Soraya -Be Convinced! Sharing Lifechanging Stories of Hope

What does a parent do with the profound grief from the tragic sudden death of a child?  My guest Hope Reger was told that her 19-year-old son Justin had been shot to death.  She shares how she was able to take that immense personal pain and transform it into a true purpose to honor her son.  She provides at no charge a virtual grief support group for persons who have lost loved ones so that no per...

Have you heard about equus coaching? My guest Nancy McKay is a former alcoholic and cancer survivor who is using her knowledge and experiences to assist others.  She is now a recovery and resilience expert and a life and equus coach who helps women find their voice and build their courage.  As a certified equus coach, she uses horses in coaching women, as horses have a unique ability to help peopl...

So many people talk about becoming entrepreneurs but what about those who want to be employees and improve their job performances by being more innovative & creative in the companies they work for?  My guest Caleb Whittle shares how he gives hope by assisting employees in developing their intrapreneurial talents, so they thrive within their companies while helping those companies to add value...

Guests Meridith & Schuyler Alexander, a mother and daughter team, share their story of hope involving the aftermath of a tragic accident in 2016 that left Schuyler with severe physical injuries.  Schuyler was on vacation in Columbia, South America, already a world traveler despite her young age of 22.  Meridith describes the grueling efforts to transport Schuyler to the United States for medic...

Can anyone truly understand what peace is and promote its development all over the world?  My guest Steve Killelea is determined to do just that and gives us hope that thriving peaceful societies are definitely attainable.  A successful entrepreneur and philanthropist, Steve has dedicated his life’s work to learning about and understanding peace and how it can be developed worldwide.  In 2007, he...

Did you know that how children treat their pets is often an indication of their compassion, kindness and empathy?  Mother, children’s author, and dog lover Lisa Wiehebrink shares how she strives to inspire children to develop kindness, compassion, and empathy toward others through her books about dogs.  Her books are used in classrooms for character education to help children learn to have better...

Did you know that our brains are built for survival and not happiness?  Biologist Dr. Rebecca Heiss shares how personal tragedies propelled her to break patterns and behaviors that held her back due to fear and a desire to “stay safe”.  Using her science background, she seeks to help others become less fearful and happier through learning transformative techniques.  She gives us insights from her...

A passionate and lifelong advocate for victims, Vivian St. Juste Schweizer shares her story about how her advocacy skills for the vulnerable started at home at a young age as she advocated for the rights of and services for her disabled brother on St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands.  Over the years, her advocacy for the vulnerable has helped innumerable people, as she served in various leadership pos...

We all go through various stages in life.  How can we successfully handle those transitions?  Ayanna Hall , an accomplished entrepreneur, shares her story of overcoming challenges as she went from being a successful pharmacist and working mom with three children, to a stay-at-home mom, and then to building a business based on a now popular website, all while balancing marriage and ministry.  Her m...

Growing up as a Hispanic male who was viewed as a nerd in high school, Liudeli Torres suffered from poor social skills.  As a young adult, he would go out of his way to avoid interactions with people.  He tells us how he made a dramatic turnaround by being disciplined and focusing on self-improvement strategies he learned from books.  He slowly but intentionally put those strategies to work and ha...

Do you wonder how a mother and her 10-year-old daughter were able to write a book together? Join this unique team as they talk about why they decided to partner together and spread hope for us all through encouraging more kindness in our world.  In their book Adventures in Kindness , they motivate children to do acts of kindness often.  It is filled with 52 creative adventures where children can h...

Education officials have called “bullying” an epidemic.  It affects children of all ages and economic statuses.  Victims of bullying often suffer in secret.  Angela shares her personal story as a parent of a child who was bullied and gives advice as to what parents should do to help their children during those difficult times.  She wrote a children's book, James and the Fireburn ,  to help ch...

