Overcomers Overcoming

Janice Angela Burt is an international, inspirational keynote speaker. Her mission is to encourage, provide insight, and uplift others while continuing to work on her personal growth. She was awarded the Catalyst of Courage award by The Los Angeles Tribune and was listed as a Global Woman to Watch in the Washington DC Chronicle. Being raised in Mexico City, as well as being bilingual gives her a m...

Michelle Seguin's son, Devin, in 2013.  Devin got a stomach ache following which the medical staff found a cancerous tumor. Five weeks later, the medical staff performed surgery on Devin to remove the tumor. Within 24 hours of removing the tumor, he passed away because his body poisoned itself. His body still was trying to fight a tumor that was removed. There is nothing more painful a parent can...

Kristie Guard was raised in a toxic family, and she married into a toxic marriage. She endured nearly 27 years of life not knowing what value she had to anyone. Ten years into a marriage with her high school sweetheart, author Kristie Addair Guard admitted the "happily ever after" just wasn't, and it didn't show any signs of getting there. However hard she tried, the lies she'd been given in child...

Grace Peterson gave birth to a "rainbow baby," which has come to be known as the child born following a previous loss from a stillbirth or miscarriage. Grace's child was diagnosed with the rare Trisomy 18 chromosomal disease. Trisomy 18 is a disorder in which babies are born with three copies of chromosome 18 instead of 2. For an unknown reason, this accident occurs at conception, and all cells in...

Sara Slaybaugh experienced the emotions and discouragement of a toxic marriage. Many of us want a wholesome, long-term relationship to illuminate each other. As a person of faith, Sara hoped to get healthy support from fellow believers. She experienced mixed support from various people. Sara is now remarried with a blended family. Through her life experience, she works with divorced Christian wome...

Seth Gehle survived substantial childhood abuse and trauma. His father nearly killed his mother when he was two years old. As a result, he grew up with a single mother of three children. When he was approximately ten years old, his mother became abusive and addicted to crack and cocaine. This led him down a path to being molested by a grown man for more than five years resulting in an estimated 40...

Michael Ostrolenk has been on a journey of self-discovery and is working with others through transpersonal counseling psychology. Having developed an autoimmune disease as a child and possessing divergent learning styles that the rigid educational system couldn't handle, the conventional wisdom of doctors and educators almost robbed him of his creativity, independence, and, ultimately, his life. M...

Kelly Tuttle became a brain injury survivor in 2015 after her car T-boned another car that had pulled out in front of her. She thought she would shake off the crash and continue with her life. The next day, her co-workers said she wasn't talking coherently. So, she saw her doctor, who said she had a concussion, and she should be better in two weeks. Months later, she was living with a stranger in...

Jeff Pierce has experienced many devastating consequences in his life, including bankruptcy, loss of a business, his wife's death from cancer, and recovering from a dysfunctional family. Jeff was born in Binghamton, NY, and, due to his father's employment, attended twelve schools during his 13 years of formal education. Due to the extensive moving, Jeff was always the "tall, skinny new kid on the...

Mary G. Barlow chronicles her early life dealing with her mom's death when Mary was seven years old, as well as her adult life in finding peace and joy. Years after her mother died, Mary learned her mom had committed suicide, possibly manifested from postpartum depression following the birth of Mary's younger brother. Based on her life experience and the ensuing trauma of learning how her mother d...

Paul Granger describes his emotions and learning from his life experiences of enduring a job termination from a toxic ministry experience. Following the experience of stillborn childbirth, he experienced a job termination from a toxic ministry environment. Again, he and his wife are left with a "what now?" experience. Through these two life traumas, God impressed Paul and his wife with a renewal o...

Jacques Delorme is a science educator, public speaker, life coach, and author of Driving Out of Darkness: Self-care Strategies for Trauma Recovery. He has dedicated the past 12 years to personal development, including multiple training courses. His deep interest in public speaking programs using the concepts in his book will help anyone recovering from trauma, dealing with someone who is, or those...

