RE-INVENTION FROM THE HEART

Today's How I Did It story reveals how a catastrophic turn of events can be a blessing in disguise. Kelly Orchard had to re-evaluate every aspect of her life when she realized how fragile it had become. What she recognized in discovering her passion and calling validates what we can create from the obstacles in our lives.
                             

Kelly Orchard is a native Southern California Girl, and while still a High School student, her father turned on the transmitter to their first radio station.  In the years to come, along with her family, Kelly would help her Dad build and operate several stations, including her namesake, KLLY FM, “Kelly 95” in Bakersfield, California.  

Dance and performing were Kelly’s first loves, and life was peppered with involvement in dance, cheerleading, performing, rehearsing and constant dance instruction – whether she was the student, the coach or the choreographer.

In addition to these these years, Kelly experienced the grief over the loss of one of her three brothers, which she now understands set her on a path of personal self destruction, denial and guilt. Grief and loss prevented Kelly from fully pursuing her own dreams. She married young and remained at the family radio business although she had wanted to go to New York and study dance and be on the stage.

By the time Kelly was 28, she had three small children and a divorce.

After operating radio stations with her family for over 16 years, Kelly set out to experience life from a different perspective, spending a few years in the Sacramento, California market working for radio stations owned by large corporations.

As a skilled marketing and sales executive, the money provided the income needed to support a family alone, but  working for a large corporation wasn’t truly satisfying. Kelly wanted to be more of a “stay-at-home” mom, able to bake cookies and do homework, take her kids to baseball practice and dance classes. Kelly had experienced the benefits of being an entrepreneur within the family business and working for a large corporation felt too limiting for her.

Kelly and her Dad went back into business together and built a consulting business to serve the broadcast industry with FCC Compliance requirements. This allowed Kelly to have the best of what she wanted – self employment but making an income that provided for her family, and the flexibility to work from home and be present for her children.Just as her family was becoming more independent and she was ready to “launch” her youngest, Kelly was ready to start the next season of her life, and really pursue an executive position in broadcasting, using her years of experience and connections to take on a bigger role in the industry.

But sometimes perfect timing is so far from perfect it is an oxymoron, as a serious health crisis derailed her plans and Kelly was forced to spend several years recovering from Heart Failure which was a result from an undiagnosed arrhythmia causing her heart to work so hard it became extremely weak.

This event served as the catalyst for Kelly Orchard to become a therapist. Experiencing a chronic health crisis affected not only Kelly but impacted both her children and her aging parents. It affected Kelly’s ability to work, her financial world collapsed as did her ability to socialize and extended relationships. Kelly became extremely despondent and frustrated.After more than 30 years operating businesses in the field of broadcasting, as a radio personality, salesperson, marketing executive and business consultant, Kelly became trained for a totally different profession; earning a Masters Degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. She wanted to work with individuals, couples and families seeking assistance for better mental health; with a focus on mind, body, and spirit.

Kelly’s primary focus now is to help be an encouragement and guide for personal and professional development. As an avid reader, writer and scholar, her interest is in the overall wellness of the human spirit. 

Kelly considers herself to be a serial entrepreneur, always developing, building and creating new business ventures. She utilizes her business and marketing skills as well as her education and practice in mental health to provide insight, guidance and coaching through workshops, writing articles and blogs, and in individual practice.

Kelly was forced to re-evaluate her life, and decided that if change was inevitable – she was going to make the best of it. With faith, perseverance, patience and practice – Kelly has been building a new path for her career – and is launching a new business for motivation, coaching and writing to encourage others to “Follow Your Heart”.Kelly had to literally follow her heart in order to recover and regain a different type of success. If you are feeling overwhelmed at obstacles which you believe are preventing you from reaching goals. Perhaps those obstacles are actually stepping stones to developing a new path, new direction and new goals.

Come meet Kelly and get to know her better at :

Kelly L. Orchard, M.A.

Red Slipper Therapy

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Here Comes The Judge...Or Not!

Today's How I Did It Story comes from someone who left a six figure prestigious career to begin a more fulfilling passion. Joyce Averils seemed to "have it all" until one day when she realized she no longer wanted the "all " she had.

Ever since I was 12 years old, I wanted to be a lawyer. In my little girl mind, there were really only two professions in the world: doctor or lawyer. I hated the idea of cutting into anything; and I wasn't too thrilled about being around a lot of blood either. So, lawyer it was. After all, I loved watching Perry Mason and I knew I could do what he did. He just talked and like most 12 year olds, I was great at that!

I went to law school at The Ohio State University and following graduation moved to Atlanta and passed the Georgia bar exam. Talk about excited! With all of the things I've done, passing the bar is still one of the proudest moments of my life.

