50ShadesOfSuccess is Honoring and Celebrating Beautiful Women and their Success!
Milestones * Struggle * Adversity * Success
Women Supporting Women
Keep the movement going by acknowledging women you would like to celebrate Success with. Together we can make a difference, together we can create positive change.
Milestones * Struggle * Adversity * Success
Women Supporting Women
Keep the movement going by acknowledging women you would like to celebrate Success with. Together we can make a difference, together we can create positive change.
INSpire An Be INspired
Living In Your Truth
The Healing Journey of Sisters
Your Journey * Her Journey * Our Journey
I Am Tyenesha Sloan
Being an entrepreneur is tough, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's full of mountains and valleys, prayers, cuss-words, tears, smiles, doubt and belief. It reminds you that you're very much a human being. It often triggers emotions, most times unexpectedly, that make you question just what in the heck it is you're doing. But there is something in you that won't let you give up. There's a faith deep down that makes you believe everything you're doing is not in vain. And that faith is what drives you.
I am a single mother to a beautiful, intelligent, smart and determined 16 y/o daughter. She is my greatest encourager. She pushes me to keep going and she makes me accountable for everything I do. Because of her, I find a reason to keep working on everything I do.
Over the last 13 years I have worked to build an empire. I have been a licensed massage therapist for 13 years and the owner/operator of Sole Clinique, Massage Therapy & Spa since 2008. Prior to getting licensed I worked in graduate admissions at the University of Texas at Arlington, starting as a work study then working my way to becoming full time over the course of 4 years. A close friend encouraged me to go to school for massage therapy, as I often worked on him after his weight training sessions. Initially, I declined. I later decided to apply and haven't looked back since. I didn't know I loved biology/science as much I do now. I love that massage therapy allows me to help people both on a physical and spiritual level. Massage therapy is one of few therapies that encourages healing on a multifaceted level: physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental.
I get to help people heal on so many levels through simple touch.
soleclinique.com; facebook.com/soleclinique
In 2013, God decided to show me another gift: drawing. I never considered myself that type of artist (and still do not), so I was definitely surprised to see that I had that ability. From there, I created "Conscious Existence Gear", a conscious brand of clothing. Conscious Existence Gear is about bringing back conversation. Some of the pieces are controversial, but all of the pieces invoke socialization. Some of them are cultural while others are universal. Conscious Existence Gear is more than just words on a shirt, like so many others. It is wearable art. Some are hand-drawn pieces that have been digitally converted to be printed on wearable items. "Shades" is the premier design and is now available for purchase and I am preparing to release my next design, which I am extremely excited about! (facebook.com/consciousexistencegear)
My most recent project is all about palatable satisfaction! "Charming Treats" is elegant dessert created for personal moments of enjoyment. I was looking for a different way to present everyone's guilty pleasure: pastries. There are so many great creative ways to offer pastries and I used that as my platform. Mason jars seem to be all the craze nowadays and everyone is cashing in on it. I thought long and hard of a way to be different in my presentation. I did some research and lost some sleep until I finally came up with Charming Treats, dessert baked directly in a customized wine glass. This is such a special project because it is all about care. The process is very tedious and takes love to do. I'm starting out with peach cobbler, apple pie, and my special "Better Than Sweet Potato" pie, which is a family secret recipe. I will also introduce cakes (some infused with liquor) and no-bake desserts as well. Currently, they are being sold in 8 ounce glasses for only $6. Larger sizes and other glassware are being considered.
And there you have it. These are only three of the projects that I have going on right now. I am also working to release a novel that I wrote and finished 10 years ago, but only recently decided to seriously pursue. I'm also a poet, looking to record some of my work in the near future. At this point in my life, I have decided to put all of my gifts/talents into the universe and let God decide which will succeed. I am not opposed to all of them succeeding either, but I am opposed to putting my time into making someone else dream's come true while I neglect my own.
It is tough, but when you have such a passion and will to succeed, nothing can stop you. You find a way. No, it's not easy, but it's definitely worth it. And until God tells me to quit, I will keep going.
Being an entrepreneur is tough, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's full of mountains and valleys, prayers, cuss-words, tears, smiles, doubt and belief. It reminds you that you're very much a human being. It often triggers emotions, most times unexpectedly, that make you question just what in the heck it is you're doing. But there is something in you that won't let you give up. There's a faith deep down that makes you believe everything you're doing is not in vain. And that faith is what drives you.
I am a single mother to a beautiful, intelligent, smart and determined 16 y/o daughter. She is my greatest encourager. She pushes me to keep going and she makes me accountable for everything I do. Because of her, I find a reason to keep working on everything I do.
Over the last 13 years I have worked to build an empire. I have been a licensed massage therapist for 13 years and the owner/operator of Sole Clinique, Massage Therapy & Spa since 2008. Prior to getting licensed I worked in graduate admissions at the University of Texas at Arlington, starting as a work study then working my way to becoming full time over the course of 4 years. A close friend encouraged me to go to school for massage therapy, as I often worked on him after his weight training sessions. Initially, I declined. I later decided to apply and haven't looked back since. I didn't know I loved biology/science as much I do now. I love that massage therapy allows me to help people both on a physical and spiritual level. Massage therapy is one of few therapies that encourages healing on a multifaceted level: physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental.
I get to help people heal on so many levels through simple touch.
soleclinique.com; facebook.com/soleclinique
In 2013, God decided to show me another gift: drawing. I never considered myself that type of artist (and still do not), so I was definitely surprised to see that I had that ability. From there, I created "Conscious Existence Gear", a conscious brand of clothing. Conscious Existence Gear is about bringing back conversation. Some of the pieces are controversial, but all of the pieces invoke socialization. Some of them are cultural while others are universal. Conscious Existence Gear is more than just words on a shirt, like so many others. It is wearable art. Some are hand-drawn pieces that have been digitally converted to be printed on wearable items. "Shades" is the premier design and is now available for purchase and I am preparing to release my next design, which I am extremely excited about! (facebook.com/consciousexistencegear)
My most recent project is all about palatable satisfaction! "Charming Treats" is elegant dessert created for personal moments of enjoyment. I was looking for a different way to present everyone's guilty pleasure: pastries. There are so many great creative ways to offer pastries and I used that as my platform. Mason jars seem to be all the craze nowadays and everyone is cashing in on it. I thought long and hard of a way to be different in my presentation. I did some research and lost some sleep until I finally came up with Charming Treats, dessert baked directly in a customized wine glass. This is such a special project because it is all about care. The process is very tedious and takes love to do. I'm starting out with peach cobbler, apple pie, and my special "Better Than Sweet Potato" pie, which is a family secret recipe. I will also introduce cakes (some infused with liquor) and no-bake desserts as well. Currently, they are being sold in 8 ounce glasses for only $6. Larger sizes and other glassware are being considered.
