Sonia Marsh's Blog, page 21

Next Expat Stop-Tanzania by Yelena Parker

Next Expat Stop- Tanzania

“My Gutsy Story®” by Yelena Parker

Have you ever shared your story with new and somewhat eager listeners and got the reaction: “Wow, that was such a brave thing to do!”? Last year I started feeling as if anything I had done that was remotely brave was in the too far distant past. I wouldn’t quite call it a mid-life crisis but more of a realization that something has changed. Then, in a serendipity moment, there was a tweet in my timeline “When was the last time you did something that was the first time?” Indeed.

My “gutsy” story began almost exactly 15 years ago when I left Ukraine with $600 dollars in my wallet and a one- way plane ticket to study for a Master’s in Business Administration in California. On my first international flight to Amsterdam, before connecting to San Francisco, I sat next to one of those American men who came to Ukraine in search for his fiancée. We talked about his desire to find love in an obscure small town where women have no prospects and my dream to see the world on my own.  This was before I knew that the flight etiquette strongly advises against engaging into annoyingly long conversations with people who you are stranded with. I was chatty, naïve and ready to take on the world. What I didn’t consider at that time that it was a gutsy move. When you have nothing to lose, an opportunity to come to the US on a scholarship, work and study, with a chance to see if you can make your American dream come true, is really a “no brainer” – at least that was how I saw it.

Fast forward and my dream has become more global than I could have ever imagined. Getting an MBA in Silicon Valley during the dotcom crash was far from perfect timing. While we were learning about innovation and planning for rapidly and ambitiously building our big international careers, the economic climate changed dramatically. One day my fellow students and I had visions of choosing any cool company we wanted, and the next thing I knew I was working as the lowest possible status of sales rep generating leads by walking door to door to sell copiers in the spookily empty tech parks along highway 101.

Having got over the disappointment that many over-educated and underemployed MBAs experience, I fell into a sales operations career in high tech, pretty much starting at the very bottom. In retrospective, it was the best move I could have made which took me to see the world and led to opportunities to work and live as an expat in Switzerland and United Kingdom. None of these moves I thought of as brave at the time. Once you are on a serial expat path, new relocations get easier. You already had to adjust once or twice to a new environment, pick up the pieces of friendships left behind, introduce yourself to new people and learn or improve a foreign language. You are a chameleon, an international wanderer and a global citizen. Surely you can do it again!

Last year I looked at a career map that my accidental mentor put together with me 6 years earlier over coffee. Senior manager responsibilities- check; director level- check; expat assignment- check; executive education program at Oxford University-check; vice-president role at a smaller tech company- check. All done. 3 years ahead of schedule. What’s next? I have finally uncovered that it takes more guts to change direction and do something completely out of character when you have something to lose.

I quit my job and focused on writing a book about expat and life abroad success. Over the last year I kept comparing experiences of my friends, women expats, who made their own moves without fear. And there it was, “Moving Without Shaking”. At the same time, I started reevaluating what the meaning of work was for me. Should I join the movement of solopreneurs? Should I go volunteer while I am thinking about what to do next? What do I really know a lot about, besides running sales operations in tech and going to school abroad? I looked for what I truly had become passionate about in my 15 years of corporate adventures and living abroad.

I wanted to do something for the first time again but it had to be not for my career. March 1 I am starting on a volunteering journey in Tanzania.  I have signed up with African Impact, a wonderful organization placing many volunteers in programs all over Africa. The first community project is based in Moshi, on the foothills of Kilimanjaro, and focuses on women and children empowerment.  The second project is for a community in Zanzibar, teaching English, and helping the local school. The local communities are in need of educational resources that we often take for granted. My first career was in teaching English at a university level in Ukraine. This is an opportunity to take everything that I was good at before I started my journey abroad, add in the business experience and give back in the form of time and knowledge. I was able to move abroad because I met an American professor volunteering in Ukraine, willing to help me with a scholarship abroad. It is my turn to see if I can help someone in one of the countries that my academic mentor is passionate about. I am excited about the learning opportunity, the chance to make a real impact in people’s lives, the challenge and the longest break from paid work I have ever had.

YELENA PARKER is a founder of expat and executive coaching consultancy, Moving Without Shaking Ltd. She is a serial expat, living in the UK, her fourth home country, as of this writing. She blogs about expat and life abroad success at www.movingwithoutshaking.com

Her first book, Moving Without Shaking, is coming out in spring 2014.

Check out Yelena’s Website

Follow Yelena on Twitter: @yelenaparker or @movingwtshaking

SONIA MARSH SAYS: You are living life to the fullest and stepping out of your comfort zone. I am sure you will have so much to share after your experience in Tanzania, and I cannot wait to do a Gutsy Google+ Hangout with you for an update when you return.

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Do you have a “My Gutsy Story®” you’d like to share?

Would you like to submit your “My Gutsy Story®” and get published in our 2nd anthology?

