"I posted this in my group last night:
I planned on recording this video; however, my throat has decided it wanted to sound like a cross between nails on a chalkboard and a gurgling fountain. Now that you have that visual…
I wanted to share something about myself that I normally don’t share with folks. I don’t share it because I don’t want to be judged or perceived as inconsequential. I was adopted (there is debate on whether I was 1 or 2 years old); the man wanted me, the woman did not. I was an inconvenience. When he died, I was 4 years old, and the woman (my “mother”) actually tried to give me back to the adoption agency. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you see it, the rest of the family and the agency refused to let me go back.
The next 14 years were spent being told I was never going to amount to anything. I was worthless, stupid, unloved, and unwanted. I was constantly reminded that my own mother (biological) didn’t want me.
Why is this important for you to know? It’s important because those 14 years shaped my belief system. Those 14 years taught me that I had to be smarter and work harder to be accepted by society and peers.
Fast forward to the over $300K in student loan debt, I amassed proving I was smarter (2 Associates, 2 Bachelor’s, 1.75 Master’s Degree and .25 of a Ph.D.), and 24-year divorce, I ended up working a job that broke my spirit.
The leadership I worked under was horrendous. I could do nothing right, and those feelings from my childhood reared its ugly head. I allowed the leadership to dictate my reactions for many years, and on December 31, 2011, I read a book that changed my life forever. That book led me to become a better human being, a better employee, supervisor, and mother.
Since that day, I have studied under John Maxwell, Paul Martinelli, and Graham Nicholls, to name a few. I have taken the lessons I have learned through life and working with these fine men and changed my perspective and my future.
I found a passion for truth, transparency, and transformation. In the last 3 years, I have fallen in love with transforming how leaders lead. It has been my experience that leaders (and we are all leaders, whether in the home, church, boardroom, school, or job) want to stand up and stand out, but they are just afraid to do so. These fears can be traced back to our belief systems, how we were raised, how we have been treated, and how we see ourselves.
This is what Next Level Leaders is about. It’s about helping leaders lead, so they can stand up, stand out, and change their world. It’s about helping you change your perspective to change your future.
Thank you for being a part of this community.????
Marisa’s training on this inspired me to write it and once I did, I’ve unlocked even more material????"