And there you have it. These are only three of the projects that I have going on right now. I am also working to release a novel that I wrote and finished 10 years ago, but only recently decided to seriously pursue. I'm also a poet, looking to record some of my work in the near future. At this point in my life, I have decided to put all of my gifts/talents into the universe and let God decide which will succeed. I am not opposed to all of them succeeding either, but I am opposed to putting my time into making someone else dream's come true while I neglect my own.
It is tough, but when you have such a passion and will to succeed, nothing can stop you. You find a way. No, it's not easy, but it's definitely worth it. And until God tells me to quit, I will keep going.
I am successful because God wants me to be. I am D.D. Wright, author of Poetry 2Life: Youth. Struggle. Love. (2012), Dear Royals, Panhandlers and Hopeful Souls: 42 Unpublished Letters (2015) and The Renaissance Woman (2016).
I am also the owner of Poetic Soul Inc., providing handmade candles in a variety of scents and settings to those who enjoy scents and therapy. I have been an educator in NYC since 2002.
My passion has always lied in giving back. I am the mother of a 10 year old miracle, born weighing one pound and recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, a condition I have had myself since I was 9 years old. She is why I work so hard.
My mother raised me to believe that nothing could defeat me and reminds me when I feel
discouraged to thank God for the gifts Ive been given. I am grateful for her and Him.
After graduating with both my Bachelors and Masters degrees I felt incomplete to an extent. I decided to publish my poetry after writing since I was a teenager. I established Poetic Soul Inc.
in 2014, shortly after releasing Poetry 2Life. I am inspired by so many women and writers I have encountered. I hope to retire from formal teaching one day soon. In the meantime, I enjoy pursuing the dream as often as I can.
I am also the owner of Poetic Soul Inc., providing handmade candles in a variety of scents and settings to those who enjoy scents and therapy. I have been an educator in NYC since 2002.
My passion has always lied in giving back. I am the mother of a 10 year old miracle, born weighing one pound and recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, a condition I have had myself since I was 9 years old. She is why I work so hard.
My mother raised me to believe that nothing could defeat me and reminds me when I feel
discouraged to thank God for the gifts Ive been given. I am grateful for her and Him.
After graduating with both my Bachelors and Masters degrees I felt incomplete to an extent. I decided to publish my poetry after writing since I was a teenager. I established Poetic Soul Inc.
in 2014, shortly after releasing Poetry 2Life. I am inspired by so many women and writers I have encountered. I hope to retire from formal teaching one day soon. In the meantime, I enjoy pursuing the dream as often as I can.
Janet Rotella – Founder Owner, SPArties Mobile Day Spa
I come from a modest middle-income family and grew up in a mostly blue-collar, very close-knit, hard working town, just outside of Manhattan, called Bayonne NJ. It is far from the spa capital or even the entrepreneurial capital of the world…as a matter of fact, just the opposite. Most people who were raised there were taught to find a job, work hard at it all their lives, and retire with a nice pension. Don’t “start” anything on your own, or in other words, “don’t rock the boat. I never fit in, I always knew there was something more for me – I went beyond rocking the boat –
I tipped it right over!
I am the younger of 2 daughters to my parents who were married until literally the day they died. My older and only sibling was diagnosed as Developmentally Disabled at 3 years old. I was 1 ½ at the time, so I’ve never known a life without “challenges.” I am grateful for this experience with my sister, it taught me that even with challenges you can exceed, that people are “different” but all deserve love and nurturing, that there are greater causes than just “yourself” in this world.
My parents sacrificed so I could go to a private Catholic High School and College. I received a
BA in Business from Seton Hall University with a concentration in Marketing, which was and always will be my first love. For the first 15 years of my career, I worked in the software industry, but always in a Marketing/PR/Corporate Communications capacity. I did great, when that
industry didgreat – but when i tanked in the late 90s, I moved from an HR/Payroll software company to simply and HR based company; one of the largest staffing and HR companies in the world, Spherion Corporation. I served as their Corporate Marketing Manager at their corporate headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale FL. I LOVED this position and had been with the company for
just over a year, when I purchased my first home.
My Mother had passed away several years earlier, and my Dad, finding himself with one very “girly-girl” daughter and another one being special needs, did not know where to start in buying our Christmas or Birthday gifts, as that was always what Mom took care of. He loved to walk the floors of the local mall, so I told him, “anything you see with the brand Homedics Spa on it, I will probably love” …and so it began…the at home Jacuzzi bath, the foot soaker, the heated massage pad for your chair and on and on. I virtually had an “at-home spa” in my linen closet!
As a house warming party, I decided to throw a “spa-themed” event, shortly after purchasing my new condo. In the midst of planning my housewarming, there was a massive lay off at Spherion, as a result of 9-11. I was part of the layoff. I had literally just unpacked my last moving box and made one mortgage payment when I found myself on the unemployment line. I was asked if I was still going forward with the housewarming party, and knowing it was “spa-themed” my reply was “yes,
I am my former co-workers need to de-stress NOW more than ever!”
I found myself out of work and at home with a lot of nervous energy. I turned this around and
used it to TRULY turn my home in to a spa…I was outside cutting palm fronds off of trees to
place under my serving trays, lining the halls with candles, setting up water fountains, dropping rose petals everywhere, setting up relaxing music and lighting simultaneously in each room.
When my guests arrived, their immediate reply was “WOW – this looks amazing!” To this day,
that is the effect that I still strive for with every single SPArty event!
My former Supervisor was a guest and was so amazed by this party, that she made the suggestion that I should turn it in to a business. Without a second thought or a penny in the bank – I said,
“OK” – and SPArties Mobile Day Spa was born – just like that!
As I mentioned, I just bought a home, so I had no savings remaining and no help. I survived on unemployment and Ramen noodles. There were times, I would walk in to my condo and hope that when I flipped the light switch, it would go on. But I persevered and kept at it.
I took classes and advice from my local S.C.O.R.E office (Service Core of Retired Executives). I remember they assigned me a mentor, who explained that most self-starter businesses fail within the first two years, not because of capital or mismanagement, but because the owner or in my case, the Entrepreneur, does not have a “fire in their belly” …it is not their passion. My mentor looked right at me in a crowded room and said, “you HAVE that fire in your belly –you have that passion – YOU will be a success” Wow – what a compliment!
Getting the business going and keeping it running was an EXTREMELY hard venture and still is to this day. Anybody who glorifies the “ease” of being a business owner or an Entrepreneur has never truly OWNED a business or been an Entrepreneur!
There were, and still are, many sleepless nights and stress-filled days! For the first 4 years or so, I simply ran the business side of things….hiring staff, setting up events, managing supplies, the marketing, the accounting, the licenses, EVERYTHING that goes with operating a business. I decided to trademark the term SPArty & SPArties, which was not an easy feat.
