The Legacy Is Me with Hanan Merabi

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[00:00:55] What's up guys, it's your girl Victoria J from 12th Street Talk Back.

[00:01:05] We are here with another guest on our Freedom Friday.

[00:01:10] I hope you guys have been pouring into yourself today.

[00:01:14] We are going to have on our show today Miss Hennan Merribee from Earth Angels.

[00:01:24] But first, let's go ahead and give God a little bit of praise.

[00:01:28] Heavenly Father, we thank you today for the fellowship.

[00:01:31] We thank you today for the grace and the mercy that you put still on us each and every day.

[00:01:37] We thank you for breathing your breath into our bodies on this day, Father God.

[00:01:41] Heavenly Father, God our footsteps and everything that we do today.

[00:01:44] Thank you for the fellowship and bless everyone on this live.

[00:01:48] Let those that have ears hear and those that have eyes to see see.

[00:01:53] Amen everybody. Amen.

[00:01:57] So listen guys, today we have Hennan, a mother, a nurse leader,

[00:02:03] a author, founder of Earth Angels nonprofit organization born and raised in Ghana, West Africa

[00:02:12] and orphaned at a very young age due to the lack of good health care.

[00:02:19] Hennan always knew that she wanted to help others that were in such desperate need in Ghana.

[00:02:27] At age 15, she moved to the United States and became a U.S. citizen.

[00:02:32] She still knew somehow she would go back to Ghana to give back to those in need.

[00:02:40] In 2024, she founded Earth Angels with the dream that she could make a difference in the lives of mothers and babies all over the world.

[00:02:52] Hennan has called her, Hennan is called on to share her story around the country as an inspirational speaker.

[00:03:01] She has been asked to speak at nursing events including nursing school presentations, charitable functions and many other speaking engagement.

[00:03:12] Hennan coined the term, the legacy is me.

[00:03:16] When she had a cathartic moment in 2013 realizing she could use her life's many struggles and painful experiences as catalysts for greatness.

[00:03:29] She believes that we all can write our own legacy and does her best to live to her fullest expression of herself in each role she takes on.

[00:03:40] Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the show, Hennan.

[00:03:51] Hi, how are you?

[00:03:53] I'm great. What an intro. Thank you so much. I'm so happy to be here. Thanks for having me.

[00:03:59] You are very, very, very welcome. Very, very welcome. I'm so excited. I was so excited that you decided to come on and talk to us about Earth Angels.

[00:04:10] But first let's get to know a little bit about who Hennan is.

[00:04:17] Yes. Tell us who you are, this wonderful, I mean because I can't imagine having my hands full like you have your hands full.

[00:04:27] I think you and I are in the same boat. Come on now.

[00:04:32] So who's Hennan? I am a mother. I'm a nurse. I am the founder and director of Earth Angels, as you said.

[00:04:42] I'm a ride or die friend. I like to believe. And just a woman trying to find my truth and to stay true to my calling and really happy to be here.

[00:04:57] I'm so excited too. So let's get into it. Let's get into it. Earth Angels, I first heard about it when I spoke to you a couple months ago.

[00:05:08] And we just had a great conversation and warmed my heart the things that you are doing. So tell us a little bit about it because you are the founder, you are the director.

[00:05:20] And you give back in so many ways. Guys, before she starts to talk about this, you have to go over to her website and you have to look at the videos that she has on her website.

[00:05:32] It blew me away. The wonderful, many wonderful things that I saw over there.

[00:05:39] Thank you. Thank you for that. So Earth Angels is my baby.

[00:05:45] So as you said, I, you know, losing my parents due to the lack of basic health care very young was tragic for me and my siblings. You know, they orphaned six kids.

[00:05:58] Very young. My mom was in her 30s. My dad was in his 40s.

[00:06:02] And I was three with my mom, eight with my dad, very, very tender age when I lost them. And at a very young age, I always knew that I wanted to do something for those who had it worse than me.

[00:06:16] I always felt fortunate that at least I had family, at least my grandmother was taking care of me, at least I had my siblings.

[00:06:24] What do the kids back home who have no one and are just in an orphanage? What do they do? And so I always knew that I wanted to help.

[00:06:32] But it wasn't until I had my son, my first son in 2012 in Atlanta, and it was a very traumatic delivery, very scary delivery.

[00:06:43] He almost perished or at least I felt he was going to.

[00:06:48] And I had, you know, I was battling with the very serious illness.

[00:06:52] And so we both, you know, almost lost our lives and that, that the thought plagued me after my delivery.

[00:07:00] What would I have done if I was still in Ghana?

[00:07:03] And I knew in my heart I certainly wouldn't be here to be telling this tale and neither would my son.

[00:07:08] And so that plagued me for a year on and off, on and off constantly just in my mind nagging.

