SHE Tribe - December 2022

C E L E B R A T I N G

W O M E N

I N

B U S I N E S S

SHE TRIBE

INTERNATIONAL VOL 01 DECEMBER 2022

Joanna Gow

Co Founder Tessera Communications

Young SHE

Zuri Kaloki

PHENOMENAL WOMEN Kathy Walterhouse, Claire Beesly, Lakisha Bolling, Nina Macarie, Veronica de la Fonte and Michelle Catanos Serrano.

Table of Contents

02

From the Editor Maureen Perdue

04

Joanna Gow - Co-Founder of Tessera Communications Ltd Celebrating 5 years in Advertising

11

Kathy Waterhouse A Billion Dollars in Sales

16

Lakisha Bolling Co-Owner The B Luxury Event Studio

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Claire Beesly Helping heart led biz women make an impact on the world through their words.

30

Veronica De La Fonte Abundant Boss Babe

34

Nina Macarie Visibility Drive Podcasting

45

Michelle Cantanos Serano Power VA Mich Works

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Young SHE - Zuri Kaloki Climate Change Focus - Save the trees

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From the Editor

I am thrilled and honored to bring the SHE Tribe business magazine to you.

Over the years, I have consistently worked with numerous women, and I am awed by their strength and courage in the pursuit of being the best version of themselves. This magazine is designed to have an international flair and to be a platform to showcase a village of extraordinary women leading in their respective right.

Women are all-rounded. I am always astonished by the stories of resilience. I love what we do and that we do more than expected. We take great pride in NURTURING. We nurture our families, businesses, work, homes, etc. with so much grace and make it look effortless.

Inspire. Empower. Impact

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welcome

Women are driven by our creative passion. I am always amazed at the masterpiece that is a woman. We bring balance, peace, harmony, strength, and all thing great and beautiful. Make no mistake about it, women can also be negatively polarized and dramatic at times and that’s the beauty of the duality of life. Can you imagine how life would be without any drama?

The SHE Tribe magazine aims to bring to you the stories of phenomenal women and their worlds, their successes, aspirations, wins, failures, challenges, etc, and how they carry themselves gracefully each day. I had the privilege of working with Joanna Gow at AdaptTBWA many years ago.

TBWA is a top global advertising agency, which was part of the Omnicom Group of companies and they had an emphasis on strategic thinking. We had loads of fun learning the ropes of business and being trained on their concepts and insights. The biggest take home for me was the disruption theory. TBWA is now known as "The Disruption Company." I digress.... Today, Joanna is successful in the same field and is celebrating five awesome years in the advertising business. I am excited to have her grace the cover of our very first issue.

Congratulations to you Joanna and your team at Tessera.

Also many thanks to Kathy WalterHouse, Claire Beesly, Lakisha Bolding, (We worked together also, and led teams in organizing a successful dinner theatre fundraiser) Nina Macarie, Veronica De La Fonte, Michelle Catanos Serrano for sharing your stories.

In our Young SHE space, we cover the story of my 12-yearold delightful daughter, Zuri Kaloki, a young author and chess player. Enjoy reading these stories. Blessings to all the women here and to our readers. May we grow together.

The SHE Tribe makes up your cheerleaders. We support each other and THRIVE together.

Cheers to many more issues!

Maureen@shetribemagazine.com

Inspire. Empower. Impact

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JOANNA GOW

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5

5 years in business.

In a world of communications, branding, and much more, Joanna embodies a calm spirit, packaged in outstanding strength.

Celebrating

Agency

A

n annual girls’ holiday to Greece, a cruise on the beautiful Grecian Sea, and a casual conversation about brands and business in Kenya gave birth to a business idea that Joanna and her three best friends came together to create. That’s how Tessera Communications, an agency that told brand stories that really connect with the audience, speaks to consumers’ hearts rather than their pockets, and grow customer loyalty through emotional branding, great creative concepts, and a passion to do it all really well, came into being.

As a fully female-owned agency, the women experienced resistance in the predominantly male field. Pitching for business against some of the biggest agencies in Kenya was daunting at first, these well well-established agencies had the capacity, they had the reputations, and they were the big names in the industry! But that didn’t hamper Joanna’s drive, she knew that even with her small team, they had the tenacity to succeed – to beat the bigger, agencies at this game, she never once even thought that there might be a chance Tessera would not get to the top of the game.

The business started slowly, opening its doors in 2017 - an election year – in fact, there were two elections that year. That didn’t stop Joanna’s dream of growing the agency. In Tessera's third year of business, Joanna and her team won one of the biggest accounts in Kenya, beating a long list of contenders in the industry, this was the pivoting point of the agency… and now her vision to be the most talked about agency in Kenya was coming to fruition, and then just as the business was really taking off, COVID 19 hit! The growth momentum and trajectory of the agency slowed a little but holding on to the accounts that Tessera had in its portfolio ensured that the agency got through the worst, and by year five Joanna had a full team of creatives, strategists, digital creators, and a very proficient back office behind her, Tessera has since attained several local marketing awards under its belt as well as winning a bronze at the coveted South African Loeries Awards, where Joanna was selected as one of the top strategists in Africa and the Middle East, proof that her dreams were valid.

But just how did she get to this point? We spoke to Joanna about her life and what it means to be a woman in business.

TJoanna was born in Mombasa Kenya, a second-generation Kenyan of Seychellois descent. She has one sister. The girls were raised by their parents to be strong, independent, women. She attributes her ability to bounce back from any adversity quickly, to her father who was a glass-halffull kind of person, he saw the good in everyone and everything, he was always full of fun and didn’t take life overly seriously. Her mother was the opposite – she taught Joanna that she has to put her all into everything that she does, Joanna is meticulous in her life and work because her mother taught her to be so, she is very clear that her mother is the reason she is where she is in her career and life. Her sister Sandra has always had her back and Joanna attributes her sister’s support to be the reason she believes in the importance of showing up for the people and things you care about, being passionate about it, and even where there is a difference of opinion, when you’re on the same team you show up and show support.”

