Advertise on podcast: Soraya -Be Convinced! Sharing Lifechanging Stories of Hope

Meet Beate Chelette, an author, founder of the Women’s Code, and what she likes to describe herself as “A Growth Architect”.  Beate was a broke single mom, a first-generation German immigrant, and $135,000 in debt.  How did she go from these challenging circumstances to eventually selling her business to Bill Gates for millions of dollars during a recession?  You will find out about her passion for helping women learn how to collaborate and support each other better which led her to establishing the Women’s Code.  As a growth architect, she teaches how you can turn your talent into a business and then grow it.  Her book is titled Happy Woman Happy World – The Foolproof Fix That Takes You from Overwhelmed to Awesome and is an impactful read for women of all ages. Book: Happy Woman Happy World – The Foolproof Fix That Takes You from Overwhelmed to Awesome Website:  https://beatechelette.com/ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GrowthArchitecture Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beatechelette/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beatechelette

Vickie Rubin is an award-winning author, educator, and advocate.  She is the mother of a child named Jess, who has a rare chromosome deletion and who has been disabled all her life as a result.  Vickie has not only intimate personal knowledge and experience with having a disabled child, but she also has considerable professional experience working with families who have children with special needs.  And, she passionately advocates for these families.  We discussed her book titled Raising Jess – A Story of Hope.  It is a memoir of the highs and lows of raising her daughter and is filled with lots of laughter and unwavering hope. Book:  Raising Jess – A Story of Hope Website: https://vickierubin.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RaisingJessStory/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raisingjessstory.vickierubin/?hl=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickie-rubin-aa1a09177/

Dr. Vermelle Greene is an author, educational consultant, teacher-trainer, mentor, and a homeschool grandparent.  She has experience of over 50 years as an educator and school administrator. Dr. Greene firmly believes that the way a child learns is affected by the child’s gender.  And, since boys learn differently than girls, they should be taught differently, but unfortunately, they often are not.  The result is that many boys are not succeeding in school as they should be and that affects their entire education and ultimately, their success in life.  She established the organization Sacred Boys which is dedicated to assisting those who educate boys and young men through a Christian-centered lens and provides many resources to help them. We had a fascinating discussion about this subject as well as about her book titled Teach Me Like I’m a Boy! Ten Steps to His Success in School and in Life.  If you are the parent or grandparent of a boy, and if you are involved with educating boys, you will definitely benefit from this podcast. Book: Teach Me Like I’m a Boy! Ten Steps to His Success in School and in Life  Website: https://www.sacredboys.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sacredboys Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/sacredboys95/

Pamela M. Covington  is a speaker, author, anti-poverty advocate and a women’s transition coach. She has earned multiple degrees, including two master’s degrees. Pamela shares with us her story of many struggles and hope.  It’s not an average story.  She went from middle-class comfort to fleeing with her children from her boyfriend who had PTSD.  That led her into deep poverty and living on welfare, but she did not stay there. She struggled through many challenges and was eventually able to lift herself and her children out of poverty to a new life.  Pamela’s book is titled A Day at the Fare: One Woman’s Welfare Passage.   Her passion is to help women develop resilience to overcome life’s adversities. Book: A Day at the Fare: One Woman’s Welfare Passage Website: http://www.pamelamcovington.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepamelamcovington/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamelamcovington/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelamcovington/

My guest Phebe Trotman is an author and an accomplished athlete, having won many accolades as a soccer player. Phebe’s book is titled Never Quit on a Bad Day – Inspiring Stories of Resilience.  It is a compilation of personal stories from Phebe and 9 other contributors that illustrate the power of never quitting.  Phebe shares her story of challenges playing soccer, but she did not let defeat stop her, and her accomplishments, as a result, have been many.  She describes herself as a living testament that anything is possible with hard work, dedication, and a team-centered approach. She also shares with us some of her exercises and activities that have helped her grow on her journey to success so that you can consider incorporating them into your life too. Book:  Never Quit on a Bad Day – Inspiring Stories of Resilience Website: https://neverquitonabadday.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NeverQuitOnABadDay Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/NeverQuitOnABadDay/

My guest Dr. Guy E. Glad is a man for all seasons.  He is an ordained minister, an integrative Christian therapist, an organizational leader, and an educator. Add to all that, he is an author too! Dr. Glad shares how he was raised in a family where his father was an alcoholic and verbally abusive. He joined the armed forces as an army chaplain and served honorably for 28 years.   While there, he worked with his soldiers as an alcohol and drug addiction therapist, after observing patterns that he had seen growing up and providing much needed support to them.  He also specialized as a therapist dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder treatment. We discussed his 3 books. His first book is The Siren Song of Alcohol Use: Ambushed and through it, he seeks to help those struggling with the challenges of alcohol abuse. His second book is Personal Peace: Embrace the Promises and with this book, he hopes to help those who struggle with anxiety and there is a 42-day devotional plan as well.  His last book is Resilient Faith of Biblical Proportions: Triumphant, Effective, Eternal, where he examines the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11.  Dr. Glad encourages us to manage our negative emotions and live a life with hope, not anxiety. Books: The Siren Song of Alcohol Use: Ambushed; Personal Peace: Embrace the Promises; Resilient Faith of Biblical Proportions: Triumphant, Effective, Eternal Website: https://www.guyglad.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.GuyEGlad LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guyglad/