[00:07:15] What would you do? What would you have done? What do women back home do? What do they do?

[00:07:19] And I would not stop thinking anymore, Victoria.

[00:07:23] I realized one day I had to do something and whatever that something was going to mean,

[00:07:31] I knew that I had to take that first step.

[00:07:34] And in 2012 with, you know, really no knowledge of how to run a nonprofit.

[00:07:42] I started Earth Angels with a mission to eradicate maternal and infant mortality, one mother and baby at a time.

[00:07:49] And here we are 12 years later.

[00:07:52] We are building a fish farm. It's our biggest project ever.

[00:07:58] We've taken on a myriad of causes all around the world in the U.S., all mother and child related.

[00:08:04] But in the past four years, we got a small grant and it had to be towards a feeding initiative.

[00:08:11] I wanted something sustainable. I wanted, you know, I'd been giving donations and supplies for years.

[00:08:18] I wanted something that was going to bring sustenance for generations to come.

[00:08:23] So four years ago, I broke ground in Winnebaugana and have been building a fish farm in this rural community

[00:08:31] where we feed people, provide jobs and teach sustainable fish farming to the local agricultural students.

[00:08:39] Well, do you go back and forth to Ghana or how does that work?

[00:08:43] Yeah, so I do. I haven't, I don't go as much as I'd like. I'd love to go every few months, but I yeah,

[00:08:50] I haven't been since fall of 22.

[00:08:55] And I will go this year. I try to go, you know, every at least every couple years to check on things.

[00:09:02] But I do have boots on the ground. One of my brothers is the GM of the Farming's a fisherman.

[00:09:08] And, you know, he has lots of experience. So he has slid right in and just been a really good point of contact for me.

[00:09:15] So he updates me daily. We plan together and, you know, and he he's he's sort of my eyes over there over there.

[00:09:24] Yeah, a fish farm.

[00:09:27] Huh? Yes. Yes. Who would have guessed a nurse building a fish farm.

[00:09:33] So this was always your passion as you told us in the beginning, you always dreamed of going back there to help.

[00:09:42] Yes.

[00:09:44] Coming from there with Pacific experiences doing your time in Ghana shaped your passion for addressing the maternal and the infant mortality there because you speak about that a lot in on your platform.

[00:10:01] Absolutely. You know, I think losing my mom so young and knowing the multiple ways it affected my life and knowing that I wanted to make a difference even if it was in the life of one child or of one mother.

[00:10:22] I knew that that sort of that was the the impetus for wanting to help is that it happened to me. You know, my mother too needed help my mother too needed saving and couldn't get it at 36 and next thing you know she's you know leaving all these kids behind.

[00:10:40] And so that alone was the impetus but then becoming a nurse in 2008.

[00:10:47] It's just sort of manifested just just just right you know that that AI was a nurse and then now I have this traumatic delivery myself and felt that visceral need to make a difference and so that's really, you know I really just responded to what what laid in

[00:11:09] my lap. If you will, you know I just couldn't turn that voice off anymore.

[00:11:14] Right, right we talked about that a little bit. Yes, you know coming from over there and being in the situation that you were in as a young girl and how you had the passion for nursing. Are you still nursing and doing both or this is just.

[00:11:32] Yeah, what you're doing with our angels. So I'm doing a lot of things like you said so I'm still a nurse I'm a nurse leader.

[00:11:40] And so I left the bedside about seven years ago and but I'm at a crossroads where you know I do so much of this so much speaking so much work for Earth's angels that I think here soon I'm going to have to you know sort of something's going to have to give because I am

[00:12:00] doing it all still and being a mother of two boys. So for now I still am but you know working really hard to make sure that that's not always the case.

[00:12:11] Oh yeah, I definitely I definitely get it. So what are some of the type some type of the Medicare and education or things that Earth angels provide for their people over in Ghana.

[00:12:24] So what are some of the Pacific things that you kind of horn and on help mothers and the infants over there. Yeah, no that's a great question so what locally by the farm. There's a little there's a health clinic.

[00:12:39] And then there's also an orphanage that we support so we've been supporting both of them for about a year now as long as soon as our fish were big enough to start feeding people.

[00:12:51] We're serving the local orphanage so we give hundreds of fish away every month to the orphanage we have a great relationship with them. And then at the health clinic, we do all sorts of things so just last month around Easter time we had like an Easter screening lunch, and we did a preventative

[00:13:12] screening for about 100 people that would not who typically don't go to the doctor don't get to get you know have health care certainly not preventative health. And we had we hosted a free preventative screening day where everyone that in that community

[00:13:32] would walk right up and you know get their babies checked from head to toe get them weighed some of them have never been weighed before.