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Joanna at work in her office in Nairobi, Kenya

Tessera's Management and Staff.

An award winning team.

Joanna's Family, Her mom (Centre) Spouse (Back right) Her children on the left..

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From there, she found her way through the ins and outs of marketing and communication until she found her passion for strategy. Everything about a great campaign or brand story starts with a solid strategy. It’s the foundation of every bit of great work that comes out of an agency. It is also the foundation on which Tessera is built. While she enjoyed the adrenalin of getting creative campaigns out on time, she also got deep satisfaction in being able to connect with people across all walks of life. It was love at first job. And that love would be felt throughout her career.

By the time she started Tessera, she had the confidence of a woman who had been through it all. With two adult children, an illustrious career, and a company to run, her balancing act was truly about to begin. She planned a routine that would give time her work, her family, and most importantly, herself.

Starting a business with friends was not easy.

The four women had to find a way to separate the friendship and the business, making sure never to blur the lines or the business could suffer, it’s important to have clear-cut lines of responsibility and hierarchy and even where, as shareholders they are all equal, in the day to day of the business there must be a leader that is appointed, and for Tessera the buck stops with Joanna As Managing Partner of a growing agency, she has partners and employees looking to her to lead a financially successful brand. This isn’t always easy. Growing a brand during an election and then a pandemic was already difficult, but also considering the difficulty of women leading in a man’s world, it needed someone with tenacity and drive. Joanna had to block out all the noise and focus on what she is good at. She will not stop until she’s achieved a level of financial stability that allows the company to take the chance to expand into other markets. To other women in business, she says: “You must always know where your money is coming from and where it’s going – so financial reporting is very important, even in a business, a saving mindset is important – something must be invested even as you grow and make profits.”

When she is not working, Joanna enjoys traveling, experimenting with cooking up different Sunday lunches for her family, craft fairs, and garden shows. She lives a life of yoga, fitness, and meditation. This fuels her drive and gives her the much-needed motivation to navigate her busy life.

www.tesseraltd.com

Joanna started her career in brand building around the same time she started her family with her husband Philip, they had known each other’s families for most of their lives and shared similar family values as well as similar goals for the future, their union was inevitable, and they have been together for just over 20 years and have two beautiful children. Being ambitious has always been in Joanna’s wheelhouse and she showed that with her first career move, which started in Nairobi at a small agency called AdaptTBWA Advertising – she knew nothing about it when she joined the agency – she started out as PA to the MD but soon got so caught up in the world of advertising and communication that she found herself working her way around the agency, in every department and really loving the whole concept of advertising and communication.”

She wakes up at 4:30 and is on her yoga mat by about 4:45. she practices until about 6:00 and is usually in the office by 8:30am – then there’s the flurry of meetings, brainstorms and more, she usually leaves the office at 4:30 or 5:00, and goes for a swim or an evening walk for about an hour. My family and I will then make dinner together, it’s a time to bond and find out about each other’s day. At about 9:00, she will do any work that has brought home, and plan for the next day, and by 10:30 she’s ready for bed.

TESSERA

This set her up on a solid foundation to build on very early in her life. She understood that nothing lasts forever, and everything has its season. But for each season, she needed to apply herself to the absolute best of her ability and have fun doing it. Her family and these lessons would stay with her even as she started her own career and family.

To anyone wishing to follow her path, here’s Joanna’s advice: “It may sound cliché, but your dreams are valid – but they won’t drop out of the sky it takes work and dedication and you must play the long game, keeping your eyes on the prize.”

In everything that she does, Joanna really encapsulates her mantra: Do it with passion or not at all.

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Download the App

www.bookkeepa.com 9

Download the App

www.bookkeepa.com 10

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."

Marrianne Williams

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KATHY WALTERHOUSE

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A Billion Dollars in Sales!

Kathy Walterhouse is a force of nature and the founder of The Professional Rule Breaker. She is an ex-corporate sales expert having sold close to a billion dollars. Known as being an award-winning, proven sales leader that will help get her clients to the next level.

With her background of being a negotiation guru, sales strategist, and leader closing large and small deals easily she is continually asked about her process. Her love of working with passionate entrepreneurs and helping them crush sales, led her to start her company, The Professional Rule Breaker.

Entrepreneurs gravitate to Kathy’s unique style. She has become obsessed with helping business owners implement their own winning sales strategies, to increase client enrollment and revenue.

In a short time, she has clients on an international level. In an effort to scale and help more entrepreneurs, she is developing an online membership to increase access to her knowledge and accelerate the sales growth of her clients.

Part of Kathy’s formula that she instills in her clients is the philosophy of drawing outside the line…not following what is expected. In essence, be a rule breaker so they can stand out of the crowded marketplace and shatter barriers. She has always had the motto of “think outside of the box and just do it” which has led to her great success.

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Kathy can be found at: https://www.theprofessionalrulebreaker.com https://www.instagram.com/theprofessionalrulebreaker https://www.facebook.com/theprofessionalrulebreaker https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-walterhousetheprofessionalrulebreaker/

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"passion is energy.

Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you."

Oprah Winfrey

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LAKISHA BOLLING

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THE B

L U X U R Y

E V E N T

S T U D I O

Decor By Lakisha Lawson Bolling.

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My grandmother would let me decorate the house. I was probably about twelve thirteen years old when I started decorating. She saw I had a flair for decorating and she cultivated and nutured my talent.

LAKISHA 18

The theme is celebrating women who mean business, professional women who mean business who are in business. So would you introduce yourself? How would you introduce yourself?

My name is Lakisha Bolling. I'm the co-owner of The B Luxury Event Studio in Montgomery, Alabama. We travel outside of Montgomery and throughout the region and to different states decorating and I just have a passion for decorating. I've always been highly creative, ever since I was a young girl, I can recall. I was raised by my grandparents and my grandmother would let me decorate the house. I was probably about twelve - thirteen years old when I started decorating the house. She saw I had a flair for decorating and she would take me to the stores and let me pick the curtains and whatever color paint I wanted to paint, she would just let me pick stuff. She had these double doors that separated the dining from the living room, and I would have her stay back in the dining room and I would close the double doors and I would decorate in private, and I didn't know back then what I was really doing. When I finished decorating, I would be like, close your eyes…. and then she would come out. I would be like……. surprise, surprise! And then she'd be like, oh, wow! This looks so good.

Flowers made out of baked coffee filters for Lakisha's first event with a budget of $200.00 for a wedding.

So, ever since I was little, I've been decorating.

Always had a thing for that, but I didn't know I was doing a room reveal. I just knew I didn't want anybody around while I was working on my décor ideas and concepts. I wanted to surprise my grandma with something pretty. I can’t forget how she let me decorate my room whenever I wanted to. In addition to the decor, I also used to write plays and design sets.

I didn't know what I was doing, but I would write these little plays at my church and at school and I would act in the plays. I would also make the costumes and design the stage.

So, I’ve always just loved decorating and creative art. Always.

Once I finished high school, I became a correction officer. So, I did law enforcement for 15 years. When I left law enforcement I began to work at the church. Every morning my work started as best as it could be. One of the ladies at the church Paula Stalworth at the time, the personal assistant to the first lady, found out that I have a knack for decorating and enrolled me in small décor projects. I would be given small budgets of about twenty-five dollars for decor, and I would take sticks, shoe boxes, and water bottles and just create whatever I could create. It all started from there and I really didn't know that I would go this far as to have a business because I was just enjoying myself so much doing decor.

I can recall, a church member came to me with two hundred dollars, and they wanted to give one of the intercessors a wedding reception. So, you can imagine two hundred seemed like a lot of money to me at the time. So, they wanted 85 gifts. So, I was very excited, I was like “Okay, yeah, we can do that.” So I went to Sam's, and I got all the old boxes that they had. I got copy paper, bling wrap, popsicle sticks, laminate paper, and whatever I could find. I bought my first set of tablecloths, runners, and stuff, and I hand-made everything else.

I made the flowers out of coffee filters; I baked the coffee filters in the oven to make flowers. I made all of the decorations from the scratch for this wedding. During the reception, I got so many compliments. Once the program started, the lights went out. I had used so many candles which were part of the ambiance feel I had deliberately created, so do you know they were actually having a candlelight reception because the lights went off? So, when one of the guests came in, she thought it was planned to be a candlelight dinner and that blew her mind away, she absolutely loved it.

It was such a blessing that I had all these handmade lanterns and candles. She said to me “I want you to do my reception.”

She offered me $1500. I was super thrilled, $1500? My response was “Yes, I can do it.” She only wanted me to decorate the reception and not the church, which gave me so much to work with.

I got a chance to buy my first set of chair covers, I bought more linen, and I was still crafting, making my own centerpieces. We went from one client to the next. Fast forward four years later, we opened our own venue. Decorating for everyone and we have a good sum now. So even though it hasn't been easy, it's been so much fun just being able to make a living doing what I absolutely love to do.

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There are other things I did before I

Wow! What are some of the challenges that you've had along the way?

was able to buy my own centerpiece

Some of the challenges I’ve had include pricing because I love what I do

and stuff. I went around to schools

so much that I will just give a gift, like say someone can have a budget of

collecting vegetable cans and I would

two thousand or less. I will treat that person the best that I can and add in

get those vegetable cans and make

extras. I always. I'm the type that over-delivers, but sometimes I have

different centerpieces, I would arrange

gotten myself in a bind of string trying to give so much and you know,

them into columns and decorate the

learning my work, you know. Still, I do all this beautiful work, but a part of

vegetable cans with cement, with

me was afraid to charge, afraid not to lose customers, afraid that they

mirrors, with grout, anything, I would

could get somebody else to do it. You know, self-doubt sometime might

do to just make something creative.

hit hard. I may do great work and I still see things as if I could have done

People just fell in love with those

better. So, I think one of my biggest challenges is me dealing with me.

vegetable cans. I actually used them

I'm learning now that I have nothing else to prove. Whenever I find myself

in a Jean's birthday party. It was a

decorating. I do it exceptionally well! I want to build a brand. I want to get

denim and diamonds party, those

my name on. And I'm getting there where I tell myself “Girl you're worth it.”

centerpieces are actually vegetable

I only began to find that out when I started making business sense out of

cans,

the

it, everything has a price. I try to transfer that to my clients, and they need

centerpieces that I hand-made, and

they

to know when I've gifted them something and its value. So even if I give

people absolutely just loved them. I

somebody for example one thousand, five hundred dollars worth of gifts,

mean,

were

from

some

of

sticks,

I would like them to know that. I started invoicing so they can see the

pinecones etc. People talked about it.

value and I also started paying myself. I wasn't paying myself, all I was

Oh,

the

doing for the last two or three years was building my inventory, so I went

homemade affordable stuff and now I

from making everything that I have, now we have 4 storages and we're

have people paying me thousands of

still at least in the warehouse, I've got a lot of chairs, and tables, I’ve got a

dollars.

whole store of tablecloths, centerpieces, and everything you can think of.

keeps

you

collecting going

all

Lakisha a with her husband at an event. together with friends.

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Wow. Amazing, You are a well-rounded person. Tell us a little bit about your relationship, how you met your husband, and your courtship. How long you’ve been married and how do you balance your business and family life?

I met my husband when I was twenty, actually, I was nineteen when we met.

It was cold, I saw this man and I was kind of shy, but I wouldn't say very shy, because I wrote my number down and I walked right past him, and I slipped it in his pocket. Here you go….. and we started to talk. It was not until I had a death in the family that he showed up.

This guy was the last person I was expecting to come to check on me. But lo and behold, he came to the hospital.

He was like… “I heard about you and I'm so sorry.” We spent a whole week together and we started talking about Jesus and he asked if Jesus and God is the same person. He wanted to know my take on it. So, we started to have this debate about God, Jesus, and our beliefs. It was from that point we started really dating. We had our first child and then a second child, and it was supernatural how we got married.

At a time when we had issues, and I remember, he stopped sleeping in the bed with me. For two weeks he slept on the couch and would not touch me in any way. Yeah. We went through such a period. I thought to myself that maybe he'd found somebody else.

So one particular night I wanted to know, I got undressed. This man jumped off the couch. He was like “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” I wondered, where that came from. He stood up that hour and walked out, I looked out of the window under the streetlights, he was talking to a Pastor. I didn’t know he was talking to somebody about God. The next day he asked me. “Do you want to get married?” I would've never talked about getting married. In my mind, I would have stayed with him until my kids got grown even if he hadn’t married me because of my childhood. I was given away twice. Before I started walking, I was six months old and I was raised by my grandparent. So, I always wanted my kids to have a family with mom and dad. That was my biggest dream and that's all I wanted. We had never talked about marriage. So, he asked me to marry him. We started going to church and God was dealing with him. I didn't know. He had become afraid of the dark. He had had light everywhere. He just kept saying, God is telling him this and that. Now, I grew up Baptist and I never heard a lot about God talking to people. It wasn't like the church I knew; they believed in praying in tongues and laying hands. I wasn't familiar with it at all.

One day my husband asked me to go to church on a Sunday, he said the preacher was going to prophesy over him. I was looking at him as a wonder like this dude really lost it. Because I didn't know what he was talking about. Sure enough, as he had mentioned, out of 500 people in that building at night, as a matter of fact, it was in the same building where we go to church now. The fifth person the Pastor called was my husband The Pastor prophesied over him, and he fell out into spirit. He wasn't doing fake and falling out because he was too cool to fake. So, when he fell out and I was like, oh my God. I was watching God just do all of these things. He would have visions. For example, one time he wanted to go to the hospital and pray for someone in a certain room, I can't remember the room number, It was many years ago. When we got to the hospital, it was the person just as he had said it. I was just watching God move.

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Lakisha flaunted with the men in her life, her husband and two sons. She also has a goddaughter, not in this picture.

My husband got The B Luxury Studio for me. He got the business for me because he knew that I really loved it. I never asked him to get it. He knew I wanted one.

So, he's like, “Look, let's become business partners. I'm going to get the building, you get the decorations, that this team needs.” He gave me the venue for our anniversary. We got married in 2005 and for 17 years, we've been together. We have two wonderful kids, a twenty-two-year-old and a 19-year-old. I've got a goddaughter too. My goddaughter decorates too, she can decorate as well as I do. All my masterpieces, whatever I do she can also do. Recently she helped me decorate a baby shower. It's been a wonderful journey.

My vision is so huge, in 2007 I wasn't even decorating, at the time, the Lord gave me a vision. The vision was so real when He showed it to me. The Lord showed me this big estate. It had a bee on the gate and the bee was huge. When you first walk in, when you first drive into the estate to the left, there was this huge event center. I said we would do revivals, birthday parties, weddings, and concerts. And on the other side, it was like a rich center for youth. It had a bowling alley in it, a place for the boys to get haircuts, a salon for the girls, and a little shopping place where the kids… about 10 years old, when they get good grades in school, they can go shopping and get so many brand shoes and this is a place.

This would prevent them from going out there to sell drugs or their bodies or whatever. They can come here and get a job and get nice clothes, get the stuff that they really want, but they got to do something for it.

The estate had two transition homes. Both of the homes had lakes behind it looked like ponds and one home is for single mothers in transition who need somewhere to stay. They had financial literacy classes to work on their finances and help them get on their feet. You will drive back another five miles and that's where we would live. I could see the house plan. We had the big fountain in the front and had to drive around the driveway where you would drive around like in a circle if you wanted to. The house was huge and it was just a beautiful, beautiful home. It was all glass with a french door that opens into the pool and had a little beach area with a hammock. We have so many trees, peach trees, plum trees, etc. We have peacocks. Two benches on each side of the walkway where you can just sit down and just eat fruit, I guess.

We had a football field, a basketball court, and a volleyball court. We have so many activities. It is just like this huge, big, beautiful estate. It is like I'm actually looking at it right now in my mind. That vision was in 2007 before I even knew I would be decorating like this. Our plan is to stay in the venue that we have now for a while and then buy our own land to build our own venue.

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What I would say to anyone. Find your passion. Find what it really is. Only passion is going to take you. You’ve got to have a hunger and a passion for what you're doing. So, find what you're passionate about and do that because I think if you do something that you absolutely love to do even when it gets hard, you will fight for it, and you will still want to continue doing it even though it's hard. I can be so tired, but when I come across decorations, it is like a jolt of energy comes from somewhere I don't know how, but I'm always happy like a kid. I become so excited to see what I’ve done, the vision that I have in my head because I'm a vision person, I dream about, what I'm gonna do. I do it just like I have in my head, and I'm still amazed because I know the idea is from God, so find what you're passionate about and what works for you. Find out your gifts and find out what you're passionate about and just don't quit.

Don't quit!

LAKISHA 23

Some of Lakisha's designs, from different events.

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"You will be defined not just by what you achieve, but what you survive"

Sherly Sandberg

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CLAIRE BEESLEY

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Claire Beesly is helping heart-led business owners make an impact through their words.

I'm Claire Beesley, an author, a dance teacher, and a coach, I mentor women with heart-led businesses to tell their powerful stories. I also run a Facebook group where I help heart-centered business owners have a bigger impact on the world through their words.

I'm two people, two distinct halves of a whole. I’m either in happy, quiet solitude: writing, reading, drawing, or, I’m dancing.

Alone time is where I recharge.

Dancing is where I come alive.

They’re two sides of the same coin: self-expression.

What I do for fun: for me, fun times are about dancing and movement.

I've danced since I was three years old; tap, ballet, modern, lindy-hop, circus silks, and contemporary.

When I'm not dancing, I am choreographing or lying about reading. I am very much the opposite.

It’s no wonder then, that I feel like I’ve never fitted in. I’m two different people who need two different environments to thrive. But both aspects fill my creative cup. If one is stifled, I become depressed, if one is overflowing, I get overwhelmed.

Balance is everything with me.

Motherhood – its all-encompassing nature is where I’ve struggled to maintain balance. That, and in my career. Years later I would find out why, but that wasn’t until I was in my 40s.

I’ve spent the last twenty years nurturing women. I’ve had side hustles, run small businesses, failed, and succeeded. I’ve had long stints in the corporate world, interspersed with the muchneeded outlet of freedom of expression through my creativity.

I’ve taught Pilates, and more lately taught dance.

I find my flow when I am with women and empower them to express themselves creatively, too.

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In the Spring of 2020, I was furloughed. And the balance of my life tipped again as I went from working mum to 1950s housewife overnight. All my feelings about a woman’s place being in the home, losing my identity after becoming a mother, and having no space to “be”, collided. Stories I’d been stewing over for years found an outlet. Less than a year later I’d realized a lifelong ambition to be an author with my debut novel, Waiting for the Winds to Change. Then in 2021, the year that was meant to bring hope and recovery from the pandemic, just after turning 42, I was diagnosed as autistic and ADHD.

After a lifetime of searching, trying to work out why I didn’t fit into the world, baulking against conformity and societal norms, trying desperately to do things the “right” way, I had an answer. I wasn’t mental or difficult, unreliable, selfish, stupid, or unfocused. I was neurodivergent, and my innate skill is creating and forming relationships with others so they too can express themselves authentically.

I set up my business, nurturing female novelists and business owners to write their stories. To lean into their creativity without fear or shame. To step into their power authentically to tell the stories of their lives that in turn will change the lives of others.

It's my passion to write and talk about stuff that affects women that we don’t talk about enough: shitty relationships – coercion, control, psychological abuse – periods, having children while keeping our identity, post-natal depression, our passion projects, feminism, being more accepting and embracing of neurodivergence.

I now coach women to write their books and find their confidence in creative expression. That being creative can bring incredible gifts to their business. That their unique story is truly inspirational and needs to be out in the world.

www.clairebeesley.co.uk https://www.facebook.com/ClaireBeesley1000

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Some of Kisha's designs, from different events.

“Do what you love and success will follow.

Passion is the fuel behind a successful career.”

Meg Whitman

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VERONICA DE LA FONTE

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ABUNDANT boss BABE

Veronica with her son in the top picture and with her boyfriend in the picture below.

Hello Queens! My name is Veronica De La Fonte, I am a girlfriend and mother of one son and a sister. I was born in Harlingen Tx, my family roots are deep in the Caribbean by way of Antigua and Trinidad. I was raised in ‘Da Bronx” and have spent most of my adult life in Miami Florida.

I have an eclectic work history but the one that stands out was when I was a director at Sunrise Community for 10 years. A non profit company that provided services in the community for people with disabilities. I did not know it at the time but this job wet me up with the knowledge I needed being a single mom raising a son with special needs. I also was a director for a well known Cosmetic Company and later went on to build a livelihood as a stripper. You see, once I got a taste of being my own boss within the Cosmetic Company, I couldn’t work for anyone else and that’s when I discovered the world of dancing.

I had many ups and downs raising a son with special needs because at that time there were not alot of services for these children, but I did my best. Placing him in private schools getting him the services that were available. I am very proud to say he has done very well for himself, graduating from a college program and has been working at a local supermarket chain for the past 6 years, so if you are out there raising a special needs child, the sky's the limit in their world and never take no for an answer when it comes to getting the services they need.

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When my son graduated highschool this is when

When a woman is living and breathing her dream

I pursued my dancing career fulltime and moved

she is an asset to her family. I want to empower

to Key West. Met a guy online, got married and

female entrepreneurs through my business to do

thought I was going to live happily ever after.

just that. Although it is a man’s world, it is nothing

Little did I know what the universe had in store

without a good woman. My goal in creating this

for me. Our marriage was no walk in the park and

business is to inspire women in any situation that

we didn’t know how to get along and it ended up

you can reach your goals and live your dream no

being a messy split but it needed to happen.

matter what!

After the split I took things really hard and had dug

a

deep

hole

in

depression

and

self

In 2022 I created my first signature program Turn

medicating with alcohol. I needed to move

Your Passion to Profit for female coaches who have

forward and no matter what I tried, all I could do

been in business 1-2 years who are ready to get

was think about how I got the short end of the

visible, organically grow, attract and connect to

stick and that bitterness kept me captive for 2

their target audience on social media. This 6 week

years.

container is designed to dive deep into the foundation of your business giving you the

When I finally got the help I needed and started

confidence to show up for your business while

listening to people like Joe Diszpenza, Tony

giving you the skills and tools for the lifespan of

Robbins, Esther Hicks and Oprah, I decided I

your business. If this sounds like you, don't hesitate

needed a change. I moved out of the apartment I

to reach out to schedule your clarity call today.

lived in to leave all the bad memories behind and started creating a new life for myself.

Next year I plan to host my first Valentine’s Day Women’s Empowered Brunch, Abundant Boss

In 2019 my mother got sick and I returned to

Babe’s first Clarity, Confidence & Connection

Miami to help out with her care and it was the

Conference

most satisfying time of my life that I got to spend

entrepreneurs. I am so excited to see where my

time with my mom the last year of her life,

business Abundant Boss Babe, LLC will lead my

laughing, crying and reminiscing on life. This was

mission as I lead, inspire, motivate and transform

also the year I decided to take my dancing career

women to shine their light and create an impact

to the next level. I created an LLC and I created

with their businesses.

and

offer

retreats

for

female

the Abundant Boss Babe LLC as well.During covid I hired my first coach to help develop

Veronica currently resides in both Miami and

Abundant Boss Babe because I wasn’t sure the

Wisconsin and likes to think she has the best of

direction I was going to take it but my passion is

both worlds! Veronica is very active and keeps busy

to empower female coaches to build a long term

by working out and traveling with her family. She

sustainable

financial

also has another IG handle of her and her boyfriend

independence by creating consistent income in

@miamimeetsnorthwoods where you can find her

their business using social media. I believe every

and significant other doing life.

business

to

achieve

woman should have a skill or talent no one can take away from her and a chance at becoming Ways to connect with me: successful.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/veronicafonz74 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Vibinwithveronica Website: https://abundantbossbabe.mykajabi.com/ Abundant Boss Babe FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/abundantbossbabes2020 Tuesday Network & Coffee Chat: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82471033971 Ways to keep connected & motivated: Vibin' with Veronica Podcast https://anchor.fm/veronica-de-la-fonte Abundant Boss Babe FB Group http://www.facebook.com/groups/abundantbossbabes2020/

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"Success doesn't come from what you do occasionally, it comes from what you do consistently."

Marie Forleo

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NINA MACARIE

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NINA MACARIE R

adio has been part of her life since she was a kid but she had no idea that this was going to play a significant role in her life.

As a kid, growing up in a communist country, Nina was listening to the radio with her grandfather, they were listening to a station called Europe free or Radio Liberty where they were talking about people who were escaping the country looking for a better future. Back then people in her country weren’t allowed to travel abroad and by listening to those stories Nina was letting her imagination go wild and she was picturing what would be living abroad or just traveling abroad look like.

“A setback only paves the way for a comeback.” ― Evander Holyfield

And then there is another pivotal moment that marked her teenage years. Do you know how it feels to make a promise to yourself and commit to it with all your being? Well that was Nina when a cousin of hers married a French guy and some of her relatives traveled to France on a tour and she begged her parents to let her go but back then it was way more difficult to travel as a minor and also her family did not have the money. And it was then that she promised herself that she was going to Paris when she will grow up and had her own money. And guess what? She has been to Paris not once but three times (plus one time to Disneyland with her kids right before Covid). Why is this important? Because she believes that so many times we forget the promises we make to ourselves and then, especially when we become mothers we forgot to put ourselves first. But when we allow our dreams to become a priority not only we are going to be happy but we will be able to provide a better life for our families, have a flourishing business, hire more people to help us, and support more clients.

Nina was a quiet, shy, introverted kid but somehow she always felt that there is something special in her. Not necessarily a specific talent because she thinks talent is more tangible, people notice that you can sing or paint or dance or you are very good at something. But she was only good at dreaming. Yes, Nina is a dreamer and she knows that if she holds long enough to a dream she can make it happen. But sometimes we let our day-to-day struggles become the biggest part of our life and we forget who we are.

Nina was a quiet, shy, introverted kid but somehow she always felt that there is something special in her. Not necessarily a specific talent because she thinks talent is more tangible, people notice that you can sing or paint or dance or you are very good at something. But she was only good at dreaming. Yes, Nina is a dreamer and she knows that if she holds long enough to a dream she can make it happen. But sometimes we let our day-to-day struggles become the biggest part of our life and we forget who we are.

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VISIBILITY DRIVEN PODCASTING

And then there is another pivotal moment that marked her teenage years. Do you know how it feels to make a promise to yourself and commit to it with all your being? Well that was Nina when a cousin of hers married a French guy and some of her relatives traveled to France on a tour and she begged her parents to let her go but back then it was way more difficult to travel as a minor and also her family did not have the money. And it was then that she promised herself that she was going to Paris when she will grow up and had her own money. And guess what?

She has been to Paris not once but three times (plus one time to Disneyland with her kids right before Covid). Why is this important? Because she believes that so many times we forget the promises we make to ourselves and then, especially when we become mothers we forgot to put ourselves first. But when we allow our dreams to become a priority not only we are going to be happy but we will be able to provide a better life for our families, have a flourishing business, hire more people to help us, and support more clients.

GET YOUR FREE PODCAST CHECKLIST oneluckystar.com/freechecklist/

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The first thing in her plan was to get a European Studies Degree and in order to do that, she was supposed to pass an exam. But she failed. The first time she failed she thought ‘That’s OK, I’m gonna try next year. When she failed the second time, she was devastated, she even had an interview with an agency because she was considering working as a babysitter/au-pair just to be able to travel abroad. She was not 100% sure that this is the way to go with her life so she decided to give herself one more chance to pass that exam.

One more try, and if it’s not gonna work, then she will see what’s meant to her… So she tried one more time. And what this taught her is how important it is to stay in your lane and not get distracted. You need to be very grounded especially when you know what your North Star is and you know exactly where you’d like to be.

The third time worked like a charm and she got in. Finally, she was a step closer to her dream. When she was in her final year, her Spanish teacher believed in her so much and she encouraged Nina to apply for a scholarship to study in Spain. Unfortunately, she got no response so after graduation, Nina was feeling a little bit defeated because she did not know how to pursue her dreams.

So she went back home, got a temporary job, and her boyfriend at the time found a job in her home town but Nina was feeling that she can’t settle down. While she was at that job, she was reading the newspaper every single morning and one day she sees this announcement that the government is looking for fresh graduates to study abroad and then come home and work for the government. And she did not know how to sign up faster for that competition.

What she found out is that God’s plans are always bigger than our own because she got in and went to Madrid (Spain) to get a master’s degree in public administration. It was such a beautiful enriching experience: she met people from all around the world, traveled, and tasted local foods. There was a new lesson for her, sometimes what we think are failures are just setbacks that are going to allow us to prepare for what’s about to come.

She is sure that if she would have passed the exam the first time, she would have missed this big opportunity, and she would not have met her boyfriend at the time who was introduced to her by a colleague and she’s sure that she would have not been prepared to face things like traveling alone for the first time by airplane and living in a big city like Madrid - she was just a small town girl but with big dreams.

So never doubt your dreams - if you don’t believe in yourself then who will? You need to be your biggest supporter!

“It is not because of setbacks that most entrepreneurs do not reach the finishing line, but because of a lack of willpower and motivation.” ― Danny Mekic

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After getting her master’s degree, she came back home and two weeks later got married but after the honeymoon, she had to study for another year in Bucharest, the capital of Romania and it took her 18 months to convince her husband to come to live with her in a big city. Although they were married, he still lived in her hometown and met during weekends. Finally, he decided to join her and as she was working for the government, she started applying for internships at the European Union. Her husband did not like living in a big city and they were also thinking to start a family so they decided that it would be wise to move closer to their parents so they can get some help when the kids would arrive. So, the first one to move was her husband and then, the next month after his move, Nina got accepted for an internship at the European Union… She asked him again to come and join her but he was not interested in living abroad. Again, Nina has enjoyed another amazing experience, she met amazing colleagues, got better at using her French, traveled even more, and enjoyed beautiful experiences with other trainees so she definitely could see herself living the dream. But now, she was facing a choice: should she stay there (and apply for temporary jobs like other trainees) or should she go back and start the family she always pictured? Her husband was always supporting her, he never said no when it came to her dreams, and let her follow her path. They were married for four years and she did not want to lose him. A job can come and go so keeping the right partner was more important to her.

So, she decided to come back home because was so ready to become a mom. She just wanted to have the kids and then she was going to figure out what to do next. Nina was so blessed to be able to be a SAHM and look after their two kids. That meant everything to her.

What she did not realize is that during this time she forgot who she was. The moment they decided to put the kids into a daycare (when she felt it was the right time for them to be surrounded by kids their age and she did not have the right skills or desire to homeschool), she had this horrible feeling that not only she didn’t know who she am, or what she liked but I had no idea what to do next… She felt lost and disoriented, she could do everything she wanted but didn’t know what… After days of feeling down and uncomfortable, her husband suggested that she should see a coach. At first, she resisted the idea but then she thought ‘what do I have to lose?’ Working with a coach allowed her to experiment with different things like volunteering for an NGO, working with a German consultant, or helping a friend promote her jewelry store in the online space. But, she wasn’t feeling that this is what she was supposed to do, she was feeling that something is missing. So, she was still struggling even if what she was doing was not difficult at all but somehow she wasn’t able to find fulfillment.

One day, it was just an ordinary day, she was editing some pictures for the jewelry store when her husband called her telling her that he has just lost his job. She felt like she wished the ground would open up and swallow 38 her.....

It was a big hit…her husband was the main income provider, and she was working part-time for less than minimum wage…There was a difficult few months until her husband found a new job but in a different city. Now, they were facing a new decision: should they just keep seeing each other over the weekend or move and be together?

Their son has just started school, the kids had their friends so the kids’ first decision was not to move. But the more time they were spending in this new city, the more they liked it so in September when school started we were all together, starting fresh. She was so happy that she got a job right before moving in. But then, when she started the work, she felt so trapped, so miserable, and she just couldn’t see herself working in a 9-5 til retirement.

Somehow, (God’s ways are mysterious) she got this idea that she could help other moms grow their businesses.

So, just 9 days in, she got brave and quit the job.

She was determined to let nothing stand in her way even if she had no idea how she was going to do this. All she knew is that there must be out there other moms who are not looking to choose between their career and their family so they were brave enough to start a business. And she also knew that you can’t do it alone so they would need help. Google was her friend and then Facebooks groups.

She started as a Social Media Manager but she didn't like it. Then she found out that she could use her previous experience and skills and she could work as a virtual assistant. But here, she was facing a new problem: doing the work seemed easy but she had no idea how to stand out as a general VA. Her genuine desire of helping everyone with general admin tasks wasn’t really working.

So, as she was digging in she found out that she should niche down so all the money she was making was invested in taking courses. I took a bunch of courses but her problem was that along the way she kind of lost her confidence so she wasn’t confident enough to promote herself as having a new skill just. The perfectionist in her, made her think that she need to be a master of the service (any other perfectionist around here?) before offering it.

So, while she was struggling with what to do next and how to approach this she sees an advertisement for a masterclass that was promoting a podcast pitching course. She felt she could totally do this but she also knew that if she was going to buy the course, this approach won’t work for her. Only that this course was different and it had two parts: one for the client and one for the VA. And it was then that she decided to do something bold and asked in the Fb group if someone is interested in bartering her services in exchange for the course. And that was her winning moment.

She was like ‘I did my part, I will let now God take care of the rest’. It’s when you take bold action (no matter what that means to you) that you will be rewarded. Luckily, an amazing business owner (and triplet mom) said yes and they started together. After a few months, her client referred her to a friend and this is how she got the ball rolling. Not only that she was learning something new but she was also putting it into practice. Double win! Since then, she has invested in a lot of programs from people in the industry who are a few steps ahead of her, plus the fact that she got to work with amazing podcasters and some of them asked her to help them manage their own podcast lead her to be able to create her own framework for podcast pitching.

When she started this online business, she thought that all she wants to do is to work behind the scenes. But then seeing what’s possible for other people in the industry, and seeing her clients getting amazing results and opportunities made her reconsider, and even if she an introvert and not a native English speaker (the biggest excuse that held her back for so long), she realized that you can only grow when you embrace yourself as a person but you also need to take courageous action. And courage comes from being willing to test and experiment, allowing yourself to make mistakes and surrounding yourself with like-minded people.

Over the last couple of months, she was able to be part of amazing opportunities because she made the decision to become a better and more courageous business owner. She was no longer afraid of putting herself out there because now she doesn’t focus on herself anymore but on serving and helping potential clients move a step forward.

When you believe in yourself it doesn’t matter who you are, where you are coming from, or what are your past experiences - it’s just a matter of time to get where you would like to be. But you need to stick to the commitment you’ve made to yourself!

So, if you are a female online entrepreneur feeling that you have something in your heart that you want to share with others and you no longer want to hold yourself back, then it’s time for you to start your speaking journey. And if one of your choices is guesting on podcasts so that you can get more visible, share your message, and connect with potential clients then you will find helpful this checklist I created with you in mind. I want you to have all the pieces in place and confidently start reaching out to podcast hosts and get featured as a guest so you can share your powerful message with the world. www.oneluckystar.com/freechecklist/ 39

"Growth and comfort do not coexist."

Ginni Rometty

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AFFIRMATIONS I am worthy I am valuable I am prosperous I am successful I am loving I am loved I deserve to be cherished I am phenomenal I am beautiful I am enough!

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TRIBE Write to us to get featured in our magazine.

Contact us for an advertising opportunity

GET FEATURED IN THIS MAGAZINE Write to the editor.

M A U R E E N @ S H E T R I B E M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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"I never dreamed of success, I worked for it."

Estee Lauder

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MICHELLE CANTANOS SERRANO 44

POWER VA MICH Works 28-year-old Michelle Serrano, from the Philippines, is a Power Virtual Assistant running a solid business and is passionate about getting consistent results for the clients she serves.

Growing up Growing up, she experienced extreme lack. Getting basic needs like food and clothes was an uphill task. She grew up poor, her family did not have enough money. They struggled to get by.

Michelle could only dream of a better life. She managed to get to college and says that it was very tough getting complete her program due to financial constraints, but she did finish and managed to graduate. She was awarded a bachelor’s degree in information technology.

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Breakthrough Michelle knew that the internet would give her a breakthrough. She started searching for work online immediately after graduating and luckily her first client found her on an online freelancing site. But at that time, she needed to work 40 hours a week to earn enough to pay the bills and buy some groceries. For her first assignments, she charged $3.00 an hour. For others, it was too low but for her, it was more than enough in a country where employees were paid $5.00 -10.00 a day. Yes, a day! With the price point advantage, she was able to undercut her way on the site and easily found gigs. She worked very hard to meet her client’s needs and retained most of them over time.

This created a steady flow of income for her. Regular consistent income is the first step toward financial freedom.

After 3 years of working on that freelancing site, she realized she could do more, so she closed her account and started getting clients on her own using Facebook and it worked! It was a game-changer, she learned to charge for her value and raised her rate.

Due to the exchange rates, this became a sufficient and fulfilling way of living for her.

She started building her dream house when she was 25.

Building it has taken time, she has done this gradually with detail and now the house stands, she is completing the final touches and lives here with her parents. She was able to rescue her parents from a life of poverty.

Michelle Serrano is an advocate of women's empowerment. “I know that women are hardworking and capable of earning more and living the life that we all deserve.” With my financial freedom, I no longer lack. I can pay the bills, I encourage other women in the Philippines to do this too so they can pay their bills, buy homes, drive cars, and buy expensive gifts.

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Recently Married

there is light at the end of the tunnel!

Keep Moving

Michelle feels she is truly blessed to be living a life she only dreamed of at one time. She recently married the love of her life and finds it very amusing that her pet dog is envious and is always fighting for her attention. She is happy and is ready to take on what life throws her way and live her best life.

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“I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow.

When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.”

Marissa Mayer

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Young SHE

TRIBE

Zuri Kaloki

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Climate change focus

Zuri Kaloki is a young author from Kenya. She likes to inspire others through storytelling. Her favorite genre at the moment is children’s fiction stories. Every year on her birthday she releases a new title.

She wrote her first title at 10 years old and published it on her eleventh birthday. Zuri’s main interests include reading, drawing, writing and playing chess. Her favorite authors are Lupita Nyong’o and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Even though she has not read Chimamanda’s books, she is inspired by her talks, speeches, and conversations.

All of Zuri’s books are currently dedicated to her brother who helped her come up with the title of her first series – “Maajabu” The word Majabu directly translates to “Wonders” in her native language Swahili. Zuri and her brother Barry Hawi Kaloki have a close-knit relationship. They both excel in chess and play at the national level in their country, often they participate in open tournaments where age is not a factor.

A class in finacial literacy has come in handy for her book business.

Due to her efforts and activities, she now has been appointed the School Ambassador at Brookside Preparatory School in Nairobi. She was previously the Cabinet Secretary for environment. Zuri cares for the environment. and asks her readers to plant trees. Schools and individuals can participate in the Maajabu tree planting challenge.

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www.zurikaloki.com

“Maajabu - Hungry animals” is Zuri’s first book. In this book, she creates a fictional place, the land of Maajabu, where wonders and adventures happen. Here she casts the fox, the donkey, the wolf, three birds, an elephant and a camel in the story. Zuri's style of writing adds a mix of simple Swahili words in an exciting way to help readers learn Swahili as they enjoy the tales from Africa. The moral of this story is that it does not pay to trick others. Always be kind, we all need good friends.

Fire in the Forest is twelve-yearold Zuri’s second title in the Maajabu children’s book series.

In this story, the animal kingdom is faced with a wildfire in their habitat. The animals must escape to safety first and then seek the solution to climate change, the root of the problem, which old tortoise Mzee Kobe tells them about. Their king, Simba the lion, leads the animals wisely. This book helps young readers learn about climate change and how to care for the environment in a simple and exciting way. The moral of the story here is “Teamwork makes the dream work.” We must all take good care of our planet.

Zuri is excited to announce that she is working on her third book in the series. She is careful not to spoil the surprise by announcing the book title. She asks that you follow her on Amazon profile and be on the lookout for her coming soon title.

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Maajabu - Hungry Animals

Maajabu - Coloring Story Book

Maajabu - Fire in The Forest

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CHANGE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY &REVERSE THESE TRENDS.

WOMEN STATS PAYCHECK WOMEN ARE 5 TIMES MORE LIKELY THAN MEN TO LIVE PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK.

MILLENIALS & SAVING NEARLY 70% OF MILLENNIAL WOMEN DON'T SAVE BECAUSE THEY LIVE PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK.

GEN X & SAVING 60% OF GEN X WOMEN HAVE LESS THAN $1000 IN SAVING.

WOMEN AND DEBT WOMEN GRADUATE WITH MORE DEBT THAN MEN & SO THAT MAKES THEM INVEST LATER ON IN LIFE AND THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO RETIRE IN POVERTY WHEN THEY RETIRE.

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SHE TRIBE