Please see guidelines below and contact Sonia Marsh at: sonia@soniamarsh.com for details.

You can find all the information, and our new sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story®” contest page. (VIDEO) Submission guidelines here

VOTING for your favorite February 2014 “My Gutsy Story®,” starts on February 27th, and ends on March 12th. The WINNER will be announced on March 13th.

 PLEASE VOTE AND SHARE THESE STORIES USING THE LINKS BELOW.

Vote For Your Favorite February 2014 “My Gutsy Story®”

Get ready to VOTE for your favorite one of 4 “My Gutsy Story®” submissions. You have from now until  March 12th to vote on the sidebar, (only one vote per person) and the winner will be announced on March 13th, and will select a prize from our generous sponsors.

Our 1st “My Gutsy Story®” is by Susie Mitchell

Susie Mitchell

SONIA MARSH SAYS: Susie shows how exercise did not stop her from training and winning a gold medal a few months after her baby daughter was born.

Our 2nd “My Gutsy Story®” is by Leanne Dyck

Leanne Dyck

SONIA MARSH SAYS: Inspiring to all those who believe that dyslexia prevents you from accomplishing your goals of becoming a writer.

Our 3rd “My Gutsy Story®” is by Viki Noe

Viki Noe

SONIA MARSH SAYS: I agree with Viki when she says “Gutsiness is a choice. It might be a conscious one, with a specific goal, like changing careers. It might be completely unconscious, other than the acknowledgement that sometimes you just have to keep trying your best to get through it all, in the hope that something better awaits you.”

Our 4th “My Gutsy Story®” is by Mariana Williams

Mariana Williams

SONIA MARSH SAYS: This reminded me of my best friend in Denmark, Lilian, whom I’ve known since I was 3-years-old. She is like a sister to me, and she even flew to visit me from Copenhagen to Belize, when I lived there.

 

Do you have a “My Gutsy Story®” you’d like to share?

Would you like to submit your “My Gutsy Story®” and get published in our 2nd anthology?

Please see guidelines below and contact Sonia Marsh at: sonia@soniamarsh.com for details.

You can find all the information, and our new sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story®” contest page. (VIDEO) Submission guidelines here

VOTING for your favorite February 2014 “My Gutsy Story®,” starts on February 27th, and ends on March 12th. The WINNER will be announced on March 13th.

 

PLEASE VOTE AND SHARE THESE STORIES USING THE LINKS BELOW.

“Gutsy Girl Power” by Mariana Williams

 Gutsy Girl Power

“My Gutsy Story®” by Mariana Williams

 I’m getting off the plane feeling nervous. Having sat in the last row, it took a while getting out. The pilot was walking way ahead of me when I noticed a text came in on my phone. “Where are you?”

I sighed and slowed down. Maybe contacting someone through a private detective after a forty-year gap wasn’t such a good idea.  Was Danelle impatiently tapping her foot at baggage claim? Was she eager to return to her life—after meeting me? And, what is that life?  Aghhh, maybe the text simply indicated she might not have recognized me walk past.

I’d been a writer for ten years now, and after penning three novels, my colorful life of peaks and valleys became the focus of my memoirs. The boldest early memories took place with the girl I met at summer camp. We were fifth graders and rode horses, swam, sang, and built a language of laughter that I was betting would be worth the 2,627miles sojourn across the Pacific Ocean.

Danelle was the friend that always pushed the limits of what was allowed. Now, decades later I suspected my gutsy friend would either be serving a prison sentence or the head of Wall Street.  She hadn’t shown up for any reunions and no one had heard a word after high school.  My mild obsession about the outcome of her life had me searching the Internet and even looking for her in a crowd.  Danelle was my daring alter ego.

Ages twelve through seventeen it wasn’t sex, drugs and alcohol for us—we were just merry pranksters exploring the limits of travel without a car. Armed with imagination and a thumb we escaped the hot San Fernando Valley, often hopping off a bus in a random city. Danger was always around the corner and we saw its shadow, but I trusted my street-smart friend and aside from getting picked up by the police as runaways—all was bitchen’.

After a few capers we were restricted from hanging out.  Oh, sure. That always works. Ask Romeo and Juliette. The last warning to stay away from Danelle was delivered in my mother’s low guttural growl—at three a.m., walking me out of a police station, picked up as runaways. Danelle and I feebly explained that we were vacationing at the Beverly Hilton Hotel that weekend. “What’s your room number?” barked the policewoman.

“Well, we don’t have a room exactly,” I stammered. “Our stuff is behind a big ol stack of chairs in the banquet room. We hang out at the pool in the daytime and crash behind the chairs at night. Really, nobody even cares.”

***

My husband’s golf buddy was a private eye.  It was a gutsy move but I hired him. It took him about ten days—longer than he predicted.  After a few phone conversations, I made plans to fly to Kauai—before one of us died or my fascination lost momentum. Curiosity led to sentimentality and now just the sweaty-palm of embarrassment as the twelve-year-old in me looks for my friend’s brown curly mop-head, somewhere by the baggage carrousel.

