| Extraordinary Profiles - Personal Triumph |
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Stephanie King
Turning Obstacles into Golden Opportunities
It is often said that from adversity comes healing and the desire to serve others.
Stephanie King is no stranger to adversity and neither is her husband who survived three bomb attacks while serving as a Marine during the Iraq War.
She knew what it felt like to have very little. "I grew up in a family where there were literally probably ten people in a thousand square foot house. There were people sitting on the floor, and it was a situation that many people use as an excuse why they can’t succeed," says King.
On the path to adulthood King overcame many obstacles and established a very successful career making a six figure income even before the age of 27. She was living her dream as a career professional but then lost everything. Stephanie shares how did she and her husband rebounded from such personal devastation. |
Christopher Sasha
Turning Obstacles into Golden Opportunities
It takes a strong will to keep moving forward when you’ve had to face one obstacle after another as a child and as a young adult. Losing his mother at the age of eight and as a result being placed in a foster home, was devastating to young Christopher, as it would be to any child.
But it would be just the beginning of a young life filled with challenges that he would have to overcome. It would take Sasha many years to fully understand who he was, what his purpose in life would be and once he discovered that purpose, how he would use it to become a productive citizen and an example for other young adults.
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Chef Jourdan Cha'Taun Atkinson
Culinary Innovator Transforms Childhood Adversities into Recipes for Success
At the age of thirty, Chef Jourdan has achieved extraordinary success as a master chef. She is a remarkable example of what a young person can become even though they may have experienced tremendous adversity.
With the right mindset and big dreams to inspire you, no adversity can keep you silent or stagnant. As a child she overcame the tough challenges of child molestation but her love for food and cooking allowed her to channel the outward affects of her adversity into an amazing culinary career.
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Roy Eaton
Generating New Birth for the Fourth Time
It is a known fact that we pass “this way” only once, which means we must take advantage of each opportunity presented to us to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones, so that we can attain our highest goals and positively impact the lives of others.
A regeneration of excellence over decades of obstacles has inspired new energy and new growth within the man. The man? -- Roy Eaton.
This talented visionary had an accident at the age of three which caused him to lose a joint in his right fourth finger. Yet, he had the courage to aspire to become a classical concert pianist. With such courage and unswerving dedication, he became a world class pianist and winner of the first Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Award, among other accolades and achievements.
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Dianne Samoff
Putting Her Best Foot Forward to End Domestic Abuse
Shoes, shoes and more shoes. They wear them in style and with attitude, but these ladies are doing more than just wearing stylish pumps. They may be “dressed to charm," but they are literally putting their best foot forward to help victims of domestic violence.
Diane Samoff, a victim of domestic violence for several years during her first marriage, knows firsthand the devastation that it can cause, both physically and emotionally.
After escaping from her own devastating experiences, Samoff was encouraged to start Society of Women Who Love Shoes and Fashion in 2005.
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Donna Reed
Too Blessed to Be Stressed
From adversity comes wisdom. From wisdom often comes a passion for positive change.
Donna Reed has experienced more adversity than many of us can imagine, but despite adversity her love for helping others has not been diminished.
"I have always enjoyed helping others and working with my hands, creating unique and useful items. The path to my current success has been far from smooth. Many times self-determination and perseverance have had to substitute for money and resources,” says Reed.
Today, Reed is an author, artist, motivational speaker, businesswoman and minister.
She was once a battered wife who escaped the horrific clutches of domestic abuse. As a 23-year old single mother, Reed experienced a defining moment that gave her the courage to change her circumstances. She enrolled in college and began using her creativity and talent to create arts and crafts. Her desire to spend more time with her children led her to turn her talents into a flourishing business.
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Susan Ellis
The TV Teacher - From Challenge Comes Knowledge and Triumph
As a parent, you want your child to grow up happy and healthy. Susan Ellis was no different, but what was different about her son Ryan was that before he turned three years of age, she noticed that he was developmentally delayed.
By three and a half years of age, Ryan was officially diagnosed with autism. Ellis knew she had an uphill battle, but she was willing to endure. She made a commitment to herself and to Ryan that she would help him live the best life possible.
From challenges often come victories, and from her life’s challenges, Ellis has developed a series of products that are improving her son’s life, as well as the lives of many other children.
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Jim Bouchard
The Black Belt Mindset
Most of us know what karate is and what achieving a black belt in karate means, but do we really know how karate can be used to retrain the way we think, act and react to life’s foibles? Well, you don’t have to be a Black Belt in order to think like one.
