Author: Impower You

Healing through art & therapy! I used to be depressed and codependent with very low self worth and many unhealthy habits. But several years ago I started the healing process and am sharing what I learned with gratitude and hope for each of us. Peace & hugs, Leah
Book Reviews

Review: The Dressmaker of Khair Khana

Impower You

I love a good story and especially a true story of people who beat the odds, but I get tired of ones that are so sad I don’t even want to finish it.  I can only read about so many victims. I want survivors and adventure in the face of danger or personal growth.  “The Dressmaker of Khair Khana” by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, is not a story of victims. It is a inspiring tale weaving together the power of family, friendship, neighbors, luck, determination and entrepreneurship. All of this happened in the midst of a war. As someone who has never lived in a war zone I cannot begin to relate to hardships that must bring.  I LOVED this book.

Set in Afghanistan during their latest war, the dressmaker is a young women who was determined to provide for her family and keep her sisters from the boredom of no longer being able to go to school or leave their home. Her father and mother were living in another area of the country and the streets were dangerous with no thanks to war. She worried for her family and was at the same time bored. Her sisters and her were not allowed to leave home without a chaperon, and even then were threatened when they went out. So she and her sisters (including a brother who was a stellar beader) started sewing and selling dresses and pant suits to local tailors. She eventually expanded enough to operate a school in her home to teach young women how to be tailors.

A real perk about this book is the men who were supportive and lent a hand.  From her brothers who accompanied her as she walked the city and also assisted with beading to the neighbors who kept her school secret and the tailors who supported her work, there is no lack of men who were not just in the story as oppressors and warriors.  This book is just the write length and is an enjoyable read. It is also a good business book if you are considering the path of self employed life.

What is your favorite book about overcoming the odds to succeeed?

Empowering Discussions, Social Action

What Is Your Intent?

Impower You

Throughout the years my intent has changed so much.  As a child I intended to play with my friends, snuggle with my mom, read book, go on adventures and have lots of toys. As a teenager I intended to have fun, be popular, be treated like an adult and be rich.  In my early twenties I intended to finish school, get a career where I made lots of money,  become a world traveler and fall in love. In my late twenties I intended to  change the world, fight injustice, show people how I was right and they were wrong, and start a family. Now in my early thirties my intent has changed course once again.  I am the same person and a lot of the intents I had still hold sway with me. I still want to have lots of money, but I want to earn it on my own terms. I no longer wish to be famous. Thanks to our celebrity obsessed culture fame now seems like a game with far to many traps and haters to seem fun.  I no longer vie to have the coolest toys and gadgets because I see how all our waste eventually becomes all our pollution and all our crippling health problems.

My main intent these days is inner peace. I am no longer looking for fights where I can be the victor and prove others wrong. I wish to be for peace, love, personal responsibility, tolerance, respect and acceptance for everyone and everything in our world. I do not intend to be against anything. Negativity holds no interest to me anymore. Gone is the drama entertainment, gone is the judgement of right and wrong, gone is wasting time hating and changing others. The world is way too many shades of dazzling colors to be only this or that. So as you fight against the pain, the media influence, the governmental control, and any injustice you face, I will fight for your right to be intelligent, compassionate, a critical thinker and an individual. I believe in you.

What is your intent?

Empowering Discussions

Altruistic Anniversary

Impower You

I found Cecily’s Closet on Facebook and was immediately hooked. They are a small, but loving volunteer corporation that lends a hand to families of special need children. It was started by a mother who was so thankful for all the help she received with her own daughter that she wanted to give back to others in the same situation.  I love being able to share their altruism and inspire you to put more good into our beautiful world.

In the past two years they have accomplished quite a lot:

– 22 room makeovers with 2 more currently in progress
– Provided just shy of a hundred belly bands to children with feeding tubes
– Recycled durable medical equipment to children in need of resources to help them achieve their goals
– Provided Christmas baskets to 80+ children with special needs and their families
– And shared various donations with families in need – toys, books, and lots and lots of love and encouragement!

Follow the Cecily Closet Blog   or their Facebook Page.

 Remember only you can make today great.

Art

Art on Wednesday

Impower You

Available as a greeting card on Zazzle.com/OviedoStyle

and just for your enjoyment on Facebook.com/OviedoStyle

Book Reviews

Another Book Update

Impower You

Below is a list of organizations that received a free copy of my book, I Am More Than Just a Girl.  On Friday I will be meeting with a local youth organization about my book and curriculum.

  -FLY Girls Mentoring, Houston, TX        -Healthy Start, Fall City, WA

-SANDAPP, San Diego, CA        -Girl Power United, Chesapeake, VA 

-Young Women Empowered, Langley, WA      -Malibu House of Hope, Agoura Hills, CA 

-Girls Leadership Institute, Emeryville, CA       -The Priceless Project, Lancaster, P

-Malibu House of Hope, Agoura Hills, CA       -Women’s Resource Center, Oceanside, CA

-Young Women Empowered, Langley WA      -Big Dreamz Inc., Charlotte NC

Thanks to all my supporters for helping me live my dream and also supporting the empowerment of young women.

