Honoring Maya Angelou

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

mayaangelou

Poet. Civil Rights Activists. Historian. Best-Selling author. Professor. Actress. Playwright. Producer. Director. Professional Hopemonger. Maya Angelou wore many hats and she wore them well. Today, we bid farewell to this Renaissance woman who has inspired us with her extraordinary voice and legendary wisdom.

My favorite Maya Angelou quotes…

If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.

I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.

It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.

I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.

Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.

Creative Energy Overload

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

Welcome to my Second Acts Series!

Today, we have author Kim Handysides sharing several colorful acts and introducing the Stolen series.

Here’s Kim!

kim1I am an author-in-waiting. My books (one completed, one in progress and one in planning) and the right publisher are poised to meet. It’s going to be some time this year. The stars and my aptitude are aligned. But it’s taken almost half a century to get here. Let me explain:

kim2When I was a kid I was either going to be a biologist —sucked at math, so forget that, a writer or a Shakespearean actress —cue the trumpet flourish. I studied English and Dramatic Art at the University of Windsor, but graduated in Communications Studies—you know TV, radio, film production.

My first career related job was as a copywriter for radio. You get to wear many hats in a small market. Within a 2-year period, I morphed into newsreader, reporter, disc jockey, producer, music director and freelanced as a Master of Ceremonies and a club DJ.

kim3I fell in love with Montreal on a vacation, decided it would be my new home and either work in radio there or write a novel. Two days before my holiday ended, I got a job as an overnight DJ at a major radio station. Within the next five years I was a DJ, Music Director, TV field producer and weather woman, and created my own production company with two other women. Throughout this time, I began voicing commercials, documentaries, and acting in films and summer theatre. I once was on a film set with Robert De Niro, and though he was only 13 years old at the time, did voice work with Ryan Gosling. I became primarily a voice actress and over the next 20 years moved to the top of my field in my city.

kim4I also wrote during this time, because I’ve got ‘creative energy overload’. Mostly for the media outlets I worked for, but also for magazines and newspapers. And I started writing novels. Romance novels because frankly, it was the time of my life when I was falling in love with Mr. Keeper. (Married 21 years now) I got to the point when I started to get requests for re-submissions from a New York Harlequin editor, but when children entered the equation my free time evaporated. I figured I’d get back to writing when they went to school. But lo and behold, in Grade 1 my oldest was a very bright and very unhappy dyslexic, with no accommodation available for her, so I began to home school. Both of them. And that lasted nine years. (Kids are currently straight A students in college and university.)

Fast forward to now. It’s been almost four years in the making, but I’m extremely proud of the Stolen series, based on the reluctant love stories of the Beaumont family, Matt, Arabella and Seb. Stolen Kiss features the first of the Beaumonts, Matt and his lady-love-to-be Ruby. And it’s actually more of her story than his.

stolenStolen Kiss opens with Matt Beaumont doing just that. Stealing a kiss from blueblood, Ruby Jamison, that ruins her life and launches them into a chase to retrieve a stolen ’73 orange convertible. Weaving through betrayal and blackmail, they run into border issues, are helped by an aging hippie godmother and crash on the scene of a mob-related drug bust. But will their blossoming love survive the journey?

Stolen Heart pits marina biologist, Arabella, with her awkward high school nemesis, ex-Marine, Gus MacIsaac. The mob threatens the Beaumonts to keep incarcerated Seb quiet. Gus, the last person Ara ever wanted to see again, becomes her bodyguard. Following whale sharks in spite of voodoo threats, a tropical storm, and engine troubles, Gus attempts to break the barriers erected around Ara’s solitary heart.

Stolen Love will be Sebastian’s story. All I know about it so far is that Seb is on a path of redemption, wanting nothing to do with his former mob ties. His social worker, Mari, a single mom of three young kids has her hands full and has no time for love. Especially with a billboard handsome ex-con with a shady past and no solid plan for the future.

Where to find Kim…

Website | Facebook Page | Facebook Profile | Twitter

Joanne here!

Wow! I’m simply blown away by your creative overload. If you’re ever looking for another creative project, consider writing a memoir. BTW…The Stolen series sounds delicious.