Danelle Dizon & Mariana Williams Sept. 6, 2013

I catch the familiar eyes and serene smile immediately as I come through the door. She’s dressed in a feminine, white hippy blouse, jeans and a sporty hat; something straight out of my closet. My first thought was, I wish I had coincidentally worn that same outfit—it would have been a funnier moment. But it wasn’t about being funny. We hugged and surprised ourselves, I think, by holding the wordless embrace for a long while. A few tears flowed and I can’t say why. We had not gone through a war together, or donated a kidney to keep the other alive. However, Danelle and Mariana were, pound for pound, the best combination of laugh and adventure I’d known. Was there still room for more adolescent merriment?

Mariana hugging Danelle

***

A few years after leaving high school she dropped out of the mainland’s fast lane and opted for the gentle lifestyle of the tropics. She found her niche in the Garden Island of Kauai, and stayed after a brief stint at the hippy colony, “Taylor Ranch.” She married a local surfer and has two beautiful daughters and three grand girls. With animals in the yard and shells on the windowsill, their life is an endless summer and their home as comfy as a hammock swinging between two palms.

Once inside her house she tossed me a few floral sundresses from her closet to replace my  “haole” wardrobe of black and white.  Then we did what we do best, hit the road.  As we tore around the island in her car, she seemed like a Guidess, half guide-half goddess—leading us into new adventures.  We caught up on decades while we bobbed in the surf of hidden beaches and picnicked on cliffs.

We discovered we are both happily married; each had two children about the same age, one easier than the other. We cracked up knowing the more difficult child was the most like ourselves. Another coincidence—world travelers, we each had collections of rocks and crystals from foreign lands.

The week passed quickly nibbling shaved ice by day and nights under the Hawaiian moon whispering personal stories of unexplainable mysteries, coincidences, and magic moments. Instead of the Beatles, we tuned into the island music. It wasn’t Don Ho. It was the beat of waves crashing, the harmony of porch-chimes tinkling and always—girls laughing.

It was a gutsy move to put my ego in my back pocket and bet on girl power, and a friendship that could span years and miles.

MARIANA WILLIAMS is the author of the Veronica Bennett Series of romance, comedy, and accidental crime. Happy New Year, Darling, The Valentine State and Stars or Stripes 4th of July, which won a 2011 Indie Excellence Book Award. Her book of memoirs will be out in 2014. Mariana was a Moth Grand Slam finalist in the acclaimed story-telling competition held in Los Angeles. She is the Producer of Long Beach Searches for the Greatest Storyteller, an event in Long Beach, California, in its fourth season. She lives in So. California with her husband, Oscar-winning songwriter, Paul Williams. Website: www.Marianawilliams.net.

Please follow Mariana Williams on Twitter: @WErSTORYTELLERS

Facebook: MarianaLovesStories

Check out Mariana Williams’ books:

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Click on covers to go to Mariana’s Amazon page

SONIA MARSH SAYS: What a beautiful story of love and friendship that grew and remained etched in your heart from fifth grade. I love the way you hired a private detective to find your long-lost friend. I hope you make a point of seeing one another at least once a year, from now on.

 ***

  Do you have a “My Gutsy Story®” you’d like to share?

Click on cover to buy on Amazon

Would you like to submit your “My Gutsy Story®” and get published in our 2nd anthology?

Please see guidelines below and contact Sonia Marsh at: sonia@soniamarsh.com for details.

You can find all the information, and our new sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story®” contest page. (VIDEO) Submission guidelines here

VOTING for your favorite February 2014 “My Gutsy Story®,” starts on February 27th, and ends on March 12th. The WINNER  will be announced on March 13th.

 

PLEASE SHARE THESE STORIES USING THE LINKS BELOW.

How Do You Ask a Well-Known Person for an Interview?

A Gutsy Google+ Hangout with Alissa Everett

One of the best things about networking, especially online, is the ability to connect with people.

As an indie author, the Internet has become a goldmine for opportunities to interview people, whether famous authors like Nigel Marsh, or photographers like Alissa Everett, who was featured in Oprah magazine.

So often we think famous people aren’t accessible, and that there’s no point in trying to get in touch with them. I don’t believe that. I’ve found that asking people for interviews, and showing them that you’re interested in what they do, and how you’d like to help promote them, is a wonderful way to get in touch.

I discovered Alissa Everett, a well-known American photojournalist who is known for creating beautiful images in the world’s most troubled areas, through an article I read about her in the Oprah magazine. After checking her website and discovering that unlike other photojournalists, Alissa focuses on the positive stories in conflict zones like Syria, DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), Darfur, Gaza and many other parts of the world, I asked if I could e-mail her some questions about her unconventional life. She agreed, and I’ve followed her ever since knowing that one day, we would reconnect.