Jim Bouchard has made it his life’s purpose to apply the Black Belt philosophy to help others achieve their best.
His resume is as colorful as a kaleidoscope. He’s done everything, from mopping floors, to writing and producing shows, selling hotdogs, pumping gas, playing semi-pro football and much more. But he (who also happens to be a Black Belt) knows firsthand that life can throw a curve ball at any moment and he’s been on the receiving end quite often.
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Enrico Thomas
New York’s Subway Artist Transforms His Abused Childhood Into a Life of Masterpieces
Oftentimes, out of adversity comes a strong mind, a new outlook on life, undeniable desire for excellence and the will to survive. Can you recall the last time you turned an adverse life experience into a success story?
He has often been called the Rembrandt of 72nd Street – but there are some differences, of course. This gentleman – Enrico Thomas uses New York subway maps as his canvas and a Sharpie as his brush to transform real-life objects into beautiful thought-provoking masterpieces.
As a young child, Enrico was abused at the hands of his father who scalded him with hot bath water, leaving him in a coma for two weeks, almost causing him to lose his life. He overcame a life of abuse, and though he still has flashbacks today, he uses those experiences to bring out the best in himself and his drawings.
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Karen Mager
A Rose by a Different Name
There are lessons to be learned from practically everything that we do, don’t do or should have done. Have you learned a lesson today? Karen Mager has chosen to reveal her story of deception and truth followed by powerful lessons that she’s learned since childhood.
Have you ever been caught in a thunderstorm that was so powerful and so dark that your instinct to seek refuge lead you to make a foolish decision and afterwards you realized that you could have endangered your life?
We experience many storms in our journey through life. There are our personal storms, the kind from which we can’t immediately seek refuse.
As a young child, Mager’s personal storm began around the age of nine. |
Marcus White
Looking Beyond the Past
Like many young boys in America, Marcus grew up fatherless and poor, on welfare, surviving on food stamps. In a little town called Rectortown, Virginia is where life began for Marcus. “When I look back on my childhood, I see more of what I did have as opposed to what I didn’t have, as far as material things. And growing up ‘without’ in a lot of ways is what helped me to become who I am today,” explains Marcus.
That experience taught Marcus that money isn’t everything. “Not knowing my father has instilled something in me that made me say, when I have children, I’m going to be everything to them.”
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Christopher Powell
Living with Cerebral Palsy
Christopher Powell knows all too well that positive thinking plays an important role in your life. As a person who has lived with cerebral palsy all his life, his “will to overcome” has helped him conquer many challenges.
Having a disability hasn’t stopped Christopher from enjoying life and achieving the goals he’s set for himself. There was a time when he was completely dependent on others in every aspect of life. Today he’s not only independent but he’s setting new goals and he wants to inspire others to use their God-given talents to help create the best life they can for themselves.
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Sasha Ottey
Turning a Personal Challenge Into Victory
Sasha Ottey’spersonal experience has turned into a mission that has provided comfort and support to thousands of women.
A few years ago Ottey was faced with a defining moment in her life after being diagnosed with a condition called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is a condition that affects women nationwide. While dealing with the condition herself, it became her passion and vision to help other women who were living with the disease. |
Maimah Karmo - Founder, Tigerlily Foundation
A True Symbol of Empowerment and Courage
In life we will often be tested and it is up to us to use the power that God has given us to be strong and to know that detours are necessary to keep us focused and to strengthen our resolve.
Maimah Karmo is a testament to living her life with courage. She’s like a lily of the valley with spreading roots and multitudes of beautiful buds. Those buds are the lives of the people that she touches everyday. She is using her life experiences to help other women affected by breast cancer to become strong and beautiful.
As a native of Liberia, Maimah and her family were caught up in two coups and as if that was not devastating enough, at the age of 32, Maimah discovered she had breast cancer. Even through those detours in her life, Maimah and her family remained strong and fearless.
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Thomas Jacob
Coping with Multiple Sclerosis - A Test of Inner Strength
As he uses his life experiences to inspire others, Thomas is now realizing the true power of his inner strength.
In 1991, he was diagnosed with an incurable disease, Multiple Sclerosis. His life changed emotionally, mentally and physically. After 15 years of living with MS, Thomas began to notice a gradual deterioration in his physical abilities. He no longer works. Though it took some time to accept, he has chosen to use his experience to teach others about patience and learning to make the best of life despite their circumstances. He may be limited in his ability to physically do certain things, but Thomas has not allowed those limitations to affect his ability to be an inspiration to others.