Oprah and Shawn Achor

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

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Yesterday, Oprah welcomed Shawn Achor, author of the international bestseller, The Happiness Advantage, and Before Happiness, to Super Soul Sunday. Throughout the telecast, Shawn shared concepts and strategies from his books and the Happy course he teaches at Harvard. With one out of every six students enrolled, the course is more popular than economics.

According to Shawn, we must define happiness before we can be happy. And therein lies a major obstacle. Most people mistakenly believe happiness will be experienced when goals are reached. Unfortunately, success is a moving target. Shawn urges us to get rid of this scientifically-broken model and redefine happiness in terms of joy. He admits that happiness is an easier choice for some people, but each of us can improve our baselines for happiness by rewiring our brains.

To promote happiness hygiene, Shawn recommends we try the following two-minute habits for 21 days:

When you wake up, come up with three different things for which you are grateful.

Think of one meaningful thing that happened in the last 24 hours and write every detail you can recall about it.

Send a thank-you email, tweet or FB message to one person you know.

Simple meditation–Watch your breath go in and out.

Quotable quotes…

Happiness is the joy we feel striving toward our potential.

Joy is inextricably linked to meaning.

The opposite of happiness is apathy.

Being successful doesn’t make you happier. Being happy makes you more successful.

Happiness is a choice and a practice.

It doesn’t matter if the glass is half-empty or half-full if there is a pitcher nearby to refill it.

Three Steps, No Failure

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

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When asked about her extraordinary success, recording artist and motivational performer Jana Stanfield said, “I believe in the power of small steps to create great changes.”

Jana left a lucrative career as a broadcast journalist and moved to Nashville to pursue her dream of securing a recording contract. While waiting for her breakthrough, she signed up for voice lessons and took classes in song-writing, stand-up comedy and dance. She took advantage of Open-Mic nights and sang for free in the evenings. With the help of a small producer, she made a few recordings.

None of the record companies were interested.

Continue reading on the Soul Mate Author Group blog.

A Late Bloomer’s Story

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

Welcome to my Second Acts Series!

Today, we have Soul Mate author Brenda Stinnett sharing insights and advice gleaned from her writing journey.

Here’s Brenda!

brendastinnettI graduated from California State Univ. Stanislaus with a BA in psychology. I taught kindergarten for twenty-one years in California, but I’m now a Florida transplant and a full-time writer. I have to admit that I’m a late bloomer. I didn’t get my teaching degree until my mid-thirties. However, I started writing after my daughter was born in my mid-twenties. Once I started teaching though, I got distracted from my writing and focused mainly on my family and my teaching career. Of course, I don’t think this was a bad thing.

Once my daughter started the Air Force Academy, I found more time to focus on my writing, so I took Writer’s Digest classes and went to some conferences. I also subscribed to Writer’s Digest and Romantic Writers Report. Both of these magazines have helped me tremendously in my goal to a writing career.

In my mid-fifties, I retired from teaching and focused more on my writing. It seems once I reach midway in a decade that I decide to try a new direction. My favorite pastime has been traveling and I’m fascinated by history and the paranormal, so I combined those interests into my passion for writing.

I submitted my paranormal romance, “The King’s Vampire,” to Soul Mate Publishing and I was fortunate enough to get a contract with this great publishing organization. My latest novel, “Tenth Degree of the Paranormal,” veered off into strictly paranormal suspense, so I decided to try the Indie route with it.

Second acts in life are scary and I think persistence and courage are major factors when we want to change our lives. It’s important to avoid people who send out negative vibes and seek out supportive groups who encourage us in our endeavors. I’ve found the authors at Soul Mate Publishing to be some of the most helpful, generous people around. I think we just have to hang on to our dreams and make sure we actually know what it is we want to do. We need to break down our goals into small steps. If we take five small steps every day to achieve our long-term goal, I think we have a good chance of fulfilling our dreams. We need to take joy in every step of the process and enjoy the journey as well.

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Blurb

Whether a hunch, intuition, or something more sinister, Barbara knew she had no choice. Self-deception was no longer an option—comfortable but not an option. She knew each denial she’d ever made left a scar on her soul, each more painful than the last.

