatric facilities, and several emergency rooms. In 2010, Kate had a near-death experience, which led to her being housebound for a year. In 2014, Kate broke her back and had to leave her career. In 2019, Kate's father died by suicide. She has battled health issues including epilepsy and deafness. But, as she will share today, although broken, Kate moved forward and she will show you how to as well - no matter what you have gone through. After accepting the necessity of leaving her preferred career, Kate spent a few years moping, then started listening to podcasts. She loves true crime genre and soon realized this is what she wanted to do - to connect with and share other people's stories.  In her interview, she shares her incredible story and how she became a storyteller, a story-collector, and a.....herder of cats.  Podcasting seemed the logical next step after Kate worked in the fields of forensic and correctional psychology, and crisis assessment. Ignorance Was Bliss is a show about how we become who we are and making just about anything sound normal - from PTSD to podcasting to serial murder. It is about people's stories. This podcast is about how we become who we are - about making just about anything sound normal. Over time, the focus of the show has widened to include the normal, the average, the ordinary, that all of us can understand...but we continue to think of ourselves as somehow messed up, weird, wrong.  We're not. You're not. Honest.

Vickie transformed from a young mom with no experience to a well-known regional advocate for families and children with special needs. “When Jessica was young Vickie experienced many panic attacks. I had three children under the age of five, one who needed total assistance and had complex medical issues. Our financial situation was difficult and I was unable to work because my daughter needed so much care. I ALWAYS felt helpless when Jessica experienced a seizure, I admit that my go-to was panic. Fortunately, my husband was calm, cool-headed when Jess had seizures.” Her interview and her book will delight you and make you want to hear more of her story. It is a must-listen for anyone who has felt like giving up and anyone who has a child with special needs. And….why every family needs to do an exit interview -- what's that? Vickie Rubin, M.S. Ed is the author of  Raising Jess: A Story of Hope, the powerful story of one family’s survival when faced with adversity. Written with compassion, honesty, and humor, it tells of a family changed forever by the birth of a child with special needs, and their courageous decision to choose hope. This beautiful, gripping memoir will delight and leave you wanting more.   One grandparent's review: "I am the father of a grown daughter with a nine-year-old child with special needs similar to Jess. My daughter and I read your book at the same time and found we were constantly laughing, comparing stories, and being amazed at the similarities in their lives and ours. It opened up many conversations allowing us to share our feelings that until then were unspoken."  Vickie’s Views is a hopeful, humorous, inspiring commentary about various topics, including raising a child with a disability, observations of everyday life, family, marriage, plus navigating the world of COVID-19. She started writing the blogs in March 2020, about the same time we were all told: DON’T LEAVE THE HOUSE!   Vickie loves to write and has published numerous essays in her local newspaper, The Buffalo News.  Vickie’s Mom nagged/motivated her to write a book, and her excuses were, “I have three kids, a full-time job – who has time to write a book!"  But then she retired. Still overwhelmed by the task she had boxes of Jessica's notes and journals and she wrote about Jess’ incredible journey from the perspective of a mom who never, ever gave up hope.

On the fast track to startup success, a car speeding through a crosswalk jeopardized everything she’d built in a split second. Constantly battling life-altering trauma, PTSD, a traumatic brain injury, and the cutthroat fashion industry, Just Bones Boardwear founder Jennifer Berk Weisman refused to let the accident define her and steal her identity. She had to do more than reinvent the boardshort. She had to reinvent herself. Jennifer Berk Weisman is the owner of Just Bones Boardwear, a swim apparel company featuring her patented adjustable waist design. She never set out to build a fashion empire. But Jennifer realized there was a void in the market for boys' boardshorts during a frustrating shopping excursion. A creative problem solver, she designed innovative boardshorts that offered the “perfect fit” for boys in-between sizes and didn’t fit traditional fixed-waist boardshorts. Soon after, the brand expanded to include swimwear for toddlers, men, and women. A standout in the swimwear industry, Just Bones Boardwear’s technology won Jennifer two patents and TasteTV’s Best Swimwear of 2016 Award for special functionality. Just Bones Boardwear has been featured in ELLE, InStyle, Vogue, and Fashion Week Online, as well as other major press.  Jennifer’s boardshorts were worn throughout Ghost Shark, an original SyFy movie that premiered in 2013 during Shark Week. Jennifer was a frustrated mom shopping for swimwear every year for her two sons who were lanky and didn’t fit traditional boardshorts or swim volley shorts. She knew there had to be a better way to make more comfortable fitting swimwear for boys who needed an adjustable waist – not one size fits all at that growing age. During her interview, she shares her incredible story of survival against terrible circumstances. Then she shows you how your idea can possibly be a million-dollar one :  

n 2020 Michelle Lazurek was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. This came as the culmination of panic attacks that affected every aspect of her life.  Michelle is a multi-genre award-winning author, literary agent, speaker, and certified writing coach. She is a nine-time award-winning author including a two-time Children's Book of the Year and Article of the Year award winner. She regularly contributes to ibelieve.com and crosswalk.com and is a movie reviewer for Movieguide Magazine and literary agent for Wordwise Media Services. After Michelle's diagnosis in 2020, Michelle learned how to relinquish control and surrender her circumstances, no matter how difficult they were. Many of you will relate with Michelle as she shares the steps she took to overcome anxiety and live life fully. 