Now Alissa has a non-profit, ExposingHope.org,  and raises money at her photography exhibitions in the U.S. She donated $50,000 towards helping the rape victims in DRC and offers micro loans and safe houses for these women and their children. Alissa Everett is truly a “gutsy” woman and I hope you watch this moving video interview as she describes her work, being ambushed in DRC, and what she would like to see happen in our world.

I just donated $50 to support 5 children at the hospital in DRC for one month. Alissa’s non-profit ExposingHope.org sends 100% of all the money towards helping women and children in DRC. AS little as $10 offers HIV testing for 5 victims of violence. $20 provides 10 days of hospital stay.

Why don’t we all help Alissa Everett by sharing what she does, and how she risks her life in order to help others who are suffering in our world.

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UPDATE ON WHAT IS YOUR “GUTSY” GOAL FOR 2014.

You now have until March 6th, to enter the “Gutsy Goal for 2014″ cotest. We have 6 submissions so far, and need more. Please follow the steps below.

One “GUTSY GOAL”

One “GUTSY WINNER.”

Enter our “Gutsy Goal” contest by answering the question:

What is your One biggest “Gutsy Goal” for 2014?

Please e-mail your “gutsy goal” to: Sonia@Soniamarsh.com

one sentence
one photo

Write “My Gutsy Goal for 2014″ in the subject line, and I shall post all your responses on my “Gutsy Living” site on February 20th.

WINNER WITH THE “GUTSIEST” GOAL GETS:

1. FREE COPY OF Freeways to Flip-Flops: A Family’s Year of gutsy Living on a Tropical Island

2. FREE COPY OF My Gutsy Story® Anthology: True Stories of Love, Courage and Adventure From Around the World

3. FREE COPY OF DVD (SEE BELOW)

4. A GOOGLE+HANGOUT INTERVIEW WITH ME

 

Viki Noe says “Gutsiness” is a Choice

“I’m Not Gutsy, But You Are”

My Gutsy Story?

I don’t have one.

I still think of myself as the painfully shy, often sick, little girl who escaped into books. My best friends from high school will tell you I’m famous for “punting” (not the football variety). This involved talking myself out of things I really wanted (often involving men).

“Who do you think you are?” I was told when I was young that I had no right to go to private school. I had no right to go away to college. I had no right to move away from home.

It would’ve been easy, I suppose, to say, “You’re right,” and lower my expectations. I didn’t, though I was seriously tempted at times. My parents pushed us to succeed and I didn’t want to disappoint them, no matter how much that scared me. But at some point I knew I had to give it my best shot, even if I failed. That doesn’t mean there weren’t nights I cried myself to sleep, wondering if I’d made a decision that would ruin my life.

I realize now that I gave up my initial dream – working in the theatre in New York – too soon. I was on track, building a network and experience in Chicago. But I let an emotional trauma sidetrack me and my self-confidence. I still worked in the community for a few more years, but the dream was set aside, a dream I’d had since high school.

Many years later, I believe that everything in your past brings you to where you are now. By my own count, I’m on my fourth career. Writing was something I always enjoyed for my own pleasure, but nothing I ever considered doing professionally.

I was good at all of my careers. I was a damn good stage manager and a decent director. I raised millions when I was a fundraiser for arts, AIDS and social service organizations, and won national awards when I sold children’s books. But writing…this is different.

Writing is terrifying. It’s my name on the cover or byline. I write about myself, not just other people. And that scared the hell out of me. That shy girl was back: the one who didn’t like people looking at her as she walked down the aisle at her wedding.

I resisted sharing very much of myself for the first year of my blog. I saw myself as more of a teacher than a friend sharing stories. Changing required a good amount of surrender on my part, and a willingness to put myself on the line in a very public way. But if I was to grow, to succeed, I had no choice.

For most of my life, during the course of a conversation I’d recount something I’d done, and the other person would insist “oh, I could never do that.” They weren’t being judgmental about my actions. They meant they could never see themselves doing what I did.

I always had the same reaction: “Why not?” My accomplishments never felt terribly monumental. Were those things gutsy? They don’t feel gutsy to me:

I’ve traveled all over the country – and to London – alone. Planes, trains and automobiles have taken me places I dreamed of visiting for experiences I’ll always remember.

I’ve moved away from home, without a job or a permanent place to live, to a big city where I knew only two people.

I’ve approached strangers – famous or not – with requests: donations, autographs, interviews. Long ago I developed a mantra: what’s the worst they can do? They’ll say yes, no, or maybe. I can deal with all of those possibilities.

Gutsy? No, no, no. Part of my job or an item on my bucket list, but no, not gutsy. Gutsy is for other people.

They’re the ones who do spectacular, public things: walking a tightrope across Niagara Falls, going to war, or performing in front of thousands of people. All right, I did do that last one, but that doesn’t count: I was so near-sighted I couldn’t see past the orchestra pit.