An epic battle between good and evil pits a mother who struggles to deny her paranormal powers against a megalomaniac intent on world destruction.

Barbara Stevens has always struggled with her inexplicable powers. Her unwillingness to acknowledge her pent-up abilities has not stopped her young daughter Tiffany from exercising her own powers.

Recruited by a group intent on honing and harvesting these paranormal powers to create a super race, Barbara and Tiffany are soon kidnapped and held on an island off the coast of Russia.

Suspicion soon grows that Tiffany may, in fact, manifest the ten highest paranormal abilities of astral projection, aura reading, bio-energy transference, levitation, past life regression, precognition, spontaneous healing, telekinesis, and telepathy.

If proven true, Tiffany’s abilities will trigger an opening to the gates of hell. But can this descent into evil be stopped in time?

Where to find Brenda…

Website | Amazon | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Joanne here!

A fellow teacher and late bloomer, I found myself nodding in agreement as I read your post. Your advice is spot on. Thank you, Brenda, for sharing your inspiring story.

Beyond Seven-Year Itches…

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

Welcome to my Second Acts Series!

Today, we have Soul Mate author Anne B. Cole chatting about seven-year itches and her debut novel Souls Entwined.

Here’s Anne!

anne coleMy First Act is similar to many other women.

• Married my high school sweetheart after 7 years of dating
• Taught Elementary school for 7 years
• Stayed home to raise three children for 7 years
• Taught preschool for 10 years.

Whoa! What happened to the seven year itch my life seemed to be following?

It happened…I just didn’t know it…

Seven years into my preschool teaching I found myself at the pool where my children were competing in a very long swim meet. Swimmer parents know these things can take up to six hours for one session. I had kids swimming in both sessions, so I was parked at the pool for over ten hours.

I love to watch my kids BUT there is gobs of wait time in between their events. I grabbed my bag at the beginning of warms up and found that I forgot to pack my library book. Darn! For someone who is constantly on the go I have a hard time sitting still with nothing to do. Knowing that I was too far away from home to get my book, I turned the heat sheet over and started to jot down ideas. That outline became the foundation of my Second Act.

I began to carry composition books around with me so I could write in the car, at the pool, anywhere I could find a minute or two. What started out as a hobby became an obsession. Two years later, I finished writing my novel and found two wonderful critique partners. One pitched my story in a contest last year. A month later I found myself with a contract with Soul Mate Publishing.

On April 30th I became an author.

During last minute edits two weeks ago I saw a quote that inspired me;

“No Pressure. No Diamonds.”

My Second Act is a little more frantic since I remain a wife, mother of three teenagers, and a preschool teacher. Add to that; learning social media, writing a sequel, and promoting the release of my novel.

My advice to anyone with a seven year itch? It’s never too late to do something new.

Thanks, Joanne for having me here on your Second Act Series!

SoulsEntwined_505x825 (2)

Blurb

When a cursed family heirloom sends Gretta Dobbs back in time, a hunky construction worker, Sam Daggett, suddenly finds himself love struck and joins her adventure. Their souls entwine within the bodies of young lovers on a Greek island in 1829, where they begin to unravel the mysteries behind Gretta’s ring all while avoiding a bloodthirsty pirate who is determined to seek revenge. Gretta and Sam must find the secrets needed to save her and her relatives from an afterlife in purgatory and return to their own lives—or risk becoming prisoners of the past, continuing the evil cycle of the ring’s curse.

Where to find Anne…

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Joanne here!

Anne, Thanks for sharing your inspiring story. I’ve just started reading Souls Entwined and am enjoying it immensely. Best of luck with sales.

Connecting Purposefully and Passionately

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

Welcome to my Second Acts Series!

Today, we have Smiljana Orlic sharing the struggles and strong sense of commitment that shaped her life.

Here’s Smiljana!

smiljanaI have been an individual with many interests. The truth was not the fact that I could not focus but I saw much excitement and fulfillment in life. I have always been passionate and I have always followed my heart.