Author Joy Williams shares her inspirational story of how she overcame the stigma and profound feelings of loss associated with infertility and how she and her husband eventually brought love into their home by adopting a child.  She also discusses her book Friendship MAPS: A Journey through Maturity, Aspirations, Perspectives, and Struggles , which was birthed from her years of moving constantly...

What do you do when you are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD?   Dr. Willie Jolley used that setback to achieve a tremendous comeback!  Dr. Jolley shares his struggles from his humble beginnings and the many setbacks that he encountered, including losing his job, that inspired him to make major shifts in the direction of his life.  He empowers us with hope that we can indeed come ba...

We often don’t want to be the recipient of tough love but Deb Sofield believes that having a no-nonsense attitude about improving your life will inspire you to make the necessary adjustments to be successful. Deb shares her story as to how she became a well-sought-after speaker, coach, and teacher on such impactful subjects as public speaking, crisis communications, and conquering the camera to ac...

How can you help your children to learn more about and be proud of their race and heritage?  African American mother Amber O’Neal Johnston decided to research and compile information for her children. Then, she made a life-changing decision to share this information with others and created a website heritagemom.com that has an immensely popular following.  There, children and adults can study and...

With all the ups and downs that our economy has taken during the past year during the Covid 19 pandemic, many salespersons and businesses are wondering how to increase their sales.  Look no further! Veteran sales and marketing expert Michael P. Hamer shares his expertise of over 28 years of experience.  He offers insightful and practical principles, based on God’s Word, that will guide any busines...

After settling in the mountain region of La Esperanza, Honduras, American Missionaries Gene, and Robin Willis share their acts of service for the people there.  When the Covid 19 pandemic forced a lockdown in the rural area where they live, even closing down all forms of public transportation, they were able to assist with opening up small pharmacies and transport food to provide desperately neede...

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a Christian missionary and live in a foreign country?  Guests Gene and Robin Willis, a husband and wife team, tell us their poignant story of how they left the comforts of their lives in Georgia to attend Bible school for three years and be trained as missionaries.  Not knowing where they would eventually live and serve, they traveled to Honduras to l...

Some people give up hope in the face of traumatic personal events but my guest Nicole Gneiting has fought the good fight and persevered successfully.  After being diagnosed with head and neck cancer in her 20s and given a 50% chance of survival, she chose to undergo hours of surgery and then rely on her faith for recovery.  She became cancer free but then faced another traumatic event with her son...

Dealing with a hearing loss at any age can be very painful, but especially so in the life of a child. Prolific Caribbean artist Mark Isaacs shares his story about how he chose to face that challenge and others with a positive attitude, intentionally not viewing challenges as obstacles but rather as exciting new ways to learn.  In fact, he learned to hear again through patience and using modern tec...

What was it like for women who wanted to attend law school back in the 1970s? Very difficult, but some women persevered, such as Dorothy Isaacs. She is a successful lawyer who did not give up on her dream to become a lawyer when few women were being admitted to law school.  She shares her stories with us, including one major case where she represented parents who were improperly charged with child...

Is the concept of peace an elusive one? Not for Reem Ghunaim, who is the executive director of Rotary Action Group for Peace which promotes peace throughout the world.  She grew up close to the Palestinian refugee camps and came to the US to study as a Rotary Peace Fellow.  She advocates peace as an ecosystem that requires our actions and intentions. She gives us hope as she advances "peace i...

Do you want to help your children deal with important events in their lives like the first day of school, bullying, being afraid of the dark, and wearing glasses?  Best-selling children’s author Dr. Qooz has written a series of books that contain creative stories with funny characters to encourage children and parents to talk about these important issues.  During this podcast, he also announces th...

Are you wondering what you can do to better handle stress? Instead of allowing sickness and stress to deter her, guest Lauren Baptiste used it to propel her to establish her own business to help others. Today, she owns and operates Acheloa Wellness. She uses lessons learned from her past stressful lifestyle to help others transform burnout and feeling stuck to living a life they love with meaning...