The Business of a healthy YOU!

      Let’s meet  Patrice Hooper and she lives in Maryland with her two wonderful children, Brandon, age 16 and Alexandra, age 12. She works for an unbelievable company that specializes in helping people improve their health. She is a passionate entrepreneur who cares about what we do and the difference we make in people’s lives.

How much research did you do before you made your move?

I have enjoyed what this company has to offer for nearly 8 years as a faithful customer. It was a

Natural transition to begin working with the company and sharing with others what I have enjoyed this entire time!

 What did your friends say when you told them about your dream

The response has been mixed. There are those that will support you no matter what you do and others that live their lives based on safety. I love my friends and cherish them dearly but I would not base my life decisions on their opinions alone. I value their input but the ultimate fire and belief has to come from within me.

Did you have any people who did not believe in you?

I am not certain they did not believe in me per se. The doubts were more industry based. There are many people that believe that the only successful career decision is to get a safe job. Any sort of entrepreneurial endeavor is not open for consideration.

Describe a life-defining moment of change?

My life defining moment happened after my marriage of 20 years, business and business partnership of 10 years all fell apart in a six month period. I was certain that my life was over. I was down for the count. I floundered for a little while but eventually decided that the only way out of any crisis is through. The more you avoid the hard trials, the more likely they are to follow you. Sometimes, it is only by facing all of your trials, tests and demons head on that you come up higher and propel yourself forward.

 Did you have moments of doubts about what you wanted to do, and how did you overcome it?

Trial and error to be honest. I knew that what I wanted was possible but I doubted I had the ability and tenacity achieve it. I tried taking an easier path and that was more difficult than actually pressing forward.

What did you do to stay motivated through the process

A desire to show my kids that it was possible to overcome adversity. I did not want them to think that throwing in the towel when times were tough was the right course in life. Life is full of challenges and sometimes you have to push through to a brighter tomorrow.

Did you ever get down on yourself because you felt like you were not making progress?

Absolutely! Fortunately for me I was surrounded by supported friends and colleagues. I was willing to listen, learn, try and re-evaluate when needed.

What advice would you give the person who is reading this blog and has been hesitant about granting themselves the permission to succeed?

Pray. Seek. Dig deep. Think about what your life will really be like if you do not step outside of your comfort zone. The prize is sweeter than defeat could ever be!

Five years from now what’s your dream? Five years ago where did you want to be and are you closer or have you achieved your dream?

10 years from now my youngest child will be graduating college. My home will be paid for in full. I will be debt free and in great health. I will travel. I will achieve these life enriching goals because my company and business will flourish between now and then. Five years ago I was six-figures deep in debt, in danger of losing my home, nearly 100 pounds heavier, spiritually disconnected and just interested in surviving. Where I wanted to be now is just surviving. Because I was not willing to dream big then, I did not give myself permission. In spite of that, I have paid off most of the debt, saved my home, have lost about 90 pounds and have a richer spiritual life than I ever have before. Now that I have given myself permission to succeed, I am looking forward to the next 5-10 year span.

 

What advice or motivation would you like to leave the readers about giving yourself permission to succeed?

No one else can grant it but you.

You can learn more about Patrice and her business  at

www.patricehooper.com

Email: PatriceShooper@yahoo.com

Ministry is more than Church on Sunday

Let’s meet Elisa Gary and find out how she helps other get the permission they need to succeed. Elisa is the director of The 1^st Ministry Initiative, and organizer of The Complete Woman Fellowship (T.C.W.F).  The 1^st Ministry Initiative is a non profit ministry which seeks to encourage and strengthen families.  They serve as an information portal, providing valuable resources and information to assist individuals and families; They strive to be a source of inspiration and support. Through The Complete Woman Fellowship, they  provide weekly conference calls and meet ups, prayer, mentoring, counseling and outreach to women of all ages.

How much research did you do before you made your move?

I really did not do any research. The project stemmed from my own personal issues; questions I petitioned the Lord for. I wanted to be able to apply the gospel to my life, but sometimes got lost in the Thee’s and Thou’s of written scripture. I wanted to be able to apply the word to my daily living in a tangible and practical way.  Hence, The Complete Woman Fellowship was born. I would analyze problems that I faced in my own life and devour the bible seeking practical advice on how to deal with these problems. I am not a technical person, so I did have to do some research on how to organize a conference call, promote the call, create a website and organize the content, but through prayer and perseverance I was able to succeed.

New book by Elisa Gary

 What did your friends say when you told them about your dream?

I shared my idea of the weekly call with a few people while it was in the development phase, must of whom thought it was a good idea. However, some I could tell did not buy into the idea. I guess they did not see how attending the call, or how my facilitating the call would be beneficial to their own lives, let alone to others. I saw this in the lack of enthusiasm when discussing T.C.W.F and lack of attendance on the calls by some of my closest friends and family.

Did you have any people who did not believe in you?

I am sure that there were people in my life who did not think the call was valuable, or would be a success. They may have looked at it as just another one of my projects, but no one every said this to me directly.

 

Describe a life-defining moment of change?

 I did have a very notable experience however, with a church member asking me if I was trying to start a church of my own.  Surprisingly this jolted me. I never perceived my actions or facilitating the weekly calls would portray me as trying to be a pastor. I simply was trying to find answers to hard question. Seeking to be transparent and tackle hard situation by listening to the authentic voice of God. This one statement completely changed my outlook of the weekly calls. I then understood that whether people joined in on the calls or not, my messages were powerful, and life changing to those that heard them.