If it’s true most people live lives of “quiet desperation”, it’s also true that they live lives of “quiet gutsiness”. Some days just getting out of bed and putting one foot in front of the other is the gutsiest thing you can do. Maybe a spouse has died, a job lost, a mountain of medical bills. Their life has taken a turn, and not for the better. “I don’t have a choice,” I’ve heard them say (and said to myself on occasion). “I just have to keep going.”

Gutsiness is a choice. It might be a conscious one, with a specific goal, like changing careers. It might be completely unconscious, other than the acknowledgement that sometimes you just have to keep trying your best to get through it all, in the hope that something better awaits you. I don’t think we give ourselves enough credit for that.

My father used to tell my mother that he could throw me into a tiger pit, and I’d be okay: I’d come out bloodied, but I’d make it. I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean it literally, though for a long time I didn’t understand it. I wasn’t even sure it was a compliment.

But last year, at the age of 60, I walked into my first ACT UP (AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power) meeting in New York. Does that mean I’m ready to get arrested for demonstrating? I guess it does. I’m definitely ready to be more vocal about the things that matter the most to me.

There was a moment, early in the AIDS epidemic, when I made a conscious decision to get involved, because I knew I could help. I remember thinking to myself that I did not want to look back and regret not doing anything.

Maybe that’s what it means to be gutsy: to choose to live your life without regrets.

Does that make me gutsy? No. I’m doing what I have to do, just like all of you.

VICTORIA NOE has been a writer most of her life, but didn’t admit it until 2009. She worked in Chicago’s theatre community, and then transferred her skills to being a fundraiser for arts, educational and AIDS organizations. A concussion ended her career as an award-winning sales consultant of children’s books, so she decided to keep a promise to a dying friend to write a book, which became the “Friend Grief” series.

Her articles have appeared on grief and writing blogs as well as Windy City Times, Chicago Tribune and Huffington Post, and reviews books on BroadwayWorld.com.  Her website is www.friendgrief.com.

Join Viki on Twitter: @Victoria_Noe

On Facebook

       Check out Viki’s books on Amazon

Click on cover to go to Amazon

Click on book to go to Amazon

Click on book to go to Amazon

 ***

Do you have a “My Gutsy Story®” you’d like to share?

Click on cover to purchase on Amazon

Would you like to submit your “My Gutsy Story®” and get published in our 2nd anthology?

Please see guidelines below and contact Sonia Marsh at: sonia@soniamarsh.com for details.

You can find all the information, and our new sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story®” contest page. (VIDEO) Submission guidelines here

Our February 2014 stories have started with Susie Mitchell and Leanne Dyck sharing their “My Gutsy Story®.”   

Shirley Showalter: Winner of the January 2014 “My Gutsy Story ®” Contest

Shirley Showalter

CONGRATULATIONS! to Shirley Showalter who received the most votes for her story, “How I Became a Gutsy Mennonite.”

Shirley Showalter

We had 4 outstanding “My Gutsy Story®” authors in December, and first I’d like to congratulate all of them. Their stories will be included in our 2nd “My Gutsy Story®” Anthology, published in the Fall of 2014.

Jon Magidsohn: January 6th
Gillian Jackson: January 13th
Eleanor Vincent: January 20th
Shirley Showalter: January 27th

2nd Place:

Jon Magidsohn

Jon’s story touched so many of us. He wrote about how he mourned the loss of his wife with his 10-month-old son.

Jon Magidsohn

3rd Place:

Eleanor Vincent

Eleanor’s story about letting go, and allowing her beautiful 19-year-old daughter, Maya, to die, brought tears to so many.

Eleanor Vincent

Gillian Jackson shares how she finally opened up about her childhood abuse after 40 years of silence.

Gillian Jackson

 

Thank you to all four authors. We know that all of you are WINNERS.

***

Do you have a “My Gutsy Story®” you’d like to share?

Would you like to submit your “My Gutsy Story®” and get published in our 2nd anthology?

Please see guidelines below and contact Sonia Marsh at: sonia@soniamarsh.com for details.

You can find all the information, and our new sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story®” contest page. (VIDEO) Submission guidelines here

Our February 2014 stories have started with Susie Mitchell and Leanne Dyck sharing their “My Gutsy Story®.” Next Monday, February 17th, Viki Noe will share his “My Gutsy Story®.”

Dyslexia Has Not Stopped Me From Becoming an Author

 

Oh, yes, I can

“My Gutsy Story®” by Leanne Dyck

A social worker told my parents that they’d have to take care of me for the rest of my life. My principal told them I was uneducable. Thankfully, a resource teacher stepped in on my behalf. She taught me that learning was fun.

The commonly held definition of dyslexia is that it is a difficulty with learning to read. But this is a condensed definition. The challenges people with dyslexia face and the severity of these challenges vary from person to person.

For me, deciphering the social codes has always been a challenge—I never received my copy of that handbook. When I manage to figure out how to respond often it’s too late or, in a rush to be on time, a jumble of poorly pronounced words. Writing allows me to slow down and think. It gives me an opportunity to select the right word, tone, tense and to check for clarity and accuracy.

Leanne in elementary school

At a young age I learnt that even though my tongue may fail me, my pen seldom would. My first publishing success came when I was still in elementary school—one of my poems was published in the school newspaper. I repeated grade two but once in middle school I was determined to excel. So I divorced myself from any social interaction and books and studying became my world. A middle school Language Arts teacher introduced me to John Steinbeck and I fell in love with his writing. Mr. Steinbeck gave voice to the voiceless. Writing gave me a voice. I had lots to say but needed a venue. Through my writing I began to feel heard. I graduated from high school with an award in Language Arts.

Leanne Dyck graduation

After graduation, the question of what I would do next paralyzed me. I thought living the rest of my life on my parents’ sofa was a solution. However, my parents wanted more for me. From early childhood, despite what they’d been told, my parents continued to believe in the soundness of my intellect. Responding to my dad’s not so gentle pushing, I decided to join Katimavik—a government-run youth group. You’d think that living communally for nine months wouldn’t be the best situation for someone with limited social skills. But you’d be wrong. Katimavik was one of the most important experiences in my life. I completed the program and won newfound confidence. With that confidence I entered university. And I was amazed to find that I was able to obtain and maintain a decent grade point average. I graduated from the program and gained employment as an Early Childhood Educator.

Throughout my life I’ve been able to play the ‘help me’ card. But in my late twenties I met a man who refused to play the game. That man became my husband and his special brand of tough love continues to be one of the driving forces behind my success.

Becoming an author had been a dream I’d hidden away since my teens. Weakened by a family tragedy, I shared my dream with my husband. I thought he was going to laugh or…—but not him. “So, what are you going to do about it?”

The choice was clear either act to fulfill my dream or abandon it. From 2006 to 2009, I self-published an audio book, paperbacks and Ebooks. Buoyed up by these successes, I decided to pursue traditional publishing. So I made a pact to submit one story—of whatever size—every month until something happened. Well, things did start to happen. Within the last five years I’ve had short stories published in Island Writer, Kaleidoscope, Canadian Stories, Icelandic Connection and Island Gal. And I’ve also completed five book-length manuscripts.

But years of self-doubt and low-self esteem have taken their toll and have resulted in stress related health problems. I thought joining a peer support group would help. But when I was unable to find a group, I became my own advocate. I now practice Tai Chi and Yoga as well as take Bach flower oil to help me cope with anxiety.

I’m enheartened by the support now available for children with learning disabilities. But am disappointed by the lack of support for adults with learning disabilities. Simply because we manage to jump through academic hoops and graduate doesn’t mean our problems disappear. We still face them—everyday. Lack of support leaves learning disabled adults with health and employment problems—some of us wind up on the street or in jail. Potential lost. Lives wasted. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Something must be done. All of us deserve to have an opportunity to have our own success story.

Increasing society’s knowledge of dyslexia is a good starting point. And through non-fiction books such as The Gift of Dyslexia by Ronald D. Davis and Understanding Dyslexia and Other Learning Disabilities by Linda Siegel this goal is slowly being met. Hoping to help obtain this goal, I’ve written a novel about my own experiences with dyslexia. And I continue to push myself out of my comfort zone by, for example, reading my writing during open mic nights.

I’d like to conclude with a poem…

I need you to know that I am capable—even when I show my inability

I need you to have faith that I will be able to pick myself up when I fall

I need you to let me show you what I’m capable of—before you help me.

I need you to shout at the top of your lungs, “Yes, you can! If not now—someday; if not without me—with me.”

I need you to believe in me—even when, especially when, I don’t.

 

LEANNE DYCK is a women’s fiction author. Her stories are about outsiders facing challenges. Within the last five years, her writing has been published in Island Writer, Kaleidoscope, Canadian Stories, Icelandic Connection and Island Gals magazines. Leanne has written a fictionalized account of her own experiences with dyslexia. She’s seeking a publisher for books one and two in this series, and is currently writing book three. To learn more about this series and to follow her author journey, please visit her blog:  http://sweatercursed.blogspot.ca

Please join Leanne on Facebook:

Twitter: @lustfulgraces

 SONIA MARSH SAYS: Your story is inspiring to all those who believe that dyslexia will prevent them from accomplishing their goals of becoming a writer. I’m happy to hear your husband encouraged you to pursue your lifelong dream.

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REMEMBER TO VOTE for your favorite one of 4 “My Gutsy Story®” submissions, on the sidebar. You have from now until  February 12th to vote on the sidebar, (only one vote per person) and the winner will be announced on February 13th, and will select a prize from our generous sponsors.

 Do you have a “My Gutsy Story®” you’d like to share?

Click on cover to go to Amazon link

 

Would you like to submit your “My Gutsy Story®” and get published in our 2nd anthology?

Please see guidelines below and contact Sonia Marsh at: sonia@soniamarsh.com for details.

You can find all the information, and our new sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story®” contest page. (VIDEO) Submission guidelines here

Gutsy Google Hangout with Author Ian Mathie

Gutsy Google Hangouts Program

I have started a new series called: Gutsy Google+ Hangouts where I interview interesting people from around the world.

I shall interview:

Authors
Film producers
Photographers
Gutsy People

Jerry Waxler, author of the Memoir Revolution said, during my recent interview with him, that people are connecting globally, thanks to technology and through sharing our stories.

The purpose of my Gutsy Google Hangouts, is to bring us closer together as a “global community.”

I want to thank my friend Jason Matthews, for sharing his expertise on Google+ Hangouts, with me. Please watch his program called Indie Authors on YouTube.

Ian Mathie interviewed on Gutsy Google Hangout

Author, Ian Mathie is my guest on today’s Gutsy Google Hangouts.

You can read Ian’s fascinating “My Gutsy Story” camel story at the Bilma Oasis in Niger, here.

Ian’s latest memoir. Click on cover to go to Ian’s website.

Ian Mathie – Bio

Born in Scotland and taken to Africa aged three, Ian Mathie grew up in the bush. After short service as a pilot in the RAF, he returned to West Africa as a rural development officer. Well adapted to living in the bush, Ian worked with isolated societies, sharing their hardships and understanding cultures from the inside.

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REMEMBER TO VOTE for your favorite one of 4 “My Gutsy Story®” submissions, on the sidebar. You have from now until  February 12th to vote on the sidebar, (only one vote per person) and the winner will be announced on February 13th, and will select a prize from our generous sponsors.

 Do you have a “My Gutsy Story®” you’d like to share?

Click on cover to go to Amazon link

 

Would you like to submit your “My Gutsy Story®” and get published in our 2nd anthology?

Please see guidelines below and contact Sonia Marsh at: sonia@soniamarsh.com for details.

You can find all the information, and our new sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story®” contest page. (VIDEO) Submission guidelines here

 

Pregnant Mom Trains to Win Gold Medal

 

 Pregnancy to Podium 

“My Gutsy Story®” by Susie Mitchell

I am Susie, 37 year first time mom to a lovely vibrant baby girl Tori. I have always had an active lifestyle and loved sport from a young age. Yearning to be really good at something, in fact anything, I had tried everything from shot-putt to surfing, without much success. All that changed in the summer of 2011, when I tried track cycling for the first time. A type of cycling that is carried out at high speeds on an oval banked track using a fixed wheel bike with no brakes, it was exciting and I was hooked immediately. What’s more I was good at it. Racing on the track appealed to my competitive nature and I clearly had potential, winning races within a few weeks of getting up on the bike. When my coach suggested to me I would be good enough to compete in the World Masters Track Cycling Championships in Manchester the following October, a dream was ignited, and it became my focus. I had never competed internationally in any sport and was giddy at the thoughts of it. Then a massive curveball came my way – I became pregnant. I did not want to let go of my new found passion after waiting all these years to find it. I knew so many people who gave up their exercise and hobbies when they became pregnant and never went back. I wanted to hang onto my sport and my identity through pregnancy and becoming a mum for the first time.

Despite all the opinions to the contrary, I was determined to find a way to train safely and effectively through my pregnancy. I had always believed in the benefits of exercise during pregnancy and being a vet I had always marvelled how animals took all this in their stride. I searched the internet for all I could find on exercise and pregnancy and found only conservative advice. “Gentle jogging or easy swimming” didn’t appeal to me and wasn’t going to help me to the World Masters the following October. Turning my back on the internet and the colloquial advice that abounded, I focussed on what the science said to use as my guide. Surprisingly, after extensive reviewing of research and scientific papers, I discovered very little evidence to stop me doing pretty much anything while carrying a baby. Through this research and with the help of my coach, I found a way to maintain fitness and train through pregnancy safely.

The best advice I got was from one scientist and pretty simple – “listen to your body”. I used this as my mantra when working out. If it felt OK, I did it. I got some funny looks from people in the gym when I was lifting weights and doing core work. I got disapproving glances when I was in the park riding my bike. However, I forged ahead, as my coach and I had devised a set of guidelines for safe cycling which I trusted, giving me the confidence to go on. I worked on things like mental preparation and leg speed when I couldn’t do anything else. With some careful planning and research I found something suitable to do at every stage of the pregnancy. I trained right up until I was 10 days overdue and thought I had it all sorted.

A surprise was in store. You can prepare, but nothing prepares you for it. The impact of having a baby on your life is colossal.  My goal had been to arrive at the birth of my baby in peak physical condition. I had achieved this and in ways was probably fitter then I ever had been. I had trained with my bump in ways I never thought possible, and had enjoyed every minute of it.

Susie Mitchell Family

However, when my beautiful healthy baby arrived into the world, everything went out the window. I had a dose of reality to deal with, grappling with the concept of being responsible for another human being for the rest of my life. I watched people through my window cycling past as I sat inside in my pyjamas trying to feed my baby and wondered would I ever get out and ride my bike again. I was physically exhausted from lack of sleep but more importantly I was mentally falling apart. I started to wonder if I was ever going to feel normal or be as happy and carefree as before. The whole experience, to my utter shock, had totally floored me.