Denise Dielwart experienced death with the very sudden passing of her husband. Finding a path forward can seem like an impossible challenge in the aftermath of loss. Her journey began in the shadow of profound grief after the loss of her husband in 2009. It was a journey that led her to create the  FLOW Grief Release Method   (Feel, Let go, Overcome, become Whole) — a pathway she designed to navig...

Tracy Slepcevic is an author, Certified Integrative Health Coach, keynote speaker, U.S. Air Force Veteran, and Pur Health, LLC founder, an integrative health and wellness business based out of San Diego that educates individuals on the incredible effects that nutrition and lifestyle choices have on your happiness and ability to lead the life you deserve to live. She is educated in the field of Com...

Joan Quinlan has overcome multiple life traumas brought about by her early lifestyle. Her family culture was one of working beyond any life adversities rather than finding anyone who could empathize with her. That culture caused her to repress many of her early life anxieties, which led her to excessive alcohol consumption. The term for this was formerly alcoholic. The accepted term now is substan...

Joan Quinlan has overcome multiple life traumas brought about by her early lifestyle. Her family culture was one of working beyond any life adversities rather than finding anyone who could empathize with her. That culture caused her to repress many of her early life anxieties, which led her to excessive alcohol consumption. The term for this was formerly alcoholic. The accepted term now is substan...

Kevin Mensah's mom passed away very unexpectedly when he was a high school senior (2024). It is very irregular for a parent to pass away before their children. All parents hope to see their children become what God created them to be. Kevin is working through his grief because of his mom's legacy of loving the God of the Bible. Kevin draws strength from prayer during his emotional low moments. He...

Felix Poyel is a Consciousness Coach who brings a unique and personalized perspective through his transformative life story of overcoming addiction, dealing with Tourette Syndrome and ADHD, bullying in school, his dad's death when he was young, and other challenges to spiritual awakening while pursuing his dream life. Formerly, he worked five years in Gastronomy as a cook and three years in Fitnes...

Bronwyn Schweigerdt is a psychotherapist who knows that even though feelings are invisible, they don't evaporate. Instead, they are stored in our subconscious mind and body when they're disowned. These feelings haunt us and cause mental illness and health issues until we externalize them into words with someone who can hear and validate them. She especially loves playing midwife this way, helping...

Sarah Westbrook has turned an early life of complex trauma into a profession as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Sarah is passionate about mental wellness. She considers herself an eternal learner and is excited to share her knowledge and experience with her audience. As a trauma survivor, she understands the work that goes into healing. Her greatest desire is for her listeners, readers, a...

John A. Brink was born in 1940 in Nazi-occupied Holland during WWII. From the time he could walk, his days often consisted of foraging for food with his brother and sister during harsh warlike conditions, surrounded by death and hardship, especially during the hungry winter of 1944/45. John's mother was left to raise her three kids alone when their father was drafted into the Dutch Army. They woul...

Dana Diaz was born to a teenage mother out of wedlock who didn't want her but was forced to keep her. Reduced to nothing, she left home during her first year of college and immediately fell for a covert narcissist who promised her the love I never had. Dana married him, who soon verbally and physically abused her, much as her father did. She ignored her intuitive sense and married him anyway. Duri...

Avi Wolfson inspires audiences by inspiring others to re-activate the spark in their life. Confidence and success are contagious to foster that life change. A true champion isn't someone who wins for themselves but does it to help others achieve what they have. These phrases dominated Avi's life in words without action. Before he became a licensed realtor, professional salesperson, best-selling au...

Taimi (pronounced "tie-me") Lawlor lived as a complete perfectionist in her early 20s. Plagued by panic attacks, sleepless nights, severe constipation, and excessive exercise, she was a high-functioning, anxious person who did not believe in rest, recovery, or relaxation while trying to prove that she was "good enough." Instead of spinning in her never-ending symptoms, she put all her energy into...

Mary G. Barlow chronicles her early life dealing with her mom's death when Mary was seven years old, as well as her adult life in finding peace and joy. Years after her mother died, Mary learned her mom had committed suicide, possibly manifested from postpartum depression following the birth of Mary's younger brother. Based on her life experience and the ensuing trauma of learning how her mother d...