Exceptionalpeoplemagazineseptemberoctober2013issue

www.exceptionalmag.com

September-October 2013

CONTENTS Extraordinary Profiles 4

Dr. Joel Martin— A Transformational Icon Impacts Lives Around the World

12 Veronica Conway—A Mastermind at Helping Others to Unleash Their Potential

Minding My Business 20 Chef Kermit Griffin— Delivering Unmatched Perfection from the Oven to the Palette 27 5 Key Pillars to a 6-Figure Business 31 Do You Leak Secrets Through Body Language When Negotiating

Empowerment

32 Business Networking: Following Up with a Thank You Note

36 How Loving Parents Raise Spoiled Kids: 10 Bad Signs and 10 Good Tips

36 Building Wealth with Your IRA

38 Are You Better Today Than You Were Yesterday?

39 How to Be a More Patient Person 40 Forgiveness: Acceptance and Letting Go 41 Stay Focused on Your Core Genius 43 Five Ways to Get More From Your Job

Cover design by Jeff Hayes

“The price of excellence is discipline.”

William Arthur Ward

Publisher’s Letter Dear Friends, Welcome to September/October 2013 issue of Exceptional People Magazine.

As quickly as it arrived, the summer season has come to an end. I hope many of you have reached new heights, broken new records, and achieved new goals.

I know that this year has been and continues to be challenging for many of you, as you experience the impact of job losses, housing foreclosures, and the repercussions of a sluggish economy.

I encourage you to stand tall and continue to press forward. Within every challenge, there is a lesson-learned and an opportunity for new growth. Your success does not depend upon the state of the economy. It depends upon your ability to see beyond your immediate circumstance and your desire to take consistent action. Can you envision yourself succeeding and earning an amazing income, even though you just lost your job? Can you see yourself living in a brand new home, even though you just lost your current home? It is possible and it happens everyday. It can happen for you too.

Many of the stories in this issue are about transformation – taking “current unpleasant or negative situations” and turning them into unlimited possibilities.

Changing the way you view your challenges is necessary if you are destined to overcome them. Readjust your mindset and develop a new vision and mindset of abundance.

How do you see your life changing from this day forward? What are some things you can do right now?

Make a list of things you can do to begin making small changes, so that you can get back on the path to great achievements. Identify the many skills and talents you have but are not using, and begin thinking about how you can use them to create a new life for yourself.

If you are currently accomplishing your dreams, then I congratulate you and wish you continued success.

If you are encountering obstacles along your path to success, then I encourage you to not give up, but become an actionaire – take positive steps daily towards changing your life. The power to succeed lies within you.

Please check out my new books: Welcome to the Top: http://amzn.to/13czGph and Start Your Business Right: http://amzn.to/15n0nXC. Visit www.secretstosuccessbooks.com to learn much more about these two great resources and my special offer.

Let me know how I can help you succeed.

With every wish for great achievements,

Exceptional People Magazine is not just a magazine. It is a life-changing experience.

September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 3

Dr. Joel Martin A Transformational Icon Impacts Lives Around the World

Extraordinary Profiles

As one of America’s first women to own and operate a full-service advertising agency, Dr. Joel Martin helped set the stage for other women who followed in that industry.

After more than 15 years as an ad agency owner, Dr. Martin combined her creative genius with other unique transformational programs and began sharing her knowledge on the world’s stage.

She speaks to audiences around the world on such topics as how to develop diverse and inclusive cultures, how to be a transformative leader, and how to be a positively powerful person. Her audiences have included people representing American Express, Ohio State University, Boeing, the National Geographic Society and 3M. As the President of Triad West Inc., she is a creative powerhouse who knows how to reach individuals at their core and inspire them to transform their lives from the inside out.

“I discovered that I enjoyed and loved being a catalyst to people’s shifts and changes, and transformations.

Transformation is making a mind shift, reinventing how you come across to people and having a whole new set of possibilities. It’s bigger than just identifying limiting beliefs,” says Dr. Martin.

Dr. Martin has delivered powerful and impactful presentations in China, Russia, the Republic of South Africa, Norway, Malaysia, and many other countries, proving that she has the ability to affect change in people of all backgrounds. As a Diversity and Inclusion Expert, she has enabled major corporations to realize diversity from a different perspective and experience the continuing benefits of incorporating a diverse culture within their organizations.

Among other accomplishments Dr. Martin also serves as a commissioner on the Human Relations Commission in the city of Scottsdale, Arizona, and she serves as a board member of American Baptist Homes of the West (ABHOW).

She is the author of How to Be a Positively Powerful Person! and Get the “Me” Brand Awareness the Positively Powerful Way. She also produces the annual Positively Powerful Woman Awards program, which recognizes women for their leadership roles and positive impact on humanity.

Dr. Martin shared with Monica, the founder of Exceptional People Magazine, her enthusiasm for positively impacting and transforming the lives of individuals and businesses.

Monica: Many years ago you became one of America’s first women to own and run a full-service advertising agency. Since it was a time when only a few women were involved in that field, what was it like being in advertising then, especially as an African American Woman?

Dr. Martin: My agency produced award-winning work for our clients who wanted expertise in target marketing. Our slogan was “Creative Solutions to Marketing Problems” and we became known for that. For example, the Black Owned Communications Alliance “Superman” ad and the campaign “Being Black in America - A Real Picture”. We were shaping attitudes and making a difference. We, as owners of Black owned agencies, were together on this. As it happens with many businesses, JPMA started out small and as the client work began to increase, it became newsworthy.

I think it was myself, Barbara Proctor who was the first, and later Carolyn Jones...we were the new kids on the block. I had interviews with the New York Times, the Today Show, and other media outlets. We knew we were pioneers. I was one of the specialists in minority/ethnic/ women-oriented/urban marketing. It was highly competitive, fulfilling, challenging, barrier breaking and fun.

Monica: At that time when the field was dominated by men, were there any particular challenges that you had to overcome?

Dr. Martin: Well, I didn’t realize it was a challenge. It was just the way things were in any industry at the time.

Yes, I’d compete against men for the account but it was the September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 5

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when she wasn’t working and we could share those things together.

I went to college at Ohio State University with the intention of becoming a school teacher, but the way education was taught in those days was not interesting to me. Now you have a whole different way of creating curriculums.

So, I changed majors to art -- painting and graphics -visual communication as it was called then. After college, I was recruited by IBM and then by an industrial design firm where I worked on corporate identity programs.

Monica: You later decided that you could have more impact on people’s lives by speaking to them directly. So you decided that you wanted to help people uncover their true potential and become powerful individuals within themselves. You’re now a specialist in what you call Transformational Leadership. Can you describe what that is?

work that was most important to me. Even then I had a love of people. I had a love of communicating to my audience creating those incredible campaigns for Anheuser-Busch and other companies and, in my agency, having a great team to work with.

They were people I enjoyed spending time with, whom I felt were abundantly creative in whatever their specialty was, whether it was music production, art direction, research, marketing, PR or copywriting.

I don’t know that I felt the man/woman type of challenges because I was selling a product. I was selling something that I believed in. It was our creative product.

Monica: Advertising and marketing requires you to have a lot of creativity, so what drew you to that particular field? When did you learn that kind of talent or skill?

Dr. Martin: Probably my artistic side flourished at a very young age. My mother was a great writer, not a copywriter, but she would draw pictures and write poems and decorate her stories. I was used to being around her when she would write and draw things to share her love and entertain.

I was raised by a single mother. She was a very wonderful mom. Those were some special times for me 6 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

Dr. Martin: Yes. I assist people in reinventing themselves so that they have a whole new way of being, thinking and creating. What this leads to is their overcoming limiting beliefs, making the seemingly impossible possible, experiencing greater joy, abundance, self-esteem and fulfillment in life. Through my coaching and trainings, clients shift the way they think, their interpretations and the choices that they make to create results. The shift for me, being a marketing and advertising professional, to becoming a transformational trainer and traveling all over the world, really happened because I experienced it myself.

Awareness and experience is key to the process of change. I was enrolled in a transformational training program and up to that time didn’t know anything about it.

I discovered that I enjoyed and love being a catalyst for having people’s dreams come true, having a whole new set of possibilities and discovering how wonderful they really are.

My programs include one-on-one and group coaching. I offer those who are looking for breakthrough results quickly a day of emersion that’s pretty intense. I spend the day just with them on their transformation bringing all of my commitment and skills to them. I also design and deliver transformational trainings for corporate groups reinventing corporate cultures for team building, diversity, leadership, vision and values alignment for example.

Extraordinary Profiles

You’ve probably heard the expression, “get out of the box”, well transformation is inventing your box and making it large enough to handle and generate more of what you want personally, professionally and in your relationships. I have a lot of examples of this success from my work around the world.

It’s not living a little more or a little better. It’s fundamentally reinventing oneself at the source. That’s the work that I facilitate.

the same time come out of it with something that makes you smile.

Positively powerful people are likeable. They are people who own their own power and they are very humble. They don’t do anything because they want the credit. They do it because it’s a calling and it matters to them. People want to be around them. They’re like a light force and they attract other positively powerful people around them.

Monica: You work with them from the inside out.

I also think they see themselves from the perspective of being global, and they see their interests have an impact in other places. They are visionary men and women.

Dr. Martin: Yes. It’s my life’s work. I really love people and the privilege of being their coach - watching them blossom, accelerating their leadership abilities, finding their freedom, their joy, and their peace.

Monica: In regards to the awards, how do you determine the nominees?

Monica: It’s really rewarding because you get to see the results of your work.

Dr. Martin: I think it’s important to know that it’s not what I have done to them, but what we have done together. No matter how much I may want someone to have the life they say they want to have; unless they are willing to do the work and have the due diligence and the trust to go for it, it’s fruitless. And when they put their heart into it with a committed coach, the results can be miraculous.

Monica: You often use the phrase Positively Powerful Person. What are some things that make a person a positively powerful person?

Dr. Martin: As I think about that term, I think about the awards that I give every year, The Positively Powerful Woman Awards. One, it is servant leadership.

These women are role models who not only give their best to the world in some area, but they make a difference with their family, children, and communities.

Positively powerful people our givers who also replenish themselves. They know to give to themselves as they’re giving to others.

They’re very passionate about what matters to them. They’re joyful people. They have integrity and are authentic. They’re the kind of people you can spend time with, have a very serious conversation with and at

Dr. Martin: Some are nominated, some I know personally. We are going into our seventh year. If it’s someone I don’t know that is nominated, I meet them, have an experience with them, and learn as much as possible about them and what they’re about. What causes are they connected to? How do they give back to the community?

The other thing that I’m looking for when the award winners are ultimately decided upon is who’s going to be a good role model.

I look to have an event in which lives can be changed for the better. Everything that I do, I focus it on transforming the quality of life, people’s lives, their businesses and communities.

Dr. Martin with George C. Fraser and other panelists, presenters and attendees at the FraserNet PowerNetworking Conference September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 7

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Monica: You help people become transformational leaders, but what skills or qualities must a leader possess before he or she can transform the lives of other people?

Dr. Martin: First, it’s the commitment, rigor and discipline to do so. Also important are their communication skills. Being able to make a presentation, to be authentic about the presentation one makes. To be a willing coach, and to be coachable. To be an intuitive listener.

It takes a willingness to be incredibly empathetic to be of service to that man or woman who wants to take their life to the next level. One must be well trained in transformational technology.

To really have the ability to help someone transform their life, a transformational trainer must go through the process themselves -- the kind of transformation that changes lives and demands that that person constantly be living the work themselves. They have to walk the talk of personal responsibility, honor, integrity and so on as a life-learner.

Monica: Do you believe anyone can become a leader, or are most of us destined to be followers?

Dr. Martin: I think anyone can become a leader. And leaders do follow. Leadership means taking risks for what you believe in, being able to engage and empower people, having a vision that you are acting on and inspiring others to act on it with you. Our world and communities desperately need leaders.

Monica: From the programs and services that you offer, do you mainly focus on women or do you also work with men?

Dr. Martin: I work with men and women. I’ve also worked with youth in very difficult environments. I do diversity and inclusion trainings and coach corporate leaders. Although my clients have been predominately women, if someone has a dream, a goal, wants to improve their business, sees an unmet possibility for themselves, maybe needs to get over some big issue, I will work with them.

Monica: What type of impact do you think women can have as leaders that may be completely different than their male counterparts, while having a huge impact on how we live our lives?

Dr. Martin: Research shows that women tend to be better at building relationships and creating connections that impact the way people communicate. As women leaders, we must bring our commitments to the table and then “lean in”. When we as women own our power, we make a positive impact and that makes life better for everyone.

As leaders, we must continue demanding and asking for the same salaries and fees that men get. That’s got to change...

And as leaders, we women are creating impact through communities that help our young people to grow up to be healthy -- mentally, physically and spiritually. We are creating the network of support for ourselves and for them.

Monica: I’ve always believed in incorporating diversity into everything that I do. It plays an important part in any business and can have a huge impact on an organization’s growth. Oftentimes when you speak about diversity, people usually think only in terms of color. But doesn’t diversity go well beyond that?

Dr. Martin: Absolutely. Diversity are all the ways we are different. It goes beyond race and gender to include personality, values, age, generation, race, gender, and sexual orientation as well as culture, ethnicity, marital status, salary, education, technological acumen as well as the diversity within the organization.

When we think of ourselves as global, the globalism of our world is shifting the way people need to relate to each other, particularly in the workplace.

Dr. Martin—Executive Women’s Presentation 8 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

Monica: Based on your experience in working and interacting with so many people, what are some of the areas that you think they can improve when it comes to diversity in corporate America?

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Dr. Martin: I believe that they can improve their understanding of the difference between diversity and inclusiveness. If what we are looking to do is have a group of people who are all doing their very best work and are honored for their differences and for what they are bringing into the workplace, that’s inclusion.

Diversity is different. Just because you have a diverse work group doesn’t mean that it is inclusive. It doesn’t mean that everybody feels welcome and they all can do their best work. You’ve got to have both.

I like to work with organizations that want both. Not only do they want diversity, to reflect their community, and have all people included, but they want people to do their best work, do their best thinking and make their best contributions. That’s what I strive for. That’s where you get into organizational transformation.

Some of the other improvements would be salary equity and finding ways to bring more women and minority owned businesses into their purchasing programs.

Monica: Excellent. I think it’s also important to understand that when you have inclusiveness and you’re getting input and feedback from people of diverse backgrounds that can also improve the bottom line of the company.

Talk a little about your Get Your Me Brand Awareness book.

Dr. Martin: It focuses on what it takes to have a successful brand called “You.” The “Me Brand Awareness” takes transformational thinking and uses it to shape a positive personal brand. For example one of the strategies is, you make the person that you’re working for look good while maintaining your own self-esteem. That you consistently do this becomes a part of your brand.

A lot of people don’t realize that they have a brand. The brand will show up in the way that they talk, the way they look and attire themselves, how they carry themselves, and how they communicate.

Brand awareness also needs to be taught to our young people. People are using social media, and they’re not even aware that they are damaging their brand with some of the things they say.

Get Your Me Brand Awareness is about building your brand to make all lives better, including your own.

Having a great elevator speech is another important point in having a successful brand -- how you position yourself and how you come across when you are online. Building a great brand and corporation is not only about doing what you have been asked to do and are committed to doing, but solving problems that haven’t even been identified.

Monica: What about your “A New Way Forward” virtual training program you have on your website. I see that you have some prominent people in it.

Dr. Martin: The interviews were created for Susan Taylor’s National Cares Mentoring Movement. She had an initiative called “A New Way Forward,” and this was a virtual training program concept that I pioneered. I am no longer working on that particular project but I understand the local group in Oakland is continuing with it.

Monica: You are the Director of Training for George Fraser’s PowerNetworking Conference. George is America’s networking and relationship guru. Can you talk about that?

Dr. Martin: That is a labor of love for me. I’ve been working with George Fraser on the PowerNetworking Conference since the very beginning -- the very first conference.

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Monica: From the very first conference to the one that was held this year, how do you believe the conference has grown and what are some things that could possibly be improved?

Dr. Martin: The way to bring in more people is really about word of mouth and social media. I know that this year’s conference has been by far the most transformational. The thing that is incredible is the uniqueness of the PowerNetworking Conference because it offers packages to people where they can develop themselves. If there were anything I’d want to “improve” is that 10 times the number of people would attend and take advantage of the opportunities there. The faculty is impressive.

Extra-ordinary Love. Peace. Joy. Freedom. Those are my last words. 

Triad West, Inc. jpmartin@triadwest.com http://www.positivelypowerful.com

At the conference, there are experts in specific disciplines, and you can use that person’s session and products to build your business, your wealth and so on.

That’s what people have come to know about the PowerNetworking Conference. This model is working profoundly well. People are growing their businesses and their savviness about what it takes to become successful.

Nothing like this has ever been done in Black America before.

It continues to grow every year and it is the place to go every year to sharpen your skill sets.

Monica: I do agree it is the place to be every year, because each year you’re going to learn something new.

There are so many outstanding workshops throughout the entire conference that there’s no way to attend them all.

That’s the best kind of problem to have.

Dr. Martin: You’re absolutely correct. I encourage every business owner or entrepreneur to attend.

Monica: What legacy would you like to leave?

Dr. Martin: That I was able to transform millions of lives for the better with a group of men and women trained in my work that would continue the process after I’m gone.

Monica: What is your last word?

Dr. Martin: I invite people to connect with me if after reading this article they would like to have a strategy session with me and/or be a transformational trainer.

10 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

Get Your Me Brand Awareness http://amzn.to/mnfX0T

Veronica Conway

A Mastermind at Helping Others to Unleash Their Potential

Extraordinary Profiles

There is no substitute for life experiences because from life experiences we often find our true purpose.

Veronica Conway’s true purpose has been to help others maximize human performance.

her own identity. Who was she and what did it mean to be the daughter of a Panther?

It is from her childhood experiences that Conway has developed a revolutionary way of thinking and leading people to action. She was born the child of a Black Panther and as a young child, she suffered many repercussions because of it. She witnessed many occasions of violence and police shootouts, as well as death threats against her life.

Those unforgettable experiences had a lasting impact on her.

Some of her clients include Dell, the NBA and Kellogg Foundation, the Annie E. Chase Foundation, the United Way and dozens of others.

With over 3,000 hours of personal, business and financial coaching experience, Conway is an unstoppable force when it comes to personal and professional development.

“My life as a young child was emotionally very frightening and very fearful, but I have freed myself from the emotional residue of that experience. I had to make a choice, either go crazy or go sane. I chose to go sane,” explains Conway.

It was those devastating life experiences that motivated Conway at an early age to begin investigating the actions and thinking of others, as well as

She not only found answers and solutions that changed her life, but in the process she discovered her life’s calling. She has developed aweinspiring world class programs to help people from all backgrounds discover their true meaning and overcome limiting beliefs, so that they can achieve greatness.

Since finding her life’s purpose, Conway has become a mastermind at reprogramming the minds of individuals in all professions and at all levels, thus leading them to experience unprecedented success.

Conway is the founder of three coaching companies, including the Black Professional Coaches Alliance, the only coaching organization dedicated to the enrichment and transformation of African Americans.

The founder of Exceptional People Magazine was thrilled to speak with Conway about her life experiences and how she is helping others achieve lasting, positive change in their lives.

Monica: You are a child of a former Black Panther who was incarcerated when you were six years old. Is he still incarcerated?

Veronica: Yes, he is. We’ve been in a pretty large legal battle with the U.S. Attorney General under George Bush who took the plea and lobbied against his release. The Fraternal Order of Police also actively lobbied against his release, so it’s definitely been a battle.

Monica: It seems like it’s a never ending battle.

Veronica: It’s been interesting.

My relationship with power in my life has been kind of strange because I have had, in my dad’s case, some of the most powerful forces in the world actively gunning for him. He’s a political person and the Panthers were misrepresented in the media a lot, but they were really advocating a lot of the things that we’re seeing happening today, quite frankly.

My dad was ahead of his time in a certain way, because he saw the effects of capitalism run amok.

He saw the impact of the disparity in income. He saw that 40 years ago.

Monica: Do you see a light at the end of the tunnel for him at all?

Veronica: I think so. He was supposed to get out in 2007 after having served 30 years. Given the way the parole guidelines and the sentencing guidelines are, that’s when he was supposed to be released. As I mentioned earlier, the Fraternal Order of Police lobbied the U.S. Attorney General at the time, Alberto Gonzales, to keep him in detention. We’ve been in a legal battle ever since. He’s had a “dream team” legal team. He’s had federal judges ordered him to

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underground. I was going to school under an alias and it was a lot of uncertainty. While living underground, I had to get up every day and remember that my name was Veronica Anderson.

Just to have to manage that level of uncertainty and fear and that environment was very tough for a little girl. It had a huge impact on me.

I got into the business of coaching because it was probably borne out Veronica on stage with George Fraser at the PowerNetworking Conference of my own journey to heal myself after having experienced all of that. I’ve be released. I think that there is had a coach say to me, “You’re the light at the end of the tunnel. I soul of black coaching. You took think it will happen. your own experience of being traumatized and ambitioned and gave Monica: As a young child, you birth to a movement.” It was witnessed many occasions of emotionally very frightening and very violence and police shootouts, as well as, death threats against your fearful, but I do coaching work and I do spiritual work. I’ve gone through own life. What impact did that a number processes that have freed have on your life? How did it affect you emotionally, as well as me up from the emotional residue of that experience, because I really had psychologically? to. I had to make a choice to either go crazy or go sane. I chose to go sane.

Veronica: It was tough. I sometimes say that the reason I do Monica: At the age of six your father the work that I do today and do it was incarcerated, so who was your so effectively, is because I have a support system and protector after tremendous amount of empathy that? for the human spirit and the human condition, based upon Veronica: Right after he went to what I experienced. I think that prison, they arrested the entire God gave me a lot of capacity to household. We were living in sort of have empathy for others because a communist collective here in Marin of what I experienced, because it County, where I live today. I had an was very difficult. adopted mother. The whole There was a lot of fear in my life household was arrested, so everybody because we were living 14 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

went to jail, and I went into a foster home, which was horrifying. I have two mothers. I have my biological mother who’s African-American, and I have a Caucasian mother who raised me.

I didn’t know about my biological mother until I was having a fight with my mother one day and I said, “Well, if you don’t care about me, then you shouldn’t have had me.” I was a smartmouthed 18 year-old. She said, “I didn’t. I’m not your biological mother.”

I eventually found and reconnected with my biological mother. But my step-mom ended up marrying my dad. She’s the one that took me in after she got out of jail. She took me out of the foster home and she tried to restore as much normalcy to my life as possible.

Monica: As you grew older, you began to realize that there was a huge part of your life that was missing, or something that was off balance and that’s what you, at some point, called identity trauma. Can you talk about what that is and what you discovered about yourself and how you used it to become the person that you are today?

Veronica: Yes. Well, I was raised with a white mother, and I always thought that I was a mixed-race child. Not that it matters, it’s just that’s what I thought I was. When she told me that I was not her biological child, I went through an identity crisis.

“Well, who am I? What does mother mean? Is mother the person that raised you or the person that birthed you? What does it mean to be the daughter of

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a Panther?” He’s incarcerated, yet he still lives as though he is a free man. In my view, though he was incarcerated, my dad lived as though he were free. Some spirits just live as though they’re free. I also saw some brothers and sisters walking around, living as though they were incarcerated.

I began to ask myself, what’s the difference that makes the difference? Is freedom a function of your mindset or is it a function of your experience? I began to struggle over broad issues of freedom and mother and identity and who I am. Am I mixed? Or am I black? Or what does that mean? All of those things really got stirred up because of what I was going through with finding out about my biological mom and just coming into teen-hood and wrestling with issues of identity.

Some of my circumstances had been so painful, I really began to investigate whether we could construct or throw away any of the issues. I examined everything.

I looked at what works, what doesn’t work, what’s correct thinking, what’s incorrect thinking. I really began to look at all of that because I couldn’t take my life for granted. We all have pain in our human experience, but when things are so tough, sometimes it forces you into a crucible where you have to reconstruct and evaluate who you are. I was compelled to do that at a very early age because of what I’d experienced.

Monica: But what did you have to measure that against to determine what was right thinking and wrong thinking?

Veronica: I began to look around me. I began to communicate intensively. It was really a journey of discovery. I looked around me and looked for models of things that may work, whether it was therapy or something else. I ended up going to Tony Robbins at one point. I just looked around to see if there were other ways that I could check and design my life that made sense, that weren’t so pain-filled. I kind of figured it out as I went along.

Monica: Based upon those experiences and what you learned about yourself and how you began to discover new things and new ideas, you launched that into what you now call a movement. It is your vision to transform the mindsets and behaviors of black people across all socioeconomic levels.

Veronica: Yes. Absolutely. I talked to a lot of people of African descent.

They had what I call a victim’s identity and I believe that even though we’ve been victimized as a people, we don’t need to be victims. My thought was why not channel all of that negative energy and the sense of victimization into positive energy and power to get things done. That’s when I first began to recognize a mindset that existed in our community -- one of victimization.

I’ve always had the gift of hearing the limitations that people speak of and I just wanted a way to transform that.

That’s when I really began to consider the idea of transforming the psychology of a race of people. It’s a small task that I set out to do, but I thought that if we could just change our mindsets, that we could change our destiny. That’s why I eventually founded the Black Coaches Network.

We really put coaching on the map in Black America. George Fraser from

FraserNet, who is a tremendous advocate for us, gave us a platform because he believes in what I’m talking about in terms of the ability to transform our mindset as a way of transforming our community.

Monica: Absolutely. What do you believe is our struggle as a people to overcome the mindset that limits our potential?

Veronica: Well, I think it really has to do with how we’ve been conditioned historically, as a dominant culture. We have set up the effect of 400 years of conditioning in our society, most of it hateful and negative. I think it’s a legacy of slavery. We’re trained to be the owned and not the owners.

All of that gets handed down inter-generationally. I do a lot of work around intergenerational beliefs and how they’ve gotten handed down through DNA, how they get handed down in our environment. And so we subconsciously condition ourselves. We have received conditioning from the dominant culture, and we condition our children to perpetuate that experience of victimization. You can look at any results that anyone is getting, and you can understand the story of how they’ve gotten there. You either have results or you have the reasons why you can’t have results My goal is to help people, to pull people out of that level of function, to pull people out of that mindset and to gather up some very advanced technologies to do that quickly.

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have what I would call a deficit-based approach through working with people.

The case managers ended up becoming very exhausted, because it was like dragging people along behind them because their model was not an asset-based model. I trained those case managers and social workers in a true asset-based financial coaching model. It was very powerful because we not only gave them skills to be able to raise the level of expectation with their clients, but we acclimated and deprogrammed them and their mindsets about how they viewed their clients.

Monica: You have created what you call a cutting edge financial coaching program where you focus on the non-profit sector, and you have transformed the mindsets and behaviors of thousands of clients in low income and urban communities.

When you’re talking about low income communities, these people have probably been living in this circumstance for many years, and that mindset is so difficult to change. In order for them to be transformed, they have to be willing participants. How do you get them to say, “Yes, I’m ready to change”?

Veronica: I work with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and they funded my company to do financial coach training for social workers and case managers who were serving low income communities. These are folks who are working with people who are coming out of prison, coming off of welfare, coming out of the inner city, some of the poorest cities in America. These are the people we trained. They typically

They were amazed that the transformation and what was happening with these clients was so profound. They were taking charge of their lives and their plans, because they had a model with which they could do that. They even came to me and said, you know, “How do we begin to change the way that we measure outcomes for our clients, because they’re shifting so erratically and we were just measuring some of the smaller things, and we want to measure the more important things that they’re accomplishing.” We changed the “train the trainer” model or “train the coach” model. We really changed the way these foundations and these agencies were servicing people in the lowest, toughest communities in America.

We actually changed the game by bringing coaching to that sector.

Monica: It’s almost like a rebirth.

Veronica: It was a rebirth.

Absolutely.

Monica: I would imagine that your approach obviously would be different if you’re talking about a

16 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

world or even a corporate leader.

They may not have the same mindset in terms of their experiences, so your approach for them would be different than it would be for someone who is living in an urban community.

Veronica: Sure. I even work with the NBA. With the National Basketball Association, you’d be amazed how many of them have come from inner cities.

Oftentimes, their mindset hasn’t really caught up with their circumstances with regard to the management of their lives.

Mindset is the thing that changes the game to make it sustainable.

We want to make the circumstances sustainable. Yes, the approach is different when you’re working with leaders. I find that when working with leaders you can help them make simple, small adjustments and small tweaks to their mindset.

When you do that, it has an amplified effect on their business, their audience, and their constituents. I did a single session with a CEO of a $55 million company. One visualization that helped her become clear about her leadership and helped her to obtain more personal power, resulted in her going out and inspiring her team do about $5 million worth of business in 30 days.

Monica: You have amazing power in what you do.

Veronica: I use my power for good. I love witnessing about what happens to people when the light bulb goes on and when they really become activated. They become unstoppable forces of

Extraordinary Profiles

nature, and that’s what I want for us as a people. That’s what I want for humanity, is that people be unleashed and empowered to move forward and really have the impact that they’re here to have.

saying, “Can I fix my own sink and not call a plumber?” You can. You may not want to. You may do it slowly. You may mess it up, just because you haven’t dedicated your life to the science or the art of it.

Monica: There are no words that can express and explain the impact that you’ve had on so many lives and the approach that you take to really transform people’s lives. It’s amazing.

Monica: Your father was incarcerated when you were six years old. What life lessons have you learned from the fact you have not had a normal father daughter relationship because he has been imprisoned for so long?

What lessons learned do you apply to your life and share with all of your clients and customers through your work?

Monica: If I remember correctly, you have three types of coaching programs?

Veronica: Thank you. I truly love the work I do.

Veronica: Well, I believe in freedom. People are walking around in various states of internal incarceration, and I saw my dad live as though he were a free man, even though he is incarcerated. When I say freedom, what I mean is the ability to act with freedom in your own mind. Nelson Mandela would tell you that freedom is not a function of your circumstances but that freedom is actually a choice. Most people that have these sorts of subconscious incarcerations don’t even know that that’s where they’re living.

Monica: At the level that you reach people, do you believe that they can really transform their minds, or do you believe that most people need additional support to get them to that point in their lives?

Veronica: You can transform your mind but you’re going to go slow, typically. I’ve dedicated the last decade of my life to the study of this. I’m immersed in this full time, so it’s just like

Veronica: Well, yes. I’ve had three coaching companies. I’m with the Black Professional Coaches Alliance, Black Business Coaches, and I have created a model of coaching that is specific to the African-American community and mindset, and I’m relaunching that. I reconfigured some of the business models for blacks and I’m going to be re-launching that.

Then there’s my own company, which does coaching of leaders and some group coaching programs. I’ve somewhat narrowed my focus to just those two things.

Monica: What do you love most about what you’re doing through all of your work?

Veronica: I love transforming people’s lives. I love witnessing what happens … the privilege of witnessing when people really light up, and just soar. I love that transformation. I could do it all day long. I love bringing the most cutting edge methodologies and modalities of change to humans.  Veronica Conway http://www.veronicaconway.com

Monica: Your life story is the subject of a PBS movie. Has it already been created, or is it in the process of being created?

Veronica: What’s interesting about that is we shot the movie, but the movie was being filmed prior to my dad’s release and it was supposed to end with him getting out.

We had film crews traveling with me all over the country. I was speaking on stages all across the country. They were also interviewing my family members, and we were trying to get them in to interview my dad. That was a very difficult thing to accomplish. The film crew followed me down for his release in Florida, but it didn’t happen. So I turned my attention and my focus to him getting released. The movie is now on hold.

The Black Paper http://www.theblackpaper.com/ Cover photo and photo on pages 12 and 16 by Bryon Malik Photography http://www.bmalikphotography.com/

September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 17

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20 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2013

Minding My Business

Eliminate, mitigate and delegate duties that are not the best use of your valuable time, which will free up more time and make your business more efficient.

Chef Kermit Griffin Delivering Unmatched Perfection from the Oven to the Palette

Minding My Business

As a culinary artist and historian, Chef Kermit Griffin is doing more than just whipping up delectable recipes.

He’s helping young adults follow through on their dreams to build careers in the food and hospitality industry as cooks, chefs, and business owners.

As a young child, he was surrounded by family members who were constantly cooking for family events like weddings and family reunions, and summer travel, so it was only natural that he would follow that path.

Serving in the Navy was what gave Griffin the chance to learn about food preparation and expand his love into a successful career. “When you go out to sea, you have to volunteer in one of the service parts of the ship, whether it’s the laundry or the mail, or whatever the case may be. I always volunteered to go to the galley because I liked to cook,” says, Griffin.

Through his work with Living Classrooms, Griffin is empowering young adults to obtain their food manager certification so that they can expand their horizons in the food industry. Living Classrooms is a nonprofit organization. It’s an educational and economic force which serves children and young

adults in various ways through over 40 programs in the Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland areas.

Griffin is hailed as one of America’s top cultural chefs and is a consultant to several restaurants in the Washington, D.C. area. His passion for food and for pleasing the palette is obvious from his amazing culinary presentations and the rave reviews he consistently receives.

His rich history in the culinary world includes, Executive Sous Chef at the Beaufort Inn in Beaufort, South Carolina; Executive Chef at the AAA Four-Diamond Inn featured as one of the Top Ten Inns in America, as rated

by Conde Naste; Chef de Partie at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Hilton Head, South Carolina; Executive Sous Chef and Executive Chef for several other noted restaurants.

as well, long after they complete the program. The relationships that he’s building with his students through Living Classrooms, have resulted in long-term opportunities for many of them.

As a result of his passion for food and his desire to help young adults succeed, Griffin is constantly sharpening his culinary skills and passing his knowledge on to his students, as well as his clients.

Chef Griffin took time to share details about his passion for being a chef, his journey to achieving great success and his enthusiasm for teaching and preparing young adults to develop and pursue their culinary dreams.

Chef Griffin has made his mark in the culinary world as a dynamic, creative chef who understands the power of developing smart relationships that lead to great business opportunities.

Through his catering company, Dash Catering, Griffin is developing relationships that enable him to provide catering services to venues that have kitchen facilities but lack the personnel or teams to use them.

He not only teaches his Living Classroom students, but mentors them

September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 21

Minding My Business

Kermit: On the catering side of things, Dash Catering handles all events. One of my clients is Living Classrooms where I teach food safety and basic culinary skills for this organization, and it’s funded by the Workforce Development Program.

menu, develop it, source it and then they come back and cook a meal and then they have a celebration where they get to invite friends and family and then they move into the employment phase.

Monica: How long is the program?

Monica: Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to talk about your work and what you are doing to develop the careers of young adults who are interested in the food industry. Can you talk a little about your business model?

Kermit: Sure. I provide off-site and on-site catering. We’re a catering company. My company is Dash Catering and my business model is that I’m looking to partner with events and venues where they allow outside caterers to come in, or they are looking for a food service company to handle their food services for events. A lot of them don’t want to handle the food aspect, but they have kitchens in very nice venues or clubs and they don’t know what to do with them, so I come in and take that cost off their books, give people jobs and grow my business as well.

Monica: As you mentioned, you try to find venues that are looking for people to come in to assist them with their food services.

I, in turn, help those individuals who take my course to find employment with some of the partners of Living Classrooms and with other chefs and organizations that I partner with. We get them employed and we do what’s called retention for them where we make sure that they show up for work.

If they have transportation issues, we make sure they have a metro card.

Sometimes I supply them with uniforms.

We work with that employer to make sure that they show up for work and we track their efforts and performance, to make sure they are being successful and ensure they are creating a good relationship.

Monica: That’s great. So you are helping people find work in a field that they enjoy.

Kermit: Absolutely. That’s what it’s all about. It’s a four-week program.

They get food safety-certified and they get some basic culinary skills. I don’t just teach them how to roast a piece of chicken. They get to work with some exotic ingredients. Part of the program requirement is that students go on market trips. We have a garden that we tend to and take care of. They plant and harvest it. They work with foods such as duck, Farquhar, fresh crepes; you name it. I design the course based upon what’s seasonal, what’s fresh and they learn how to cook from scratch.

At the end of the course, I place students on teams. They cost out the

22 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

Kermit: It’s typically seven weeks.

There’s two weeks of food safety, and there’s ongoing culinary work for the first four weeks, and the final three weeks we teach soft skills. The retention team comes in and they teach interviewing, planning, preparation and financial skills such as how to open a bank account – the simple things that people need in order to become successful in everyday life.

Monica: They do not have to have prior food experience before they attend your course?

Kermit: No, they do not. A lot of times what I find is that some of them do, however, and they’ve been in the food or hospitality industry for years.

So far, I’ve run four cycles of the class for Living Classrooms program.

It’s a brand new program. I had 47 people take the program and I’ve graduated all 47. Of the 47, four are actually working in full-time positions.

Monica: Can this course help people start their own businesses?

Kermit: A lot of them do express interest in starting their own business, and those are the people I want to continue to work with. We have a three-year commitment to them once they enter the program. I have been hiring some of them to work certain catering functions through my company.

Minding My Business

I hope they become entrepreneurs.

I’m building relationships with them.

Monica: For those who have an idea of a specialty, how challenging would is it to place them in area where they can follow through on it?

problems they need to take care of first, whether it’s substance abuse, education, et cetera. Living Classrooms offers those kinds of services. I try to point them in the right direction and get help in whatever areas it’s needed.

Kermit: It’s going to be extremely challenging, that’s why I believe in the hands-on approach. I coach and mentor them through every process.

It can be very daunting, and I remember how it was for me when I bought my first restaurant. It was right before the market crash when cash was a little easier to get, but now that’s not the case. You’ve got to be very creative and save your money whenever you can.

Monica: That is wonderful. You are not only a mentor but you have, over time, developed partnerships with them.

I tell students they are basically connected with me for life, if they choose to be. Not everybody takes advantage of what I’m offering. A lot of times they have a myriad of

Kermit: I’ve been doing it singlehandedly. Living Classrooms is going through a transition period, and it is a large organization that was started in Baltimore, MD. The

Kermit: Absolutely.

Monica: Each individual in your class has his or her own dreams and ideas in terms of what they want to do. I would imagine you would need a team of your own.

Washington, D.C., location where I am now is five years in the making.

My program only started as a pilot last April.

Monica: Your passion for food and for pleasing the palette is obvious through your amazing culinary presentations and the rave reviews that you get, but in order to get to where you are today, someone or something ignited that spark within you. When did your passion for food begin?

Kermit: I served in the Navy. When you’re an E3 or below and you go out to sea, you have to volunteer for one of the service parts of the ship, whether it’s the laundry, the mail or whatever the case may be. I always volunteered to go to the galley. I wanted to cook. I come from a line of people who on my father’s side of the family always had barbeques, or they were always preparing food for

September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 23

Minding My Business

I didn’t know it at the time, but one of the members was a guy by the name of George Perrier who owns a restaurant in Philadelphia called Le Bec-Fin. It’s like an icon. It’s one of the top in the nation, if not the world going back four years. I quickly learned that he was a culinary giant.

weddings, family reunions and various types of events. I always wanted to be around food. I naturally gravitated towards food.

After I left the Navy, I decided to go back to school and my passion at the time was law. I always wanted to be a lawyer. I enrolled in a college in South Carolina and obtained my paralegal degree. I thought it would be a way for me to get my foot in the door and have an opportunity to obtain some experience in the job market.

I got a chance to go to Philadelphia to do an internship at a tax law firm, and when I got there I realized that I hated it. I was stuck in an office all day long. They put me in a room to look through files all day, and I realized it wasn’t what I wanted to do. But I always continued to work in kitchens, even part-time. I remember this one job I had working at a club in Philadelphia and they put me on the grill and I loved it.

He would always come down to the kitchen. I made a soup one day, and he came to the kitchen raving about how good the soup was and inquired how I made it. I told him it was a turtle soup and not many people know how to prepare it. My father use to make it. George Perrier asked me where I’d learned to make the soup.

He asked me, “What is your passion?

Do you want to come to work in my restaurant?” I said, “Well, maybe, but I’ve got to go to Carolina and finish my law degree.” He replied, “Forget law school! You are a chef. With a palette like this and passion, you could be really good!” I thought to myself, “This is amazing!” But I decided to go back to school and I obtained an undergraduate degree in Hotel Resort Tourism Management and pre-law.

During that time my father passed away and I had to help my mom. So I got a job working at the Beaufort Inn, a four-diamond rated restaurant/ inn. It was voted one of the top Inns about seven years in a row by Conde Nast.

Tom Cruise stayed there, Barbara Streisand was eating my food, and I thought it was a great way to work my way up to Executive Chef. That changed my whole life and my career.

At that point I realized that I was very good at it and I just moved forward from there.

Monica: You have prepared many different styles of dishes and foods, so

24 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

I would imagine that it would be difficult to place you in a specific culinary area.

Kermit: Yes, I’ve done a lot of different things and have an interest in a many different types of foods. I’m also on a couple of boards for the National Black Chamber of Commerce. One is the National Cultural Area Tourism Council where we illuminate culture, different aspects of cuisine for different areas.

I’m also Chairman of an organization called For Artists By Artists (FABA), to help illuminate and launch art careers for young people in Washington, D.C. who are looking for a platform for their work, whether it’s poetry, fine arts or other types of art forms.

Monica: You are considered to be a culinary historian. As a culinary historian, what is your role or how did you become classified as a historian.

Kermit: Well, I don’t know what I’ve done to classify myself as a historian other than the fact that I always research the areas that I go into. In other words why do we put okra in shrimp and grits? Well, actually, it’s an African plant. It’s actually a berry, not a fruit. I explain things in a way that people can comprehend and it makes sense to them, for example, why they should eat fresh and local. I also tie in the cultural aspect, because my grandmother was a Native American and my great grandfather was a White man, and this took place at a time in South Carolina when that just wasn’t allowed.

That’s part of my genetic makeup, my personality. I have a multicultural background and they recognized that and they asked me to part of the board. When they have festivals I

Minding My Business

research the area, talk to the local farmers, and find out what they’re growing and what enhances the typical dishes which are like the national or cultural dishes in that area.

I do a thorough research so that I know exactly what it is I’m doing and why good dishes come together like they’re supposed to.

Monica: You’re a national culinary advisor. Does that role play into your support of working with various venues and helping utilize their kitchens?

Kermit: Absolutely, right now I’m working with a group called All Media Linked In and they’re working with me to help make that possible.

Monica: Due to the state of the economy, money is a huge issue for so many people. They can’t afford to go out to restaurants to eat, or at least not on a regular basis. What are your thoughts on that in terms of what you do, because that is your job. You work with food and restaurants. You help people get hired in restaurants or start their own business in the food industry. What is your perspective on

the fact that one of the things many people may cut from their budget when they’re having money problems is going out to restaurants?

Kermit: That’s the first thing they cut out of the budget. People are a lot less frivolous, if you will, so they stop eating out. Vacation and travel is down but I see an opportunity now. I realize you have to adapt to the model. For instance, 2009 was not the time to open a fine dining restaurant where you’ve got a $30 truffle salad on the menu. Nobody’s going to spend that kind of money.

So you have to get back to the basics.

This whole health movement now; I commend First Lady Michelle Obama for her initiatives in focusing on kids, diabetes and the weight problem – stressing the importance of eating fresh, healthier smaller portions. That also helps your profit margins and anytime you can trim and control your costs and watch your expenses, it’s how you run a profitable business.

I stayed away from the restaurant game, but I think now is the ideal time to get back into it. Capital is

starting to flow but it’s still challenging, because the banks are not ready and willing to work with people who are under-capitalized. That’s why you see so many food trucks.

Once you generate enough capital and you have a working model and you’ve been successful, everybody’s going to be your friend. Do you need them at that point? Yes, sure if you want to expand, but you have to do the work and get started.

That’s why I like the Living Classrooms model, because they understand that you don’t have to work hard to get to where you want to be. I started out as a dishwasher ten or twelve years ago. I’ve seen moderate success. I’m not a millionaire, but I’m not just in it for the money. Money is the by-product of happiness. What makes me happy is seeing other people succeed and seeing my partners succeed.

Monica: You owned a restaurant before, correct?

Kermit: Yes, my wife and I bought a place in South Carolina called Mike’s Deli. Mike was a friend of mine. He was having some financial and tax

September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 25

Minding My Business

It was my dream to own this place. I had the deposit. He said he would give me a great deal and sell it to me for $60,000, because I played a big part in the success that we’ve had there. He was ready to give it up and move on with other interests. He wanted me to continue running the restaurant and he believed I was the person to do it. issues. My attorney told me, “Well, his tax issues are not yours.” I said, “I want to make sure there are no liens on his business.” I learned that there were. So that project lasted about six months. People loved the food and questioned, “Why did you go out of business?” It was because I didn’t do my homework. I didn’t understand the business side of it as much as I should have back then.

That lesson taught me to do my due diligence, so that I understand what I’m getting into, especially when you’re buying someone else’s business.

You have to ask yourself, “Why is this person getting out?”

Monica: That is true. You not only look at the books, but you look at their business history in terms of their customers and you look at everything.

Kermit: I had a gentleman that I worked for in a place called Gateaux, a top restaurant and right about the time when the bubble burst happened.

I said, “That sounds great, but I need to see three years of tax returns.” He wouldn’t give them to me.

Monica: That’s a bad sign.

Kermit: Exactly. I was handling the food, so I knew what we were doing in food revenue, but that’s only part of the puzzle. So when he did share a profit and loss (P&L) statement -- and he never allowed me to see a full P&L statement -- he valued the business at 1.5 million dollars, but he had lost $250,000 in the last 6 months. That means the business was not worth 1.5 million.

I don’t let my ego and the fact that I really want something get in the way of making a sound business decision.

Monica: What you just mentioned is a great lesson for people going into any business to learn.

Kermit: I’m looking at a situation now in Clearwater, Florida, where there’s great venue, 6,000 square feet catering facility. The person who owns it says the property is worth about a half million dollars.

Clearwater Florida, is a much different market than Washington, D.C. or New York. On paper, this is a good deal for me. He already has business on the books; he’s been operating in the black for the last three years since he’s been open.

Now there’s the situation where the

26 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

economy is bouncing back and this is where I see opportunity. At one time, people were looking to bring in their own food and hire a caterer, and they don’t want to do that anymore. Now they want a one-stop shop. So we’re going to sell packages.

What does that do? That already identifies my profit margins in the beginning. It keeps my food costs low because I only order as much food as I need for a particular event and I don’t have to purchase this person’s business. I’m going to partner with him, put a kitchen in the place, and we can run the business on site. He and I will split the revenue.

All I need to do is hire a sound management team.

When I decide to open my own restaurant, I want my TV show that I’m developing to drive traffic and buzz to the restaurant to serve as a marketing campaign. You don’t make money by being on TV; you make money by allowing it to help you sell your products and services. I’m smart enough to know that I can’t do it all, so I partnered with a media company here in Washington, D.C. In order to become successful, you not only need a good business plan, but you need to know who to partner and do business with. I do business with people who do business with me.

If you believe in my project, then show me. Don’t show me a contract and ask me to “Sign on the dotted line and I’ll give you $25,000.” Where’s my ROI in that? I’m looking for partners, not just vendors.

Monica: What advice can you give from a business and culinary perspective to young chefs and people who are considering the food industry as a career? What advice or encouragement can you offer to

Minding My Business

inspire them to move forward even though they will encounter challenges?

Kermit: I have two stories. The very first day in my class, I take a $20 bill out of my pocket and show it to the class. I ask, “If I were to give it to someone, who would not want to take this twenty dollar bill, no strings attached?” Everyone raises their hand. The next thing I do is crumple it into a ball and throw in the trash can. Then I ask, “Now, who still wants that twenty dollar bill?”

Everyone, of course still raised there hand.

I said to them, “That shows you that you have worth. No matter what you’ve been told, or no matter what your situation is, or if someone told you that you couldn’t accomplish something, you must think of yourself as that twenty dollar bill, whether it’s a crisp new bill in a new leather wallet, or if it’s crumpled in the trash can. If you unfold it, you don’t have to iron it to make it look new again.

If you take it to the bank they will accept it. That’s how you should think about your lives.”

The second thing I tell them is, “That there’s no such thing as luck. You know what luck is? Luck is when opportunity meets preparation or vice versa. If you prepare yourself and opportunity knocks, then you can walk through the door.” Some people walk through without preparation, and that’s why they don’t succeed.

I tell them, “You’ve got to start somewhere, and the fact that you’re in this class shows that you want to take the initiative to take control of your lives. What you do once you leave here is up to you. I’m going to assist you, but you will have to do the work.”

You always have to continue to better yourself. I compare it to sharpening a knife. What am I doing when I sharpen a knife? I’m preparing to cut a piece of fish or vegetable, or something. I’m sharpening my tools.

My knives are my tools, my hands are my tools, and my brain is my tool.

every individual in here is a way for me to sharpen skills and myself so that I become better.” I prepare myself daily. I prepare myself at night for the next class the next day.

You don’t want to come to class and ask, “Chef what’s the plan for today?”

And I respond, “Well, I don’t know. I didn’t prepare.”

Am I helping you at that point? No. You have to prepare yourself and always be doing something and have a plan for where you want to go. By not having a plan, you’re planning to fail.

That’s my advice for everyone.  Chef Kermit Griffin http://chefkermitgriffin.com

Food photos on pages 22, 24 and 26 courtesy of Tre’Lynn, http://trelynnpro.com

I tell my class, “You are tools to me because every time I teach a class, September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 27

Minding My Business

Can’t breakthrough to a 6-figure business?

The thought of being your own boss and running your own business is an exciting prospect, wouldn’t you agree? After all, that’s why you’re operating your own coach, consulting or training business to share your talents and help people achieve their goals.

Can you still remember the day you hung out your shingle, launched your website and announced to the

Many service-based businesses can. So they increase their marketing, networking and social media efforts, which unfortunately will NOT make any difference UNLESS they have 5 key pillars in place.

Without these 5 key pillars the hours spent on marketing and networking won’t have the impact they’re hoping for therefore making it very difficult to get more clients, get paid what they’re worth and build a 6-figure (or more) business.

5 Key Pillars to a 66-- Figure Business

By Annemarie Cross

world through your social media channels that you were officially open for business?

You continued to market your business, attend online and offline networking events, share helpful resources and even reach out to help people, with the goal of raising your profile and awareness of your services.

Yet regrettably that excitement turned to frustration and confusion. Because despite everything you’ve done (and continue to do) the number of people who are interested in your services is not what you’d hoped for. And, they’re certainly not investing in your services. And when they do it’s not really at a level that is paying you what you’re worth.

You didn’t realize it was going to be so difficult and exhausting to get new clients.

So, you increase your marketing efforts, attend even more networking events, and stay up to the wee hours of the morning tweeting, blogging, commenting on other people’s blogs. You share other people’s information, and anything else you can think of to build awareness.

Can you relate?

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Are these pillars missing in your business?

6-Figure Business Pillar 1: Your Ideal Client (Niche) For Rapid Business Growth While your products/services may be able to help ‘everyone’ – if you’re trying to market your services to ‘everyone’, you’re really speaking to no-one.

Why? Because trying to be all things to all people means that you’re not speaking directly to the needs of your ideal client. Therefore, you’re unable to seize their attention and show them that YOU have the solution to their issues.

Minding My Business

Here’s an example: Imagine you’re a Job Search Coach and I’m currently looking for someone to help me get a new job.

When reading your website, the information you provide is not really convincing me that you understand what I’m going through. Nor do you position your services in such a way that I feel compelled to invest in (or even make contact with) you. So I’m off searching for another Job Search Coach who can help me.

Let’s see what happens if you were to niche your services and specifically target my needs.

I’m a Senior Sales Executive that sells high-end IT solutions to the financial market. However due to a decline in profits my company is looking at downsizing.

With a family to support and mortgage to pay, to say that I’m slightly apprehensive and anxious about my job prospects, would be an understatement.

Yet, you specialize in this area and you’ve helped hundreds if clients like me transition quickly into senior level roles with your services.

And, when reading the information on your website, on Twitter, LinkedIn and through your Facebook business page, I get to know and trust you, and can see that you are someone that has the solution and necessary support that will help me achieve my goal. So I call you, and the rest is history…

By niching and getting to know your ideal client so well that the next time your ideal client visits your website (or reads one of your articles or posts/Tweets) your message will speak directly to the struggles they’re facing.

You show them you know exactly what they’re going through; AND more importantly you spark their interest and create a sense of hope and possibility so much so that they feel compelled to get in contact with you to learn more about you.

My coach’s tip: Identify your niche and ensure all of your marketing material speaks to and reaches that market. You’ll soon position yourself as an expert in that niche market!

6-Figure Business Pillar 2: Your Powerful Signature Brand to Outshine Your Competition Many people mistakenly believe their brand is their business cards, their website, and letterheads etc. While these are important they’re really ‘branding elements’ or what I like to call your ‘brand touch points’.

Your ‘brand’ is your reputation. It’s the perception others have of you. It’s what they think of when your name is mentioned. More importantly, by building a strong Signature Brand YOU are the person who’s mentioned (and not your competitors) when someone is looking for a professional in your field.

If you’re unclear about what makes you unique, your brand voice, what separates you from your competitors, and why someone should invest in you, then you’re going to find it very difficult to position yourself as an authority in a crowded market.

My coach’s tip: Get clear on these elements and make sure you continue to portray these in all of your branding and communications.

6-Figure Business Pillar 3: Your Signature System to Gain Expert Status AND be Paid What You’re Worth Are you still charging by the hour?

There are only so many hours in the day and charging by the hour will restrict the amount of income you make. Also you may find yourself in a pricing war trying to justify your hourly rate when a prospect compares your rate with one of your competitors.

Remember, you DON”T get paid for the hour. You get paid for the VALUE you bring to the hour and for the results your client will achieve through investing with you.

Offering clients to pay you by the hour tends to devalue the benefits and results you offer as well as making it very difficult for you to distinguish yourself from all the other coaches and consultants offering similar services.

Therefore it’s important to create your Signature System and various programs and packages that incorporate your system, which you can then position strategically (and influentially) to your prospect.

September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 29

Minding My Business

My coach’s tip: Develop your unique Signature System by defining the steps you take your client through, and then creating various packages and programs that involve more than just your time so that you can quickly gain expert status and get paid what you’re worth.

6-Figure Business Pillar 4: Your Irresistible Free Offer To Grow Your List Have you heard the saying: “The money is in your list?”

Your irresistible free offer plays a key role in your listbuilding strategy.

While this is a well-known expression, I’m surprised at how many coaches and consultants aren’t pro-actively building their lists.

Are you sending out regular messages to encourage people to access your irresistible offer so that your list is growing on a daily basis? If not, you’ll need to get this key pillar in place immediately.

Remember, it can take 7 to 9 individual communications from you before someone decides to invest. And in a tight and difficult economy it can take double that amount of time.

Adding people to your list on a daily basis will give you the opportunity to send updates and helpful information as part of your keep-in-touch strategy so that YOU are the person they think of when they’re ready to invest.

My coach’s tip: If you’re struggling to grow your list, create a free offer (such as an e-report, a video or audio series etc.) and make sure it’s relevant and of value to your ideal client and continue to encourage people on a daily basis to sign up for your irresistible free offer.

6-Figure Business Pillar 5: Your Memorable Personal Marketing Statement to Spark Attention If I were to read your Twitter or Facebook bio – would I feel compelled to follow you? Or if we were introduced at a networking event, would your introduction inspire me to find out more about you?

Or do you sound like the dozens of other professionals in your area, some of whom are attending the same event and using an introduction that sounds very similar to yours?

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Unfortunately for many coaches and consultants, it’s often the latter.

Your personal marketing statement should include elements of your Signature Brand, Your Signature System and the benefits/value you offer your clients so that people feel compelled to get to know more about you and the services you offer.

When done correctly you’ll definitely give yourself the edge you need to distinguish your service from all of the other coaches and consultants working in your area of specialty.

My coach’s tip: If you’re still stating your job title, or you’re not generating interest with your introduction then go back to the drawing board and make sure it’s memorable or compelling and relevant to your ideal clients’ needs and desires.

These 5 key pillars are a must if your goal is to make this year the year you make your mark in the industry, become recognized as the ‘go to’ person in your field, while creating a 6-Figure (or more) business.

Till next time, stay inspired and brilliant! 

Minding My Business

Do You Leak Secrets Through Body Language When Negotiating?

by Greg Williams Do you leak vital information through your body language when negotiating? Are you aware that you emit signals that may appear to be unperceivable, but in reality are insightful clues to what you’re thinking, during a negotiation?

Without knowing it, some negotiators allow their negotiation tactics and strategies to be leaked, by the manner in which they convey information.

Some think, as long as they don’t utter words that depict their thoughts, no one will know the inner workings of their mind. They’re wrong! The body never lies and it’s a great barometer to the thoughts that are occurring inside someone’s mind.

To prevent from leaking secrets in your negotiations, and to find out how you can benefit from observing such occurrences of the other negotiator, observe the following.

How information is leaked: When people are in a relaxed mode, they give life to nonverbal actions (body language) in a manner that’s normal to them. During such a state, if you observe the body language exhibits they display, you’ll glimpse how they react in nonthreatening environments; you’ll be able to see how they use their body to express their thoughts, ideas, and responses.

Based on the manner in which they react to situations while in that state of mind, you can set markers from which to compare, when they’re in a more formal/negotiation environment.

Through such comparisons, you’ll be able to note differences between when

they’re stressed and when they achieve a higher level of excitement. In either case, their body language will serve as a barometer to the thoughts that promote their behavior.

How to prevent from leaking information:

You’ll become more vigilant as to the state of mind others possess when negotiating, which will give you a huge advantage during the negotiation … and everything will be right with the world. Remember, you’re always negotiating. 

You can prevent the leaking of information by being consistent with the mannerisms you display before and during a negotiation. Such actions will require discipline and a knack for displaying an even mindedness (not showing variances in your behavior) in environments where the other negotiator might be able to glean insight into your body language usage.

How to detect and benefit from the other negotiator’s leakage: In order to seize upon the leaking of the other negotiator’s information, observe how he communicates (phone, writing, and/or in person). Note the differences that occur in his style of communication when you’re discussing a topic that’s sensitive, versus one that is more lighthearted. In noting such differences, you’ll gain insight into what he wishes to guard and that which is less important.

You’ll catch him leaking information, which you can use throughout the negotiation.

People leak information every day in every aspect of their lives. In most cases, such actions are harmless.

Once you become astute at recognizing information leakage, you’ll possess a heightened awareness.

The Negotiation Tips Are … * Information leakage in any form can hamper a negotiation. Don’t let the lack of knowledge about body language usage be the cause of your negotiation efforts to become threaten.

* A good speaker friend of mine, Tommy Hilcken, recently wrote in a publication, “Every conflict is a set of opposing ideas.” By controlling the information you leak during a negotiation, you reduce the potential liability that could lead to conflict.

* Always strive to control the flow of information in a negotiation, before presenting it. To the degree you control your body language, you’ll be better positioned to control the leakage of information .

September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 31

Minding My Business

Business Networking: Following Up with a Thank You Note

Choose a set time and meeting place for a follow-up. Even if it’s only via email or Skype, setting the date and time and then scheduling it on your calendar will give it a high priority.

Provided by Exceptional People Magazine Refer to the date of the event

Networking should be part of your monthly business activities. Whether you network online via social media or offline at events one thing is for sure, you need to write thank you notes. Once you connect with someone and share information with him or her, especially if it was at an event or online webinar, you need to take the time to write them a little note reminding them who you are and what was discussed.

Before you get your stack of note cards out there are a few things you should always include. First, always add the date of the event. Second, restate your interest in becoming business partners. Third, re-emphasize how your skills will help them in reaching their goals. Fourth, set up another meeting or contact. Fifth, include your contact information. Sixth, be sure to send it within 24 hours of the event. Finally, be neat, to the point and take the time to hand write your note.

Networking events are gatherings where you meet many different people. It’s hard to keep all the names, faces and businesses straight. Include the date of the event in your note to remind them when you met.

Restate your interest in becoming business partners Hopefully you struck up a conversation and asked a number of important questions regarding their niche and their goals for their business. With this in mind remind them that you think a partnership with them sounds like a possible way that you both can build your businesses.

Re-emphasize how your skills will help During your short conversation you probably mention your 30-second pitch which highlighted your skills and products. Reiterate those to remind them how you fit into his or her business goals.

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Set up another meeting or contact

Include your contact information You probably exchanged contact information or business cards at the event but go ahead and include your information again. Networking events are a pool of information and you want to make it as easy as possible for them to contact you again.

Send it within 24 hours of the event Get in the habit of completing your thank-you notes before leaving the parking lot or shutting your computer down. Also, put a stamp on it and place it in the mailbox. The sooner this is done the less procrastinating you’ll do.

Be neat and to the point Don’t scribble some words of insincerity or write a long dissertation about how your partnership will skyrocket sales. Get to the point which is to set up a meeting; it is then that you can talk in more detail about ideas and plans you might have.

Handwritten is preferred If at all possible don’t type or email your note of thanks. If your handwriting isn’t legible ask someone with excellent penmanship to write it for you. Keep it neat. 

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Food For Thought

ISSN 1944-9062 Founder and Editor-in-Chief

“No man is a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or get all the credit for doing it.”

Andrew Carnegie

“Ask yourself what you would do even if you were never paid. That’s a clue to what you should be doing and, of course, still be finding a way to be paid for it. You can attract more money from love.”

Monica Davis

Editors Jon Crump Marla Gem Beatrice Roots

Company Writers Donna Carletta Kathy Kentty Pat Markel

Other Writers and Contributors

Joe Vitale

“The price of excellence is discipline.”

William Arthur Ward

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun’s out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light within.”

Angie Brennan Annemarie Cross Catherine Galasso-Vigorito Dawn Abraham Dawn McCoy Doris Helge Dorothy Rosby Eileen Lichtenstein Greg Williams Inez Bracy Jack Canfield James Adonis Keasha Lee Margaret Paul Rosalind Sedacca Sharon Raiford Bush Shelley Riutta Sue Urda William R. Patterson

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

“Your purpose explains what you are doing with your life.

Your vision explains how you are living your purpose. Your goals enable you to realize your vision.”

Bob Proctor

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us.”

Alexander Graham Bell

34 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

Exceptional People Magazine is published bimonthly by Atela Productions, Inc. The opinions of the contributors are not necessarily those of Atela Productions, Inc.

Atela Productions, Inc. 2961-A Hunter Mill Rd., Ste. 624 Oakton, VA 2212 www.exceptionalmag.com

For advertising information please contact The advertising department at 703-865-8308.

Copyright © 2013 All rights reserved.

Exceptional People Magazine is a copyright of Atela Productions, Inc. The contents of this publication may not be printed, copied or distributed without the express written consent of the Publisher.

Empower Yourself...

Professional and Personal Development

A great way to create the successful life you have always hoped for is to set clear, actionable goals.

Empowerment

An Individual Retirement Account or IRA or is a great way to build wealth by having your money grow tax free.

There are several IRA options available including: Traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, and Traditional nondeductible IRAs. To be eligible to contribute to any type of IRA, you

If your income prohibits you from making contributions to a traditional or Roth IRA, another option is a Traditional non-deductible IRA. While the tax benefits are not nearly as great as other IRAs, you still have the advantage of tax-deferred growth, which is significant.

How Loving Parents Raise Spoiled Kids: 10 Bad Signs and 10 Good Tips

By Jean Tracy, MSS

Building Wealth with Your IRA

By William R. Patterson

must have earned income either as an employee or self-employed individual.

A traditional IRA is a tax-deferred investment account. If you have earned income and are under age 70 1/2, then you are eligible to make annual contributions to a traditional IRA. This contribution may be up to $5,000 for 2011 and 2012. If you are over age 50, you can make a contribution up to $6,000 for 2011 and 2012. These contributions may be partially or fully tax deductible depending on your participation in another retirement plan and current income.

Like traditional IRAs, a Roth IRA has the same dollar contribution limits and is a tax-sheltered investment account. The major difference is that your contributions to a Roth IRA are not tax deductible, but your earnings are allowed to grow tax free and your qualified withdrawals are also tax free.

For most people a Roth IRA is the best option, however, it can make sense opt for a traditional IRA if you need the tax deduction now or you expect to be in a much lower tax bracket in retirement.

Sophisticated entrepreneurs or investors may also set up any of these accounts as self-directed IRAs and invest in privately held businesses, real estate transactions, options on stock, and other non-traditional investments. For these experienced and skilled entrepreneurs and investors, a self-directed IRA can be great way to access start-up or expansion capital and build wealth tax-free. Keep in mind, any such speculative investments should be done with a small portion of your portfolio, under the guidance of experts, and using BARON strategies for minimizing investment risk.

Parents who give too much spoil kids who want much more. If you’re your child’s doormat or think you might be spoiling her, you probably are.

Grumbling, growling kids who get everything they want can become selfish grouches. To identify 10 disturbing signs of selfishness and 10 parenting solutions, keep reading.

As a child and family counselor, loving parents shared this common problem with me: Child: “I can do what I want and you can’t stop me.”

Tearful Mom: “Why do you talk to me this way? I give you everything you want.”

Mom’s pleading and tears tell her child, “I won!”

The Problem

Remember, if you are unable to make a lump sum contribution to your IRA, you can always set up an automatic investment plan which will make regular withdrawals from your checking or saving account. By using these tax deferred accounts and the BaronSeries.com millionaire table as a guide, you will quickly see, that a million-dollar retirement is not only possible, but easily within your reach. 

36 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

Mom wants love, respect, and the situation to change. The child feels powerful, gets what she wants, and, of course, fights all changes.

These 10 Signs of Verbal Abuse Reveal a Spoiled Child The words your child yells at you reflect how she thinks and feels. Does your child say words like these?

1. Do it yourself.

2. You never buy me anything.

Empowerment

you risk raising children to become grumpy, greedy, and lazy adults.

They’ll have difficulty forming positive relationships because they expect others to serve them just like you did.

This isn’t what loving parents want for their kids. Such unhealthy conduct must be stopped before puberty when peers might reinforce their rude habits. Being a stronger parent and putting a stop to the ugly behavior when children are young is a better way to love.

These 10 Parenting Tips Turn Spoiled Kids into Caring Children

3. You can’t make me.

4. Don’t tell me what to do.

5. I hate you.

6. Why should I help you? It’s your job.

These difficult suggestions may offend some parents who’ve been taught to solve every problem with loving and giving. When their overindulged child frequently treats them like a doormat, it is hoped they’ll discover too much giving is not the best way to love.

7. You make me do everything.

If you’re a loving giver and your child holds you in contempt, consider these 10 mindsets:

8. Give me my allowance even if I don’t do my chores.

1. Be determined to change. It’s good for you and your child.

9. I’m not listening to you.

2. Disengage from your child. If he rebels, don’t give in. Stay strong.

10.You never cook anything I like.

If you hear 3 or 4 of these often, chances are your child is feeling entitled. You’re the giver. She’s the taker. You’ve been operating out of love. She’s been seeking power to get what she wants.

What can you do?

Take a Stand!

3. Keep a blank face when your child is disrespectful. Practice it in the mirror. No tears.

4. Walk away from your child’s abusive behaviors. Avoid being sucked in.

6. Stop doing your child’s laundry or being his chauffeur.

7. Avoid all arguing. You won’t win.

8. Avoid giving lectures, yelling and pleading. They make you sound and look weak.

9. Avoid looking at your child’s pouting face. Don’t ask why he’s upset. You’ll get trapped into listening to his abuse about why you don’t care.

10. Wait until your child truly becomes respectful before moving on to a happier more balanced relationship. A few displays of positive actions are not enough. Why? His new behavior isn’t a habit yet and his insulting conduct could easily rise again.

Conclusion for Helping Loving Parents Avoid Raising Spoiled People When some parents stop their doormat habits and practice these suggestions, they feel uncomfortable.

They need to realize these 10 solutions are not meant to make their kids happy with them. That will come later.

The big goal is to help their sons and daughters become caring, capable people who create healthy relationships. Moms and Dads who turn their disrespectful kids into respectful children display realistic love, discover better parent-child bonds, and develop character too. 

5. Keep your child’s allowance if he doesn’t complete chores or does them poorly.

By not taking a stand against disrespect when your kids are young, September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 37

Empowerment

Are You Better Today Than You Were Yesterday?

By Andrew Horton

I was sitting with a client the other day discussing a really difficult situation he was experiencing in his company. He had been in various managerial positions for over 20 years and the challenge he was facing was caused by his naive approach to leadership. The error he had made was a really basic mistake which he had made a few times before and I would have expected to have observed in a person much younger with very little business experience.

Someone who had been in business for over 20 years should have learned from his mistakes by now and have graduated to a whole new level of mistakes.

This client serves to highlight the challenge we all face as we invest time into our businesses. Are we just going through the motions every day where we are so busy working in our businesses that we forget to stop long enough to look at the challenges we face or errors we make and learn the lessons they have to offer? We invest 20 years into our business, but we never pause long enough to learn the lessons, so we just repeat all the mistakes we made in our first year, 20 times.

The secret to keep growing in your business and honing your skills is to continually explore experiment and try new things. Experiment with new pricing structures, new marketing channels, such as social media or try new management approaches to

inspire your team members. These changes are not always going to result in the positive outcome you expect, the pricing structure may not deliver the desired results or the new leadership approach may be met with resistance. The way to gain as much as possible from every experience in your life is to learn the lesson offered and explore where possible. Discover different or better options. Keep repeating this process until you realize the improved result you are looking for.

Experience is something we earn. It is a process, never an event.

Improving and growing as a business professional is firstly about experimenting, exploring and learning from these experiences and secondly about learning from each error you make or challenge you overcome.

Wisdom comes from taking all these experiences and turning them into a pool of experience and understanding.

We turn all our experiences, both positive and negative into wisdom, by closing the learning cycle. This is achieved by identifying a challenge your business is facing or an area in your business, which needs improvement. The whole process starts with allowing yourself enough time to pause, explore and discover the best possible solution to the issue.

You then put a plan in place on how to proceed and start taking action, applying the solution you have discovered. The secret to turn this

38 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

process into wisdom is to add one more crucial component to the process, namely review or assessment. Once you add reviewing or assessing to the mix, you are allowing yourself the opportunity to actually learn from the process.

If you just follow the cycle of explore and then take action, which is the norm for most people, you are just getting into a cycle of Think – Do, Think – Do, Think – Do and you never allow yourself time or opportunity to learn, grow and expand. When you add the crucial component of reviewing your actions and assessing if they are delivering the required result, you are allowing yourself to convert this process into something you can learn and grow from.

The very process of constantly reviewing your actions and looking for ways to improve, when looked at differently is called practice. As you know perfect practice makes perfect.

Any sports person who wants to improve will engage in constant daily practice until they achieve the level of competence they want. We as business professionals should be following the same concept of practicing or reviewing our actions daily so that we can constantly improve. This will turn 20 years of business experience into 20 years of growth and development rather than 20 years of the same mistakes repeated 20 times.

Empowerment

Your strategy to grow your wisdom should be a structured and planned process where you include time in the process to review and see what you can learn from the actions you have taken. After adopting a new pricing policy, hiring a new staff or any challenge you have overcome, pause, review and learn all the lessons offered. Review your plans, walk through the actions you took, explore and see what worked and what didn’t.

This will equip you with valuable experience going forward. You will know what will work and what won’t, when faced with a similar set of events in the future.

The process of including a review during and after every major event or process in your life or business enables you to close the loop and turn experience into wisdom. You are effectively using every experience to grow your wisdom and knowledge base. This process will never stop you from making mistakes, but if you follow the process, it will most certainly help you avoid repeating the same mistakes over and over again.

Each lesson learned will effectively lock the door on that level of mistake and open new vistas to you to expand, explore and become. It is in mistakes and practice that you gain the most benefit. Wisdom is about consistently growing and becoming more every day, where you use every challenge you have overcome, every new process you have introduced, as learning and growing experiences.

Actively look for opportunities to learn and grow in everything and everything will become an opportunity for you to grow. 

How to Be a More Patient Person

By Pat Markel

It’s not unusual to be stuck in traffic, in a line at the checkout counter, or waiting in the doctor’s office.

Unless you have made a point of learning to be patient, you could become stressed, anxious, frustrated or angry.

you act or make a move. Getting impatient won’t make things move any faster and could have the opposite effect.

Practice thinking before you speak.

Pause and go over what you need to say. Try to avoid hurting or offending others. 

But your frenzy is useless.

No one is born patient. It’s a quality that has to be developed because there is a lot of waiting in our lives.

Its benefits are many. Being patient reduces stress levels and can make you a healthier person, and one who can deal with difficult situations with ease and poise.

You will be better at decision-making.

Patience allows you to assess situations, see the big picture and weigh the pros and cons. It makes you more understanding of the obstacles you have to overcome and more understanding of others. It’s the basis for better relationships with spouses, pals and bosses.

How to Develop Patience Make an effort for one day to take your time and think about everything you do. At the end of the day, think about how you made smarter decisions, got along better with others and got a better picture of what was going on.

Slow down when the situation calls for it. If you tend to be in a rush and want everything done immediately, stop. Take a few deep breaths before September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 39

Empowerment

Forgiveness: Acceptance and Letting Go

By Dr. Margaret Paul Are you keeping yourself miserable by holding on to blame and resentment?

Are you confused about the difference between condoning and forgiveness?

Have you ever noticed the difference in people who are able to easily let go of resentment and forgive, and those who stay in anger and blame?

What I have noticed is that those who continue to stay in blame and resentment are often people who see themselves as victims of other people’s choices. I’ve noticed that people who stay angry at someone are generally people who are very controlling and believe that they can control someone else’s behavior through punishment - anger, withdrawal, withholding, blame, righteousness, judgment, and so on.

There is a big difference between forgiving someone and wanting to spend time with that person. For example, if you find out that someone close to you has lied to you in a major way, you might decide not to spend much time with that person. You might decide that it is not in your highest good to spend time with someone whom you cannot trust to be honest with you.

However, if you hang on to anger, blame and resentment, what happens to you? You end up feeling miserable.

Whenever someone behaves in a manner that I find unacceptable, I attempt to understand the good reasons behind the unacceptable behavior. Is this person a very scared and insecure person? Did this person

come from an unloving background?

Is this person a very young soul, doing the best he or she can but is limited in ability? I do not take others’ behavior personally, knowing that their behavior is coming from their fears and beliefs and actually has nothing to do with me.

Even though I choose compassion rather than judgment when others behave in unacceptable ways, this does not mean that I want to continue to be around the person. I can fully understand why the person acted as he or she did, yet still decide that being around this person is not in my highest good. I can fully forgive that person, which means that I am not carrying around blame and resentment, without wanting to continue to be around that person.

If you forgive but choose to not be around someone, it is important to be aware of your intent in not being around that person. Your intent is either controlling or loving.

If your intent is to control, then you hope that by not being around that person, he or she will learn their lesson and change their behavior. You have not really decided to end the relationship. You have a secret hope that by distancing yourself, you can have control over whether or not this person changes.

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Leaving with the intent to control can lead to you getting stuck in misery, waiting for that person to change.

If your intent is to take responsibility for yourself, then you have decided that not being around this person is in your highest good. You are ready to move on, rather than being attached to this person changing. You have fully forgiven this person and are now taking loving care of yourself by letting go of all hope of this relationship working.

If someone behaves in a way that is not acceptable to you, this does not mean that you need to leave the relationship. It does mean that you need to accept that it may happen again and that there is nothing you can do about it. You have no control over another’s choices. Again, hanging on to blame and resentment will only make you miserable. If you decide to stay, then you need to decide, through your Inner Bonding practice, how to take responsibility for yourself in the face of the other’s unacceptable behavior. When you are truly taking loving care of yourself, then you will find you can easily forgive the other person.

The blessing of forgiveness is that it allows you to let go of life-draining resentment and open up to love and joy. 

Empowerment

I believe you have inside of you a core genius... some one thing that you love to do, and do so well, that you hardly feel like doing anything else.

It’s effortless for you and a whole lot of fun. And if you could make money doing it, you’d make it your lifetime’s work.

In most cases, your Core Genius is directly tied to your passions and lifepurpose.

For me, my core genius lies in the area of teaching, training, coaching and motivating. Another core genius is writing and compiling books. Over my 35 year career, I have written, coauthored, compiled and edited more than 150 books, and I love to do it! I do it well, and people report that they get great value from it.

Compare that to the other people in the world who go through life doing everything, even those tasks they’re

they fail to delegate even the most menial of tasks.

When you delegate the grunt work— the things you hate doing or those tasks that are so painful, you end up putting them off—you get to concentrate on what you love to do. You free up your time so that you can be more productive. And you get to enjoy life more.

Stay Focused on Your Core Genius

By Jack Canfield Successful people believe this, too.

That’s why they put their core genius first. They focus on it—and delegate everything else to other people on their team.

bad at or that could be done more cheaply, better, and faster by someone else.

So why is delegating routine tasks and unwanted projects so difficult for most people?

They simply can’t find the time to focus on their core genius because

Surprisingly, most people are afraid of looking wasteful or being judged as

September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 41

Empowerment

being above everyone else. They are afraid to give up control or reluctant to spend the money to pay for help.

Deep down, most people simply don’t want to let go.

Others (potentially you) have simply fallen into the habit of doing everything themselves. “It’s too timeconsuming to explain it to someone,” you say. “I can do it more quickly and better myself anyway.” But can you?

Delegate Completely!

If you’re a professional earning $75 per hour and you pay a neighborhood kid $10 an hour to cut the grass, you save the effort of doing it yourself on the weekend and gain one extra hour when you could profit by $65. Of course, while one hour doesn’t seem like much, multiply that by 52 weekends a year and you discover you’ve gained 52 hours a year at $65 per hour —or an extra $3,380 in potential earnings.

Similarly, if you’re a real estate agent, you need to list houses, gather information for the multiple listings, attend open houses, do showings, put keys in lock boxes, write offers and make appointments. And, if you’re lucky, you eventually get to close a deal.

But let’s say that you’re the best closer in the area.

Why would you want to waste your time writing listings, doing lead generation, placing lock boxes, and making videos of the property when you could have a staff of colleagues and assistants doing all that, thus freeing you up to do more closing? Instead of doing just one deal a week, you could be doing three deals because you had delegated what you’re less good at.

One of the strategies I use and teach is complete delegation. It simply means that you delegate a task once and completely - rather than delegating it each time it needs to be done.

When my niece came to stay with us one year while she attended the local community college, we made a complete delegation - the grocery shopping. We told her she could have unlimited use of our van if she would buy the groceries every week. We provided her with a list of staples that we always want in the house (eggs, butter, milk, ketchup, and so on), and her job was to check every week and replace anything that was running low.

In addition, my wife planned meals and let her know which items she wanted for the main courses (fish, chicken, broccoli, avocados, and so on). The task was delegated once and saved us hundreds of hours that year that could be devoted to writing, exercise, family time, and recreation.

Most entrepreneurs spend less than 30% of their time focusing on their core genius and unique abilities.

In fact, by the time they’ve launched a business, it often seems entrepreneurs are doing everything but the one thing they went into business for in the first place.

Many salespeople, for example, spend more time on account administration than they do on the phone or in the field making sales, when they could hire a part-time administrator (or share the cost with another salesperson) to do this time-consuming detail work. In most cases, in a fraction of the time it would take them and at a fraction of the cost.

42 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

Most female executives spend too much time running their household, when they could easily and inexpensively delegate this task to a cleaning service or part-time mother’s helper, freeing them to focus on their career or spend more quality time with their family.

Don’t let this be your fate!

Identify your core genius, then delegate completely to free up more time to focus on what you love to do.

I believe that you can trade, barter, pay for and find volunteer help to do almost everything you don’t want to do, leaving you to do what you are best at - and which will ultimately make you the most money and bring you the most happiness. 

Empowerment

Five Ways to Get More From Your Job

By Pat Markel Unless you’re independently wealthy or you have the luxury of being provided for, you probably need to have a job. Finding one you like and that you can live with can be challenging! But regardless of what job you have, you can get more from your work.

You don’t always have to change jobs to be happy. Some people do switch jobs and find something more rewarding.

But what if you aren’t in a position to change your job right now? You can be happier and more fulfilled right where you are.

Jobs Are Often What You Make of Them It’s very easy to convince yourself that you don’t like your job. It’s a little harder, but much more rewarding, to convince yourself that you love your job. Try to focus on the valuable aspects of your job.

Here are some ways to emphasize the positive:

 Count the blessings that your job gives you, like housing and food.

 Arrive on time and work hard, so you feel positive about your approach to work.

 Be honest about your goals, so your boss knows that you want to move up.

 Leave work at work - avoid bringing home anything

It can be difficult to keep quiet when you aren’t getting the promotion or recognition that you feel you deserve.

However, acting angry or defeated in response will show in your work and keep you from attaining what you want.

With that in mind, focus on what you want in your job and work toward it.

Let Others Help You With Your Job Worries Avoid being a martyr. Carrying the burden all alone can be painful. There’s nothing wrong with being honest about your job challenges with friends and families.

Whining won’t help, so try to communicate as positively as you can. You can also talk about your issues at work as long as it’s clear you’re searching for a positive solution. Ask for help if you need it.

If challenges at work seem really overwhelming and it’s not just because you feel overworked or underappreciated, you can take action. Harassment and other legal issues should be reported. You aren’t required to work under those kinds of conditions. You can also consider changing jobs if possible.

When you feel “stuck” in a job you don’t really care for, you can still make the best of it with a positive attitude. A job doesn’t have to be your life’s career. You may change it later. At the moment, however, that job provides you with the ability to pay your bills and feed your family.

That’s a lot to be thankful for, and it gives your job value and worth. 

negative or problematic. Let it go.

 Refrain from taking personal problems or agendas to work. Leave them at home for later.

Remember that the people you work with will all have their own opinions, goals, and agendas. What they do only really matters if it’s directly affecting you. For example, another’s actions affect you if they make you look bad. Beyond that kind of an issue, though, just let others do what they will.

This will let you relax more at work.

September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 43

www.exceptionalmag.com

September-October 2013

CONTENTS

Extraordinary Profiles 46

Heshie Segal—Building Relationships to Create Continuing Success

54

Werner Berger—Helping Others Develop Their “Inner-Champion” to Reach New Heights

Inspiration 62

You Will Sing Your Song Again

64

Suna Senman—Discover Your Inner Peace and Harmony

70

Do Something Easy For Yourself - Forgive

71

How to Live Your Life with Intense Purpose

The Lighter Side

Cover Design by Jeff Hayes

73

HELP!

74

Puzzles and Funnies

75

Profile Resources

76

Writers and Contributors

“Patience and diligence, like faith, remove mountains.”

William Penn

Heshie Segal

Building Relationships to Create Continuing Success

Extraordinary Profiles

For decades

Heshie Segal has

transformed the lives of children and women and entrepreneurs. Not only is she is passionate about helping those that are less fortunate, but her passion for equipping others with the right tools and information to increase their success is amazing.

Segal is a network marketing strategist, professional speaker, trainer, consultant, executive coach, small business entrepreneur, and an advocate for kids all over the world. Her unique systems for developing solid relationships have been used by executives and managers in corporations, at universities and by individuals around the world. She has an incredible enthusiasm for life and for serving others.

Segal has won numerous awards, including Community Service Volunteer of the Year Award, the Suzy Sutton Mentor Award and the National Speaker’s Association Member of the Year Award. Her clients include the Small Business Association, Various Chambers of Commerce, National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), American Express Financial Advisors and many others.

From community service to changing lives around the world and helping others experience incredible business success, Segal has impacted many lives personally and professionally.

Her impeccable list of accomplishments are too numerous to mention here, but Segal has developed amazing systems that are aimed at helping entrepreneurs and women to quickly develop relationships and grow their companies. Her unique style of coaching has enabled top level management at major corporations to develop effective teams and drastically increase their income potential. She has an uncanny ability to connect with people at all levels and inspire them to see change within themselves.

Segal is married to Werner Berger, one of the oldest record holding mountain climbers in the world. Her desire to begin helping children in Africa began when her husband climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Together, they are an unstoppable force.

become involved as advocates for women and children. Her work with young adults is aimed at encouraging them to take control of their lives and recognize the potential that they have to change themselves and the world. She encourages young people to dream big, make wise choices, develop great work ethics and turn their dreams into reality.

Segal is also the Queen of JetNetting, a term she coined. It is an innovative system that she developed which helps people to immediately develop solid business relationships in less time by building long-term, genuine, powerful and diverse connections. She has instantly changed lives using this powerful networking system. Through JetNetting, Segal teaches her clients how to instantly turn a business card or a presentation into lasting business opportunities.

Her book, 21 Secrets to Increase Your Net Worth by 21 Percent In 21 Days or Less, outlines this process.

The founder of Exceptional People Magazine was delighted to speak with Segal about her life’s passion to serve others in their professional and personal lives and to help thousands of children, young adults and women improve their lot in life.

Monica: You have turned your life experiences as a young person into positive outcomes which have helped you grow as an adult, a business person and a humanitarian.

You are a professional speaker, trainer and consultant, as well as an executive coach. Talk about your drive and desire to achieve excellence. What allows you to be successful at what you do?

Heshie: From a very early age, people would tell me I could not do certain things. Unwilling to accept their opinion, I had to prove I could. I’m involved in so many things it’s hard to strive for excellence in every area. When I focus on something I really want to do or accomplish, I work towards excellence. My thought is not everything has to be perfect and excellent. If I’m creating a design (yes, in one of my lives I am a textile/embroidery designer), imperfection can be quite nice. On the other hand, I wouldn’t want a surgeon operating on me if he or she were not excellent! It’s all relative.

Let’s take a look at business. If you do not strive for excellence, you may find someone who DOES strive for excellence quickly replacing your “good enough” attitude or work ethic. It’s all relative.

As a humanitarian, Segal is making lives better for children around the world, and she is inspiring others to September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 47

Extraordinary Profiles

business and I never concentrated on the idea of having friends and in particular, girlfriends. It was powerful. She knew well before me what was missing.

Had she simply given me the answer, it would not have been the same.

It took almost no time for me to create what I dubbed, The Girlfriend Connection. We had parties, and we would talk about our needs and strengths, and everyone helped everyone else. We connected. I connected more and more people. I did it until I became excellent at it, and then I taught others a system I had developed. I called it JetNettingTM.

If you focus on what you really love and about which you’re passionate, excellence will surface and will surely become your companion on your path to success.

I’m really good at building, fostering and maintaining new (and existing) relationships, and giving others the tools to do the same. It has become my expertise and my source of excellence. And until recently, I had a difficult time even owning that recognition.

Monica: How did you develop the skill of helping people to connect?

Heshie: I think it came from a feeling something was missing in my life. In late 1999, close to the year 2000, I remember sitting on the couch with my life coach, Laura Szabo Cohen, my hero and mentor. Something was missing in my life. I was unhappy. She asked me questions, listened, and probed some more, carefully leading me on a path of self-discovery. She was totally brilliant. I realized I had a huge number of business acquaintances (I was a champion of collecting business cards and that was really all I had . . . business acquaintances . . . and then suddenly I looked at her as if the light bulbs were flashing everywhere. All I did was 48 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

I don’t think anyone wakes up one day and says, “I’m really good at that.” I think it’s human interaction that somehow brings it out. I learned to be really good at relationship building because I started from scratch. I had no model of what a good relationship was. I started reading and doing.

Through experimentation, I learned what worked and what didn’t. I learned to do things for others on their terms, not mine. I allowed myself to seek help, to be vulnerable to have someone else to bring it out of me, and I eventually, with a great deal of effort, realized I had become good at it.

I often think about how different my life would have been had I not had such an abusive childhood. Now I realize it is the foundational fabric of who I am today and because of it . . . I have the authentic ability to help many more people.

I may have become excellent at what I do because, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, I had to fight my way to get where I am today. I learned to love the good in people and be an example of how that could look. I simply became excellent at it.

Monica: You have coined an expression or term called JetNettingTM, which is a part of your business. What is JetNettingTM and how can others benefit from it?

Extraordinary Profiles

Heshie: It’s about building relationships fast, deep and long-lasting. You really can build an instant relationship with just about anyone. If there is a grouch waiting on me in a store, I might say, “You’re really having a bad day, aren’t you?” They reply, “Yes, how did you know?”

I might say, “Because you’re not smiling and I just have a feeling that on a good day, you would probably be flashing a warm smile.” Generally, it brings an instant smile that someone cared enough to notice.

Everything we do in life is about relationship and connection. I build relationships quickly and work at keeping them going. If I feel a real connection, I will invite them to join my business. It goes way beyond business . . . it is an important way to be in constant touch. I get to pick and choose so I might as well choose those with a smile and good attitude. The other skills can be learned.

In the business world, if you can’t build relationships, you’re lost. The relationship is key. People do business with people they know, like, and trust. For me, that trust is absolutely essential. JetNettingTM extends to building diverse networks. If everyone in your network looks, thinks and acts like you, you’re not going to learn much.

When you can celebrate the differences, you win, we all win. And it is not just in our own little corner of the world. It’s global; it’s humanity. I think of when I’m buying clothes, school and medical supplies and special water bottles for kids in Africa and people say to me, “Why don’t you do that for people in the US?” And I reply, “I do.” I do it all the time and if I want to be a part of creating peace for the next generation, I also want to make sure that kids around the world know there are other people who care about them. I have a relationship with those kids, young adults and women there.

cards from them. I put my contact information on the back of their cards. So, I took some of her cards. When the session began, I held up her card and asked the attendees, “How many of you ever need a print company or someone who can design a logo?” Several raised their hands. I said, “I have a good referral for you. I just met her so I cannot give a personal recommendation. I just love her card and if it’s an example of what she can do, then I’d like you to have her card.” I handed all her cards out with my name on the back.

She and her partner were on the verge of filing for bankruptcy. She used my 21 JetNetting Secrets and within a short period of time, went from bankruptcy to becoming not only solvent, but having more customers than they could possibly handle.

So your tip here is to collect other people’s business cards, put your contact information on the back and you get recognized as the resource, the connector and that person will surely remember you. You have now taken a step towards becoming a Center of Influence.

Monica: Let’s talk about your character training with young people. A lot of youth need to be reminded about

Eventually I will do this on every Continent. It’s a part of my Kids Better World.

JetNettingTM is about taking a business card and building a relationship with the person who owns the card, being of service and being an advocate. If I like someone or what they do, I’ll tell the world!

I remember leading a breakout session at a conference in Philadelphia. A woman was standing outside the doorway to my session trying to decide whether to attend.

I said, “Come to my session; I promise you will leave here with business.” I often build brief relationships with a few people before my sessions and collect business September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 49

Extraordinary Profiles

I encourage them to become world citizens and look for positive ways to bring about results, having a vision, and making sure their vision, mission and values are integrated and congruent. It’s about being the best world citizen they can possibly be. Interestingly enough, all of this is just what adults could also be doing. It’s never too late to start again!

Monica: You also provide seminars for job seekers. What are your thoughts on the current state of the economy and the fact that there are so many people out of work? What are some pointers that you can give them?

the importance of having good character and having strong ethics. What do you talk to them about?

Heshie: Integrity is always at the top of my list; selfresponsibility, self-esteem, a lot of “self” everything, where they know they are responsible for the life they choose. They have to be aware of what’s going on around them and how to view it within their own experience.

They must challenge themselves to learn to do things on their own. If they reach a stumbling block, only then should they ask for help. If part of a team, they should do their best to have everyone work to their strengths so it becomes fun. Once they say they’re going to do something, they must do it.

They can build their confidence though participation and experimentation. By taking stock of their experiences, they can discover direction in their lives. It’s about becoming a whole person and doing what they want in life, not what others tell them that they have to do.

Someone else isn’t going to lead their lives for them.

I want young people to learn how to help others, become advocates, find the strengths in others and speak up in a positive manner.

50 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

Heshie: Security is gone. Anyone can be fired. People keep looking for a job in which they exchange time for dollars.

They depend on someone else to tell them what to do, when to work, when they can have time off and see their families and when they have to work even more hours for less money so they can just keep their job. That is so limiting!

There ARE opportunities and those who “get it” will want to design a plan that works for them, including multiple streams of income. Sound simple? It is and perhaps not always easy because it does take some research to find that fit. I think having multiple steams of income is essential and having as many residual streams of income as possible is possibly where security can be found in today’s economy.

There are many avenues and the one that levels the playing field, at least in my opinion, is network marketing. I am a big advocate of the industry and my goal is to be a champion of changing its reputation. People who do not know how to do it and companies who are about greed, ruin it for everyone else. There are some great companies and it takes research to find them. I train in the industry and have a list of things that must be in place. A company with an Associates Bill of Rights is one that has integrity. I like that.

Lasting success in the industry is about the ability to build relationships on every level. It’s about having character, integrity, being true to your word, being transparent, and allowing people to focus on their strengths. Someone will like to do what you do not like to do!! Yes!!! Solid network marketers will care more about the success of their potential partner than the money they can earn as a result of that focus. It simply needs to have an organic flow.

Anyone can learn to be a network marketer if they are open to an alternate business model. It takes time to build a foundation, it is not a get rich quick thing (although some

Extraordinary Profiles

would have you believe that). There needs to be an honest assessment of where someone is, the skills they possess and the willingness to do what it takes to succeed. People have to get over the fear of rejection and there are ways to do this. If someone does not like to go out of the house, then they can learn and build online.

There really is something for everyone and the way to succeed is to make sure you are with a team that will be there for you.

I just recently realized how much I love teaching people how to be a successful network marketer. For me, it is not so much about how to make the money, it is more about the personal development , how to be a good person, how to build the relationship, how to help people find their strengths, and be a team player.

Other than wanting to teach all of these things, which I probably will want to do forever, it gives me the income to do what I want. I really love to travel and I love helping children. If I had all the money in the world, I would be building the children’s home that I’ve dreamed of for as long as I can remember. Network marketing is the vehicle I use to do what I really want to do – to give me the time, freedom and certainly financial freedom.

things you like to do. You will find within that list those things you most like to do, then you go back to the one that matches your vision, values and mission statement. If you do that with real integrity, you will come up with what it is you can do and make money at it.

Monica: What do you love most about what you do in terms of helping people through your speaking and network marketing businesses?

Heshie: Helping them turn their vision into reality.

Through the process, they get to have a real understanding of who they are, what they want, what they’re willing to do and even what they are willing to give up in order to get there and this is just the foundation. Helping them understand what they really want from life and what they can do to make a contribution and having them step out of their comfort zones is integral in what we do. Financially, I love to see people succeed and experience the joy they have when they start getting paid for their efforts and for helping others.

Monica: You work with top executives and top level management. In what ways can you help them succeed?

My personal thought is that anyone who is out of work and does not try network marketing is missing the opportunity to become personally independent and selfreliant. There’s no more wondering if they are going to find a pink slip waiting for them. I have chosen an area in network marketing where I can help people with their health because it is so important. Without our health, we have nothing. “Toys” no longer count without the health to enjoy them.

People need to do the research to find a company they want to work with in the same way they might look for a lifelong partner. We “live” with our company so we want to love it. I am open to talking to anyone who would like to talk. That does not mean it will be a good fit.

Monica: When you’re speaking to job seekers, do you include that information in your presentations?

Heshie: Yes. However, I know not everyone is cut out for network marketing, nor is everyone cut out to have a 9 to 5 job. Monica, let’s say you were interested in knowing if you could do this or any business for that matter. I would have you write down your vision, mission and values. Then I would have you write 100 September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 51

Extraordinary Profiles

Heshie: I start by observing their general behavior and attitude. I remember a top executive who was highly efficient in his job yet seriously lacked people skills. Mr. X was with one of the largest financial companies in the country and they were grooming him to become a senior vice president. In less than five minutes, I knew I had my work cut out for me. His behavior bordered on boorish.

My first task was to observe how he ran his weekly recognition meetings. The man showed clear favoritism and joked about people’s appearances in front of the entire team, whether he referred to someone’s unpolished shoes or a dress being a bit tight! He only made eye contact with those he liked and even that was not prolonged. He had created a splintered and competitive team, divided into the favored and the not so favored.

After six weeks of attending his sessions, privately coaching him as well as interacting with his people, he managed to do a complete turnaround. He began looking people in the eye, and he learned how to look for the good in every member of his team. He began treating everyone equally. Sales increased and he got the promotion. (And a quick side note: what I love is I got the job as a result of a referral from someone who had attended one of my JetNettingTM programs!)

Monica: Sometimes I think it is a special skill that’s needed to be able to recognize those things within people, and you have that skill.

How would you describe your achievements to date in terms of what you have accomplished for yourself and other people? What is your perspective on your accomplishments?

Heshie: I really feel fantastic about what I’ve done with children, women and entrepreneurs. People tell me I have been able to help them turn their lives around as well as their businesses, etc.

For entrepreneurs, it’s simply having a role model, knowing it can be done and knowing that anyone who works with me will get whatever support they need, as long as they remain in the game.

I have been blessed with the ability to motivate, encourage, and help others create more effective ways of being. This is especially true for young people who are often like a sponge waiting to be saturated. I introduce my Possibility Project, a step by step process that can literally change their lives in one week. If I could get 52 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

adults to go through the same process, it would be amazing for them.

I feel a wonderful sense of accomplishment in my work with women. I can understand what many have experienced because I have been there, especially for women who have been abused. They feel if I can do it, they have hope as well. With women, even learning how to accept a compliment with ease and grace is a big step.

I have this dream out there – that we can live in a diverse world and celebrate our differences. I live this and model it for others. I believe it makes an impact.

Monica: Can you provide a word of encouragement to the two groups you just spoke about, children and women?

Heshie: You are capable of doing anything you want to do as long as you don’t hurt anyone else, you don’t break the laws of the land, and you can actually do it on your own.

You may not be able to become the president of the United States, because other people have to vote for you. You CAN become president of anything YOU create. You can start from nothing and build upon it.

My mantra is “Watch Me.” I don’t want anyone to tell me I can’t do something because I WILL do it if I want to do it.

To your readers I would s ay, step out, be willing to be extraordinary, take risks, make things happen and be an active participant in your life. Say what you want and then go do it . . . NOW! 

JetNetting Connection Girlfriend Connection http://www.jetnettingconnection.com

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Werner Berger

Helping Others Develop Their “Inner “Inner--Champion” to Reach New Heights

Extraordinary Profiles

Werner Berger’s

desire to

live life to the fullest is evident in his accomplishments as a champion mountain climber.

Werner is the oldest North American to reach the top of Mt. Everest and the fourth oldest person in the world to have accomplished this daring feat. But reaching the top of Mt. Everest for the first time was just the beginning.

He has also become the oldest North American to have climbed to the top of all ‘Seven Summits’….the highest point on the seven continents.

His secret to achieving such amazing feats is based on his beliefs that you must enjoy a balanced life, maintain good health, become a visionary and dream large.

Before you can achieve success at anything in life, you must first envision yourself doing something and see yourself completing it.

As a corporate consultant and the Founder and President of Strategic Results International, Werner applies that same thinking, and methodology to his personal endeavors as a mountain climber. He also uses these techniques to help his clients achieve unlimited results.

He has helped corporate leaders and their teams to experience opportunities of unprecedented fulfillment and success by inspiring them to reach well beyond their current potential.

Werner says, “What keeps me going is the challenge, and maybe more importantly, the sense of being when I’m in that kind of environment, standing on top of the mountain. I always wanted to be an Olympic athlete and didn’t achieve that because my chosen sport was pole-vaulting, so there was a latent desire to do something and really push myself.”

He is a strong advocate for good health and nutrition and encourages others to take more personal responsibility for their health. “In the long-term it’s the only thing of real value that you have. Once you’ve got your health you can have relationships that work, you can have the ability to produce income, if that’s one of your quests, or you can travel the world if you’re looking for unique experiences,” says Werner.

Werner is married to Heshie Segal, a widely-recognized network marketing and relationship building expert.

When it comes to changing lives in the personal and professional arenas, Werner and his wife Heshie Segal are a knockout team that has been unstoppable in their quest for excellence and inspiring others to achieve excellence.

“I want to leave a legacy. The legacy would be just being a model that age doesn’t have the limitations that our western society has put on it partly because of our inappropriate focus on what it means and what it takes to be healthy,” explains Werner.

Werner graciously shared many of his successful life principles and how he applies them to his personal endeavors, as well as his corporate clients, with the founder of Exceptional People Magazine.

Monica: I want to congratulate you on your remarkable achievements, including being the eldest North American to climb all seven summits as well as being the 3rd oldest person to stand atop Mount Everest. No one has to tell you what it means to be a risk taker. To climb one of the tallest mountains in the world is an amazing feat, but to climb all seven summits is beyond remarkable. What is the internal force behind your desire to push your limit as far as you have?

Werner: A lot of people think that skydiving is risky for example, and yet if you look at the incidences of disaster, they’re extremely low. If you compare them to being in a car, it’s far more hazardous to be in the car than to be under a parachute. It’s the same thing with climbing. I don’t see it as that high a risk if the body is in condition and if you are aware of the circumstances and the surroundings.

People of course, sit back and say, oh that is so risky, because when somebody dies on the mountain, there’s usually a lot of publicity about that.

What keeps me going is first of all the challenge, and maybe more importantly, a shift in my sense of “being” when I’m in that environment. What I mean is, I cannot be in that space, day after day, without being focused completely on the here and now; completely on the present.

It changes my sense of who I am. I become so much more appreciative of everything around me, whether it’s people, the vegetation, the sunset or the grandeur and the fabulousness of the mountains. It all becomes a part of a miraculous whole!

The other part has to do with accomplishment, stretching myself and achieving something that I didn’t think I achieved as a kid. I always wanted to be an Olympic September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 55

Extraordinary Profiles

athlete, and I didn’t achieve that because my chosen sport was pole-vaulting. I didn’t have a coach, just a burning desire - so there was a latent yearning to do something extraordinary and really push myself. The final part has to do with what I want to leave behind as an accomplishment. We could call that a legacy. One of my legacies could be a model of age not having the limitations our western society inappropriately applies, partly because of unconsciousness relative to the possible vibrance associated with age and a healthy lifestyle.

Werner: Probably somewhere around the year 2000. I sat in the workshop in 1989, and the facilitator said, “Jot down three things that you would love to do before you die, but you don’t think you ever will”. We didn’t have the name ‘Bucket List’ in those days. I picked, climb Kilimanjaro, probably because I was born on the African continent; climb the Matterhorn, because everybody knows this beautiful mountain in Switzerland; and see Everest Base Camp. Those came to mind, never thinking any of them would materialize.

Monica: I would imagine that you need a team of people to prepare and climb the various summits. How do you go about finding the right people for your team to help you accomplish the objectives that you set for yourself?

Two years later, my adventurous son said, “Hey dad, you said you wanted to see Everest Base Camp. Do you still want to do it?” A year later we went and it became a life changing experience. I had no idea that I would fall in love with the mountains and that environment; at least, not to the extent that I did. I was 55 at the time. We took off on our own; just my son and I and our backpacks, headed to Nepal and Everest Base Camp. At the end I decided I wanted to go higher and more remote. This meant that I had to get trained on how to navigate glaciers, deal with crevasses, do crevasse rescue, and use ice axes and crampons. Crazily I thought, “If I’m going to climb I may as well climb something worthwhile; the highest mountain in North America to get some training.” The people I contacted promptly wrote back and said, “You don’t have enough experience for this mountain.” They sent me to Mount Rainier to do what is called an expedition seminar, a five day immersion. They thought, at my age I would simply drop out after that, but a day after coming off Mount Rainier I reapplied, and got accepted to climb Mt. McKinley. I came within 200 vertical feet of the summit, and then got kicked off by high, gusty winds and clouds moving in. Getting caught in a ‘white out’ is extremely dangerous and all we could do is escape down.

Werner: For the most part I don’t have a team. I have always done my preparation totally on my own and usually without the help of a trainer. What I have done is utilize organizations that make basic arrangements, like permits and other arrangements. They’re called outfitters or guide companies. An example, Everest required 32 tons of equipment and food at base camp for our 12 climbers, plus all the support people like guides, cooks and porters. For me to have handled that kind of organization would have taken about a year’s effort in getting permits and making all the other arrangements.

The other struggle, given my age, most climbers are significantly younger than me. So to find climbers who would choose to climb with an old fellow, is a bit on the difficult side.

Mountains like Kosciusko, I literally ran up alone. For Aconcagua, I teamed up with a friend I’d met on Mount McKinley (Denali). We made all our own arrangements and climbed it unsupported. Kilimanjaro is more of a high altitude trek than a climb, so I put groups together and take people to the top. I literally become the organizer and hire the guides and porters mandated by Tanzania.

Monica: At what point in your life did climbing the world’s tallest peaks become a dream that you wanted to turn into your reality?

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Four years later, at the turn of the century, I decided this was a good time to try again. This time I got stuck at high camp for nine full days in a raging blizzard. We really couldn’t move. When we finally ran out of food, ran out of fuel, we luckily found a small break in the weather and escaped down. This is where I met Phil, the guy with who I climbed Mt. Aconcagua. It’s the highest mountain in South America. After that I thought, I’d love to be on top of Mt.

Extraordinary Profiles

Kilimanjaro on the morning of my 65th birthday. In quick succession, “Why don’t I go for the seven summits,” still never believing that one day I’d be climbing Mt. Everest.

That was the turning point. In the next few years I climbed the other three and then returned to McKinley in 2006, and on to summit Mt. Everest in 2007.

Monica: You said there is a deeper meaning behind what you do? What is it that you want others to learn from your exciting experiences as a person who has conquered the seven summits?

Werner: The main thing is, we need to stop putting limitations on ourselves and especially age? We need to recognize that our bodies are really designed to live a heck of a lot longer than the average life expectancy, for males 72, and 78 for females. I’m 76, and almost just beginning. By the time I finish my next quest, which is re-climbing all of the seven summits within a 12 month period, I’ll be two months away from 78. So I want people to recognize that we’ve put limitations on our longevity and our body’s ability to be healthy.

The other part is that obesity to a very large extent is a matter of choice, partly because of lack of information, a lack of education, and partly because of our fast and processed food industry. People have just started realizing that something has to change. How can we be so far down on the health scale? Most people if you asked them, “What can you do to be healthier?” will answer, “Oh I need to eat right”. First of all, they don’t know how nutritionally depleted our foods are. Unfortunately, they also do not know how bad most of the supplements are that are being sold today. In fact, just for your information, there are 1700 multivitamins on the North American shelves today. Almost one thousand of these vitamins have been rated as having no value to the human body. The best-known ones are One-A-Day and Centrum. According to the Comparative Guide, One-aDay has a 1.9% value to the human body. Centrum has a 3.2% value. There are only a handful of multi-vitamins that have more than a 90% value, but again, people don’t know this. To me, it’s criminal that this kind of information isn’t being broadcast.

Another thing that really frustrates me when we talk about health; most people are told, “If you want to lose weight you must eat less and exercise more.” This doesn’t work since overweight has less to do with overeating than it has to do with cellular malnutrition. Eat less, means less nutrition, exercise more demands more nutrition. It’s a formula for disaster. We have a life style change program that enjoys close to a 100% success rate.

Monica: Let’s talk about Meet Me At The Top, your health and wellness effort to get the global population on track in terms of taking care of themselves internally and, of course, externally.

Werner: Meet Me At The Top is a company I founded in 2007 to make a movie. The movie’s working title was, Back from the Edge. Nearly a million dollars went into the movie, and ultimately, what the director and the screenwriter produced was not what I wanted. When we got to the rough cut, it was more a trashing of our medical profession and medical systems, than an inspirational film

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Extraordinary Profiles

to encourage people to assume more responsibility for their health, with subtle lessons on how to do so. So right now it’s sitting on the shelf.

Instead I have re-organized Meet Me At The Top to arrange adventure travel and leadership experiences in Africa and Everest Base Camp.

So far, I’ve done two trips to Everest Base Camp and doing another in a few days. The first was with 40 people and everybody made it. Usually the dropout rate is between 25% and 44%. We’ve gone twice to the Serengeti and to the top of Kilimanjaro.

Monica: You focus on total wellness, what you call the four domains -- spiritual, physical, emotional, mental, and also financial wealth. Can you talk a little bit about those four domains?

Werner: Each one of them is really critical to powerful wellbeing. If we don’t have money, we cannot explore the world the way we could if we had sufficient funds.

We cannot make the difference that we could otherwise make, because there are people in the world who have never had an opportunity to really live. I think we have a responsibility to them -- not to give them a fish, but as the old saying goes, to teach them to fish. So, that’s where the money can help. Much of our stress comes from not having enough money. On the other hand, if we don’t have our health, we have nothing. On the emotional side we need balance, the ability to control ourselves -- and I’m not talking about suppressing our emotions, more about being comfortable with self so that we don’t get riled up over every little thing. That’s where mental health, and emotional wellness come into play.

And on the spiritual side -- if we cannot look out of the window and be in awe of creation, or look at another person and be in awe of this phenomenal functioning system that we call human beings, then we’re missing so much. When we’re not at one, or in sync with each other, we can kill, wage war and can do all kinds of nasty things that don’t lead to peace and harmony. Ultimately peace and harmony are what happiness is all about. If we

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cannot reach this state with another, we cannot be in peace and harmony within ourselves.

These four or five elements work very closely together, just as do the four things that work toward our health. First, we have to find a way to reduce toxicity in our bodies.

Smoking, of course, is the most obvious one. Anyone who smokes is putting killer toxins into their system. I know smoking is big business, I know it’s hard to quit, and I know, for the sake of health and longevity it’s a must. Of course, the toxins in our foods and water supply are also a concern. The next part is simply to find a balance between work and play. We need recreation time. Our bodies need down-time. Third, our bodies crave exercise.

Unfortunately, most people don’t experience a hunger to exercise. However, if we don’t exercise, the body deteriorates faster than if we do. At the same time, if we over exercise, we’re also doing harm to the body. Most athletes actually die younger than couch potatoes.

Interesting, isn’t it?

Then the final one has to do with nutrition. If we don’t put the right fuel into our system, our cells cannot function optimally. It’s just like putting diesel into an average car, it can’t run, or it runs and sputters, but it doesn’t work effectively. Put the right fuel into it and it will run for hundreds of thousands of miles. Hamburgers and French fries might taste great, but they are definitely not fuel!

Monica: You are the founder and president of a company called Strategic Results International, and your mission is to transform corporations into opportunities of unprecedented fulfillment and success. In terms of your thinking, and the methods you applied to your personal endeavors, would you say that you apply similar principles to help your customers achieve their objectives?

Werner: Absolutely. You cannot plan a trip to the top of Everest, without having a vision of where you are going.

This mental picture, is followed by developing action steps related to how to get there. Running a corporation is exactly the same. If I don’t have a very compelling mission, one that my employees can buy into and have pride in working toward, how can I possibly have a fulfilled

Extraordinary Profiles

and effective workforce? I can’t get alignment and focused energy!

can I do to have Heshie enjoy her life and work more?” The non-leaders ask, “How can I get them more productive!”

Then, of course, I also need communication. I need to lead individuals toward a degree of self-governance. The same thing applies when I’m on the mountains. If I’m with a team, I have to be in communication, I have to pull my weight. If something goes wrong I have to be able to resolve it, because there’s nothing worse than being on a mountain, or in a company, and being in conflict with someone. Conflict takes the focus to internal strife and on the stress it causes, rather than on performance. If I’m torn-up inside, which many, many employees are, how can I expect them to make a difference? When the focus is on quality and happy customers, the latter come back and spend money with me. It really becomes a win-win.

If my customer doesn’t win, my corporation isn’t going to be very viable. The same thing applies to mountain climbing. If my team members and I don’t win and don’t have a sense of accomplishment, a sense of joy and a sense of supporting each other, it’s not going to be a very successful climb.

If we take a father and a son and the son does not feel comfortable in the relationship and can’t openly communicate with the father, then obviously it’s not a winwin situation. In families, when young and old start breaking apart, we talk about generation gaps. Mostly we are dealing with ‘communication gaps.’ It’s got to be open; it’s got to be honest, with high levels of integrity so that trust gets established.

Monica: Your wife Heshie Segal is very well known for the services that she provides in her own business. She specializes in the areas of networking, connecting people and helping them to establish lasting business relationships. The two of you work on business projects together. What are some key elements to being able to successfully work together on projects, and also pursue the operation of separate businesses, while maintaining a solid marriage or relationship?

Werner: It’s really like any partnership or any business.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about the relationship between the president and vice presidents, a manager and employees, we always want to work with each other’s strengths. If Heshie doesn’t have strength in a certain area and I do, then it’s my responsibility to interact in a way that we balance each other. In any relationship, if the partner does not feel that she’s “winning” as a result of being connected, it’s going to be a short-term one. The leader asks, what can I do to have happier and more productive employees? I ask, “What

Monica: One of the areas that you focused on in your business is sales effectiveness. Of course communication is arguably at the top of the list. It’s very important when you talk about sales, but communication also means knowing how to listen.

Werner: You bet! In fact, in sales -- unfortunately the word sales, is not a good one because the minute you hear sales, people think of somebody pushing something on you - it should never be about pushing something on someone.

It should always be about finding out what the other person has, what the other person wants, and you can only find this out through questioning and deep listening.

Monica: You focus on customer service. In many ways it’s easier for you to keep loyal customers and do business with them, than it is to go out and get new customers. It costs less to maintain and keep your current customers.

What would you say are some things that a business owner or an entrepreneur needs to consider when trying to obtain new customers or retain loyal customers?

Werner: The absolute key or the starting point is, being clear on the desired outcome, what is it the leader and/or the organization wants? Do they really want loyal customers? And if the answer is yes, the next question has to be, “What are the things we have to do to have loyal customers?” The answer should become one of the corporation’s values. They have to not only hire people who are willing to do what it takes, they also have to lead and manage that. As human beings, leaders sometimes lose their cool. But then, the next day or the next hour, or even

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Extraordinary Profiles

within the next few minutes they return and say, “Look, Monica, I’m so sorry, I stepped on your toes. It’s certainly not what I intended to do. Can we back up and readdress this problem?” This leadership act comes from internal strength and commitment, and knowing what the corporate values are related to customers (people) and how they should be treated? By the way, your employee is your most important customer!

Monica: You have to be willing to go that extra mile and go beyond what the average businessperson, or company will offer. That’s what I think loyalty means.

It means offering more than what they expect to receive from you.

Werner: Every time I go beyond the expectation, I’m adding value and that gets appreciated. There’s a law in the universe called the law of reciprocity. That law says, “If I do something for you that you don’t expect, and you appreciate it, your human condition drives you to do something in return;” and usually it will be in excess of what I did for you.

Monica: Absolutely. And many of those loyal customers can potentially become your sales team because they’d be happy to make referrals to you.

Werner: And the indication of a company that really works well in this regard is one that spends less on advertising and less on marketing and sales, because customers become, as you said, their sales people.

Through referrals they expend their business. That’s the ideal path to prosperity.

Monica: Is there something specific that you want to mention?

Werner: I am filling spaces for my October Everest Base Camp trek. People come away from that experience with most saying, “This was a life changing experience.”

They return viewing the world quite differently. There are several influencing factors. One of them is just simply the splendor of the mountains. You can’t imagine being in one of these valleys, where the Sherpa people

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might be growing crops, and on either side seeing these towering snow capped mountains reaching into the sky. I can’t be in this environment without being totally in awe, and feeling really humbled at the grandeur and the amazing landscapes that exist on this planet.

The other thing that amazes and awes people is the Sherpa existence. They really have so little, relative to money, retirement accounts, and insurance policies; they don’t have cars because there are no roads in this mountain region.

And yet, they are among the happiest people on earth. So we come away with a completely different perspective of what life could be like. And how simple it can be!

Monica: That’s a perfect example that you don’t have to own a lot of material things to have internal happiness.

Werner: Yes. That’s well said and right on. Also, we see the same thing in Africa. In the Kilimanjaro area in Tanzania, the people around Moshi and Arusha, have very, very little. They grow their own crops, and that’s what gives them their resource for the year. The next year they grow more. If they have a bad year, they tighten their belts a little bit, and still they are amongst the happiest people that I’ve met. They live close to the land and they’re part of the land, and there’s a very low degree of frustration and animosity. They go with the flow. We North Americans can learn a lot from that.

Monica: What is your last word?

Werner: Take more personal responsibility for your health, because in the long-term it’s the only thing of real value that you have. Once you’ve got your health, you can have relationships that work, the ability to produce income, if that’s one of your quests, you can travel the world if you’re seeking experiences, and you can apply your money to worthy causes and make a difference. I want to be a model for people and inspire them to live a healthy and fulfilled life. Come and visit with me on Quest712.com and let me know what you think!  Werner Berger http://www.meetmeatthetop.com

Inspiration

Often God has to shut a door in our face so that He can subsequently open the door through which He wants us to go.

Catherine Marshall

Inspiration

You Will Sing Your Song Again

By Catherine Galasso-Vigorito

One by one,

I watched the last of

the golden autumn leaves gently cascading to the ground from the nearly barren trees. Bundled up in a cozy sweater, I was in the garden tending to our plants and over ripe pumpkins. Then, I walked over to the deck and began to refill our bird feeders with seeds and cracked corn.

A little resident bird soon came to the feeder for a midmorning snack. And as I continued doing yard work, I heard him sing his delightful, sweet song.

As it was my custom, week after week, I’d place seeds in our birdfeeders. Afterward, inside, I would watch as the birds flocked to the backyard feeders. They’d eat the seeds and then collectively, the birds would sing, and I would listen to their cheerful song’s melody.

However, one day, I didn’t hear a sound. I was in the kitchen baking an apple cinnamon cake, and all was quiet.

So I glanced out through our back window and saw the birds fly to the feeder and eat. Yet, I didn’t hear them singing. The birds were silent. Then, they just flew away.

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The next day, the birds came to the feeder for their feast and ate the seeds. But once again, they didn’t coo or sing.

They all took flight. The birds seemed to have lost their joyous song.

Have you, like those little birds, lost your song?

Sometimes, our carefully laid out plans don’t go or end up the way we hope. Maybe, over the past few years, we experienced a series of disappointments. Perhaps, someone hurt us, a mistake was made or else we failed in a task. Or, circumstances happened that were outside of our control.

Now, our joy, enthusiasm and zest for living have vanished.

But today, I am here to encourage you: You will sing again.

You were created in the image of God, and there is untapped potential within you. Don’t lose sight of who God made you to be and what He destined for you to accomplish. There’s still time; it’s not too late to achieve your goals. God has incredible blessings in your future, beyond your highest aspirations. So never condemn or undervalue yourself, or you can end up settling for less than God’s best for you. There are higher heights for you to climb, wonderful people for you to meet and many goals to make manifest. Keep going; you could be one step away from success, so:

Inspiration  Believe again. “As you believe, so it shall be done unto you.” Matthew 8:13.

 Hope again. “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11.

 Love again: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never ends...” 1 Corinthians 13:7-8.

I’ve heard it said, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” And what you do with this day matters most, for it will directly affect your tomorrow. So get your joy and your passion back. Look to God, make up your mind to live again, and you’ll discover the joys, blessings and victories that God has ahead for you.

Now, go out each day and…sing!

“And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3. 

 Dream again. “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4.

 Be at peace and smile again. “Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.”

Philippians 4:6.

Regardless of what situations have come into your life and have tried to take away your song, you can regain it and sing again. As the perennial flowers rise up each spring and start fresh and new, you too can arise and begin again. With God, every day can be a new beginning. For He is whispering to you now, “Don’t give up… sing your song again.”

A while ago, I heard a remarkable story about missionary William Carey (1761-1834). Known as the “father of modern missions,” Carey was passionate about sharing God’s word with others. Hence, Carey began translating the Bible into different languages and dialects. Many of these languages had never been in print before, so they were then printed and distributed to the people.

But one day, while Carey was away, a fire broke out in the print shop. The blaze destroyed much of Carey’s precious works. His irreplaceable manuscripts, dictionaries and his translations of literature were gone.

It was purported that when Carey returned and saw the tragic loss, he showed no sign of frustration, bitterness, or despair. Rather, Carey dropped to his knees and prayed.

He looked up and thanked God that he still had the strength within himself to begin again. Carey did not look back in regret. He moved forward. Immediately, he went back to work, teaching, translating and sharing God’s word, thus, fulfilling his full potential. “Attempt great things for God; expect great things from God,” became Carey’s most well-known epigram.

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Suna Senman

Discover Your Inner Peace and Harmony

Inspiration

As an author and licensed mental health counselor, Suna Senman, is dedicated to helping people effectively deal with and eliminate the overwhelming stress that so many Americans are experiencing today.

The impact of job loss, foreclosures, and other issues relating to everyday life continue to take a toll on many individuals. The ability to overcome these issues becomes more challenging every day.

In her new book, Peace: Discovering Life’s Harmony through Relationships, Senman aims to help Americans find harmony in their lives by providing a step-by-step guide for manifesting inner and outer peace, even though the world around them may seem chaotic and out of control.

When asked what her definition of peace is, Senman replied, “I see peace as very active. I do not see it as the absence of conflict. I see it as balancing and harmonizing. I think that if you look at nature, everything is changing constantly. Seasons change, a flower blooms, it becomes seeds, and it dies off.

Everything balances out. So peace is more about balance and harmony.”

Senman candidly spoke about her purpose in writing Peace, her work as a mental health counselor and her passion for helping individuals cope with stressful, lifechanging events.

Monica: What’s your main focus in the area of childhood development?

Suna: First, I am going to say that I see things very holistically, very round instead of linear. So childhood remains with us throughout our lives, until we resolve issues from our childhood. I specialize in working with preschoolers, and I had a program for 17 years. After

working in an AIDS clinic with schizophrenics and depressives and multiple personalities and many substance abusers, I realized that that was like trying to use a teaspoon to prevent a dam from breaking. I wanted to identify what we need to do in order to avoid creating big voids and gaps that cause distortions and disorders in our lives later on.

I look at the elements that we need in our lives. What do we need? We know physically we need air, food and water, but emotionally we need social contact, we need communication and for my classical therapy training in child psychology and in family work, we talk about misfit characters, like a mother and a child and they have a misfit in character. But I think that also becomes a communication issue. What is the communication style?

Sometimes a third party needs to come in to help translate, or I think of the very basic things in nature. You know we have an atom that is composed of an electron and a proton, which are positive and negative charges that hold each other. Then we have neutrons as well, and you think why do you need a neutron? It might be a third leg on a stool, something that stabilizes. So not just in parent-child relationships but also in couple relationships, sometimes there’s the need for a third leg. It could be another perspective, another set of eyes through which you can view the situation.

I’ll give an example. I recently helped a woman with her 45-year-old daughter. This was a mother-daughter issue that could have been a mother with a five year old. It was just a matter of presenting a different perspective, in this case almost allowing the mother to make a transition from being the mother of a five-year old to the mother of a 45year old. There was a huge tiff there. Parenting issues can go on for a long time.

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Inspiration

Monica: I have talked with people where a lot of those issues tend to be something that happened many years ago, but they just haven’t figured out how to work through the problems.

Suna: It’s the emotional self that may be stuck at a child’s level, and it is understandable. You may have interpreted something that was traumatic when you were five years old because your brain has only developed to the level of a five-year old, your logic.

I believe it is in my book, this example of a five year old who felt like mommy never really wanted her because she was always the last mother to pick her up from ballet class. But she writes that my brother was always in the car, so she liked him but she didn’t like me. So that kind of logic comes from a five-year old. But then she is 35 years old and has a daughter and a son that are finished with their classes, her ballet class and his baseball class at the same time. The baseball field is empty, so she’d better get her son right on time but the ballet studio still has adults there to watch her child for 15 minutes. Then she can realize, oh, this was the situation. She is longing to be with her child, but the child self is very simple in figuring out logic and oftentimes figuring out very creatively from the target logic.

Monica: Let me congratulate you on your latest book, Peace: Discovering Life’s Harmony Through Relationships. The focus of the book is about how a person can create thoughts, words and actions of peace.

How do you personally define peace?

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Suna: That is also a question in by book. I don’t want to put my ideas into anyone else’s head but I think with sharing my perspective, it might stimulate in others, something deeper from within them. I see peace as very active. I do not see it as the absence of conflict. I see it as balancing and harmonizing. I think that if you look at nature, everything is changing constantly. Seasons change, a flower blooms, it becomes seeds, and it dies off.

Everything balances out. So peace is more about balance and harmony. It is active.

Monica: People obviously have their own definition of what peace is or what it means to them. For example, let’s say there are two countries in the mid-east that are at war with each other. Each may say we can’t have peace until we have this part of your space or your land. Therefore, they see peace in a sense of something physical or material and until they get that, they don’t have peace. So how do you work with someone who has that kind of mindset?

Suna: First of all, people pursue what they want and to me, as they are talking about I can’t have peace until I have that piece of land, it reminds me of the child having a temper-tantrum over the candy bar. First of all, any time you have any kind of expectation, you have room for disappointment. So I think that is getting away from the center of what life is about, being mindful and living in the moment and living in presence and in gratitude.

There are always more things to have or want, and another way I explain peace is living with both the glass half empty and full at the same time. The half full part is what we have and what we can be grateful for and the half empty part is what we are looking for. Someone who says, I can’t have peace or I can’t have happiness until a certain thing happens, I want to ask them, “Well what is it that you are getting out of that piece of land? What is it that you want from that piece of land?” There are deeper reasons for

Inspiration

Suna: Exactly. And life is about changing constantly. things and there are other methods of getting those things. If you go deep enough there are things that are within your control -- usually making some sort of change within yourself, and it could be a change of attitude from feeling like the victim, to gratitude and empowerment.

Monica: So with everything that is happening all over the world, the chaos and the wars that are taking place, do you believe that in the midst of chaos that a person can still have inner peace?

Suna: I do and I don’t at the same time. We are all connected, and I think that we are affected by each other and that we also feel for each other too. If inner peace is balance, you can bring balance. You can bring balance simply by remembering the joy from a happy situation when you are in a very sad situation.

I like history a lot and I like biblical history. It is brothers that are fighting mostly. They are the Abrahamic type. My father is Turkish and he is Muslim, so I spent some time in Turkey, but I also have friends and have grown up with people of many different cultures, many different regions. I went to the temple myself in the 9th grade, because I learned a lot from Judaism. I find that Judaism and Islam are very similar in many ways.

When we become empowered, we can look at somebody or something and say, “That bothers me; that should change.” Then you look within yourself and ask, “What is that reflecting within me? I have total power to change myself, whereas I don’t have that much power to change somebody else or something else.”

Monica: Oftentimes people become stuck in their mindset and they don’t see, or at least in specific areas of life, they don’t find a need for change. They think that what they have been doing year after year is just fine.

Suna: There is a security in something that is familiar and that is why we need some familiarity and also to feel that security. Some people more than others feel they need more familiarity for greater security. I think part of it is visualizing. When we don’t engage our visualization muscle enough to dream up new creative things, like the glass half empty, then we can get lazy and want to stay in the glass half full mode.

I was a competitive gymnast. If I wasn’t busy building up those muscles, they were atrophying. So I still have that attitude now. I have realized that I have a painful right ankle and I was babying it, and I looked down and saw that that calf was smaller than the other calf and it was starting to hurt even more. So I just pushed through the pain, and I work on that ankle and now it is a lot easier. I think that is similar to a little bit of pain to grow and move forward and move out of that not wanting to change stage.

Monica: I think some people become complacent where they are. Even though they don’t like where they are, at least they are familiar with it. I think it is the mindset that if they change, then there is going to be something worse than what they are currently experiencing.

Monica: Sure, you may have an impact on how a person thinks about a particular thing, but the ultimate change lies within them.

September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 67

Inspiration

Suna: That is a possibility. Another reason why people don’t move forward could be that they don’t see clearly their situation that they are in and they don’t take full advantage of it. It goes back to really being active and training that muscle creativity and visualization.

Monica: In your book, in the truth chapter, I like the poem that you begin with, where it says: “Watch your thoughts they become your words, watch your words they become actions, watch your actions they become habits, watch your habits they become character and watch your character, it becomes your destiny. That sums it up, that your thoughts really become your destiny. You decide where you are going to go in life.

Suna: It is true. We don’t see ourselves. That is why we need relationships, because others reflect us back. That is why, for me, writing has been so important. I have gotten through really difficult times, where I just needed to write to be clear. My book encourages the reader to write their story. The book at the end, after writing it all out, can serve as the person’s own wisdom scripture in a sense that is very personal--to act as a guideline for times where you are confused, to go back and see that inner wisdom that is within us and within each person.

Monica: Sure, and I think it was a good idea to incorporate throughout the book, an opportunity for the reader to actually write down what they are thinking or feeling at that moment.

Suna: I really feel like we are all experts of our own lives. We are all authors of our own lives in that we learn from each other. We get different perspectives, but 68 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

ultimately we are driving. It is just like we have eyes in the front of our head, so that is why we have friends that watch our back. That is why building good relationships that are basically honest, caring, open, and helpful, provide the best opportunities for us at all times, those are the kind of relationships that we foster to grow and create amazing things.

Monica: Can you speak to the importance of values and how important it is to have a set of values and principals by which you live your life? Everything that you do, whether it is good or bad, is based on the values you set for yourself.

Suna: Yes, and it is personal. I will give you a personal example. My father experienced a divorce in the1940’s, which was really difficult. So his value was that his children would never experience a divorce. As an adult, I am coming to understand that was his value and that was important to him. It may not have been my value. I think that when people have a value to live by, it is part of creating their character, their meaningfulness. But I think there are other general values, such as being honest or being someone who is supportive or reliable, or on time.

There are a lot of very good values and that is how we learn to trust one another.

Monica: You help people put together all of these different pieces of the puzzle to help them see life and themselves from a holistic point of view. What brings you peace and happiness? How do you see that for yourself?

Suna: The first thing that came to my mind was meditation when you were asking the question. It is interesting because of all the people that I have been interviewing, when I get to that question, what grounds you, what keeps you stable, they all say meditation. I think that is very important, it is mindfulness and a presence and

Inspiration

their own personal life lessons and be who they truly are.  also gratitude. I have to tell you that gratitude has been my lifesaver. I am very grateful for life and I’m present in life. That is what has worked for me. It is something about a meditative Zen-like awareness and gratitude is what I think is the most grounding.

Monica: You have a very rich background in terms of various things that you have accomplished. You were, for example, a gymnastics coach, a model, an actor, a dancer and a childhood development educator. You have a lot of experience in various areas of life, and you are able to take all of those things that you have done and apply them to what you currently do by helping people understand who they are and what they can become.

Suna Senman

http://www.sunasenman.com

Suna: I also think that there are many different cultures within those different jobs, but then there are different cultures around the world. All of those things are very fascinating to me. I love people and I feel like the most interesting story is a real person’s life.

I am sensitive to people from different cultures, knowing that they are who they are, regardless of how they are presenting themselves. Sometimes we just assume this is commonsense. This is the way you do things because this is the way everybody in our particular culture does things. I am nonjudgmental that way. I don’t really see things as good or bad. I see things as to whether they work or they don’t work. If they are working, continue. If they don’t work let’s see how we can fix them.

Monica: Once a person has read and completed your book, what do you want them to glean from it?

Peace:

Suna: I want people to be able to know, appreciate and love themselves a lot more. I hope that they take note of their life’s wisdom lessons. I want them to turn back to

http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-000531724/Peace.aspx

Discovering Life’s Harmony Through Relationships

September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 69

Inspiration

Do Something Easy For Yourself - Forgive

By Cedric Dukes

We have this saying in our house, “please forgive me for offending you”. Forgiveness is a two way street. There is acknowledgment that you have offended someone, and then there is receiving of forgiveness. Once I initiate the saying, there is a sense of relief among family after forgiveness is given and received. My pride issues are gone. I can actually function again.