At the time I had no intention of doing this business anywhere but South Florida, but my elderly Father was still
I come from a modest middle-income family and grew up in a mostly blue-collar, very close-knit, hard working town, just outside of Manhattan, called Bayonne NJ. It is far from the spa capital or even the entrepreneurial capital of the world…as a matter of fact, just the opposite. Most people who were raised there were taught to find a job, work hard at it all their lives, and retire with a nice pension. Don’t “start” anything on your own, or in other words, “don’t rock the boat. I never fit in, I always knew there was something more for me – I went beyond rocking the boat –
I tipped it right over!
I am the younger of 2 daughters to my parents who were married until literally the day they died. My older and only sibling was diagnosed as Developmentally Disabled at 3 years old. I was 1 ½ at the time, so I’ve never known a life without “challenges.” I am grateful for this experience with my sister, it taught me that even with challenges you can exceed, that people are “different” but all deserve love and nurturing, that there are greater causes than just “yourself” in this world.
My parents sacrificed so I could go to a private Catholic High School and College. I received a
BA in Business from Seton Hall University with a concentration in Marketing, which was and always will be my first love. For the first 15 years of my career, I worked in the software industry, but always in a Marketing/PR/Corporate Communications capacity. I did great, when that
industry didgreat – but when i tanked in the late 90s, I moved from an HR/Payroll software company to simply and HR based company; one of the largest staffing and HR companies in the world, Spherion Corporation. I served as their Corporate Marketing Manager at their corporate headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale FL. I LOVED this position and had been with the company for
just over a year, when I purchased my first home.
My Mother had passed away several years earlier, and my Dad, finding himself with one very “girly-girl” daughter and another one being special needs, did not know where to start in buying our Christmas or Birthday gifts, as that was always what Mom took care of. He loved to walk the floors of the local mall, so I told him, “anything you see with the brand Homedics Spa on it, I will probably love” …and so it began…the at home Jacuzzi bath, the foot soaker, the heated massage pad for your chair and on and on. I virtually had an “at-home spa” in my linen closet!
As a house warming party, I decided to throw a “spa-themed” event, shortly after purchasing my new condo. In the midst of planning my housewarming, there was a massive lay off at Spherion, as a result of 9-11. I was part of the layoff. I had literally just unpacked my last moving box and made one mortgage payment when I found myself on the unemployment line. I was asked if I was still going forward with the housewarming party, and knowing it was “spa-themed” my reply was “yes,
I am my former co-workers need to de-stress NOW more than ever!”
I found myself out of work and at home with a lot of nervous energy. I turned this around and
used it to TRULY turn my home in to a spa…I was outside cutting palm fronds off of trees to
place under my serving trays, lining the halls with candles, setting up water fountains, dropping rose petals everywhere, setting up relaxing music and lighting simultaneously in each room.
When my guests arrived, their immediate reply was “WOW – this looks amazing!” To this day,
that is the effect that I still strive for with every single SPArty event!
My former Supervisor was a guest and was so amazed by this party, that she made the suggestion that I should turn it in to a business. Without a second thought or a penny in the bank – I said,
“OK” – and SPArties Mobile Day Spa was born – just like that!
As I mentioned, I just bought a home, so I had no savings remaining and no help. I survived on unemployment and Ramen noodles. There were times, I would walk in to my condo and hope that when I flipped the light switch, it would go on. But I persevered and kept at it.
I took classes and advice from my local S.C.O.R.E office (Service Core of Retired Executives). I remember they assigned me a mentor, who explained that most self-starter businesses fail within the first two years, not because of capital or mismanagement, but because the owner or in my case, the Entrepreneur, does not have a “fire in their belly” …it is not their passion. My mentor looked right at me in a crowded room and said, “you HAVE that fire in your belly –you have that passion – YOU will be a success” Wow – what a compliment!
Getting the business going and keeping it running was an EXTREMELY hard venture and still is to this day. Anybody who glorifies the “ease” of being a business owner or an Entrepreneur has never truly OWNED a business or been an Entrepreneur!
There were, and still are, many sleepless nights and stress-filled days! For the first 4 years or so, I simply ran the business side of things….hiring staff, setting up events, managing supplies, the marketing, the accounting, the licenses, EVERYTHING that goes with operating a business. I decided to trademark the term SPArty & SPArties, which was not an easy feat.
At the time I had no intention of doing this business anywhere but South Florida, but my elderly Father was still
Hi, my name is Charletta, they call me Charlie, it fits my personality. I started my Jewelry Line with a name, that's it, no desire to do jewelry or anything of that nature. I have 4children, my daughters are my babies, now 20 and 22...... Omega and Charmen, Charmens birth name is Janiece, we brought her home from the hospital calling her Charmen, something my sister did, and it beat out the birth certificate name. I come from a line of entrepreneurs, my dad, mom, stepdad..... My profession is the hair industry, I'm a licensed cosmetologist, 28years now, I left college after 6months for hair school.... I'm a salon owner, 24yrs.
At the age of 6 and 8, I started teaching my children, entrepreneurship, focused on my
daughters, my ex husband was and now is retired navy, I figured the boys would follow that
path, one did, my sons are 24 and 26......I said to my daughters, your names are so unique, it's perfect for a business. We wrote down the first part of Char for Charmen and Mega for Omega. CharMega was ALL WE HAD! I framed it and hung it....Charmen started sketching ideas for clothes, I would encourage her because I still was clueless where we would go with this. A few YEARS later, I'm out hanging with my bestie and she goes, you made that didn't you, you're always EMBELLISHING something, you should do something with that gift, I held on to EMBELLISH till I got home because I knew that THAT would complete CharMega. I took that idea off the wall, sketched in EMBELLISH with a butterfly but I didn't like the look...
I played around with it and I was like DROP THE "E".... I Sketched Mbellish by CharMega, used that for a very short minute, loved the name, hated the look.... Still, no business idea just a name.....
Soon after that, the salon slowed WAY down, sisters wanting to return back to their natural state and the economy drops!!!!! So, the salon is no longer a necessity, now my business becomes pleasure.... I did pretty good because of my customer base.... I started selling Jewely and shoes to help with income, BUTTTTT, I would EMBELLISH the jewelry...
I guess I was up cycling before it became popular, I think that's what they've tagged it, the jewelry sold very well.
This is were my story begins.....LOL!!!!!
My friend, Tan Mayhew, moved back to Jax and she introduced her SHE PARTY to us, everything that S.H.E. desires, shoe, hats, etc. I told my girls that we would do the she party and introduce Mbellish by CharMega.... I still didn't like the look of Mbellish....I ordered our sign and I decided to submit M-Bellish by CharMega.... Sign was nice but M-Bellish didn't sit well with me.
The SHE Party was a success, my daughters were now 16 and 14years old.....our Business was at her jumpstart......it encouraged them and excited me because they witnessed their name as an actual business...
As a result of my EMBELLISH gift being used to create ideas with things already created, it awakened the artist in me, I've been creative since a child, drawing, poetry, building buildings out of shoe boxes, drawing on me and my friends jeans, etc, here I was, now in my early forties, remembering those hidden treasures.....those gifts.
I started creating from scratch, then I started creating pieces for the laser guy to cute out for me. I WAS HOOKED and my salon customers would tease me, DON'T FORGET OUR HAIR, because they saw the love, the passion, the gift and my girls, well, they saw school activities and boys and growing up, lol, so, yeah, mommy was all in and they became and still are "promoters".....
I decided to do my first full day, natural hairshow event here in Jacksonville, Fla, I met Mrs Phyllis and she highly recommended her show, it was the first time For her show here in Jax and it wasn't a disappointment, it sealed it for me, this was where God was directing me, to create
WEARABLE ART, Mrs Phyllis swears I came up with that name, lol...
I gave it one more try with the name, I sketched MBellish By CharMega, I loved the look and a designer, with a desire to create a business for her daughters, was born....
We are located in Jacksonville, Fla. inside my salon JCB Hair Studio, we are a full time online boutique at etsy.com/shop/MBellishbycharmega and we are very social...
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
Our pieces are first come first to purchase with no promises of recreating a design because there's so much to create. We have a baby line in honor of my first grand, my sons daughter Brooklynn, it's called BrooklynnSkyeLine, I hope to have it more engaged this year. I am sole everything to MBellish by CharMega, my daughters are now on their own, accomplishing their dreams but they continue to "advertise" for THEIR company....lol. I'm so very proud of Charmen and Omega, it would be selfish of me to feel abandoned. It's a lot of work for one person to carry,
I wouldn't change a thing.....so much to be thankful for.
Thank you for allowing me to share our success with your readers
Charletta for MBellish By CharMega
Call Me Charlie
At the age of 6 and 8, I started teaching my children, entrepreneurship, focused on my
daughters, my ex husband was and now is retired navy, I figured the boys would follow that
path, one did, my sons are 24 and 26......I said to my daughters, your names are so unique, it's perfect for a business. We wrote down the first part of Char for Charmen and Mega for Omega. CharMega was ALL WE HAD! I framed it and hung it....Charmen started sketching ideas for clothes, I would encourage her because I still was clueless where we would go with this. A few YEARS later, I'm out hanging with my bestie and she goes, you made that didn't you, you're always EMBELLISHING something, you should do something with that gift, I held on to EMBELLISH till I got home because I knew that THAT would complete CharMega. I took that idea off the wall, sketched in EMBELLISH with a butterfly but I didn't like the look...
I played around with it and I was like DROP THE "E".... I Sketched Mbellish by CharMega, used that for a very short minute, loved the name, hated the look.... Still, no business idea just a name.....
Soon after that, the salon slowed WAY down, sisters wanting to return back to their natural state and the economy drops!!!!! So, the salon is no longer a necessity, now my business becomes pleasure.... I did pretty good because of my customer base.... I started selling Jewely and shoes to help with income, BUTTTTT, I would EMBELLISH the jewelry...
I guess I was up cycling before it became popular, I think that's what they've tagged it, the jewelry sold very well.
This is were my story begins.....LOL!!!!!
My friend, Tan Mayhew, moved back to Jax and she introduced her SHE PARTY to us, everything that S.H.E. desires, shoe, hats, etc. I told my girls that we would do the she party and introduce Mbellish by CharMega.... I still didn't like the look of Mbellish....I ordered our sign and I decided to submit M-Bellish by CharMega.... Sign was nice but M-Bellish didn't sit well with me.
The SHE Party was a success, my daughters were now 16 and 14years old.....our Business was at her jumpstart......it encouraged them and excited me because they witnessed their name as an actual business...
As a result of my EMBELLISH gift being used to create ideas with things already created, it awakened the artist in me, I've been creative since a child, drawing, poetry, building buildings out of shoe boxes, drawing on me and my friends jeans, etc, here I was, now in my early forties, remembering those hidden treasures.....those gifts.
I started creating from scratch, then I started creating pieces for the laser guy to cute out for me. I WAS HOOKED and my salon customers would tease me, DON'T FORGET OUR HAIR, because they saw the love, the passion, the gift and my girls, well, they saw school activities and boys and growing up, lol, so, yeah, mommy was all in and they became and still are "promoters".....
I decided to do my first full day, natural hairshow event here in Jacksonville, Fla, I met Mrs Phyllis and she highly recommended her show, it was the first time For her show here in Jax and it wasn't a disappointment, it sealed it for me, this was where God was directing me, to create
WEARABLE ART, Mrs Phyllis swears I came up with that name, lol...
I gave it one more try with the name, I sketched MBellish By CharMega, I loved the look and a designer, with a desire to create a business for her daughters, was born....
We are located in Jacksonville, Fla. inside my salon JCB Hair Studio, we are a full time online boutique at etsy.com/shop/MBellishbycharmega and we are very social...
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
Our pieces are first come first to purchase with no promises of recreating a design because there's so much to create. We have a baby line in honor of my first grand, my sons daughter Brooklynn, it's called BrooklynnSkyeLine, I hope to have it more engaged this year. I am sole everything to MBellish by CharMega, my daughters are now on their own, accomplishing their dreams but they continue to "advertise" for THEIR company....lol. I'm so very proud of Charmen and Omega, it would be selfish of me to feel abandoned. It's a lot of work for one person to carry,
I wouldn't change a thing.....so much to be thankful for.
Thank you for allowing me to share our success with your readers
Charletta for MBellish By CharMega
Call Me Charlie
I Am Victoria Moore
Where shall I start with my story? How about the moment that I am in. I am on a journey towards wellness for my mind, body and spirit. Along that journey I have faced many truths about myself, my environment, family and friends. Yes, most are good truths. It’s the hard ones that I am dealing with daily. The first is that I am flawed. Yes, I fail and sometimes miserably. The first incident of that was when I thought life was too much and I didn’t want to do the work to heal,
I attempted suicide. Well, I didn’t succeed through God’s grace. But there are many who
have tried failed, many who have succeeded.
What’s so important about this portion of my story is that as a Preacher’s Kid, yes my father is a preacher. It is not the norm to talk about or even share the victory of a suicide attempt. Here is something real that church folk especially blacks do not discuss. For the longest time my family and friends acted like it didn’t even happen. Well it did in a big way. I even wrote an open letter online and an acquaintance thought it odd called me and called 911 from another state.
During that season after the attempt I had this funny thing to happen, I kept coming in contact with people who were contemplating suicide. I was even on LIVE radio when a guy tweeted his intentions but because the subject matter and the tweets kept coming in a positive manner he decided not to. I had a young lady reach out to me on Face Book who decided against it after I told her my story and how I get through day by day! Yes, still day by day. Every day is not rosy but it is an opportunity to get rosy and that is the encouragement of hope that I give as I share my story. One thing that I know is this, life, my life the young man, and young woman’s life has purpose because we are here!
According to Jeremiah 29:11 God has plans, big plans, for our future and it includes being well in every area of life. So I have this as my Mantra and I pray daily, meditate and find those things about myself that I truly love. I explore me! Corny maybe but it is the” me” I didn’t love that attempted suicide, this me would never think of it! I have coined a saying ”be good to you.” This little encouragement has reminded me to take care of my heart, mind, soul and spirit by being good to me whatever that “good” is at the moment represents. It may be laughter, socialization, worship, prayer or whatever makes the world my kind of rosy! So that is that story.
Who am I? I EVERY WOMAN, I am a daughter, sister and aunt who is an aspiring author, entrepreneur and wellness advocate. I am a single never married no children 46 year old African American woman. Yes and oddity! Some of that has not been my choice but it is my life and I am grateful for it now! I love talking to people about the good that is in the world that includes them. Currently I have a book out called Stone Thrower. A new book coming soon Blue Fields and a collaboration for entrepreneurs called Corked Not Screwed giving some tidbits on life in the world of earning the trust of the client so that your economy may always be fluid.
Where shall I start with my story? How about the moment that I am in. I am on a journey towards wellness for my mind, body and spirit. Along that journey I have faced many truths about myself, my environment, family and friends. Yes, most are good truths. It’s the hard ones that I am dealing with daily. The first is that I am flawed. Yes, I fail and sometimes miserably. The first incident of that was when I thought life was too much and I didn’t want to do the work to heal,
I attempted suicide. Well, I didn’t succeed through God’s grace. But there are many who
have tried failed, many who have succeeded.
What’s so important about this portion of my story is that as a Preacher’s Kid, yes my father is a preacher. It is not the norm to talk about or even share the victory of a suicide attempt. Here is something real that church folk especially blacks do not discuss. For the longest time my family and friends acted like it didn’t even happen. Well it did in a big way. I even wrote an open letter online and an acquaintance thought it odd called me and called 911 from another state.
During that season after the attempt I had this funny thing to happen, I kept coming in contact with people who were contemplating suicide. I was even on LIVE radio when a guy tweeted his intentions but because the subject matter and the tweets kept coming in a positive manner he decided not to. I had a young lady reach out to me on Face Book who decided against it after I told her my story and how I get through day by day! Yes, still day by day. Every day is not rosy but it is an opportunity to get rosy and that is the encouragement of hope that I give as I share my story. One thing that I know is this, life, my life the young man, and young woman’s life has purpose because we are here!
According to Jeremiah 29:11 God has plans, big plans, for our future and it includes being well in every area of life. So I have this as my Mantra and I pray daily, meditate and find those things about myself that I truly love. I explore me! Corny maybe but it is the” me” I didn’t love that attempted suicide, this me would never think of it! I have coined a saying ”be good to you.” This little encouragement has reminded me to take care of my heart, mind, soul and spirit by being good to me whatever that “good” is at the moment represents. It may be laughter, socialization, worship, prayer or whatever makes the world my kind of rosy! So that is that story.
Who am I? I EVERY WOMAN, I am a daughter, sister and aunt who is an aspiring author, entrepreneur and wellness advocate. I am a single never married no children 46 year old African American woman. Yes and oddity! Some of that has not been my choice but it is my life and I am grateful for it now! I love talking to people about the good that is in the world that includes them. Currently I have a book out called Stone Thrower. A new book coming soon Blue Fields and a collaboration for entrepreneurs called Corked Not Screwed giving some tidbits on life in the world of earning the trust of the client so that your economy may always be fluid.
Hi, I'm Kiana Donae, poet, author, and love supporter. Born and raised in Michigan, with a brief stint in Tennessee where I met my husband and picked up a slight southern accent. I started writing poetry around the age of 8, however as I got older the pen became therapeutic. Writing became my place of solace and the place I could have a voice against abuses that happened to me when I was young.
I hid my poetry for most of my adolescent and young teen life, and even when I did share, I still kept the more personal ones to myself. I always felt unsure of my writing, always compared it to someone else's. I thank my husband & sisters for always being encouraging of the pieces I did share, that gave me confidence in my gift. It wasn't until after getting married and having kids that I knew I wanted to share my gift and leave my legacy of words upon this Earth. I knew that I had to achieve the one goal I always wanted, which was to have my own poetry books, if I was going to tell my kids they could achieve their dreams. So with the support of my husband and a lot of Google knowledge I self-published my first collection, Love & Ink, in 2014. My second collection, Love & Ink Vol.2: Reflections, was published this past June of 2015.
When I'm not writing, I also create digital scrapbooks for my family and friends, and I own my own design business where I create digital scrapbooking products for other scrappers in the digi-community. I often will digitally scrap my poetry and sell it as frame-able art. You can find my #ScrapsOfPoetry pieces on my website too.
It was while promoting my first collection on social media that I became a love supporter. While I aspire to have my words read, because I believe I have something to say that can be related to and learned from; I found that supporting others and helping to share their gifts gives me MUCH joy and peace. I truly believe this world could use a lot more love and less "for self" attitudes. So whenever I have time you'll find me sharing, reposting, retweeting, someone else's gift. Bringing to light their creative endeavors, especially writers and small businesses. My sharing may bring them the business they needed to buy groceries, pay a bill, or help them to support another.
You get back from the universe what you give out, for me that's my ink and my love. #LoveandInk it's my destiny and it's also my 50ShadesofSuccess story.
Find more about my books and writing at:
kianadonaepoetry.weebly.com
Follow me on Twitter or Instagram: @poetkianadonae
Find me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PoetKianaDonae
I hid my poetry for most of my adolescent and young teen life, and even when I did share, I still kept the more personal ones to myself. I always felt unsure of my writing, always compared it to someone else's. I thank my husband & sisters for always being encouraging of the pieces I did share, that gave me confidence in my gift. It wasn't until after getting married and having kids that I knew I wanted to share my gift and leave my legacy of words upon this Earth. I knew that I had to achieve the one goal I always wanted, which was to have my own poetry books, if I was going to tell my kids they could achieve their dreams. So with the support of my husband and a lot of Google knowledge I self-published my first collection, Love & Ink, in 2014. My second collection, Love & Ink Vol.2: Reflections, was published this past June of 2015.
When I'm not writing, I also create digital scrapbooks for my family and friends, and I own my own design business where I create digital scrapbooking products for other scrappers in the digi-community. I often will digitally scrap my poetry and sell it as frame-able art. You can find my #ScrapsOfPoetry pieces on my website too.
It was while promoting my first collection on social media that I became a love supporter. While I aspire to have my words read, because I believe I have something to say that can be related to and learned from; I found that supporting others and helping to share their gifts gives me MUCH joy and peace. I truly believe this world could use a lot more love and less "for self" attitudes. So whenever I have time you'll find me sharing, reposting, retweeting, someone else's gift. Bringing to light their creative endeavors, especially writers and small businesses. My sharing may bring them the business they needed to buy groceries, pay a bill, or help them to support another.