Did you have moments of doubts about what you wanted to do, and how did you overcome it?

There were weeks when I simply did not want to do the call. I felt like no one cared what I had to say, or if anyone was even listening.  There was actually a 3 week span where I would get on the call, stay 15 minutes and if no one joined, I would hang up. This to me was being obedient. I felt like if I was there and no one dialed in I had done my part. I would say to myself “see God I was here, it’s not my fault no one called in”. However, I quickly realized that even in this, I was being selfish and disobedient to my calling. I had to get out of my flesh and rise above my pride and do the call anyway. So I started recording the calls and posting them as an mp3 online. To my surprise people were listening and had lots to say about the impact the lessons had on them and their outlook on their situations.

What did you do to stay motivated through the process?

To stay motivate I had to endure a complete paradigm shift. I had to realize that the calls were not about how many people joined in, but about the message from the lesson being released into the atmosphere.  I forced myself to commit to completing the lessons each week and then carrying out the call as if it was jam packed.  

Did you ever get down on yourself because you felt like you were not making progress?

Absolutely,  even after revamping my attitude towards the call and refocusing my energy I still had times where I questioned if God was still calling me to complete this task or not.

What advice would you give the person who is reading this blog and has been hesitant about granting themselves the permission to succeed?

 Listen to that still quiet voice inside of you. Ask yourself these questions. What is it that has been kicking in your belly? What thing have you played with in your mind of doing, but may seem silly or farfetched?  What one thing would you do if you knew your couldn’t fail? More importantly get quiet, retract from the hustle and bustle of life, seek solace in knowing that God has purposed you for much and will order your path if you allow him to be the Master Planner of your life.

Five years from now what’s your dream? Five years ago where did you want to be and are you closer or have you achieved your dream?

 Five years from now I believe that The Complete Woman Fellowship will be an international organization; a global union of women, walking in their purpose, healing each other through encouragement, and love.  I hope to be traveling and speaking at many gatherings, pouring into women the message that they are valuable and needed. Helping them realize their worth despite their current circumstances. I want to empower them, challenge them to make their mess their message and become complete even if they feel they are broken.

 What advice or motivation would you like to leave the readers about giving yourself permission to succeed?

Don’t base your start off of predefined failure.  This means, don’t make your idea of success a prerequisite of getting started. Sometimes, what we envision as success is not the creators’ definition by far. We must simply began to do the work and let the chips fall where they may.

Below is a great offer and links to reach Elisa Gary

To connect with Elisa and receive a complimentary 30 minute one on one self-work session with me text  Iamcomplete (all one word) to 90210.

www.thecompletewomanfellowship.com

www.the1stministryinitiative.com

Email info@thecompletewomanfellowship.com

face book http://www.facebook.com/#!/CompleteWomen

Twitter http://twitter.com/1stMinistry

1^st Ministry Blog  http://www.thecompletewomanfellowship.com/

Podcasts http://www.podsnack.com/my-playlists/details/ff9aea29d7ed6cdb3d2db476a1586433

I'm being recruited, Now What?

Athletics are very important me and are still a part of my life. I coach, train athletes and help motivate them to succeed.  Any time I run across someone who is like minded I want to support them as much as I can.  Athletics and academics opened many doors for me. But some student athletes only have half of the equation worked out.  Then when they don’t make it to the next level they wondered what happened.  But this interview is about a person and a company that is looking to change this formula. 

Let’s meet Shawn R. Hawkins; he is the owner of World Academic Sports Team (WAST), Inc.   WAST is a 501c3 non-profit organization to helps student-athletes receive Scholarships to play sports in college. They focus on the student first and the athlete second.

Shawn, how much research did you do before you made your move?

 I did not do much research.

 

What did your friends say when you told them about your dream?

My friends were very happy for me.

Did you have any people who did not believe in you

Yes. We all have so called “Haters” out there when you are trying to do something good.

Describe a life-defining moment of change?

I was working in the Pentagon during 9/11. The day prior to 9/11, I had just moved into my apartment after a divorce.  I called my boss on 9/11 and told him that I was not coming in to work that day. Turned on the TV and saw a plane crashing into the building not too far from where I was working. God spared my life, so I could help student-athletes get college scholarships.

Did you have moments of doubts about what you wanted to do, and how did you overcome it.

No. My purpose from God is to help Student-Athletes get into college.

What did you do to stay motivated through the process?

I look for student –athletes that need my service, and I help them.

Did you ever get down on yourself because you felt like you were not making progress

No. I have never got down on myself.

What advice would you give the person who is reading this blog and has been hesitant about granting themselves the permission to succeed?

You must stay true to your Purpose from God.

Five years from now what’s your dream? Five years ago where did you want to be and are you closer or have you achieved your dream?

I have been responsible for getting about 75 student-athletes college scholarships from my for-profit organization called “Write to succeed.” I plan to triple that number my non-profit organization. I feel that I am on track to do so.

 What advice or motivation would you like to leave the readers about giving yourself permission to succeed?

You all have the Write (Right) to Succeed in the game of life.

Please check out the business website, email, website or social media connections so help promote this business.  If you know of a parent with an athlete and they need some direction during this process of recruiting and getting money for college please send this blog to them and have them check out this company. 

Website: http://www.Worldacademicsportsteam.org

Website:  www.Writetosucceed.info

Email: Writetosucced@aol.com

My book: Why are we losing our black-male student-athletes? By Shawn R. Hawkins