Hence, this made it difficult growing up and in a society where I was told it was not possible, I needed to figure out my one purpose, get a safe job or just told it can’t be so. This created doubt, lack of confidence and consistently being hard on myself. At the time, I closed down and found it easier to be “normal” and more “like” other people. This consistent battle within myself caused me much pain and robbed me of complete fulfillment.

After much experience in the corporate world, I was tired of chasing the power and fulfillment I sought. I no longer could divide myself in two between my Divine self and the Power I knew was within to the superficial power that comes when we look for the answers outside of ourselves. Hence, I created my own business that incorporated the strong spiritual principles inherit within me and I intertwined them with strong business strategies to help others build their dreams. I have a process that I take individuals through and together we create systems that they can walk away with and incorporate to get the goals they desire in their business and/or lives. I love sharing the true ‘secret sauce’ of life, connecting them with their passions, empowering others and seeing them succeed in living their unlimited potential of themselves!

The advice I would share to professionals alike is not to ignore the voice of your spiritual soul, your uniqueness or your passions, as they are the nuggets that will lead you to building and creating a life of purpose. There is always a way without compromising your true authentic nature.

Success to me can be measured in many ways, beyond living the life I desire, living in the state of flow and having the things that make me happy, I rate my success on how many others I can help bring passion back in their lives and in their businesses. Seeing them truly free themselves in becoming all they can be and deserving of the business and life they desire brings a great smile to my face. Living a life that is thriving and not just surviving is what truly invigorates my core being and purpose!

transformingsmiljana

Where to find Smiljana…

Website | Facebook | LinkedIn | Pinterest

Joanne here!

Smiljana, Thank you for sharing your journey and insights. You are an excellent role model for your clients. Best of luck with all your future endeavours.

Trailer Tuesday: Rebecca Heflin

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

Welcome to the Trailer Tuesday series!

Today, I am pleased to feature a trailer from Soul Mate author Rebecca Heflin.

Dreams of Perfection is Book #1 in the Dreams Come True Series. Best-selling romance author, Darcy Butler, is holding out for perfection in the form of her own carefully-crafted heroes. But when her latest hero, Blake Garrett, comes to life, will she find perfection isn’t truly perfect?

Enjoy!

Where to find Rebecca…

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

Oprah and Arianna Huffington

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

oprah and arianna

Yesterday on Super Soul Sunday, Oprah and Arianna Huffington chatted about mothers, success, and spirituality while having tea at at Starbucks.

Well known and acclaimed as one of the world’s most influential people, Arianna attributes much of her success to her mother, a woman who provided her daughters with unconditional love and an enriched upbringing, despite modest beginnings in Athens. After selling all their belongings, the family moved to England where Ariana obtained a scholarship to Cambridge University. At age 21, she held the distinction of being the first international student to become president of the famed debating society, The Cambridge Union.

After moving to New York in 1980, Arianna married, had two daughters and become politically involved. In 2005, she founded the Huffington Post, a news and blog site that quickly became one of the most widely-read media brands. But this success came at a price. On April 6, 2007, Arianna collapsed from exhaustion and woke up to find herself lying in a pool of blood.

This wake-up call forced Arianna to ask the difficult questions about success and the true meaning of life. She eloquently speaks about this search in her fourteenth book, Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being.

Arianna’s advice…

We must disconnect with technology to reconnect with ourselves. To improve the quality of her sleep, Arianna transformed her bedroom into a device-free sanctuary.

Take a nap in the afternoon. There are two (well-used) nap rooms at Huffington Post and Arianna is planning to add a third room.

Give up what no longer works. Several years ago, Arianna found it liberating to drop several projects that were no longer relevant or necessary.

Quotable quotes…

Life is a dance between making it happen and letting it happen.

A eulogy has nothing to do with our resume.

We can integrate death into our lives, not in a morbid way but to give life meaning.

Failure is part of the journey to success.

Failure is not the opposite of success. It is a stepping stone to success. (Arianna’s mother)

Failure is God trying to move you in a new direction. (Oprah)

No experience goes wasted. Whatever arises in life is the right material to fuel your growth…All of life is here to greet you like an old and faithful friend. (Marcus Aurelias)

Live life as though everything is rigged in your favor. (Rumi)