Heidi McLaughlin has been widowed twice and is no stranger to suffering but......she found joy in the middle of terrible loss. Her passion for life is contagious. Her story is one you will remember and it will show you how to live a transformed life -- no matter what you have endured. Heidi McLaughlin believes that there is nothing more beautiful than a woman who knows she is loved. Heidi inspires audiences to grasp their magnificence and step up to the plate to embrace their full potential. Heidi speaks across North America and overseas, including Poland, Romania, and Colombia. She has been teaching, speaking, writing, and mentoring women for 29 years. She is an award-winning author and has written several books, study guides, and hundreds of articles. Her newest award-winning book, FRESH JOY: Joy in the Midst of Loss, Hardships and Suffering is helping hundreds in North America and beyond.  Two weeks before Christmas in 1994, her husband Dick went out to a local high school gym to play basketball with his favorite team. That night while playing he died from heart failure. For months Heidi felt as though she was floating in dark, murky water gasping for air and trying to stay afloat. But it was also at this point in her life when she began to learn how to hang on to God with every breath.  Heidi was blissfully married to her second husband, Jack, who had lost his wife to cancer. On November 15th, 2016, Jack went into the kitchen for a cup of coffee, he dropped to the floor and died of a heart attack. Jack was the love of Heidi’s life. The valley of the shadow of death was a time of deep grief for Heidi and her family, but our God is a God of hope and healing of broken hearts. Heidi has experienced much tragedy but has also learned how to recapture her JOY. She would love to show you how you can too. Here is her inspiring interview:

John has been through an incredible life transformation, from childhood sexual abuse, homelessness, and a severe addiction to drugs and alcohol to being a renowned addiction expert with 36 years of sobriety. He started his treatment center with only $300 and sold it for $45,000,000. Currently, he is a published author of three books and the Chaplain for the North Miami Police Department. John has appeared on many national and local television and radio shows as a respected addiction expert. He has also contributed to over 79 scientific peer-reviewed research papers. Research Gate ranks him as one of the top researchers in the world. You do not want to miss one minute of John's story and please share it with anyone who may have a problem with addiction or know someone who does. You could help change their lives. There is one special lesson, one constant that has guided John through the turbulent waters of life..... one infinite rule that most people know but ignore or who simply do not follow their life lessons.  That is, no matter the circumstances, the obstacles, the people who get in our way, or things that slow us down, follow this one simple rule: "Never give up on your dreams, never let go of your passions, and especially never give up on yourself ." John Giordano is a recovering addict who turned $300 into $45 million. His book is a MUST READ! This is how his life was transformed and how he was saved from falling into the abyss of hell by following this one rule and learning how to have a life worth living.  

No one is Born a Legend - but anyone can become one. "It was 2011. I was 36 years old, and a principal at a prestigious financial firm. I drove the luxury car, wore shiny cufflinks, and sat in an all-glass office on the top floor. Even though it looked like I had it all and was an overwhelming success, I found myself lost, alone, and on the brink of death—literally. I was in a ditch somewhere in downtown Atlanta after one ill-fated, horrible evening. Happiness, gratitude, fulfillment, joy? Nope. Those were all unfamiliar emotions. I felt angry, empty, and afraid, living a charade. I was missing something—something very important.  As I looked up at the bright blue morning sky, I asked myself: “How did I get here? How am I going to pick myself up and dust myself off yet one more time?” More importantly, “How many more chances do I truly have to live my life?”  I would have given anything to have this book in my hands back then. If only I had known that I could learn to build and live a Legendary life." Tommy Breedlove is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the book, Legendary. Tommy is a business, relationship, and mindset coach who is a regularly featured keynote speaker at global events. Tommy started his 20-year corporate career at one of the largest financial consulting firms in the world, and eventually became a shareholder, the International Practice Leader, and a member of the board of directors for one of the largest public accounting and financial firms in the southeast U.S. At the top of his career, Tommy experienced a transformational moment inspiring him to walk away from the corporate world to change his life and follow his true calling.  Build a Life of Significance....and a Legacy Tommy now serves clients and audiences everywhere by empowering them to build and live Legendary Lives. He guides people to discover a life of significance while building a lasting legacy. The simple tools he shares will show you how to work in your zone of brilliance, obtain financial confidence, and live with meaning and balance. The goal is to help everybody to become the person they've always wanted to be. You Can Participate in Your Own Rescue Listen and take notes to change your life - starting today: