Empowering Lives Business Magazine for Women Entrepreneurs | Volume 1 Issue 3

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EMPOWERINGLIVES

EMPOWERING LIVES MAGAZINE FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

04 PUBLISHER'S NOTE

SANDRA R. HARRIS Acknowledgement of the Women Who Own It! They said it, they believed, they made it happen. You Glow Girl!

06 MENTORING GIRLS TO HAVE POSITIVE SELF-ESTEEM

DOLMECIA FLEMING

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09 QUOTES WORTH SHARING Sandra R. Harris

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EXCLUSIVE COVER STORY

HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR PASSION FOR TEACHING SAVANNA FLAKES, ED.S.

18 FIT & FABULOUS AFTER 40 SHARON WRIGHT

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Dolmecia Fleming - The Power of not giving up and trusting God through her trial and tribulations. She is pouring into young girls and empowering them to have positive self-esteem

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Sharon Wright

DIVINE HEALTH Sharon Wright is a Fitness Instructor and Wellness Coach for over 28 years and shares her wisdom for staying Fit & Fabulous after the age of 40

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VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 03

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Dolmecia Fleming

ntents EMPOWERINGLIVES

EXCLUSIVE COVER STORY PUBLISHER'S NOTE

EMPOWERING LIVES MAGAZINE FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

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22 GRANTS & RESOURCES Access to Capital, Scholarships, Small Business Association, and Upcoming Empowerment Events

26 DISCOVERING PURPOSE

FROM PAIN CASSAUNDRA RATLIFF

30 Savanna Flakes, Ed.S.

WOMEN OF WISDOM (W.O.W.)

FREE TO BE AUTHENTICALLY ME LADY SANDRA R. HARRIS

31 THE AUTHOR'S CORNER

SANDRA R. HARRIS

Sandra R. Harris

INSPIRATIONAL CORNER

THE AUTHOR'S CORNER

Cassaundra Ratliff shares a powerful testimony of how she discovered gifts that are transforming the lives of women

Book Launch Pre-Sale From Section 8 to Doing Great : 10 Proven Steps to Boost You to Your Next Level! A Practical Guide to Family Self-Sufficiency

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VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 03

26 Cassaundra Ratliff 31

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Dolmecia Fleming is the Founder of Angels of Destiny. She motivates, empowers, and inspires girls in the community. Her mentorship and outreach program improves the self-esteem of girls between the ages of 8 of 21 years old.

with back to school supplies, uniforms, and various hairstyles.

Our overarching goal is to be a beacon of hope in the lives of young girls in communities; not only in our community, but across the border.

Wow, that is amazing. So is it a nonprofit organization?

Yes, that is correct. We are a faith-based nonprofit organization, where donors can make tax-deductible donations.

We also accept in-kind donations.

So let’s just get right into it. Tell us about Angels of Destiny.

Angels of Destiny was founded in 2014 by myself and my late cousin Angela Hogan. Angela passed away in 2015 from a rare disease. I was very discouraged and no longer wanted to run on with the vision. Until I was reminded that He who has begun a great work in you will finish it. I knew I had to run on and continue with what we started. We started by servicing only five girls a year in our local community. In 2019, it has grown to where we can serve hundreds of girls each and every year

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Awesome. So when you do outreach events in the community, what kind of results are you seeing from the young girls that you are servicing?

Some of the most significant results that we are seeing is the girls are coming in and really being empowered. Their selfesteem is truly being increased.

They are learning to know, and come into who they really are, which is one of our primary focus. We have a session that we call “Hour of Empowerment,” and in this session, we are setting our girls up and

preparing our girls to excel.

We are seeing a tremendous outcome with these girls. One of the most prominent changes that we see is they walk in boldly with their heads up, knowing who they are and whose they are.

Wow, that is powerful! Tell me a little about what made you want to start Angels of Destiny?

I came from a very disadvantaged background and when I say disadvantaged I mean I grew up in a broken household. My parents suffered from drug addictions.

I have experienced many disadvantages from being homeless, hungry and not having my basic needs met. I can remember when I was only 10 years old, I would always say, “Oh I can’t wait until I get grown because I never want another young girl to experience what I am going through.” I would always say, “When I get older, I am going to be rich, and I am going to be able to help other young girls.” I did not know that it did not take me to be rich, to be able to pour into and empower young girls.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Being a young teenage mother at the age of 15 years old, not having guidance, and not knowing which way to go, it was very challenging for me. But I chose to take the disadvantages and turn them into advantages so I can ensure young girls do not have to suffer and experience the hardships that I had to endure.

That is powerful! Tell us about some other things that you are doing in the community.

I am actually the Youth Director at my church, Trinity Worship Center in Haines City, and I am a part of the prison ministry.

We go into one of the prisons here, and we fellowship and have church with them, and the biggest thing is we are helping them understand that where they are right now does not determine their outcome.

Sounds like you are doing some great things in the Polk County Community. Tell us how we can help support Angels of Destiny?

We are always looking for volunteers and sponsors. We are launching a new program now within the organization called, and H.O.P.E., which stands for Helping Other Peers Excel, and we are looking for sponsors to partner with us. We want community partners and sponsors who believe in the vision and what we are doing with these girls. My goal is to help these girls experience

something outside of Polk County, which is why I am planning college tours for them.

We are planning to take them places that they have never been. This November, we are going to plan a Mommy & Me cruise. It is set aside as a time of bonding because everyone does not have that relationship with their mother. We decided we are going to take the girls and their mothers on a cruise, and they are going to bond for three days on that cruise ship. The ultimate goal is to build a relationship between mothers and daughters.

So again, we are always looking for partners and sponsors.

For other women that want to start a nonprofit organization or just start a business in general, because a nonprofit organization is still a business.

It is just a business that is not-for-profit. So for other women that want to start a nonprofit organization, and don’t know where to start, what would you tell them?

I would tell them to first start by writing the vision. I had a vision when I was 10 years old, and my vision is now manifesting.

Write down the vision in regards to what you want to do. Write where you see your organization in the next five or ten years. I would also tell them to trust God in the process because, if you try to do it on your own, you will continue to find yourself back at square one. I tell you that your gift will

make room for you. Write your vision down, begin to network with different people with the same mindset that you have and you will be surprised at the information or the knowledge that you can gain through someone else.

Even with Angels of Destiny becoming a nonprofit organization, a young lady put a post on Facebook one day, asking if anyone was interested in writing a book or starting a nonprofit organization. I commented on the post and a young lady drove two hours just to meet me and to help me become an official nonprofit organization. So you have to make sure you are connecting with the right people. I have been doing this since the beginning of 2014. However, I was not a nonprofit up until two years ago. Prior to that, everything I did was from my pockets or donations from people believing in the vision. I always tell people that the first impression is everything. If you say you are representing a brand, show up like you are representing that brand.

Wow, impressive! Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers and subscribers of Empowering Lives Magazine?

I really just want to encourage everyone. We believe in our girls. We hope that reading this story compels you all to say, “Hey, I believe in what she

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT is doing. We want to stand by her.” The vision is so big for Angels of Destiny. We are not empowering these girls just to say we are giving them some insight on life. My ultimate goal is to change their lives forever.

When they become adults, they can look back and say, “I am grateful for Angels of Destiny.”

I do not think I came out of everything that I came out of just to sit down on it. I have to pour back into our community.

My ultimate goal is to be worldwide. We are bigger than Polk County; we are bigger than

Central Florida. This is a global impact that we are looking to make for the Kingdom but we cannot do it alone.

Well, there you have it, ladies. Angels of Destiny, go support, go support please! She is doing great things empowering girls in her community, and she wants to take it global. So do whatever you can to support her vision. Thank you for everything that you are doing.

Thank you for empowering young girls to become better

citizens and eventually great women in life. Thank you for taking the time to speak with Empowering Lives. I ask God to bless you, and to bless your vision.

Thank you and thank you for this opportunity. I am excited and looking for God to do some great things. Our entire foundation is built on nothing less than God, and I know He is going to take us to that next level!

I love it!

PHOTOS PROVIDED COURTESY OF DOLMECIA FLEMING 8 | Empowering Lives Magazine

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I am a Woman Driven by Purpose & Meaningful Experiences THIS IS A DRAMA-FREE ZONE

~Sandra R. Harris Empowering Lives Magazine | 9

Savanna Flakes - ON THE COVER

She is an Educator and International Educational Consultant, a Published Author and Keynote Speaker. She has received numerous awards for her outstanding contribution to the field of education. She is the C.E.O. of Inclusion for a Better Future - Savanna Flakes, welcome to Empowering Lives.

Savanna Flakes, Ed.S Oh, thank you so much. It is exciting to be a part of such an important work that we do as women entrepreneurs. So thank you.

I am so honored to have you. When I read about all of the work that you are doing and trying to do your introduction, I said it would take 30 minutes just to introduce you. (Laughing) You are doing some amazing work. So let’s start from the beginning. What made you choose the field of education?

I was in college, and one of my professors did a lot of work in

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the surrounding school area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She’d always come back, and she would say, “Everything that we are learning, everything that we are starting, really dig in, in terms of the research around how we learn, how we work together, and the psychology of the mind. It really all fits together when you are working with people. The type of people I work with are some of the most important people, and we are shaping their minds. They are our children, our students.”

And she’d always come (to the school) with these inspirational stories of how she would work with another teacher. The teacher would do something amazing, and the students would not only love the teacher, but they would go on

to do great things. She would come and share all of these inspirational stories. I said, “Wait a minute; I want to know more about these inspirational stories. I want to know more about what these amazing teachers are doing.” She invited me to come along. I went to the school and I walked into that school, and I instantly fell in love with the art and science of teaching.

I fell in love with how the students created concepts of this information; and how they are going to use it as contributors to our society. It was one of those moments where I questioned, what have I been doing the last three years of my college career?

Why have I not been able to sit alongside our kids that we are talking about in this research? We

Savanna Flakes - ON THE COVER are talking about the stats and the data but being around a child and seeing the process of learning – there is nothing that can compare to it. So I fell in love with it when I walked into the school building.

I was a psychology and sociology major; and in psychology, we are always talking about the cognitive science of learning and how you come to understand the material.

Sociology is how people interact and the different dynamics that contribute to race, culture, and phenomenal research. But working with children, you have a different perspective on psychology and sociology.

“ It was definitely a calling. It was one of those defining moments when I knew I was meant to have purpose here with kids.”

I love it. I love it! Walk us through how you made the transition from the classroom to a consultant, and what inspired that decision?

I started my company in 2009, and it was only part-time. I think a lot of entrepreneurs start there, right?

It’s like a side hustle. It is something we do on the side. Maybe there is doubt. Perhaps, we are wondering if our network is big enough, do I have steady clients or steady income. So I started part-time as I was still teaching in the classroom.

Then a school district would say, “We need some training on this

subject, and it is on a Saturday.”

I’d think, alright, Saturday - I can do this. Eventually, I started to teach Teachers. Then I was able to collaborate and do a lot of training for Educators, specifically around literacy and special education. I did a lot of that work at the central office location. So I was no longer in a classroom with students on my own. I transitioned, and I was supporting Teachers and Administrators with instruction and preparation. I continued for quite some time and I learned so much.

I am one of those who believes we have experiences that shape us and fill us up. So we can transition and take a lot of that information that we have learned, and what we have experienced and soak up everything. That is one of my most significant pieces of advice for fellow Entrepreneurs - is to absorb as much as you can, and invest in your professional capital. What courses can you take? What books can you read, and how can you do it for the least amount of money as possible?

I was already a very prayerful person, but it became more incessant. I had to really let the Holy Spirit guide me. Where do I need to be? What do I need to do to maximize my professional capital, and my talent to reach out to a larger audience and serve a greater good? Ms. Harris, do you believe within two or three days, I started getting calls from different school systems and non-profits?

all have; which is to serve others, to feel valued, and to see positive dividends from your hard work. I was getting to a point where I was not experiencing these things. At that point, I asked myself, what is it that is going to inspire me so that I can take my professional talent and maximize it? How can more people or more services be provided to everyone and not just one school district or one region? I decided in 2017 that I was going full-time. I literally walked into my job, and I turned in my resignation.

One of my most prominent philosophies around this idea of being an Entrepreneur and having a sustainable business - one that can genuinely innovate, endure, and keep on refining. There is this popular saying, and it is, “We reap what we sow.” So I have an acronym for R.E.A.P. that really can help support Educators as we are transitioning. For the Educators who want to take their side hustle and maximize it or take it to a higher level, if you do these things, you can reap success as an

It was then that I realized I needed to go back and start to do some specific things that business owners should be doing along the way. It was quite a journey between 2009 part-time and the shift to full-time Entrepreneur in 2017. It was then that I decided to take the inspiration and the dream I had, and just do it. That is the way to become an entrepreneur, right?

Just to do it!

Oh wow! that is incredible Savanna. With the uncertainty of entrepreneurship, what advice would you give to an Educator who wants to I continued that journey for a while. start doing consultant work It was part-time, but I loved it. In but needs the stability of 2017, I began to realize that there her income? is this innate desire that I think we

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Savanna Flakes - ON THE COVER

Entrepreneur. You can tell I’m an Educator, right?

Yes. I love it; I love it!

Here is my advice, R.E.A.P. The ‘R’ in Reap stands for reason, which is your motivating ‘why.’

Why is it that you want to create this business or this service? As Educators, the reason usually is kids and Teachers. We want to make sure education is preparing every single one of our students for the 21st century. For many others, though, it might be a different why and the reason they want to get their business going. But the why is essential because there are going to be a lot of times when it is hard, and you want to stop and give up.

The why will keep you going.

Every Entrepreneur has that moment where they will say, “I can’t

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do this anymore, or ask themselves, should I stop?” Then the next day it is like utterly tremendous, & you are thinking, yes, this is it! So the ‘R’ is making sure you have your why really in place. Then the ‘E’ in reap stands for evaluate. This is where I had to re-think my business strategy, my business plan, and my business workings. There are a lot of different ways I have seen successful Entrepreneurs do this. But when I talk about the ‘E,’ one of the simplest ways to take your vision and start to make it concrete is by doing a S.W.O.T. analysis - which are the strengths & weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Specifically, for Educators to really think about the ‘O’ & the ‘T.’ What is it that makes your vision of education consulting unique?

How do you stand out, where in the market is there a void? Is there

an intense need for something specific? My specialty is all-around special education, diverse learners, and helping every student succeed in our classroom. That is huge in terms of a lot of the equity work we are trying to do to make sure every student comes to school and has an amazing teacher that has tons of really great practices to support them. So really evaluate your niche, even if it is the education landscape, products, or services. What makes your vision of your company unique, and then how are you branding, so it sticks out? Then those competitors aren’t such a huge threat. So that’s the ‘E.’ ‘A’ is for analyze. I always say behind every strong woman is a lot of other strong women. So think about how you can build a team.

For instance, in education, you may work with a lot of Educators that

PHOTOS PROVIDED COURTESY OF SAVANNA FLLAKES

Savanna Flakes - ON THE COVER

also have different talents that could fall under your umbrella of serving your mission. Therefore, it is essential to build a team.

Within that team, you all are going to encourage each other. You all are going to push each other, and have so many different ideas to bounce off of each other. Then I talked a little bit about professional capital. There is a plethora of really great reads on professional capital, but the basic idea is, within each effector you are your professional capital. Whether it is education or another field, how are you building yourself up to be a great entrepreneur, strong in your

business, and your sector? There are many free classes between Harvard and M.I.T., offering lots of free courses to build up your professional supply. Invest in yourself so that you are on the cutting edge of research. You will know the best practices, and you can use highly effective strategies to maintain the most successful outcomes.

And then the ‘P,’ is no surprise here, Ms. Harris. It is Prayer. I believe that it all begins with envisioning what you want and praying for that - so you can align with your purpose. So that is R.E.A.P. That is my philosophy and my way of

thinking in terms of refining your business.

Well, readers of Empowering Lives Magazine, didn’t I tell you we will be educating, equipping and empowering?

Reap- reason, evaluate, analyze, and prayer. I love it.

So Inclusion for a Better Future. Tell us about your dynamic business, and what a typical day looks like for you?

Inclusion for a Better Future - we provide a few different services to

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Savanna Flakes - ON THE COVER communities that serve students or children. We provide professional learning, so that could be a full day, five hours with a lunch break, or that could be half a day. We have a lot of different professional learning sessions. We have material around literacy, and the best practices to make sure every child can be a strong reader and enjoy active reading. I believe it is not enough just to read, but to enjoy the act of reading. We have a few sessions around that for our students. We have sessions around technology integration. We are in a time where technology is currently and rapidly changing the pace of the world, and it is going to continue; so we have sessions on that. A lot of our areas of specialty is supporting our students with exceptionalities; so that includes our students with autism and students with intellectual disabilities.

The nice thing is the mission of my company is to think about equity.

How are we making sure every student has access to the best education? One of my mentors is the president of the National Education Association. She said, “If you walk into a school building, and you go into the best class in the world, jot down all the things you see, that is the stuff we want in every single classroom whenever you walk into a school building.” What drives a lot of our philosophy for professional learning is equity. Then, we also provide coaching. I am working with one school district right now, and after professional learning development for a day, I have the opportunity to go into the classrooms, and support teachers, and work with our students, which is one of the best pieces of Inclusion for a Better Future. We provide support during

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the planning and instructional phases too.

So let’s talk to some Educators that still love teaching but want to start consulting. What are their first steps for getting started?

The first step would be to build your network. To do that, you can start by going to conferences; leave out of your school building.

I know there is a lot of great stuff happening in your school building.

I am sure there is a lot of excellent training there, but step outside of your school and go to education conferences. There are hundreds of them happening throughout the year. You can go to a math conference, and you can meet other Educators from around the world.

Networking is so important. To build your network, start by moving outside of your school’s community and meeting other Educators from around the country. Find out what they are doing, and find out where the needs are. We talked about that opportunity in the S.W.O.T. analysis. Find the need, and you find opportunities to fill them. Let’s say you are at a conference in Texas; you may ask, “What are some of the big areas of need here?” Then that helps you, of course, in your unique value proposition. First, ask yourself, what can you to do to help fill the specific void? Next, use Twitter as a network source.

For Educators, Twitter is one of the most powerful professional learning networks out there.

Literally, you can hashtag hundreds of different topics in education, and you will see what Educators are doing around the world. You can have conversations, and you can talk about your classroom. So

you are opening up your sphere of influence, your field of knowledge and branching out to see what is happening around the education landscape, which is pretty sweet.

You are an International Speaker, tell us about the first time you spoke and did consulting work or coached on the international level, and encourage some of the Educators that are out there looking to expand to become an International Brand or Consultant?

The first time I spoke on an international level was actually in China. I believe there is always something to teach and there is something to learn. There is always something to learn, and so you always start with the similarities you share, and then you start to talk about the different ways that you approach educational issues. When I was in China, I was working with a very small division that supported inclusive practices and a lot of their classrooms across different areas in China. Specifically, I was in the enclave area of China, and I had the opportunity to work with a very innovative Administrator.

He wanted to include some of his students that had significant disabilities, specifically around math and reading. We began by just talking about all of the amazing things that the school was doing. A lot of the schools, by the way, have classrooms with hundreds of students. However, behavioral management is not an issue. Every child is excited to be in school and ready to learn.

Savanna Flakes - ON THE COVER At the very beginning of the day in China, they start their day off doing Tai Chi and different mind exercises to get them ready for the learning process. I would participate in that, and it was a lot of fun. We started the day off with everything that was going well, and everything that we could celebrate. Then we started to talk with the Teachers on how we might add just a few accommodations that could support the students that might be visually impaired; or the students that need some significant visual supports around the math content. It was definitely an amazing experience. To see everything that is going great over there really make us think about how we can make some changes to include students that are not generally served in China.

The idea of branching out helps to serve you in making connections with folks around the world. I met a lot of the teachers that taught in China from a conference that I went to on mathematics.

Good Stuff! Any final thoughts, resources, or recommendations you would like to leave with the readers of Empowering

Lives Business Magazine for Women Entrepreneurs?

Entrepreneurs read anywhere from four to five books a month for professional learning. So reading books is one of my favorite resources.

One of the most significant pieces of advice that I received when I started my full-time entrepreneurship journey was a few things I will share. Make sure we invest in ourselves and our professional capital. One of my favorite sites that has all of the essential articles and resources that Entrepreneurs should read is Business Insider. You can google Business Insider top books that entrepreneurs should read, and it yields some good results.

Keep up your professional development, so you can stay innovative, you can continue to remain at the top of the game for your company. Something that I came to value and cherish about our community as women business owners are the fact that we can all help each other. So always ask for help.

This publication, of course, is going to really change the landscape in terms of giving business owners such a great place of resources.

But always ask for help. Whether you are joining a Facebook group, or whether you join an online community, ask for help. There is no need to recreate a wheel. It is possible that some may have already been created, and when we share, we can build together. Finally, I mentioned earlier the idea of building a team. But your teams should challenge and push you, but they should be a team that brings positive vibes. Politely leave the negativity and the naysayers off of your team. You do not need them in your circle as you are trying to build and take your business to another level.

Fantastic! Well, I thank you for your time. I thank God for you and your willingness to educate, equip, and empower Women Entrepreneurs. I ask God to abundantly bless you and your business.

Thank you so very much. I’m going to send all of those positive vibes back to you and the work that you are doing as well. I really appreciate the opportunity to share and build together because that is what this work is all about.

For Keynotes, Workshops, or Speaking Engagements Savanna Flakes, Ed.S www.SavannaFlakes.com readingforabetterfuture@gmail.com 240-723-2843

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Savanna Flakes

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DIVINE HEALTH

Being Fit & Fabulous After 40 Sharon Wright is a Fitness Instructor and Wellness Coach for over 28 years. She is passionate about working with seniors because she loves to motivate the ones who think they cannot do it. She loves helping others to see progress in achieving their weight loss goals.

Photo Provided Courtesy of Sharon Wright

I used to work out with her, and she is a beast. She is no joke! I have seen recent pictures of you, and you still look great. It has been said that we start losing muscle after the age of 40. So, I know you are in the 40 and up club, I am not going to give away your age, but you are in the late ‘40s.

Sharon, tell us how do we keep our bodies looking fabulous as we see that you are doing today?

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I don’t like to use the word dieting because it is demotivating when you have to make yourself do something that you usually do not do. But if you have been working out most of your life, it is easier for you.

All of those things we did when we were young were fun, such as roller-skating, riding our bicycles, running, and jumping. We didn’t consider it as working out; we were playing. Once you reach a certain age, it becomes more challenging to go to the gym and work out. So, you have to make it fun; otherwise, you won’t do it. I think that is why it is good to have a support group. I tell everyone in my class to count while working out,

DIVINE HEALTH and I encourage them to learn each other’s names. I encourage everyone to exchange phone numbers, so when someone is missing, they can call and say, “Hey, where are you?” Doing it by yourself appears to be hard. Working out at home, it seems to be a little harder because it is not motivating working out by yourself.

Women have families, husbands, spouses, and children.

So, if it is not a lifestyle that you already enjoy by the age of 40 and over, it becomes work and who wants to get off work and do more work? So, when we get off work, we want it to be our playtime. Therefore, find classes that create a fun environment for you, whether it’s Zumba or Hip Hop Fusion, whatever it is, make sure it is fun. If you have not been working out, do not join something that has “boot camp” and HIIT, because that sounds like an intimidating workout. You may have to start with baby steps. Make up in your mind to go to the gym and make some friends. They will hold you accountable. My class does it all the time. I may be teaching a body sculpting class, using weights and they don’t have a cardio class, they will ask each other, “Are you going to Sharon’s body sculpting class”? So, they will hold each other accountable. That is motivating!

“I can’t stress enough how important it is to make your workouts fun.”

If you don’t go to the gym, you may want to go to the club. Dancing is nothing but exercise. Get on the dance floor, and tear it up for two hours. Lol. You will burn calories! Working out from home is good, but it is not motivating. You have people on the TV telling you what to do. There’s nothing fun or motivating about that. Get out and go walking. If you have a pet, put it on a leash and walk. Just go out and do something, but you have to start with what feels right for you.

Awesome. Exercise and keep it fun. I love that! I agree that if it is something fun, it doesn’t seem like work and exercise. It just seems like something you are doing for fun. I love that. Now, I’m going to ask you a question everyone wants to know, even the skinny people - belly fat, how can we eliminate it and keep our abs tight?

No woman is going to want to hear the answer to that question because it is work. Over 40, we go into premenopause according to research. Some may go into menopause as early as 30. I went into pre-menopause in my late 30’s. When you are in the pre-menopause stage, your estrogen levels tend to drop, and your hormones change. So, when your hormones start changing, it leads to fat storage, lowering your metabolism, weight gain, and decreasing your bone density. When those things start to break down, they can lead to other things, such as health issues. So the thing about belly fat is this, we have a hormone that is called cortisol, and when that hormone increases, then so does our midsection. Cortisol feeds off of stress and sugar, hence for us to decrease belly fat, we have to start working out. It is not easy, but it is simple. You have to eat foods that are high in fiber. If you drink alcohol, you have to drink in moderation. You have to drink a lot of water, reduce your stress at home and work. Do not eat a lot of sweets - cakes, pies, cookies, and sodas. Oh yeah, it’s going to hit you hard if you do. Plain and Simple, the sugar has got to go! Start doing something simple, like walking or swimming. Swimming is great.

Discipline is another critical factor. We have to discipline ourselves if we want to decrease our belly fat. We have to discipline ourselves not to overeat certain foods. We have to discipline ourselves not to drink certain drinks.

We have to discipline ourselves to get some cardio in.

We also have to remember that as much as possible, find a way to relieve stress. I’m sorry, ladies, that’s what it is, sugar and stress, and they both must go!

Wow! For women entrepreneurs, who are busy and on the go, who may get home late, just busy, busy, busy and have no time to cook healthy meals, what are some healthy alternatives for women on the go?

Well, that is a hard one, it is. I’ll do the best I can and give some aid to that because you made it hard when you said they don’t have time to cook a healthy meal. I want to say make time. Make you and your health a priority. We give our time to talking on the phone to our friends, so 30 minutes to an hour on a Saturday or Sunday to prepare foods that you can have leftovers for the next day. Try to cook enough that the one time you do have a day off that you are not running. Just cook enough food for two or three days. Vegetables are not hard to steam. Meats are not hard to bake. Thirty minutes to an hour, you can do that for yourself.

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DIVINE HEALTH But if you are on the go and preparing your meals are not an option for you, then you have to choose to make healthier options in the streets. You have to decide if you will choose Popeye’s or Zaxby’s. Well, Popeye’s doesn’t have a salad, so you already know where I am going with this even though all salads are not necessarily healthy because it depends on what we pile on the salad.

If you are on the go and really don’t have a chance to prepare a home-cooked healthy meal, my suggestion to you is to make the best choices that you can in the street, which means, if you are going to go and get chicken, go to a restaurant that has it baked instead of fried. Sometimes you can go to Publix, which has some meals already prepped for you. All you have to do is take them home and pop them in the oven for 30 minutes, and you are done.

It is not hard to throw some food in a little lunch bag that you can snack on throughout the day. Yogurt, Greek yogurt with probiotics in it, and you get your vitamins, nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit, and vegetables.

You can get those things already pre-packaged in the store and keep them with you on the go as a snack to hold you over until you get a good meal. I know that a lot of people today, women and men, mostly women, though, do not have time. If you get up at a specific time every morning, get up a little earlier than that. Set your clock, about 30 minutes to an hour earlier than you have to so you can start prepping your food.

“This is your Journey.

Do this for you and nobody else. You have to do this for Yourself!”

Quick Meal Tips: Let me give you a few things that are easy to prepare, in your oven, within 15-minutes time. You can season your food without sodium, no salt. You can throw a piece of salmon in your oven between 300 and 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Just take some foil, put a little olive oil on it, and lay the salmon on it, season it, close it up.

Fifteen minutes later, you have yourself a piece of baked salmon. With that, you can steam broccoli in 5 minutes.

So, you have yourself some broccoli and salmon in 15

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minutes. Fifteen minutes! Your prepped time depends on you, but 15 minutes to cook this meal. Grab some fruit, a handful of nuts, or your Greek yogurt.

You can have tuna fish in water, drain the water off, dump it on a bed of lettuce, 10 minutes, sprinkle some nuts on the salad, you can vinaigrette anything, as long as it is not creamy, you have yourself a nice healthy snack/meal.

Chicken may take about 30 minutes depending on what part it is, season it, put a little olive oil on it, put it in the oven, bake it. At the same time, steam some spinach, kale, or broccoli, and in 30 minutes and you have a meal.

Shrimp takes about 5 minutes to cook. Get a skillet, lightly season them, and you can do butter spray, 5-10 minutes in the skillet until they turn pink, and drop them on a bed of lettuce.

There are so many things that you can do that does not take long. People think cooking takes forever. It doesn’t.

We are not talking about cooking collards greens, macaroni and cheese, cornbread—we are talking about quick and easy healthy choices, which usually do not take long to prep or cook.

I love it! This is truly helping me. Alright, ladies, no excuses! This is good for me too.

Okay, next question. So, we always talk about cardio, cardio, cardio so that we can burn and sweat. How important is it to incorporate weights as well, or to do some strength training, or will cardio get us the results we want?

No, cardio alone will not give you the results you want.

Now, it will give you the weight loss you are looking for, but for overall fitness, you must do some resistance training. Otherwise, you are going to lose elasticity in your skin.

When you lift weights, a lot of women say things like, “I don’t want to lift weights because I’m going to start looking like man, I’m going to bulk up.” The only way you are going to bulk and look anything close to a man is if you are doing bodybuilding and lifting heavy weights.

Make sure to lift some reasonable weights. Don’t go to the gym and lift 2 and 3 lbs weights; you need to lift at

DIVINE HEALTH least 5 lbs weights. I always say 5 lbs and over, unless you have an injury. In that case, talk with your physician.

Lifting weights burn body fat quicker. The more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn because muscle burns fat. So, increase your weights during your weight training and see your results faster than just doing cardio.

Let me make this other point too, just like the meals I can tell you about the 15-30 minute meals. Nothing takes all day. Cooking doesn’t take all day. Working out doesn’t take all day. You hit that gym, 30 minutes a day, and you are done. Well, what am I going to do in 30 minutes? You can do 30 minutes of cardio. Typically, the body does not start burning body fat until 20 minutes of exercise that has raised your heart rate. So basically, you have to do at least 20 minutes of cardio. So, you do 20-30 minutes of cardio, and you›re out. Then the next day, you go back in, and you do weight training. You mix your 30 minutes up. If you have an entire hour, then you can do half and half - half weights and half cardio.

If you only have 30 minutes, choose one, cardio today, weights tomorrow.

28 years of experience here. If you have to say anything to the ladies to empower us, educate us, to motivate us, inspire us, what would that be?

Look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, what do you want? What do you want your body to look like, and the worse thing we can do to ourselves is say, “I want my body to look like Beyoncé or Cardi B.” Don’t discourage yourself by wanting to look like somebody else. That is the first note to self. You are perfect the way you are. You want to make changes to yourself.

Look in the mirror and get a picture of your best self.

Then go and focus on that goal!

This is your journey. Do this for you and nobody else. You have to do it for yourself!

Wow! I love it. Well, there you have it. Thank you so much for educating the readers of Empowering Lives Business Magazine for Women.

Okay, that makes sense. There you have it, ladies. You have it from Sharon Wright,

Photo Provided Courtesy of Sharon Wright

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Grants and Resources for Women Going Back to School

GRANTS & RESOURCES Deciding to go back to school after taking time off to build a career, spend time, or even to change careers can be ominous and quite intimidating. Yet, some may find that you have gone as far as your current education will take you.

Fortunately, there is hope for adults and women who are returning to school to earn degrees. Below are six grants and scholarships designed specifically for women who want to go back to school.

1. Go Girl! Grant The Go Girl! Grant is offered by The Girlfriend Factor, an organization that provides educational grants and emotional support for women who are bettering their lives through higher education. To apply, visit https://girlfriendfactor.org/go-girl-grants/

2. Jeanette Rankin Women’s Scholarship Fund Jeanette Rankin was the first woman elected to the United States Congress. Upon her death, she left a portion of her estate to create a scholarship for women returning to school.

The Jeanette Rankin Women’s Scholarship Fund is for low-income women over the age of 35 who want to get their associate’s or bachelor’s degrees. To apply, visit https://rankinfoundation.org/for-students 3. Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Award In her honor, the Patsy Takemoto Mink Foundation was launched in 2003. Since then, it has assisted low-income women, particularly mothers. This is a unique scholarship for moms looking to reduce their educational costs. To apply, visit https://www.patsyminkfoundation.org/ 4. PEO Program for Continuing Education Grant The Philanthropic Education Organization (PEO) offers up to $3,000 in need-based grants to women whose education was interrupted, but who now want to pursue a degree to better support themselves and their families. For more information on qualifications, visit http://www.peointernational.org/pceeligibility-requirements 5. Soroptimist Live Your Dreams Award The Soroptimist Live Your Dreams Award provides support and financial assistance to women who are the primary earners in their families. Each year, the organization gives out more than $2.1 million in grants to nearly 1,500 women. For qualifications, visit https://www.soroptimist.org/aboutus/index.html 6. Women’s Independence Scholarship Program The Women’s Independence Scholarship Program (WISP) provides scholarships to women who are survivors of intimate partner abuse. The program is designed to help survivors regain independence and selfsufficiency through education and employment. The primary goal of WISP is to help women who have been separated from their abusive partner for at least one year. To apply visit https://wispinc.org/

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INSPIRATIONAL CORNER

CASSAUNDRA RATLIFF IS A MENTOR, MOTIVATIONAL AND EMPOWERMENT SPEAKER. SHE IS A WELLNESS COACH, AND CERTIFIED RECOVERY COACH. SHE IS A WRITER AND PUBLISHED AUTHOR. Photo provided courtesy of Cassaundra Ratliff

Tell us about your business and what you are doing to empower women.

performing the poem, I identified so much with it because I am a woman under construction.

The name of my business brand is Because I am A Woman Under Construction. A Woman Under Construction started with a poem written by a mentor friend of mine. She gave me this poem one day to empower me, because I was coming out of a transitional housing program. I loved the poem so much that I memorized it and began performing it. Unbeknownst to me, that performance turned into something amazing. People started requesting it and requesting me. It became so popular that I turned it into a published book. That was the start of my brand and my company. I took those words and began to mentor women who were just like me. I empowered them through my stories, my testimonies, my experiences, my journey, and through my life. I started doing conferences and weekly workshops. I started walking in that direction, towards my calling, which is towards other women. Of course, at the time I did not recognize that I was just doing something and I discovered a gift. I had unwrapped a gift that I never knew I had and …I loved it!

What does being a woman under construction mean to you?

Incredible!

Yes. I started mentoring women one-on-one. I began to mentor through groups and it grew and expanded. So here we are 20 years later.

That is amazing. Because I am a Woman Under Construction. Tell me how you came up with this name for your company.

The name came about because of my journey. I was coming off of a 15-year drug addiction. I was an only child, so I always felt inferior. After reciting and

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My first understanding of that definition of woman under construction was about being a woman who was allowed to make mistakes and not feel bad about them.

You cannot go through life without making mistakes.

Mistakes are required for us to learn in life. Once we have learned the lesson it is no longer a mistake, it becomes an experience, and I began to empower other women with those experiences.

Awesome. Are you still writing poems & poetry today?

Yes. It is amazing, this gift God gave me that just unveiled made me take an interest in writing. God just aligned and orchestrated things so I can unwrap the gifts. Yes, it all started from that poem.

It is ironic that you would flow into the topic of gifts. You’re saying a lot about unwrapping your gifts, and not discovering your gifts until you were 31 years old. Let’s flow in that vein and talk about gifts and talents of women. How do we go about discovering our gifts? How would you mentor someone that does not know her God-given gifts?

Well, God created us all for a purpose. I believe you have to start there. And within that purpose is your passion, and in that passion is your potential and power. Tapping into that power and your potential lies your gifts. So gifting to me is something that I really enjoy. It simply does not feel like work.

It feels like I’m giving back. It is like my reward almost. So for me to see another woman empowered is my giving back.

INSPIRATIONAL CORNER I love public speaking. I still get a little nervousness on the inside, but people tell me once I hit the stage and get the mic, you can’t detect that nervousness.

On this Journey, I have taught and I have learned - We are all the same.

People are people, and we all have things that we are dealing with. We all have stuff we need to heal from. We are bleeding in areas that we don’t even realize we are bleeding in. Because we have tucked it away so neatly and perfectly for so long. Until something happens in your life that hits that sore spot. Next thing you know you see yourself bleeding out. You are like, “Wow, I didn’t even realize I was wounded here.”

Wow. Let’s talk about this. You said something very powerful there. You said some of us are bleeding and we don’t even know that we’re wounded. Let’s talk about that, because often times we take care of our husbands, the house, the children, the job, and our staff. We are taking care of the home and we have very little time to take care of ourselves. We’re working in our churches, serving in our communities and, we don’t even realize sometimes that we are wounded.

Let’s talk about that… The Wounded Healers.

I became very good at masquerading. I became very good at waking up every day and putting on a mask that was needed to face the world; whatever mask that was needed that day to face the world – that is the one I wore.

It gets a little emotional for me sometimes because I am going through this thing called life, just trying to give my best. I never realized that part of giving my best is taking care of me. But I had identified as doing my best as taking care of everybody else. Today I have learned to be a little selfish and take care of myself.

had a position for a Peer Wellness Coach. The state had funneled a lot of money into this new initiative. I’m talking millions of dollars for people who had a certain amount of recovery work to do inside the state hospital.

Their theory behind this initiative was if the patients have someone they have been building a relationship with, and talking to, whom they feel understand them, then when they (the patients) are in crisis and they are escalated, it is easier to deescalate them. That is the philosophy behind the entire initiative. Through that program, they called it Wellness Coaching. I learned so much about wellness and that is when I began to really learn how to take care of myself. But as women, we are so good at packaging things. We are so good at decorating and making things look good and pretty, and we sometimes do the same thing with ourselves.

That is why I empower women. Self-care is not just a word we mimic because it sounds good. You really have to ask God to give you a revelation on areas where you need healing and how to better care for yourself. My brand, A Woman Under Construction is about love and acceptance just the way you are.

You are also a Published Author. Tell us about your book.

My book, which is also titled Because I’m a Woman Under Construction. It is basically my memoir. It talks about a chubby little girl growing up who loses her father at a very young age. She spends the the next 20 years looking for someone to fulfill that role. She is looking for her daddy. She is looking for someone to make her feel beautiful and someone to validate her worth. Who is going to protect her? Who is going to provide from her? She is looking for her daddy. So she gets involved in various situations looking for her father. Until she gets introduced to Jesus and He becomes her daddy, her Father.

Well, there you have it! Thank you for taking the time to share and encourage women with your inspirational testimony. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. May God continue to bless you and your endeavors.

Tell us how to book you for motivational and empowerment sessions. Give us your social sites and tell us how we can support you.

Since we are talking about self-care. Let’s talk about how your journey as a Wellness Coach began. How long have you been a Wellness Coach? For Bookings, Donations, and to Order the Book: I became a Wellness Coach in 2008. Once again, I discovered a skill set that I did not know I had. I was looking for employment and I saw position posted and it read: “If you had a history of addiction then you qualify for this job”. I thought that was pretty strange. They

Book Available at: www.Amazon.com and Barnes & Nobles Email: CCMC8@yahoo.com Facebook: @Cassandra Ratliffe Cash App: $Gchoppa Direct: 848-209-7922

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W.O.W. - Women of Wisdom

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AUTHOR’S CORNER

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