Are you a business owner who finds social media daunting?  You know that you must be present on social media, but you are uncertain what to do? Or perhaps you have a hodge podge approach – posting but not certain whether you are reaching the right people? Meet my guest Julia Pearson, a marketing strategist who focuses on helping businesses develop good relationships with social media. She is the CEO of Stratos Creative Marketing, a small business that she established, and which has grown from 1 to 10 employees now.  As most small business owners know, there are many challenges that will confront them, and the key is not to give up.  Julia tells us how during the pandemic, customers cancelled marketing contracts and she and her husband depleted their savings keeping the business afloat. They were successful in doing that and she is proud of it. Her website, stratoscreativemarketing.com is filled with resources for “do it yourself” social media. During our talk, she gave business owners some tips on how we can handle our social media better and faster. Website: https://stratoscreativemarketing.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stratoscreative/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliablock/

Kyle Gillette is a business coach and author.  His experience is quite diverse, having run four businesses and a non-profit during his professional career.  He is passionate about helping businesses to grow and reach new heights, whether through coaching programs with individuals or groups. He has built a 4-part framework for leadership, which involves self-awareness, accountability, a growth mindset, and empowering others.  We talked about this framework and his book titled Right Now Leadership – A 4-Part Framework for Today’s Leader. Kyle gives us hope that we can harness our leadership strengths for greater success. Book: Right Now Leadership – A 4-Part Framework for Today’s Leader Website: https://blueshirtcoaching.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/blueshirtgroup Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blueshirtcoaching/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-gillette/

My guest Oksana Kukuruzda is a management consultant.  But, for our podcast, we will talk about her role as an author and a proud daughter of Ukrainian parents.  She has written a non-fiction book titled Sunflowers Bend but Rarely Break, where she invites readers to learn about Ukrainian history and national identity through her parents’ experiences and struggles during World War II and its aftermath.  Sunflowers are the national flowers of Ukraine.  She tells us about the approximately 12 million Eastern European slave workers during that war who endured many hardships.  These facts are not readily known to us, but she has discovered that and much more through her research.  Her parents eventually migrated to the U.S.  It’s a fascinating story about the resilience, courage, and determination of the Ukrainian people.   Book: Sunflowers Bend but Rarely Break Website: https://sunflowersrarelybreak.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okukurudza2/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oksana-kukurudza/

My guest Elle O’Flaherty is an executive coach and performance optimization speaker.  She specializes in ADHD coaching for executives and professionals as well as other members of the ADHD community.  ADHD is the acronym for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder which is a medical condition that can be effectively treated.  She personally understands the challenges and strengths of ADHD, as she has ADHD herself.  Elle established an executive coaching firm known as Interlace Solutions and is passionate about the tremendous benefits that coaching can have, especially for those who have ADHD.  She explains that it is estimated that between 4% to 10% of Americans have ADHD but because of the stigma associated with it, many people do not want to get tested.  Her goal is to help people move from hopelessness and depression to living a life filled with possibilities and hope, building upon their strengths, and creating systems and tools to give them the support they need. Website: https://www.interlacesolutions.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elleoflaherty/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elle-oflaherty/

Laura Mangum Broome is an author and resilience coach who has an action plan for transforming pain into purpose.  I must say that “resilient” is a word that truly describes her.  Laura inspires us with her stories of triumph over adversity as she successfully faced the challenges of open-heart surgery during the Covid pandemic and then a sudden divorce after many years of marriage.  Her book is titled Flourishing After Adversity: A 3-Step Action Plan to Transform Pain Into Purpose and Embrace Joy Again.  Her 3-Step resilience action plan has helped many to overcome their fears and find new hope, joy, and purpose in life. She is offering her book with the 3-step program at no cost to you - all you will have to do is visit the link on her website and pay for shipping and handling.  As Laura likes to say, don’t remain trapped in the cocoon of adversity. Transform into a butterfly and spread your wings and fly! She is here to help you do just that. Website: https://www.icope2hope.com/ Book: Flourishing After Adversity: A 3-Step Action Plan to Transform Pain Into Purpose and Embrace Joy Again Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/icope2hope/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icope2hope/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-mangum-broome-96473539/

Have you felt that you are not happy with where you are in life and just did not want to stay feeling that way?  Have you considered seeking the assistance of a life coach? My guest Jennifer Chapman is a certified life coach and speaker who is passionate about inspiring others to overcome a victim mentality and embrace their inner warrior. Jennifer knows all too well what it is like to feel stuck.  She was a very successful sales executive who was driven to achieve.  However, at the age of 34, she suffered a stroke and went through a long journey of rehab.  And, she also carried with her grief for many, many years because of the sudden death of her mother when she was a child. When she found herself frequently sitting in her car crying, she realized that she did not want to stay where she was.  She reached a point in her life when she sought the assistance of a life coach, and her personal growth was tremendous.  Wanting to help others break out of those limiting beliefs and expand and grow, she became certified in life coaching and established her business Just Commit Coaching.   Website: https://justcommitcoaching.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.chapman.96 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indymindsetcoach/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferchapmanmindsetcoach/