114 Living Their Passion – The Baker Twins

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Donald and Ronald Baker talks about pursuing passionate work and making a living doing what they love.

A recent study conducted by Trade Schools, Colleges and Universities report that close to 80% of adults do not end up following through on the career paths they dreamed of during childhood.  And the remaining 20% of people who do pursue childhood imaginations are overwhelmingly happy and consider themselves to be successful.

Donald and Ronald Baker fall into that 20% category.  Ronald and Donald Baker are twins who were adopted at birth and both are world renowned photojournalists in the Washington, D.C. area.  They have photographed such greats as Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela, exclusive photographers of the Jackson 5, President Barack Obama, Stevie Wonder, Alex Haley and too many to name.  They have also captured historical events such as the Million Man March and several Presidential Inaugurations just to name a few.

The Baker twins talk about how they got their start and the creative ideas they utilized to become living legends in the world of photojournalism.

094 Girls Against Boys Sagging and the Importance of Voting – Elections 2016

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sagging, GABS, pullemup2During the first half of the show, Morgan McCane and her parents talk about an organization that Morgan founded at the age of 15.  Morgan started Girls Against Boys Sagging (GABS) when she told her mom that she was tired of seeing boys walking around with their “dirty” underwear showing.  When Morgan’s mom challenged her to do something about it, Morgan did just that.  Thus was born GABS, a movement against boys sagging, whose message is that women can change men’s minds the most, so women need to ask their men to #pullemup!

 

voteDuring the second half hour, Judge Eric Nyce, David Grogan, Ervin Reid, and Dennis Borie talk about the early voting process, how to sift through the rhetoric, the electoral process, and of course “The Donald.”

 

082 Interview with Otis Williams of The Temptations

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Otis-WilliamsOtis Williams, a living legend, with a 56 year career of active performances talks about his life as the founder and the last original surviving member of the Temptations.

Otis talks about what it has taken for the Temptations to remain relevant for 56 years and so much more.

In this segment, Otis takes us down memory lane and shares the meaning and memories behind many of The Temptations’ famous hits; such as Don’t Send Me Away, Darling Stand By Me, where Otis sang lead.

Other songs included in this segment are; Please Return Your Love To Me, Treat Her Like A Lady,  Ain’t Too Proud To Beg, I Wish It Would Rain,  Cloud Nine, Error of Our Ways, Elevator Eyes, Can’t Get Next To You, Since I Lost My Baby, Papa Was A Rolling Stone, Ball of Confusion, and of course we close the show with My Girl.

This show is bound to take you down Memory Lane and will cause you start dancing or swaying in your seat.  So get your Kleenex and dancing shoes ready for a great chat with Otis Williams and the awesome sounds of the Temptations.

What a tremendous honor to have Otis Williams join me on Make The Change Radio Show!

The Temptations story is going to Broadway in 2017, so stay tuned..

Thank you God.  Thank you Otis <3

048 Miss Jessie’s – Creating a Successful Business From Scratch

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book_miss_jessiewebMiko Branch, Co-Founder, CEO of Miss Jessie’s, the company that revolutionized the curly and natural hair care industry. Miko is also the Co-Author of the newly released book “Miss Jessie’s: Creating a Successful Business from Scratch—Naturally.”

Miko will share how she and her sister Titi Branch created a successful business from scratch. Miko will also share some inspirational life lessons and unique business advice from her book.  This book is so awesome that I read it in its entirety in one sitting.

 

043 How I Left Corporate to Pursue My Passion

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043 Richard Bernabe_HeadRichard Bernabe, an internationally renowned wildlife, landscape, travel photographer, and author talks about why and how he left a comfortable corporate job, six-figure income, company car, and lucrative benefits to pursue his passion.

Lost passion for work, not using his skills, not feeling challenged, and dread waking up to go to work each morning were critical signs that it was time for Richard to quit his job and pursue his passion.

Loss of security and fear of the unknown were the primary strongholds that kept him at corporate for so long.  A famous quote by Henry D. Thoreau was the secret weapon that set him free. “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”  Richard did not want to live a life of quiet desperation so he decided to take a chance at being happy over suffering quietly just to keep receiving that precious paycheck.

Statistics from a worldwide Gallup poll:  13% of workers really like their jobs.  63% are merely existing. The remaining 24% actually hate their jobs.  Combining the last two percentages equates to a whopping 87% of workers worldwide who are emotionally disconnected from their workplaces and less likely to be productive.

Richard prefers not to give specific advice about how people should take that leap of faith.  However, he challenges everyone to answer this very important question:  “What are you going to sacrifice to make it happen?”  Aside from risking your health, family, or self-respect; although you may not have to, you must be prepared to sacrifice everything else.  If not, then don’t waste your time pursuing your passion as a primary source of income.

Listen to the podcast to hear what Richard has to say about:

  • The cumulative effect of living a life of quiet desperation.
  • Sacrifices you may have to make before taking that leap of faith.
  • Where to focus your attention to uncover your passion(s) if you are unsure of what you’re passionate about.
  • How, as adults, we have lost our ability to dream big dreams like children do and why we gave up on our dreams without much of a fight.
  • How long it took for his venture to become profitable.

Website:

Take a moment to view Richard’s amazing work.  Can you believe that he is self-taught?!

http://www.richardbernabe.com/#!/index

Quotes:

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation”  Henry D. Thoreau

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking, and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it”  Steve Jobs

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go”  T.S. Eliot

“It may hit you that you might be leaving yearly bonuses, stock options, and other corporate perks on the table when you leave. Get over it. The one who dies with the most toys doesn’t win. The one who lives life to the fullest wins”  Unknown

“Too many people worry about getting it perfect and never end up executing. You don’t have to get it perfect.  Just get it going” Unknown

“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is call passion”  Simon Sinek

Closing Remarks:

More than 87% of people continue to wake up in the morning and go to bed at night thinking that their day job is the only key to securing their present and future. Luckily, Richard Bernabe has managed to prove that that way of thinking is based on a lie.

Subscribe to Podcast:

Please subscribe via email for auto updates of more inspirational stories to empower you to live your best life and provide encouragement during the tough times on how to triumph over tragedy.  http://ow.ly/KlWji

Have an Inspirational Story?:

If you or someone you know have an inspirational story, send me an email at pat@patriciaterrell.com

Thank you for taking the time to visit!

Thank you Richard Bernabe for a fabulous interview!

God Bless!

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027 Turn Your Idea Into an Invention

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Ever wonder who first thought of the microwave, or whose idea it was to create a remote control for the television?What about the disposable diaper?  Someone had to have these ideas and turn them into inventions.

Do you have a great idea for an invention? Have you ever found yourself thinking, “I wish someone would come up with….” Have you ever seen one of your ideas featured on television by someone who took action on it?  People have ideas, every day but never act on them, but Shameeka Hunt of “Keep Me Tight” is the exception to the rule.

Shameeka shares how she turned her idea into an invention.  She had a personal need and decided to fill it.  Learn what it took for Shameeka to become an inventor and how her story may inspire you to turn your ideas into reality.

Shameeka did not let being a wife, mother of two (a newborn and 1 year old), and a full-time job as an Engineer stop her from creating a product to fulfill a personal need! Shameeka had to keep a tight calendar to make it happen.

If you have an idea that you need to take action on, Shameeka says the first step is to find a quiet place to think through your idea and DOCUMENT it!  Then TAKE ACTION by setting aside time to work on it every day. Do not let doubtful thoughts or feeling overwhelmed derail your momentum. The time is now to give your idea some life. Who knows, your idea could be the next BIG thing!

015 Surviving The Loss of A Child

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Angela WalkerAngela L. Walker knew at the age of eight that she wanted to be an actress, writer, artist and/or math teacher.  Angela had to place her creative dreams on the back burner when God blessed her with a child doctors said she could never have.  Angela quickly introduced her miracle son Joshua to the world of art, which also became his love and passion.  Angela’s hope to live her dream as an artist was renewed!

Now imagine the excitement of mother and son sharing their love for art and poetry and taking the steps to start their own greeting cards business ….when tragedy strikes!  While home alone, Angela received a phone call that her beautiful son Joshua (20 years old) was shot and killed in a random act of violence.  After the loss of Joshua, Angela was in a crisis, became reclusive; all hopes and dreams lost with her only child.

Angela’s journey of grief over the loss of her only child eventually breathed new life into her passion to create beautiful artwork, write poetry, and teach.  Finally Angela rose out of the darkness and into the light to honor Joshua by going public with a beautiful painting called “The Beginning.”

Angela also wrote a poem “4 Ever Changed” which best describes her journey.  Her amazing artwork is now featured on duvet covers, throw pillows, canvas bags, greeting cards, iPhone and iPad cases, calendars, quilts, and more!  Angela knows she is not traveling on this new journey alone.  Joshua’s spirit is helping to guide her every step of the way.

You can visit Angela’s beautiful world of art at the websites below.  Her designs will simply AMAZE you.  Be sure to add her sites as your go to places to purchase extremely unique gifts for you and your loved ones.  It’ll feel like having your very own one-of-a kind piece of art.

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/angela-walker.html

http://www.redbubble.com/people/alwfineart?ref=breadcrumb

http://angela-walker.artistwebsites.com/

Click the link below to read “Speak The Truth” a poem that Angela wrote and knows was a gift from Joshua’s spirit to let her know that it was okay to move through her grief and continue to live life and be her authentic self:

http://www.redbubble.com/people/alwfineart/writing/7270404-speak-the-truth?c=122279-my-story-the-me-i-am

011 Using Their Artistic Gifts To Change Lives

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This episode is about two amazingly artistic ladies who are living their dreams and helping others live theirs too.

Learn how Jackie Hicks’ gift as a Portrait Artist was discovered by a One-Hour Photo Technician and how Letitia Thornhill, Makeup Artist to the Stars, overcame religious barriers and the challenges of being a single mom to make her dream come true.

When this dynamic duo unites, they create timeless masterpieces that will literally knock you off your feet!

008 From A Dream To The Big Screen

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Charles Murray

Charles Murray

Steven LaBroi

Steven LaBroi

Some people are blessed at a very young age with the gift of knowing their purpose in life. Since the age of 8, Charles Murray knew he had to be a filmmaker.  Unfortunately this passion was fueled from witnessing his father abuse his mother and Charles wanted to take her story to the big screen.  Charles’ entire focus went to writing, spending time in the library reading books on how to write scripts, learning how others were able to advance their careers, and Charles began to follow in their footsteps.  Charles began writing at the age of 16 and wrote every chance he could get.

Charles finally completed the screenplay about his mother’s life in 2003.  In 2013 his debut film “Things Never Said” hit the big screen.  “Things Never Said” is a story about an aspiring spoken word artist using poetry to escape the pain of a violent marriage and a troubled past.

Ten (10) long years is how long it took Charles to fulfill his dream of taking his screenplay to the big screen.  It was not an easy journey.  Charles Murray faced many roadblocks along the way especially when it came to raising capital.  However, despite the rejections, Charles refused to let his dream die or allow people to convince him that “black dramas don’t make money.”  So what did Charles do?

Charles found a lifelong friend to help make his lifelong dream come true.  Charles Murray and Steven LaBroi were childhood friends who kept in touch throughout their adult years.  Steven answered the call when Charles asked him to invest in his dream and became the Executive Producer.

This Director and Executive Producer duo moved full steam ahead to knock down the barriers and led a grass roots effort to promote the film with tremendous success.

Things Never Said won seven awards at various film festivals.  Ultimately, this dynamic duo sold the U.S. rights to Lionsgate’s Codeblack Film, a company passionate about providing an avenue for positive Black films to reach wide audiences.

To learn more, visit http://thingsneversaid.com/crew/

005 How She Became A TV Talk Show Host

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Joy Sutton, The Joy Sutton Show

Joy Sutton is an award-winning journalist, motivational speaker, marketing manager and an entrepreneur with more than 15 years of media experience.

She started her career in journalism as an anchor/reporter for WDBJ Television after graduating from Howard University. She also received her Master’s from Virginia Tech in Health Promotions.

After 11 years in the news business, Joy transitioned to corporate America and took on the role of Marketing Manager for Lewis Gale Regional Health System.

Shortly after accepting her new position, she decided to take a leap of faith to pursue her childhood dream of having her own talk show and launched her own production company.

Sutton Impact Media LLC., offers positive programming and video production services including commercials and corporate videos.

The Joy Sutton Show, formerly The Hour of Joy, is now in its third season. The talk show airs Sundays at 11:30 a.m. on WDBJ and on MY19 at 6:30 p.m. You can also watch the show online at wdbj7.com/joy.

Joy says her mission in life is to bring “Joy” to the world.

Copy and paste the following link to visit with Joy:  joysuttonshow.com

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the things that you did.” Mark Twain

“God can dream it bigger for you than you can dream it for yourself. There will be times in your life and in your business when the people around you will not understand the vision God had given you for your business.” Oprah Winfrey

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9