March 8 was International Women’s Day, and to celebrate, I attended an event hosted by the International Women’s Forum of Michigan, featuring the spirited dynamo, Gisela Becker, founder of SPANCO. Gisela has worked tirelessly to build a hospital, a dental clinic, and an orphanage as well as provide educational and vocational opportunities for children in need in Ghana. In fact, on February 8th, she returned home from a trip to Ghana where she travels about four times per year after loading a 40 foot ship container with goods like bicycles, mattresses, clothing, sewing machines, and technology devices . What makes this even more amazing is that Gisela Becker is 86 years young! Seriously, meeting her last night and listening to her personal story of leaving Germany as a teenager with just $100 in her pocket to come to the US, as well as how she ended up where she is today was so inspirational.
As an extra treat, we also viewed the movie trailer for the upcoming film, Andrea Doria: Are the Passengers Saved?
What’s amazing is it was less than a year ago that I interviewed Pierette on Smart Women Talk Radio. In that interview, this movie was just a dream, and today, it’s a reality.
I have invited both Gisela and Pierette to be guests on Smart Women Talk Radio so they can share their journeys with you later this spring.
To find out who will be on Smart Women Talk Radio in the future, be sure to join our free SW community at www.smartwomenscoaching.com. Just enter your name and email, and you’ll immediately begin receiving our 100 days of inspirational quotes by women, weekly ezine, tips and free resources.
I receive these Smart Women quotes each morning myself, and today, I received this one:
“Many women miss their greatest chance of happiness through a want of courage in a decisive moment.” ~ Winifred Gordon
Both Pierette and Gisela have had to tap into their courage to bring their dreams to reality. I remember Pierette speaking about that decisive moment in her life. She was invited to share her story with the students at Country Day School where she was once a French Teacher. Pierette survived the Andia Doria shipwreck when she was just nine years old. Little did she know then that her story would create such excitement and curiosity in the minds of her students while bringing tears to the eyes of those in the room.
All her life, Pierette had kept her experience quiet, not really talking much about it. However, once she told her story, everything began to shift.
It is written, “Ask and You Shall Receive,” and that’s exactly what happened to Pierette. She made a decision to write her story as a chapter in the book, Thank God I. This helped her realize she had a bigger story, and she soon began to interview all the survivors both here in the U.S. and overseas. This lead to her clearing the name of the Italian Captain of the Andria Doria because she was able to illustrate in the book how the Stockholm was actually at fault.
Pierette’s book debuted on the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Andria Doria. She was interviewed as a subject matter expert on PBS and Sunday Morning News with Charles Osgood. This project took over four years and a total commitment to her dream.
Since she shared her story with her students, Pierette, has written a young adult novel about her experience as a nine-year-old called I Was Shipwrecked on the Andrea Doria. She has travelled the world as a subject matter expert, and now she is debuting her docufilm, Are the Passengers Saved?
I have watched in amazement as this has all fallen into place in record time. What if Pierette had given up on her dream? Think of the lives she’s touched.
Each of us comes to Earth with a purpose. We don’t know what that is when we are born. It’s our job to figure it out. So I’m inviting you to think about your life and your dreams. Don’t look back with regret or resentment about things you missed out on or didn’t do. Instead, look forward and follow this simple three-step process to bring your dreams to a reality:
- Schedule time to get clear about what it is that you really, really want in life. You can play with it pretending you have a magic wand (because you do!)
- Once you are clear, stay focused on what you want. You may want to create a vision board, put it in writing and keep it where you can see it and read it, tell others you trust, and ask for help.
- And finally trust and be patient. Watch as the magic begins to happen. And when it does, breathe and ask for courage, so you can walk through your fear and allow the Universe to Dance with YOU!
Remember you don’t have to do this alone. When you step forward, others will show up to support you. If you have a dream and would like to talk with me about it, please feel free to book a complimentary phone session with me. I’ve done this for hundreds of women over the years, so don’t be afraid to share your dream. You can book your session at www.talkwithkatana.com I’d love to hear from you. Let’s chat.
Katana Abbott Life and Legacy Wealth Coach™, CFP®, CSA® is a contributing author of three books, and host of Smart Women Talk Radio with over 950,000 subscribers.
Rising from a life of poverty, Katana knows too well the struggles of trying to achieve financial security. At the age of 48, Katana sold her million-dollar financial planning practice to launch the Smart Women Companies™ and Midlife Millionaires® where she offers private wealth coaching, group intensives and transformational retreats to Costa Rica and Panama.
She is the creator of the Six Pillars of Awakened Prosperity™, the proven step-by-step system showing you how to create wealth, make a difference and live a life you love. To learn more about Katana and join her free Smart Women Community visit www.KatanaAbbott.com now!