For the next 10 years I was a trial attorney. I truly loved it! I had found my passion. Nothing excited me more than standing in front of a jury and giving a closing argument. I know one of the biggest fears many people have is public speaking. I’m not one of those people. Standing in front of an audience absolutely energizes me.

A few years later, I was appointed to the bench and was eventually promoted to the Chief Judge of my court, and discovered I loved being a judge, just as much as I loved trying cases. Shortly after my appointment, one of my brothers asked me if I remembered what I used to tell people I wanted to be when I grew up. I didn't remember but he reminded me that I always said that I wanted to be in charge and I absolutely got my wish. My professional life was wonderful. I was living a life bigger and better than anything I had ever dreamed was possible.

But, after 14 years of practicing either as an attorney or judge, I began to realize I did not have the same passion I had started with. The day came when I didn’t enjoy what I was doing. I reached a place where my work was no longer enjoyable but had become a very unfulfilled obligation. The fire had burned low and was about to go out but there was a looming question; how could I leave a six-figure paycheck, a prestigious title and one of the few jobs that require everyone to stand up when you enter the room? Leaving didn’t seem to make sense.

As I struggled with that question, I felt as if I was dying inside. My days were filled with stress,anxiety and less fulfillment. There was no joy in my work and I just couldn't take it anymore. Not leaving was no longer an option but a choice I realized I would have to make if I was to ever experience another career ignited by passion.
I knew within my heart I had entered a new season of life. I knew God had something even bigger planned for me and I knew I had to take the chance to do something with everything He had entrusted me with. So, I retired from my job and joyfully entered the next season of my life. 

Was I scared? Absolutely! But, I knew I had to do something different, become someone different. 

So, I started a non-profit, Changing the Buzz, Inc. which helped inner city middle school and high school girls deal with issues of self-esteem and life skills. Next, I began an online women's ministry, Refresh Your Faith, which focused on giving women of faith a fresh way to connect with God. 

On the latest step in my journey, I entered the world of entrepreneurship. My business is My Second Chapter, LLC, where I help women design an authentic life that gives them joy and fulfillment while they share their gifts with the world. My biggest desire is to inspire them to lead a life that is not happenstance, but one that is purposefully designed.  

When people hear my story, I'm often asked if I miss being a judge. I can truthfully respond that I don’t. Everything I loved about practicing law and being a judge, has given me skills that I use in my business every day – speaking, listening and writing. And, just like I loved being a trial lawyer and I loved being a judge, I absolutely love speaking and coaching. I've found my second chapter to be just as sweet as the first.
Lessons Learned on My Journey:

Dreams do come true.
It’s never too late to dream a new dream.
Give yourself permission to set new dreams and goals.
Living a joy-filled and fulfilled life matters.
Everything you go through prepares you for the next season of life.
God desires that you live the life you were created to live. 

Joyce Averil is a life design and business coach and you can visit her at 
https://www.facebook.com/FabulousYouAcademyByJoyceAverils and http://fabulousyouacademy.com/

How I Did It Stories are part of  FINDING YOUR FIRE the site where those who want to make their passion happen learn how.

Success...at Any Age and Any Stage

Today's How I Did It Story is from Carol Doyel who shares her definition of success and her amazing journey of self -discovery and business sense as she set out to be an entrpreneur at a very early age and realized what she was really created to do decades later.

I seemed to be born with the desire to own my own business and make my own money. I think it stemmed from not having a lot of money when I was growing up. My father was injured when I was young and went through occupational therapy but never really worked much after his accident. Eventually he lost his drive and self esteem, which I found to be very sad but I think it gave me a strong determination to make my own way.

I was always looking for ways to earn money, which started out when I was very young by asking neighbors if they had odd jobs for me to do. Many well intentioned elderly neighbors offered me the opportunity to help with cleaning, outdoor chores, taking out the garbage…anything to support a young industrious girl.

As I got a little older I decided to branch out, so I started a lawn mowing business. Actually a girl friend and I circled the neighborhood and managed to round up people who needed their lawns mowed. My grandfather invested in me by buying me a brand new lawnmower. There were days I worked so hard I would pass out at the dinner table, once right in my food!

Then it was on to my first real job which I managed to get by begging the manager to hire me so I would stop bothering him. I was hired to clean beans for $1.40 an hour for a Mexican restaurant. It turned into a job that I stayed with for nearly three years and was a good start to developing a work ethic and a basic understanding of business.

I’ve always enjoyed working and love a challenge.