[00:13:41] Full on head to toe exams for the mothers. And so health care is definitely what I'm honing in on, though we have this fishing farm that that's always going to be where my passion is is health care so

[00:13:58] they're healthy they can't they can't do what they need to do your health is your wealth my grandma always said. Oh yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. One of the main things but we give you know we've given lots of different kinds of foods postpartum supplies.

[00:14:14] That kind of thing all mother and child related.

[00:14:17] Yeah, definitely. So with Earth Angels is it just for Ghana or do you help over here in the United States, where's it specifically for Ghana, West Africa.

[00:14:31] So we used to do a ton of work in Atlanta where where I'm based the battered women shelters and such. Also some group home help we've done lots of feeding initiatives locally, but ever since we broke ground in Ghana and that being such a huge project all of our, you know, all of our

[00:14:50] resources are funneled there right now. But that's not how it always was you know, like I said we've done work in so many places including locally. So my plan is to come back to the states and you know I mean of course we're I'm registered in the states

[00:15:05] we have everything in Atlanta, but we're not we've paused on local work just because of funding.

[00:15:13] But the goal is to come back circle back to to ATL for sure.

[00:15:17] That was my next question about funding I heard you mentioned the grant that you guys got. Yeah.

[00:15:24] So how does that work do you get a lot of funding or or does it just depend. Yeah, the area, I guess I would say because it seems like it will be kind of hard. You did the fish farm thing.

[00:15:40] Yeah, you know you're out here pushing the agenda to get the help for these infants and others and money we know money don't grow in trees.

[00:15:50] No, no it don't and and raising money I have to say has to be one of the hardest things to do, especially when people can't see it taste it you know be be part of it in the way they want to be and so yes I show photos I show

[00:16:06] photos, but it's incredibly difficult to raise money to send to this initiative. That's not tangible, you know, and so it's incredibly difficult and no we have not received many grants that was our first one and it was just small enough to be able to break ground

[00:16:25] you know by the land and really start towards this really big goal. So, you know, no, the answer is, I haven't had the kind of support needed to really just burst, you know, and really expand like I envision it in my mind because I have the vision in my mind of what I

[00:16:48] would like it to be it's clear very clear to me.

[00:16:53] But you know I think it's a testament or St.

[00:16:57] Testament to the power of one, where there's a will there's a way and just believing in whatever it is that you, you know, you dream of or want to make happen because it will happen. You know and her saying is that the testament because with a shoestring budget with a string budget.

[00:17:20] I do. It is about to take off finally after 12 years, you know, lots of hustling like you said pushing the name, you know getting it out there marketing a lot of it on my own I have a small board of women and so it's been it's been a lot, but I have, I don't know how to quit.

[00:17:43] And I believe in it.

[00:17:46] And well I wish you much success on that I do I do circling back around to the medical you mentioned how you guys had the preventative day. Do you know, or can you estimate how many families did you have how many mothers are inference that really needed your help you were able to provide your services to

[00:18:07] Absolutely. So that day we had about 300 people attend and 87 of those people were taken care of actually received healthcare that day, and some of them left with, you know they were going to return because we had some malnourished babies like toddlers.

[00:18:28] And so they were connected to our community navigator who was going to help them with, you know getting some, you know, nutritious dense foods.

[00:18:40] And so those kind of things or some education, there will be, you know back and forth with those people that still need additional help, but 87 of those 300 were served that day.

[00:18:54] That was wonderful. Pretty, pretty incredible. Yeah. Yeah, it was pretty incredible. Gosh, I know you wish you could have helped everybody but you know, it's like you said as a growing process. How difficult is it to get medical supplies there, or is it better to have someone just write a chat.

[00:19:17] Yeah, yeah, I would say the latter. You know I used to send a lot of supplies and I found that it was like the hamster wheel I would raise a lot of money, and then I would send it all in supplies and then I have to raise more and then send it all in supplies and that's why the farm was was, you know paramount for us because it was a game changer.

[00:19:38] And no more are we just working, working, working to raise money and give it all away which there's nothing wrong with that. But at some point you need sustainability and you want the nonprofit to feed itself so you don't have to keep asking people for money.

[00:19:51] Right. Right.

[00:19:52] Because at the end of the day, the majority of our donations have come from the kindness of individuals who are giving you know 10 bucks a month 20 bucks a month so I have stopped giving just shipping supplies what I have found is that it's better for me to send the funds after of course planning of what the list is and what's

[00:20:15] what's the most important on the you know the wish list to have them purchased there versus me going through hoops and red tape it's not so hard to ship things I do have contacts if I wanted to I could do it, but it's expensive.

[00:20:31] It takes a few weeks. And then you have to you have to send it there so you have to clear it from the US, and then you have to clear it over there and that's money you know so at the end of the day, you'll get it, you know Ghana, you'll receive your items but it'll take a while and it's pricey.