🙂

Book Reviews

Think Like An Entrepreneur

Impower You

Today I want to share a great book for entrepreneurs.  It is called “Think Like An Entrepreneur: What You Need To Consider Before You Write A Business Plan” by Deborah A. Bailey.  This book contains practical advice from  seventeen successful business owners. Read this book so you “know where to start, gain control over how you think about money so that you can create a profitable business, decide what type of business is right for you, become an entrepreneur at any age or stage of your life.”

The author Deborah A. Bailey is a celebrated author and coach who has been a career expert on many tv and raio shows throughout her career. She earned two degrees and worked in the corporate world for several years before starting her own coaching business. In 2011 she was named one f the  25 Career and Women Bloggers Worth Reading by BlogHer.

I contributed advice in the book from what I learned with my first high end clothing business that I successfully operated for 5 years before taking the leap to follow my passion in art and empowerment. You can read part of what I shared in the book below. Then go buy the book on Amazon, at just $3.39, it is a great deal.

What is your advice for someone considering entrepreneurship today?
Go for it, but only if you can create a business around a product or service that you love. Don’t jump into it without research and planning. You will feel more confident and be less stressed if you are knowledgeable about what it takes to
start, grow and maintain a business.

In your opinion, what are the three most important things to do before starting a business?
If I had to pick just three important aspects of starting a business they would be:
1. Have a business plan.
2. Take a course on marketing or read as many books as possible.
3. Find a mentor.
Your business plan doesn’t have to perfect, but writing out your goals and how you will achieve those goals will keep you on track. You may have the best business ever, but if you don’t have a way to reach new customers, you won’t make any money. There are thousands of ways to market a business, but what works for one won’t work for yours. Learn how to create a marketing plan that attracts customers who actually want what you offer. You can learn as much from a book as you can from a class.

What can I say to explain how important it is to have a mentor? I was blessed with a mother who is an entrepreneur. When I actually listed to her, I succeeded. Her advice has been invaluable. Find a mentor that wants you to succeed. Don’t take advice from just anyone. Your mentor should be interested in your business, have experience in that industry and genuinely care whether you succeed or fail. Ask the people you already know if they can recommend a mentor, otherwise you can check with SCORE or your local chamber of commerce to find a mentor.

🙂

Book Reviews

Book Review: Red Flags

Impower You

The Little Black Book of Big Red Flags

I LOVED reading this book. It is funny and spot on. If you are in a relationship read this NOW!   If you not in a relationship,but might want one someday read this NOW!

There’s so many great flags, that I cannot remember them all.  I also love the funny stories that people have shared.

  • If they mess with your mind, they are an asshole.
  • If someone says they are not ready to settle down, don’t waste your time. They may never be.
  • If someone is part of a family that treat each other like shit, they will treat you like shit.
  • If you have a one night stand/hookup/ sex with someone you don’t already know or barely know they are not looking for anything serious. Do not stick around in the morning.
  • If someone is a jerk, you are not going to be the one to change them. That is an inside job.
Do any of those points sound like your relationships? If so read the darn book and read it NOW!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Black-Book-Flags/dp/1440512655

WHAT IS A RED FLAG THAT YOU CAN SHARE? Leave a comment below.

Empowering Discussions

From Pajamas to Documentaries

Impower You

Jaz Gray has been actively making  a difference in the world from a young age. She has done this wile also excelling at school, graduating from college and having 32 surgeries since she was a child.  Jaz is a survivor of AVM, Arteriovenous Malformation. This birth defect affects hundreds of thousand of people around the world. It causes health problems ranging from disfigurement to death. But this has only inspired Jaz to work harder and move past being a victim to being a survivor.

There is no cure yet for AVM and Jaz looks different than most people because of her deformations.  But what you will notice and love about Jaz is her spirit. In high school she started pajama drives for other children who spend an unreasonable amount of time in hospitals. She expanded to give pajamas to children in homeless shelters as well. Today she is creating a documentary to bring awareness about AVM. Her ultimate goal is to fund a cure and rid the world of this debilitating disease once and for all.

Her pajama drive video

Her documentary film teaser:

It starts with one person, one idea, one passion for change.  You can be the next person to change the world. You don’t have to be a president, an actor or a billionaire to make positive change.  You are powerful, intelligent, compassionate and important. Let these people inspire you to create positive change in your community. It all starts with you taking action.

Empowering Discussions

Women Making Change

Impower You

I have read several articles stating that women were the driving force behind the middle east protests in 2011. This makes sense to me, since the civil rights movement in the USA was started by women(african american).

hwhtw's avatarHelping Women Helps the World

Dalia Mogahed reminds us that “30 percent of those who braved the tanks in the Arab Spring were women.”

20120419-190629.jpg

View original post

I Am More Than Just a Girl Book

Collaborating with Youth Mentoring

Impower You

More Than Just a Girl is featured on the website Youth Mentoring Ideas, http://youthmentorideas.com/working-with-youth-in-other-ways-a-starter-list/

We are collaborating together and so I have featured them on my website:  http://morethanagirl.webs.com/moretoshare.htm

I want to support  young women more resources so they can be strong independent individuals AND support other businesses at the same time.  Years ago I read a book titled, Blue Ocean Strategy, and the main point of this book was that there is enough room for everyone to be success. It doesn’t say competition is wrong, but shows that there are other ways to succeed.  Since I am naturally not competitive, but love to play, this is the best way for me to grow my own business.

When was the last time you collaborated with stellar results?