 Over the years I’ve done many things, from bookkeeping that turned into an opportunity to sell cars,selling advertising, buying a deli at twenty-one, inventing and filing a patent for an infant seat for shopping carts before they existed in the United States, raising capital for a start-up, and eventually onto the corporate world where I worked 15 years for a large health care organization. There were a lot of benefits of working for a large company, including ongoing training. But after a while I felt I became too dependent on my job so I decided it was time for a change, I really wanted to do something that I felt more passionate about so I went back to school for three years.

 After graduating from Full Gospel Bible Institute I began doing volunteer work in women’s ministry with a day job as a real estate broker. It was during my time as a real estate broker and working on a website project that I decided to launch, LivingBetter50.com, an online woman’s magazine.

After all of these years, I can now see how my skills, jobs, experience, and passions have come together like a jigsaw puzzle. As the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of LivingBetter50.com, “For Women with Spirit”, I’m doing something I’m passion about and that seems to be perfectly suited for me.

I’ve come to realize that when we get to the point of our life that we decide to do what we love to do, as a book I read years ago titled, “Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow: Discovering Your Right Livelihood” by Marsha Sinetar, that we often discover what we were created to do. For me that didn’t happen until after I turned 50. I believe that’s true for a lot of women and one of the reasons I launched LivingBetterat50+; with a vision “to encourage women to live better physically, emotionally, financially and spiritually”.

As an entrepreneur, it’s been a process of self-discovery and recognizing my strengths and gifts. It also requires a leap of faith and knowing when to close one door so another one can open. And it usually involves risk, including a monetary risk. But more than the financial risk, the very thing you want in life will require you to put it on all on the line; your reputation, your ego, your time and resources to go after what you’re really passion about with everything in you!

There can be a lot of fear involved with change and risk, more for some than others. Luckily I’ve always loved change and I’m not afraid of trying new things. I’ve been described as a “non-conformist”. I like to do things my way, which is typically different than my family and friends. To be an entrepreneur you have to be willing to go against the tide, often withstanding ridicule, usually from close friends and family members. I have found that women like myself who have a positive outlook and are also pursuing their dreams and aiming high, are the most supportive. As many have said, success can be a lonely place. Not that I’m a super star but I see myself as someone who has enjoyed a certain amount of success given all that I’ve enjoyed, experienced and done. And I’ve made a good living doing it.

If you have the guts and drive to be an entrepreneur and you’re willing to work hard, doing what you love to do, to me that’s the definition of success!

Carol Doyel is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of LivingBetter50.com  An entrepreneur at heart, Carol loves trying new things and reinventing herself. Having done everything from working for a large Seattle based company that developed & marketed health promotion programs nationally-to-women’s ministry. The culmination of her gifts and life experience lead to launching the online magazine LivingBetter50.com “For Women with Spirit”, that she feels brings something fresh and different to the online woman’s magazine world.

A MAN...AND HIS MISSION

Ray Haakonsen grew up in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe and spent his early years recognized for his athleticism going on to play Rugby at a national level. He was a decorated bush pilot and seemed to have everything going for him but things changed for Ray when a change in government forced him to move to another country and being a job in sales with colleagues 10 or more years younger than Ray. He shares his HOW I DID IT story today, reminding us, God has a direction for all of us, even when we are cemented in a rut.

In March 1984, caught in a rapidly declining spiral, I divorced my wife Sue, resigned from my job and left home and 2 children aged 6 and 3, behind.

Six months of soul-searching and loss of confidence followed, resulting in an attempted suicide, and a radical encounter with God. A simple whisper in my ear, "Get right with me and go back to your wife" set in motion a new purpose and vision which continues to this day.

In November 1984 my wife and I reconciled and remarried. Just three years later we stepped out together "in faith" with a radical calling to missions and serving others. I served in Youth With A Mission (YWAM), mainly in leadership roles, with a purpose of improving others personal situations, largely through teaching and discipleship. Living by faith I had the privilege of sharing God's word in 16 countries.

In 1999, whilst serving as the National Director of YWAM in the small country of Lesotho, my wife challenged me with a vision to reach out to serve vulnerable children caught in the throes of poverty and the HIV/AIDS epidemic which was devastating Lesotho. In our resulting research , we found seven abandoned babies in the local hospital who weren't being cared for. With five babies being HIV positive,the staff concluded they would probably die anyway.

But that challenge continued to obsess in my soul and in June 2010 with the permission of Social Welfare, we began in a small three room house with five beds, seven babies under seven months old and no known financial backing or resources. This small step of obedience led to us establishing a care center for vulnerable children called Beautiful Gate Lesotho

Ten years later over 350 babies (many HIV positive) had come through our gates, 170 of them were adopted into 'forever families' in eight different countries, over 100 returned to family and sadly we buried 33 who had succumbed to HIV/AIDS related illnesses. At the same time we grew from a staff of four volunteers to over 40 full time paid staff as well as additional volunteers. A $2 million care center was also established with baby houses, clinic, chapel, pre-school, living quarters for staff and volunteers, offices, workshops and a garage. A project (Beautiful Gardens) to help sustain the ministry was also initiated. Special attention was given to provide a pleasant, excellent and caring environment for children and staff to enjoy. Hundreds of people world-wide partnered with us to establish and sustain the center. Lives of those previously not exposed to the immense destruction of HIV/AIDS became involved in caring for these vulnerable and special children through giving, praying and volunteering.