You get back from the universe what you give out, for me that's my ink and my love. #LoveandInk it's my destiny and it's also my 50ShadesofSuccess story.
Find more about my books and writing at:
kianadonaepoetry.weebly.com
Follow me on Twitter or Instagram: @poetkianadonae
Find me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PoetKianaDonae
Yolanda "Poetic Flow" Jackson is a Chicago native who was raised on the south side and is the oldest of 4 children (the only girl). Her name "Poetic Flow" reigns from her gift and talent of writing poetry with ease, as well as being a 3x published poet. Around the age of 12, her late grandmother, Verena Jackson, saw the potential in her and made her take notice of her gift.
Yolanda has excelled as a Poet, reaching the masses, touching hearts and lives with her words
as well as connecting with celebrities and doing personal poetic quotes for them.
She also writes Positive Vibes and has a clothing line, Positive Vibes by Poetic Flow.
You can check her out at www.poeticflow310.com
Yolanda is very educated & extremely talented. She not only is a Poet and Positive Viber, but for the last 16 years has been an exceptional Sr. Paralegal working in various fields of law, including but not limited to: Contracts, Copyrights, Trademarks, Corporate, Business, Litigation, Torts, Securities, Employment, and the list goes on. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Sociology, began her Master's Degree in Public Administration and Political Science, received her ABA Approved Paralegal Certification and obtained her Intellectual Property Certification for Copyrights, Patents & Trademarks.
Having such a dynamic creative and legal background, in July 2014, Yolanda partnered with Ursula A. Joyner as Co-Owner of No Budget Studio, LLC.
In her role as Co-Owner and Executive Producer, Yolanda will handle the business incorporations & paperwork, contracts, promotions, marketing & social media, amongst other business related & relevant tasks.
These 2 women with their overall experience, knowledge, creativity and work ethic, will surely take No Budget Studio, LLC to the top of the Entertainment world and make dreams possible for independent artists, producers, writers, directors, etc. and who thought they would never be able to see their dreams come to fruition.
No Budget Studio was created in 2014 by Ursula Joyner, whom also owns "Straight From The Horse's Mouth Productions." Ursula, moved to Kansas City Kansas at the age of two years old. She attended Hawthorne Elementary, Northwest Middle, and a half semester at Wyandotte High. Due to becoming a mom at 15 and having another child at 16 yrs old, she was forced to drop out of school because she had no babysitter.
When she turned 18, she went to Donelly Community College and got her GED. She took Theater classes at Kansas City Kansas Community College, under Dr. Charles Leader. She eventually packed her bags and headed to Hollywood to pursue her dreams in acting. After attending several popular places for actors to train, she tried for years to book acting gigs, to no avail.
She joined the Screen Actor's Guild in 1997 and is still an active member.
Ursula decided that she was not going to continue to wait for someone to book her for acting gigs, she enrolled at Los Angeles City College to study Television. Although her heart is in producing and creating Television Shows, she also took some classes in film production. She ultimately received her certifications in Television and Film Production.
After reaching out to several production companies, and industry friends for work and never getting any gigs, Ursula headed to Atlanta Georgia to try her luck there in the entertainment industry. Again, nothing happened there.
She went home to Kansas in July 2014 for a family reunion and it was then that she had her "AH HA" moment. It was Kansas where she was going to make her mark in the entertainment industry. That's when "NO BUDGET STUDIO" was born. She rented a small storage place and started looking on Craigslist's Free section for props. After a couple months of collecting mainly free items, she found space to open her studio.
With the help of her very talented and hardworking nephew, family and friends, No Budget Studio is a one-stop-shop for any project big or small. It was Ursula's goal to create a place that will cater to students, and independent producers with low to NO budget. She is on a mission to teach and educate the producers and filmmakers in Kansas the ends and outs of the entertainment industry. It's time to bring Cali to Kansas.
When she turned 18, she went to Donelly Community College and got her GED. She took Theater classes at Kansas City Kansas Community College, under Dr. Charles Leader. She eventually packed her bags and headed to Hollywood to pursue her dreams in acting. After attending several popular places for actors to train, she tried for years to book acting gigs, to no avail.
She joined the Screen Actor's Guild in 1997 and is still an active member.
Ursula decided that she was not going to continue to wait for someone to book her for acting gigs, she enrolled at Los Angeles City College to study Television. Although her heart is in producing and creating Television Shows, she also took some classes in film production. She ultimately received her certifications in Television and Film Production.
After reaching out to several production companies, and industry friends for work and never getting any gigs, Ursula headed to Atlanta Georgia to try her luck there in the entertainment industry. Again, nothing happened there.
She went home to Kansas in July 2014 for a family reunion and it was then that she had her "AH HA" moment. It was Kansas where she was going to make her mark in the entertainment industry. That's when "NO BUDGET STUDIO" was born. She rented a small storage place and started looking on Craigslist's Free section for props. After a couple months of collecting mainly free items, she found space to open her studio.
With the help of her very talented and hardworking nephew, family and friends, No Budget Studio is a one-stop-shop for any project big or small. It was Ursula's goal to create a place that will cater to students, and independent producers with low to NO budget. She is on a mission to teach and educate the producers and filmmakers in Kansas the ends and outs of the entertainment industry. It's time to bring Cali to Kansas.
Greetings everyone!
I am Stacy Glass and I would like to share with you my story.
In my younger years, I remember times of feeling discomfort in my limbs and joints. These feelings would come and eventually subside, leaving me to believe it was nothing serious. The numbness, tingles and extreme weakness would soon follow in the years to come. At the very beginning of 2013, the latter symptoms became extremely dominant forcing me to shed serious tears and cut my work days shorter and shorter and I was only a month into the new year. I was in serious pain and discomfort. I was persistent in my visits to my primary because at this point, I knew something was going on inside of my body but had no clue as to what it was exactly. I was referred to a Neurologist.
I had undergone various testing and blood work at the hospital. After all was done, I waited on a call. Driving to work on the morning of February 25, 2013 I received a call on my cell from my Neurologist. I can't begin to tell you what I was feeling at that moment as I heard his voice on the other end of the phone. By this time, I was parked across the street from my job contemplating what this conversation would hold. Let me first say that he wanted to see me in his office as soon as possible. I could not wait another day or two and asked him to share with me at that moment the results from the testing. He proceeded to explain to me that he and another specialist were absolutely shocked with what was revealed after all tests were done. He informed me that the testing revealed Multiple Sclerosis and I needed to start treatment as soon as possible.
It was devastating to learn of this diagnosis and extremely hard to accept reality. I immediately broke down in the parking garage. At that very moment, so many thoughts and visions of what I thought my future entailed began racing through my mind. Honestly, my first thought was how long did I have before this disease claimed my life. My mind was completely bombarded with thoughts of those people who were no longer here because of MS. Would I eventually become incapacitated? Would I become totally dependent? Would I be completely handicapped the rest of my natural life? I couldn't stand it. I immediately began to sink into depression. My heart sank and tears flooded my eyes. I tried to stir up enough strength to wipe the tears, get out of my truck and walk across the street to work to begin my day. Needless to say, I didn't have the strength to endure at that moment. I was emotionally broken and that very minute my emotions hit rock bottom. I took a short leave to deal with everything. I was beyond angry at God. I was pissed!!! I began to question God's motive!!!! While sitting alone in my truck, I began to go into prayer at that very moment seeking an answer from God. I took a dare and asked God "why me" and instantly began to resent him. At that moment, I was so confused.
Months passed and sometime later I had a reality check! Who was I to ask God why? Why not me? So I chose to accept what is and allow God to be God. There was no other way. It took me months to actually believe I have Multiple Sclerosis. 2013 marked a lifestyle change for me but despite this change God is STILL good!!! I thank God that you can't look at me and see the MS!!! But inside, my own body is attacking itself damaging my central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). But there is nothing like faith and walking in the favor of God!!!
WELL, IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS NOW AND IT'S SAFE TO SAY THAT I DON'T STRUGGLE WITH MS, BUT MS STRUGGLES WITH MY FAITH!
I am now an MS Activist who is destined to defy an MS prognosis.
I am an MS Activist Living with MS. Please support my efforts in putting an end to MS.
Join Team Unbreakable Glass
I am Stacy Glass and I would like to share with you my story.
In my younger years, I remember times of feeling discomfort in my limbs and joints. These feelings would come and eventually subside, leaving me to believe it was nothing serious. The numbness, tingles and extreme weakness would soon follow in the years to come. At the very beginning of 2013, the latter symptoms became extremely dominant forcing me to shed serious tears and cut my work days shorter and shorter and I was only a month into the new year. I was in serious pain and discomfort. I was persistent in my visits to my primary because at this point, I knew something was going on inside of my body but had no clue as to what it was exactly. I was referred to a Neurologist.
I had undergone various testing and blood work at the hospital. After all was done, I waited on a call. Driving to work on the morning of February 25, 2013 I received a call on my cell from my Neurologist. I can't begin to tell you what I was feeling at that moment as I heard his voice on the other end of the phone. By this time, I was parked across the street from my job contemplating what this conversation would hold. Let me first say that he wanted to see me in his office as soon as possible. I could not wait another day or two and asked him to share with me at that moment the results from the testing. He proceeded to explain to me that he and another specialist were absolutely shocked with what was revealed after all tests were done. He informed me that the testing revealed Multiple Sclerosis and I needed to start treatment as soon as possible.
It was devastating to learn of this diagnosis and extremely hard to accept reality. I immediately broke down in the parking garage. At that very moment, so many thoughts and visions of what I thought my future entailed began racing through my mind. Honestly, my first thought was how long did I have before this disease claimed my life. My mind was completely bombarded with thoughts of those people who were no longer here because of MS. Would I eventually become incapacitated? Would I become totally dependent? Would I be completely handicapped the rest of my natural life? I couldn't stand it. I immediately began to sink into depression. My heart sank and tears flooded my eyes. I tried to stir up enough strength to wipe the tears, get out of my truck and walk across the street to work to begin my day. Needless to say, I didn't have the strength to endure at that moment. I was emotionally broken and that very minute my emotions hit rock bottom. I took a short leave to deal with everything. I was beyond angry at God. I was pissed!!! I began to question God's motive!!!! While sitting alone in my truck, I began to go into prayer at that very moment seeking an answer from God. I took a dare and asked God "why me" and instantly began to resent him. At that moment, I was so confused.
Months passed and sometime later I had a reality check! Who was I to ask God why? Why not me? So I chose to accept what is and allow God to be God. There was no other way. It took me months to actually believe I have Multiple Sclerosis. 2013 marked a lifestyle change for me but despite this change God is STILL good!!! I thank God that you can't look at me and see the MS!!! But inside, my own body is attacking itself damaging my central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). But there is nothing like faith and walking in the favor of God!!!
WELL, IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS NOW AND IT'S SAFE TO SAY THAT I DON'T STRUGGLE WITH MS, BUT MS STRUGGLES WITH MY FAITH!
I am now an MS Activist who is destined to defy an MS prognosis.
I am an MS Activist Living with MS. Please support my efforts in putting an end to MS.
Join Team Unbreakable Glass
I Am M.j. Kane
It’s amazing how saying those words can mean so much, especially when I try my
best not to think about it.
Let me explain.
In 2006, life was good. My husband owned a small general contractor business and out entire family worked to make it successful. My job was to handle the behind the scenes paperwork and run the house. Occasionally I would be called upon to work on a job site, and that was fun, too.
But one day, things changed.
I’d been having major headaches and had been tired a lot, but didn’t think much about it.
I figured it was due to keeping up with the business schedule and outings to keep the kids entertained. Trips to the local park and the library were our thing. Then one day my head
started hurting so bad I couldn’t read…literally, couldn’t read. The words on paper looked like hieroglyphics. I took aspirin, had the kids give me a head massage, and lay down. My husband
was working on a job site, hours away from home. He told me to rest and that he’d check on me when he got home. The next morning, I felt worse. I dragged myself to the bathtub and lay there in hot water, but there was no improvement. My husband talked to me, asked a lot of questions that, at the time, made me mad because it seemed he wasn’t listening to what I was saying.
The next thing I knew, he and my cousin were helping me out of bed and told I was being taken
to the hospital. I remember leaning over the bathroom counter to splash water on my face.
The next thing I knew, I was on the bathroom floor, my husband holding my hand and telling
me to hold on, the EMT’s were on the way. The next two weeks were filled with pain I’d never experienced before. For two weeks, I was in ICU at Emory University Hospital, poked and prodded by doctors, and prayed over by my family.
The diagnosis: I had experienced a major stroke that affected my short-term memory. During
my hospital stay, I experienced several more strokes, one I actually remember happening
because one minute, I was talking to my husband and my mother, the next, I was staring,
listening to what was going on around me, but unable to move a muscle or respond.
I couldn’t even blink. That one left me paralyzed on my right side for several days.
I was only 31.
It’s now 2015, nine years have passed since that day. A lot about my life has changed. I was blessed to regain full function of my body by the day I left the hospital, but it took months to be able to read or write again. I also had to work hard to remember simple things and at times what word to use when talking. The support of my family made me work hard to recover; that and not wanting to be a burden to my family at such a young age.