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Kevin Irvin
GRAFITTI – It Saved My Life!
Growing up on the west side of Baltimore in the midst of a harsh reality, Kevin Irvin (also known as Jazi Rock) grew up in a single parent home with his mother who did the best she could to prepare her son for the reality of adulthood. But, there was a longing deep within him to have his father present. Kevin decided to take a brush in hand and unleash his emotions to create masterpieces that have inspired many. He chose to turn his hardships into positive experiences, using his talent to provide unusual opportunities.
Today, Kevin is a successful full-time artist. He has designed and created works for Arena Stage, US Air, and The Teamsters Union, among many others. Being an artist is teaching him life lessons he may not have otherwise learned. Some of his work is still based on the graffiti style but his transition from street graffiti to fine arts has been widely accepted. Kevin is a self-made artist with no educational background in the arts. His resume represents commissioned works worth tens of thousands of dollars. He has produced works for Red Bull, Adidas, Paul Wall and the Children’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. |
Ryan Wegman
I Was Knocked Down, But I Fought My Way Back
Ryan was living a very modest lifestyle and had just begun to live his dream of becoming a successful business owner when everything came crashing down. After the passing of his mother, he and his wife soon found themselves homeless, living out of their car on the streets of California with their six dogs.
His extraordinary faith and ability to withstand the tests he would be put through is what kept him believing that he would survive the ordeal. Even in the midst of pure darkness, homelessness, and despair, Ryan saw a glimpse of light that would be a light unto a new path and new direction in his life. |
 Tawana Williams
An Amazing Life Without Arms
She may have been born without arms, but her disability has not kept her from achieving amazing feats. She is an author, speaker, a wife, mother, an artist, a poet, a vocalist and CEO of her own company.
Tawana William’s life and magnificent story is one of triumph, determination and faith. She has overcome a great amount of adversity and is using her life experiences to inspire others. |
Mayor Evelyn Wynn-Dixon - She Weathered Her Storm
When the deck is stacked against you, though it may sometimes seem like the logical thing to do, you should not fold. You play the hand you’ve been dealt, all the while strategizing how to beat your opponent.
That’s exactly what Evelyn Wynn-Dixon did. Her opponent was adversity. From segregation, to great family loss and homelessness, she stayed in the game and withstood adversity.
Though she was faced with what seemed to be continual challenges, her parent’s teachings, her church and the words of Dr. King planted seeds of hope and determination within her. They were the foundation upon which she could stand when everything else seemed to fall around her. Today she is the Mayor of Riverdale, Georgia.
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Annette - Escaping the Clutches of Domestic Abuse
Should I stay? Should I leave? What will happen if I leave? Will I be safe and free from his or her abuse? Will I pay a heavier price if I leave? These are questions that many women and men ask themselves as they find themselves feeling trapped in abusive relationships. Quietly they suffer at the hands of their mates.
A courageous mother leaves her abusive relationship to save her son’s and her life.
Annette, a loving wife, but a victim of domestic abuse remembers vividly when her husband would go into a rage. Furniture would fly across the room or his fist would hit the walls of their home, dishes would get thrown across the room and broken. No one expects to be on the receiving end of such violence. |
Shannon Kenitz - A Powerhouse of Strength and Endurance
When Shannon gave birth to Grace on March 6, 1999, she was one of the happiest parents on earth. But her happiness began to fade as she noticed a change in her child. Grace wasn’t eating well and her eyes began to roll frequently. These symptoms were later diagnosed as seizures. By age five months, Grace was diagnosed as failure to thrive. This was the beginning of a long journey for Shannon and a test of her faith. At age one, Grace was blind, being fed through a tube, weighed only eight pounds, and had received several blood transfusions, platelet transfusions, and albumin transfusions. She was completely non-verbal and unable to sit or crawl.
The exact cause of Grace’s illness was not determined until she was about one and a half years old. She was diagnosed with Mitochondrial Disease in the rarest form. Grace spent three years in the hospital and was tube-fed until she was five years old. To add to her Mitochondrial condition, Grace was also diagnosed with Autism at age five and a half.
Through various treatments, Grace has experienced miraculous results. In the beginning it was just a mom trying to save her daughter, but now Shannon’s dedication and commitment to finding alternative medicines and therapies is the saving grace for other parents.
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