After 10 years of establishing Beautiful Gate Lesotho, we handed it over and moved to Cape Town South Africa. The ministry continues to thrive. Once again, at age 57, I have embarked on a new life adventure through writing and speaking.

I currently use my website http://rayhaakonsen.com (Maximised Living) to blog and develop a "tribe".My first book, "An Arrested Heart" http://rayhaakonsen.com/?page_id=92 was published in June 2010.

In this new season I'm motivated to Encourage, Provoke, Inspire and Challenge, supporting others to live, driven by their passions.

Lessons I have learned along the way:

• Discovery of Gifts and talent and maximizing them is key.
• Passion carries
• Start with what's in your hand.
• Belief in a vision perseveres through trying times and doubt-sayers.
• Courage is required, but rewarded
• Being intentional about hard work and excellence pay off.
• People are more important than projects
• Dreams and action are both necessary to do anything extraordinary
• Lean on The One who knows all things
• Ordinary people can do extraordinary things in His name.

Ray has been happily married for 35 years and has 3 married biological children, 2 adopted daughters (12 and 9) and 3 grandchildren. You can learn more about Ray and talk with him directly at the links below.

email: rayhaakonsen@gmail.com

Facebook : www.facebook.com/ray.haakonsen

Twitter: @rayhaak 

JUST RISE ABOVE

Today's How I Did It story comes courtesy of the Ralph Braun Foundation. Ralph has inspired and open doors for the handicapped because he never let his own disability be an obstacle for what he wanted to do in life.

http://braunability.com

Fifty years ago, Ralph Braun was a young man in a wheelchair who needed a way to get to work. Today the world knows him as the founder and CEO of The Braun Corporation – the leading manufacturer of wheelchair-accessible vehicles and lifts in the industry. What he’s accomplished in the last five decades has changed the lives of thousands of individuals across the world.

In 1947, Ralph was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at just six years of age. Ralph credits his parents with instilling in him the will to overcome the challenges his disability presented him – as well as any other obstacles life put in his path. When he could no longer rely on his own two legs and he’d outgrown piggyback rides from his dad, he began using a wheelchair. While he didn’t welcome the mobility aid, the 13-year-old never let it slow him down. Ralph wanted an education, a career and a family, just like anyone else; he just had to work a little harder at it.

First, he invented a motorized scooter, the Tri-Wheeler, so he could conserve energy and keep his job as a Quality Control Inspector at a nearby factory. As his mobility increased, so did the attention from the disabled community. What started as a part-time business filling orders for Tri-Wheelers from his parents’ garage evolved into Save-A-Step Manufacturing.

This is the internationally recognized symbol for accessibility (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When the factory where Ralph worked moved a few miles from his home, he outfitted an old postal Jeep with hand controls and a hydraulic lift so he could have reliable transportation to and from work no matter the weather. Just a few years later when Dodge introduced the first full-sized, front-engine van, he devised a way to install a wheelchair lift that would revolutionize the mobility industry. For the first time, individuals with disabilities had a way to get out and into the world.

For much of the 70s and 80s, Braun’s product line was built on the wheelchair lift. Not only did this product revolutionize consumer mobility, but it forever changed public transportation as well. Finally buses and vans could be outfitted with wheelchair lifts to allow universal public transportation from city and state governments. Most importantly, children across the country were offered accessible transportation to and from school – a benefit that didn’t seem possible when Ralph was a young man encountering multiple roadblocks to his own public education. The commercial lift industry, as well as the paratransit business, continues to thrive in the domestic and international markets.

By the time the lowered floor minivan was introduced in the late 1980s, Americans were experiencing a level of mobility that had never before existed. Other manufacturers offered mobility products, but what set The Braun Corporation apart was Ralph’s focus on providing mobility solutions to meet the individual needs of each customer. That’s why he created a network of dealers across the country to evaluate an individual’s needs and circumstances and find the best mobility option for him or her.

This year, marks the 40th anniversary of The Braun Corporation. Ralph has set an admirable example for his employees, his community and all those who have or care for someone with a physical disability. The world is a better place because of his ambition and innovation. 

Ralph has written about about his life entitled Rise Above available HERE.

What experience or obstacle has been or could be instrumental in helping you rise above your current circumstances?

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