Fast forward to 2009. I was a stay-at-home mom with too much time on my hands. My husband challenged me to take my love of reading and write a story of my own. Before I had the stroke, I had been a huge fan of the show LOST. I had written a fan-fic piece, shared it with family and a few friends, then shelved it away. Not having a clue what to write, I pulled it out, dusted it off, and gave it another go. But the spirit of the character I had created wasn’t there. I was taking someone else’s story and adding to it. With the encouragement from family, I checked out books about writing instead of fiction novels and taught myself how to write. It wasn’t easy!!! Once I got started, I realized I had a passion for the characters I created. That passion lead to determination. Determination led to three years of sweat and tears…and re-writes. Lots
and lots of re-writes and editing.
Then in 2013, I got signed to 5 Prince Publishing for a six book publishing deal for my series, The Butterfly Memoirs . The first novel, A Heart Not Easily Broken, was published September 2013.
Since then, I have published the first four books in the series, A Heart Not Easily Broken, Jaded, Lonely Heart, and Nobody’s Business. I am currently working on the fifth novel, Alone. Several
of my novels have been Amazon Bestsellers. I have also written several short stories that
can be found as free reads on my website, MJKaneMedia.com. My novels can now be found in paperback at my local Barnes & Noble in Morrow, Georgia, as well as in the PINES Library
catalog in the state of Georgia. My books are available in ebook, audiobook, and paperback through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Smashwords, and Kobo.
Nine years have passed since that life changing event. Instead of letting what happened hold me back, it has pushed me to find a passion about life and allowed me to discover what I can do on a new level. After nearly a year of forcing myself to do simple tasks, I am now doing more than I could ever imagine! This year, I held my first books signing at Barnes & Noble and have had the privilege to be interviewed on several radio shows. I offer advice to aspiring authors who are looking to find their passion to tell their own stories. I have created and maintain a website to share content for writers, as well as my own work. I am the newsletter editor for the website, Romance Novels in Color which promotes the awareness of diverse romance novels. I am also a librarian who works full-time and teaches classes to help educate the community on how do to do things such as become a published author, building your own website, and how to use social networking sites. I love my job because every day I am able to give back to my community while being surrounded by the one thing I have loved since childhood…books.
I say to anyone who doubts that they have the skill to follow a dream, or even doubts their
ability to do more than they ever imagined to challenge yourself. Don’t take no for an answer. Push through the self-doubt. It may take time and tears, but when you finally reach your
goal, you’ll look back and find satisfaction like you’ve never known!
It’s amazing how saying those words can mean so much, especially when I try my
best not to think about it.
Let me explain.
In 2006, life was good. My husband owned a small general contractor business and out entire family worked to make it successful. My job was to handle the behind the scenes paperwork and run the house. Occasionally I would be called upon to work on a job site, and that was fun, too.
But one day, things changed.
I’d been having major headaches and had been tired a lot, but didn’t think much about it.
I figured it was due to keeping up with the business schedule and outings to keep the kids entertained. Trips to the local park and the library were our thing. Then one day my head
started hurting so bad I couldn’t read…literally, couldn’t read. The words on paper looked like hieroglyphics. I took aspirin, had the kids give me a head massage, and lay down. My husband
was working on a job site, hours away from home. He told me to rest and that he’d check on me when he got home. The next morning, I felt worse. I dragged myself to the bathtub and lay there in hot water, but there was no improvement. My husband talked to me, asked a lot of questions that, at the time, made me mad because it seemed he wasn’t listening to what I was saying.
The next thing I knew, he and my cousin were helping me out of bed and told I was being taken
to the hospital. I remember leaning over the bathroom counter to splash water on my face.
The next thing I knew, I was on the bathroom floor, my husband holding my hand and telling
me to hold on, the EMT’s were on the way. The next two weeks were filled with pain I’d never experienced before. For two weeks, I was in ICU at Emory University Hospital, poked and prodded by doctors, and prayed over by my family.
The diagnosis: I had experienced a major stroke that affected my short-term memory. During
my hospital stay, I experienced several more strokes, one I actually remember happening
because one minute, I was talking to my husband and my mother, the next, I was staring,
listening to what was going on around me, but unable to move a muscle or respond.
I couldn’t even blink. That one left me paralyzed on my right side for several days.
I was only 31.
It’s now 2015, nine years have passed since that day. A lot about my life has changed. I was blessed to regain full function of my body by the day I left the hospital, but it took months to be able to read or write again. I also had to work hard to remember simple things and at times what word to use when talking. The support of my family made me work hard to recover; that and not wanting to be a burden to my family at such a young age.
Fast forward to 2009. I was a stay-at-home mom with too much time on my hands. My husband challenged me to take my love of reading and write a story of my own. Before I had the stroke, I had been a huge fan of the show LOST. I had written a fan-fic piece, shared it with family and a few friends, then shelved it away. Not having a clue what to write, I pulled it out, dusted it off, and gave it another go. But the spirit of the character I had created wasn’t there. I was taking someone else’s story and adding to it. With the encouragement from family, I checked out books about writing instead of fiction novels and taught myself how to write. It wasn’t easy!!! Once I got started, I realized I had a passion for the characters I created. That passion lead to determination. Determination led to three years of sweat and tears…and re-writes. Lots
and lots of re-writes and editing.
Then in 2013, I got signed to 5 Prince Publishing for a six book publishing deal for my series, The Butterfly Memoirs . The first novel, A Heart Not Easily Broken, was published September 2013.
Since then, I have published the first four books in the series, A Heart Not Easily Broken, Jaded, Lonely Heart, and Nobody’s Business. I am currently working on the fifth novel, Alone. Several
of my novels have been Amazon Bestsellers. I have also written several short stories that
can be found as free reads on my website, MJKaneMedia.com. My novels can now be found in paperback at my local Barnes & Noble in Morrow, Georgia, as well as in the PINES Library
catalog in the state of Georgia. My books are available in ebook, audiobook, and paperback through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Smashwords, and Kobo.
Nine years have passed since that life changing event. Instead of letting what happened hold me back, it has pushed me to find a passion about life and allowed me to discover what I can do on a new level. After nearly a year of forcing myself to do simple tasks, I am now doing more than I could ever imagine! This year, I held my first books signing at Barnes & Noble and have had the privilege to be interviewed on several radio shows. I offer advice to aspiring authors who are looking to find their passion to tell their own stories. I have created and maintain a website to share content for writers, as well as my own work. I am the newsletter editor for the website, Romance Novels in Color which promotes the awareness of diverse romance novels. I am also a librarian who works full-time and teaches classes to help educate the community on how do to do things such as become a published author, building your own website, and how to use social networking sites. I love my job because every day I am able to give back to my community while being surrounded by the one thing I have loved since childhood…books.
I say to anyone who doubts that they have the skill to follow a dream, or even doubts their
ability to do more than they ever imagined to challenge yourself. Don’t take no for an answer. Push through the self-doubt. It may take time and tears, but when you finally reach your
goal, you’ll look back and find satisfaction like you’ve never known!
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