Becoming offended, talked about, or harmed is a way of life that we must endure. It is no way to escape it. We harbor these offenses without resolving it with the other person. While the other person appears to live a life of freedom, we still hold bitterness and sadness because we have been taken advantage of. We would like justice but receiving justice will not change the situation. It will only make it worse. We are encouraged in Romans 12:17-19 not to payback evil with evil but to live at peace with everyone. God will revenge on our behalf. All the years of bitterness and pain can be let go if we forgive.

When we don’t forgive the pain of unforgiveness becomes so excruciating that we can lash out at our families, friends, and even strangers. We figure that everyone is against us. This results not only in negative attitudes but in some cases chemical imbalances or unresolved medical conditions (i.e., headaches, body pains, low immune system, and high blood pressure - just to name a few). Forgiveness is a part of life that we cannot live without. We are ultimately held responsible for our unforgiveness. Without forgiving, the Heavenly Father cannot forgive us. Mark 11:26 says that when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. When we refuse to forgive, we become in bondage to the other person and become in danger of our Father not forgiving us even when we are right about a situation. You can break the cycle of pain by asking God to release you of your unforgiveness toward that person. He has given you the grace to forgive. Studies from the Mayo Clinic suggests forgiveness results in less anxiety, stress, lower blood 70 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

pressure and less depression which leads toward a peaceful life.

Before Jesus died, he prayed to the Father to forgive those who nailed him to the cross. Before Stephen, the deacon, died, he told God not to lay this sin against the people for stoning him. Lastly, Joseph forgave his brothers after they sold him into slavery before he rose to power to save a country from famine. Jesus, Stephen, and Joseph completed their life peacefully as they became free from the bondage and pain of others. They displayed the ultimate – love. We are encouraged to pray and love our enemies. We have to overcome hurt, pain, and bitterness with good to those that have taking advantage over us.

I remember not forgiving a person for a period of time. It held me for years until I was constantly dreaming about it.

When we refuse to forgive, pride develops. Man’s pride will bring him to a down fall (Proverb 16:18). Did I have pride? Yes I did. I realized that I controlled my own dreams, anger, and bitterness. Finally, I asked God to forgive me and I also reconciled with that person. It was a relief. My anger and emotions were released that day with my reoccurring dreams. God restored me in this area.

Our Heavenly Father is waiting for you to forgive. He wants the best for you. You don’t have to live in unforgiveness. You have too many things to accomplish while you’re here on earth. Your level of accomplishment and work that you do for God will be determined by your forgiveness. Six simple words will restore the power of God in your life – “Please forgive me for offending you.”

Make a great day! 

Inspiration

How to Live Your Life with Intense Purpose

By Donna Carletta Wandering around aimlessly from day to day provides absolutely no benefit to you or those around you. An unspecified purpose leaves you frustrated and lacking direction with everything you do.

If you don’t already know your purpose in life, take some time to reflect on what it may be. Then make sure everything you do is aligned with this purpose.

Discover Your Purpose In order to find your purpose, look at the things you love to do and what makes you tick. The trick is to figure out where you draw your internal energy from and where your gifts and talents are best used.

What do you do to recharge your batteries? What do you absolutely love to do? Take a little time to figure this out and then focus on it.

saving money, which can be used for your children’s education or a family retreat.

Cleaning. Keeping a clean house fulfills both the healthy and comfortable parts of your purpose. By doing things like dusting, washing dishes, and taking out the garbage, you’re staying healthy. Removing the clutter creates a more comfortable environment.

Exercise. Exercising, along with activities like yoga and meditation, help keep your mind and body healthy and comfortable. These activities keep your weight down and make you feel better inside and out, which will also keep you strong for your family.

As you can see, each one of these activities adds to your purpose. Things that distract you from your purpose might include eating out excessively, living beyond your means, and even sitting around doing nothing all day.

Negative or unfulfilling activities can be exchanged for the ones that supercharge both you and your life purpose.

Live With Purpose at Work, Too For your professional purpose, you might have a passion to plan social events for you and your coworkers.

Choose Activities That Fulfill Your Purpose Once you identify your purpose, look at the things you do on a day-to-day basis. Do these activities add to your purpose or take away from it? Everything you say, do, think and act on should complement your purpose and help fulfill you.

If it isn’t doing this, either drop the activity or delegate it to someone else.

An example of a purpose you might have is to provide a healthy and comfortable life for your family. What types of activities do you think fall in line with this purpose?

Let’s look at a few and see how they line up with your personal life purpose.

Cooking. Cooking your own food allows you to be the top chef. You get to choose the ingredients in your food, rather than relying on some other person or company.

You can take out the salt, add flavor with herbs and spices, and reduce your portions to create something that fits within your family’s healthy lifestyle. Plus you’re

You can accomplish this by volunteering for your company’s activities committee or being on a board that plans events and meetings. You can also start your own activity group and get things together for employee birthday parties in the office.

You can see how these ideas and actions fall directly in line with your passion and purpose. Obviously you still have to get your job done, but you can certainly use your free time to fulfill your purpose.

Once you’ve identified your purpose, I challenge you to live your life with intensity toward that purpose. Do everything you can to focus on your calling with the things you say, think and do. If it isn’t necessary or doesn’t align with your goals, let it go.

Living your life with intense purpose renews your passion for life and enables you to be the best you can be. It strengthens your self-confidence and, best of all, brings self-fulfillment. Find your purpose today, and give it all you’ve got!  September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 71

The Lighter Side

The back please...the back...Aahhh.

That’s it.

72 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

Lighter Side

HELP!

By Dorothy Rosby

I can get lost getting out of an unfamiliar shower. I NEED a GPS device, though I probably won’t use it in the shower.

A GPS device would save me time --and temper-getting where I need to go. That would be such a great help to me! It would save me from stopping in the middle of the road trying to decide if I should go left or right. That would such a great help to everyone else.

But I’m concerned there may a drawback. Navigating challenges a part of my brain that anyone who knows me would say could use a little more work. Would it get even lazier if I used it less? Would I become more helpless than I already am? It’s happening in other areas of my life, and I bet it is in yours too. On the one hand, we’re becoming adept at remembering passwords and following complex technical instructions. At least some of us are.

On the other hand, if my computer crashes tomorrow, I’m not sure I’ll be able to balance my checkbook. It does it for me. It checks my spelling too, though it Mrs. sum miss takes. And I haven’t played solitaire with an actual deck of cards since I got my first home computer, though I have played solitaire--a lot. But I’m not sure I can even shuffle anymore.

A light on my dashboard warns me that I’m about to run out of gas. I couldn’t leave my lights on if I tried-and I have tried. But they shut off when I shut my car off. There’s a beep to remind me to buckle my seatbelt and a beep to remind me to take the keys from the ignition before I lock the doors. But I always buckled my seatbelt before all that beeping.

And I didn’t leave my lights on, lock my keys in the car, or run out of gas -- much. If the beeps stop beeping, will I start regularly leaving my lights on

and locking my keys in when I take off walking to the gas station?

There are cars that warn the driver when he’s about to back into something. Mine doesn’t do that, but I hope some day I have one that does. Still practice makes perfect and that’s a skill I’d rather not let get too rusty.

I don’t have to look up phone numbers; I can speed dial them. But looking up numbers in the phone book was the main way I practiced my alphabet skills. Now that most of my clocks are digital, I may also be forgetting how to tell time. And I haven’t added or subtracted in my head since I got my first calculator. (Maybe I never added and subtracted in my head.)

I don’t have to rely on my memory any more; I can always call home on my cell phone and ask my family to make sure I started the dishwasher or unplugged the iron. Of course, that’s a poor example, since my iron is capable of shutting itself off. Also, I rarely use it.

I don’t prepare for emergencies anymore. I just count on my cell phone working if I’m in trouble. That may not be wise since I don’t always pay attention when it warns me to charge its battery.

I don’t have to remember when to leave for an appointment, pick up my son, or send a birthday card; my electronic calendar reminds me of everything. I don’t always do what it reminds me of, but I do always feel guilty at the right time.

So I’m becoming increasingly helpless. If it all crashes tomorrow, how I will ever be able to handle my life with ease and grace like I do now?

Hey wait a minute . . . 

September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 73

Lighter Side

The Perfect Girl A friend asked a gentleman how it is that he never married.

Replied the gentleman, “I guess I’ve been looking for the perfect girl.”

“Oh, surely you have met at least one girl that you wanted to marry.”

“Yes, there was a girl. She was just the right everything. She was the perfect girl for me.”

“Then why didn’t you marry her?” asked the friend.

“She was looking for the perfect man!” he replied.

74 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

Profile Resources Part One Dr. Joel Martin, Pg. 4, A Transformational Icon Impacts Lives Around the World http://www.positivelypowerful.com Veronica Conway, Pg.12, A Mastermind at Helping Others to Unleash Their Potential http://www.veronicaconway.com Chef Kermit Griffin, Pg. 20, Delivering Unmatched Perfection from the Oven to the Palette http://chefkermitgriffin.com

Photo Credits Veronica Conway, Pg. 12—Cover photo and photo on page 16, by Bryon Malik Photography http://www.bmalikphotography.com/

Part Two Heshie Segal, Pg. 46, Building Relationships to Create Continuing Success http://www.jetnettingconnection.com Werner Berger, Pg. 54, Helping Others Develop Their “Inner-Champion” to Reach New Heights http://www.meetmeatthetop.com Suna Senman, Pg. 64, Discover Your Inner Peace and Harmony http://www.sunasenman.com

Additional Credits Graphics and Cover Designs: Jeff Hayes, www.plasmafiregraphics.com

September-October 2013

| Exceptional People Magazine | 75

Writers and Contributors

William R. Patterson

Annemarie Cross

Ranked as the #1 Business Motivational Speaker by Ranking.com, William R. Patterson is a three-time award-winning lecturer and international bestselling author who uses his trademark approach, THE BARON SOLUTION™, to coach, train, and motivate business leaders, sales professionals, entrepreneurs, and investors. His breakthrough book, The Baron Son, has been translated around the world and featured in the Forbes Book Club and Black Enterprise. William is an internationally recognized wealth and business coach who has been a featured guest on over 500 television and radio programs.

William’s website, BaronSeries.com, is winner of four 2009 Web Awards including: Best Speaker; Best Male Author; Best Business Advice Site; and Best WealthBuilding Site. For more information, visit http://www.baronseries.com

Annemarie Cross is a Career Management & Personal Branding Strategist, Speaker, Consultant, Radio Broadcaster, and Author of ‘10 Key Steps to Ace that Interview!’ She is also the founder/ principal of Advanced Employment Concepts – Career Management and Corporate Career Development Specialists offering powerful programs for people striving for career success and fulfillment, as well as savvy companies committed to building and retaining their most important asset – their staff.

Catherine Galasso-Vigorito

James Adonis

Catherine Galasso-Vigorito’s nationally syndicated weekly column, “A New You,” has endeared her to readers worldwide for over 15 years.

James Adonis is a people-management thinker and the author of three books including his latest, ‘Corporate Punishment: Smashing the Management Clichés for Leaders in a New World’. Thought-provoking and entertaining, James’s keynote presentations and workshops show companies how to solve staff turnover, engage all generations, and win the war for talent. He has presented to audiences across Australia, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, with an impressive list of clients including McDonald’s, American Express, CocaCola, Qantas, and Gucci. www.jamesadonis.com.

Known for her ability to uplift and encourage, Catherine has become America’s most beloved inspirational voice.

Catherine is the founder and CEO of her own company, A New You Worldwide, developing and designing inspirational products. Her mission is to instill hope in the hearts of people everywhere, inspiring them to live a better life. She makes her home on the East Coast with her husband and three daughters.

Visit her website at www.anewyouworldwide.com Searching for inspirational gifts - visit http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/app.nav/ params.class.K990/walk.yah.0101-K990.

76 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

Widely considered a personal change agent and success catalyst, Annemarie has distinguished herself as being people-focused, caring, inspirational and life-changing in her approach. Annemarie can be contacted at www.a-e-c.com.au email: info@a-e-c.com.au.

Writers and Contributors

Rosalind Sedacca

Margaret Paul

Recognized as The Voice of Child-Centered Divorce, Rosalind Sedacca is a Certified Corporate Trainer and founder of the Child-Centered Divorce Network for parents facing, moving through or transitioning beyond divorce. She is the author of How Do I Tell the Kids about the Divorce? A Create-a-Storybook™ Guide to Preparing Your Children – with Love! which offers a unique approach to breaking divorce news to your children based on her own personal experience. She is also the 2008 National First Place Winner of the Victorious Woman Award.

Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is a noted public speaker, bestselling author, workshop leader, relationship expert, and Inner Bonding® facilitator. She has counseled individuals and couples, and led groups, classes, and workshops since 1968. She is the author and co-author of eight books, including the internationally bestselling Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You?, Healing Your Aloneness, Inner Bonding, and Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By God?

As a Certified Corporate Trainer and Business Communication Strategist she provides consulting, speaking, training and Executive Coaching services to organizations nation-wide on marketing, public relations and business communication issues. She specializes in gender-related dynamics, marketing to women and employeemanagement collaboration in the workplace.

To learn more about her book, free ezine, programs and other valuable resources on creating a positive ChildCentered Divorce, visit www.childcentereddivorce.com and www.howdoitellthekids.com.

For more information about her customized programs, audio and videotapes, and other services, contact Rosalind at 561-742-3537 or Talk2Roz@bellsouth.net.

Dawn Abraham

She is the co-creator, along with Dr. Erika Chopich, of the Inner Bonding® healing process, recommended by actress Lindsay Wagner and singer Alanis Morissette, and featured on Oprah, and of the unique and popular website www.innerbonding.com. Their transformational selfhealing/conflict resolution software program, SelfQuest®, at www.selfquest.com, is being donated to prisons and schools and sold to the general public.

Sue Urda Sue Urda is an Author, Speaker, Inspirer and Co-Founder of Powerful You! Women’s Network, She was named twice on Inc. Magazines list of the 500 FastestGrowing Private Companies. Sue’s vision is to contribute to a global consciousness of women helping women succeed in business and in life and to open them to truth of who they are. www.sueurda.com.

Dawn Abraham is a Certified Life/Business Coach, and is an “Official Guide for Small Business Marketing at Selfgrowth.com. She also partners with professionals and entrepreneurs to help them create balanced lives while earning more money. Law of Attraction, Self Esteem, Abundance, Meditation, Motivation, Reiki, Private & Group Coaching, Free Life Changing Mp3’s and Teleclasses are offered. http://www.qualified-lifecoach.com September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 77

Writers and Contributors

Sharon Dahlonega Raiford Bush

Shelley Riutta

Sharon Dahlonega Raiford Bush is CEO of News Archives International. This multiaward-winning journalist writes and publishes news articles about productive individuals committed to making positive changes in their lives and in the world around them. She also writes and directs live performances for young, exceptional artists throughout the Los Angeles region. Sharon shares her life with her husband, veteran actor Grand L. Bush.

Shelley Riutta MSE, LPC is a Holistic Psychotherapist and Inner Bonding Facilitator in private practice specializing in Transformational individual counseling, presentations, groups and Workshops. To get her free workbook “What Do You REALLY Want: Finding Purpose and Passion in Your Life” or for information about the free teleclasses she does every month visit her web-site www.RadiantLifeCounseling.com or call her at 877-346-1167.

To learn more about Sharon, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Sharon_Dahlonega_Raiford_Bush and http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonraifordbush. She can be contacted at https://www.facebook.com/TVwxGirl.

Dawn McCoy Dawn McCoy is author of “Leadership Building Blocks: An Insider’s Guide to Success” http://flourishleadership.com/store/ index.html She is also is president and CEO of Flourish Leadership, LLC which provides coaching executives, public servants, and youth leaders. For author and speaker details, visit http:// www.flourishleadership.com.

Jack Canfield Jack is the founder and former CEO of Chicken Soup for the Soul® Enterprises, a billion dollar empire that encompasses licensing, merchandising and publishing activities around the globe. He is the Founder and Chairman of The Canfield Training Group which trains entrepreneurs, educators, corporate leaders and motivated individuals how to accelerate the achievement of their personal and professional goals. Jack is also the founder of The Foundation for Self-Esteem which provides self-esteem resources and trainings to social workers, welfare recipients and human resource professionals. http://www.jackcanfield.com/ 78 | Exceptional People Magazine | September-October 2013

Inez Bracy Inez Bracy is the host of her own radio talk show; Living Smart and Well and is a columnist for Senior Stuff a local ezine, the Orlando Examiner, a former columnist for the Island Voice magazine and the author of Rejuvenate Your Life in 21 Days.

Bracy’s radio show, Living Smart and Well shares tips on creating your best life and is heard globally on www.livingsmartandwell.com. Bracy is an author, a masterful coach, powerful trainer, and a dynamic speaker. With more than 20 years of experience working for educational institutions and non-profits, Bracy uses her knowledge to help people create extraordinary lives. http://overfiftyfineandfancy.com

Keasha Lee Keasha Lee is President of Striking Statements, LLC a company that provides public relations and social media strategy for small to mid sized businesses. www.strikingstatements.com

Writers and Contributors

Dorothy Rosby

Eileen Lichtenstein

Dorothy Rosby is an entertaining speaker and syndicated humor columnist whose work appears regularly in 30-plus newspapers in eleven Western and Midwestern states. She is also Community Relations Director for an organization which supports people with disabilities. She lives in Rapid City, South Dakota with her husband, son, mother, and hamster.

Contact her at drosby@rushmore.com or see her website at www.dorothyrosby.com.

Eileen Lichtenstein, MS Ed, CEO of Balance & Power, Inc. is a certified Anger Management Specialist, Career and Mid-Life Coach, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique ) Practitioner and a former Biofeedback Therapist and faculty at Hofstra University. “SOAR! with Resilience™: The Interactive Book for Overcoming Obstacles & Achieving Success” is the core material for many of her trainings and a motivational read for anyone struggling to take their personal or professional life to a higher level of success and satisfaction. www.balanceandpower.com

Angie Brennan

Cedric Dukes

Angie Brennan is a humor writer and illustrator from Maryland. Visit her website at www.angiebrennan.com for cartoons, spoof advice, and more.

Cedric Dukes is an international author, speaker and leader on finances and self & career development. He is the author of two books, The Power of Time – Living a Life of No Regrets and Hostile Takeover – Manifesting God’s Plan and Purpose for Your Finances.

Cedric’s books can be found at www.CedricDukes.com, www.amazon.com, and most major bookstores. His career includes management positions in engineering and purchasing. He has been a keynote speaker for churches, financial literacy classes, and credit counseling clubs as well as book clubs, seminars and conferences and has written columns for several national and regional publications.

Greg Williams Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator, is an internationally sought after speaker/trainer. He provides negotiation expertise to corporate and individual clients that seek to maximize their negotiation efforts, at the negotiation table. You can sign up for Greg’s free negotiation tips at www.TheMasterNegotiator.com – You can also view his Negotiation Tip videos at http:// www.youtube.com/user/ TheMasterNegotiator - Greg’s motto is, “Remember, you’re always negotiating”.

September-October 2013 | Exceptional People Magazine | 79

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