Susie Mitchell Euro Bike

Salvation came from the bike. Two weeks after the birth I tentatively got back in the saddle and started rolling around. Those first few laps pushing the pedals with the wind in my face felt like pure heaven. I was myself again, doing something for me, but with the bonus of a beautiful baby to go back to after a training session. The effects of sleep deprivation were nearly completely negated by exercise.  I hadn’t foreseen it, but my sport kept me mentally strong during those difficult first few weeks post-partum, helping me cope.

My return to form came so much quicker than I could have expected winning my first ever National medal just 6 weeks after the birth. I added others in the following months as I went from strength to strength culminating in my fulfilling my dream, travelling to compete in the World Masters in Manchester just 4 months after Tori arrived.

The event I was targeting was the individual pursuit. I was nervous with anticipation but when the starting gun went I knuckled down and rode my heart out, going faster than ever before, scooping the world title by just half a second. A lifelong dream had been fulfilled; I had excelled and was now a World Champion! Standing on the podium, wearing the rainbow jersey, the gold medal hanging around my neck and the Irish national anthem playing, tears streamed down my face. I knew that none of this would have been possible without having my baby, she trained with me, and she gave me energy, inspiration and focus, and made me strong. By being determined to maintain my identity, I ended up finding a new one, reinventing myself as a credible athlete, discovering it was possible to fuse motherhood and sport at a high level. Unless I had lived this story, I never would have thought it possible to have both in such perfect synergy.

SUSIE MITCHELL is a 37-year-old first time mom to a lovely baby girl, Tori. She currently lives in Dublin, Ireland with her supportive and long suffering husband Cormac. Working as a fish vet, she travels the length and breadth of the country visiting fish farms, jumping on and off trawlers in all kinds of weather.  Susie has always enjoyed sport coming from a background of surfing and adventure racing, and more recently track cycling. She tries to juggle being a mum, wife, training and working with reasonable success.

Please follow Susie Mitchell.

Susie’s website: www.pregnancytopodium.com
Susie on Twitter: @susie_mitchell
Susie’s Facebook.

Click on cover to go Amazon link

 SONIA MARSH SAYS: Susie, first of all Congratulations on your medal and your determination. As a woman who loves weight training, I can relate to the benefits of exercise during pregnancy. I shall never forget the look on people’s faces at the gym in Paris, when I benched and my bump was six-months out there. Keep training!

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PLEASE VOTE for your favorite one of 4 “My Gutsy Story®” submissions, on the sidebar. You have from now until  February 12th to vote on the sidebar, (only one vote per person) and the winner will be announced on February 13th, and will select a prize from our generous sponsors.

 Do you have a “My Gutsy Story®” you’d like to share?

Click on cover to go to Amazon link

 

Would you like to submit your “My Gutsy Story®” and get published in our 2nd anthology?

Please see guidelines below and contact Sonia Marsh at: sonia@soniamarsh.com for details.

You can find all the information, and our new sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story®” contest page. (VIDEO) Submission guidelines here

 

Vote For Your Favorite January “My Gutsy Story®”

Click on link for artist Cliff Beaman

Get ready to VOTE for your favorite one of 4 “My Gutsy Story®” submissions. You have from now until  February 12th to vote on the sidebar, (only one vote per person) and the winner will be announced on February 13th, and will select a prize from our generous sponsors.

Our 1st “My Gutsy Story®” is by Jon Magidsohn.

Jon Magidsohn

SONIA MARSH SAYS: Jon, your story and your words bring out so many emotions from love, to loss, to love. What a powerful and beautifully written “My Gutsy Story®.”

Our 2nd “My Gutsy Story®” is by Gillian Jackson

Gillian Jackson

SONIA MARSH SAYS: It’s so nice to hear a positive ending, and that your husband was so supportive and helpful during this difficult time. I am also amazed at how your writing has blossomed and helped you through everything.

Our 3rd “My Gutsy Story®” is by Eleanor Vincent

Eleanor Vincent

SONIA MARSH SAYS: A story of love and courage during a time that mothers never want to face.

Our 4th “My Gutsy Story®” is by Shirley Showalter.

Shirley Showalter

SONIA MARSH SAYS: Shirley, I had never thought about living for two until you described what you realized about facing death as part of life.

Do you have a “My Gutsy Story®” you’d like to share?

Click on cover to go to Amazon

Would you like to submit your “My Gutsy Story®” and get published in our 2nd anthology?

Please see guidelines below and contact Sonia Marsh at: sonia@soniamarsh.com for details.

You can find all the information, and our new sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story®” contest page. (VIDEO) Submission guidelines here

VOTING for your favorite January 2014 “My Gutsy Story®” starts on January 30th and ends on February 12th. Winner will be announced on February 13th.