[00:20:49] Yeah. Yeah.

[00:20:51] I recently interviewed another young lady Sylvia Morrison. She actually left Canada and moved to Ghana, and they're actually doing a farm you did the fish farm they're doing a farm in the soil. So I think it's wonderful what both of you guys are doing.

[00:21:07] I did want to ask you about the educational part of it though. Yeah, like preparing the mothers with the education that they need for helping their infants or perhaps even helping their self, you know be educated on how to stay healthy.

[00:21:25] You guys provide those resources or classes or anything that you can do.

[00:21:31] So on that day that we had our preventative screen of course we did education that day. Currently, we don't have our own sort of clinic to receive patients so we were partnering with the local clinic.

[00:21:45] But eventually, when the farm is you know where I envision it in a couple of years, we will have our own preventative health center for those kinds of things you know birth control, sex education, you know breastfeeding assistance, those kinds of things all mother and baby.

[00:22:03] That's where eventually will be headed. But for now we partner with the clinic we help them out whenever we can we donate, whether it's food or funds to help them achieve their goals because they two are struggling.

[00:22:17] Mm hmm. Yeah.

[00:22:19] I know well you definitely have my support. So tell me, what are some inspiring stories from mothers and babies that you can think about that Earth Angels has done thus far since you began this project because I know it's near and dear to your heart.

[00:22:37] I can see the passion in your face when you talk about it. Yes, yes, for sure. Gosh that's such a great question. I have so many I think some of the, you know, a lot of the inspiring stories are also very painful ones and that's something that, you know I hate to go on a tangent but I

[00:22:57] struggle I used to struggle with that word inspiration because in order to inspire. It means you had to have pained in your life to be able to share that story and then inspire others right and so a lot of these stories are very painful ones but but but at the same time very inspiring

[00:23:14] when I did we did some work in India for a couple of years.

[00:23:20] We found I was working with an Indian nurse, we partnered together and she was my boots on the ground in Punjab India.

[00:23:28] And so the clinic that we were giving our aid to and resources etc.

[00:23:34] was very poor it was a government hospital, and they had just their necessity so these women were riding their bicycles to have their baby and then have their baby or walking to have their babies.

[00:23:50] They're discharged within a couple of hours back to work or you know, yes. And so one of the nurses that was helping with the Earth Angels work she was you know giving them as many supplies as they could have that made sense for them going back to work, or not being able to

[00:24:11] rest. You know a lot of these women don't get to rest what we here in the West you know get weeks off and you know where we get to bond with our baby.

[00:24:20] Some of these women don't get to do the same so they were farm workers and they would have their babies, and then back to the farm, and you know grab auntie and the village everybody will help take care of the baby.

[00:24:33] So that's one of the projects we did that was very sad but also very moving because we were able to provide things like pads. They didn't get pads, panties.

[00:24:44] Wow.

[00:24:45] You know we gave them each like a little discharge bag with goodies for the baby and blankets etc.

[00:24:53] One project I did in Botswana.

[00:24:57] This one we it was mother and child related but next thing you know we get a report that one of the children in the village was was tragically, you know, had some some sexual abuse happen.

[00:25:13] So we ended up taking care of her getting her to the local clinic paying for her medical care got her, you know as best as we could get her treated.

[00:25:24] Of course gave her supplies gave her some some little toys, you know just as much as we could.

[00:25:31] So the Syrian refugees when the Syrian refugee crisis happened in Lebanon a few years ago and they were, they were Syrian refugees you know being sent in boats all around the world Lebanon had over a million of them taken in.

[00:25:46] They had boots on the ground there, and we were able to send coats and boots for the winner that was coming and they had nothing.

[00:25:54] And so that's the kind of work I did for years for about you know, 10 years before the farm.

[00:26:01] Wow.

[00:26:03] I mean it's sad to hear you talk about the need and in them needing more, but I'm also ecstatic that you were able to help some.

[00:26:16] Yes, and you're still able to help some.

[00:26:18] So what do you think about the long term goals for Earth Angels where do you see this what is it one particular area do you want to focus on or just the whole round.

[00:26:32] The whole realm that infants the mother's feeding. Yeah, yeah. I think I think my vision is for this health health center that I mentioned to be sort of, you know, on the farm on the premises I want the farm to become more of a community project

[00:26:51] versus just a fish farm I want to eventually want to have a little library for the kids I want to have a little art center. I want to have a health center, you know so I wanted to be educational and I wanted to, I wanted to give back to the community

[00:27:07] and I wanted to be that nonprofit that comes in with all the answers next thing you know we cripple the local community. And so we don't want to be that nonprofit, because I'm from Ghana.

[00:27:20] And I have people there still.

[00:27:24] I think the first thing that we want to do as a navigator her job is to tell us what the people need not for us to come in and say this is what we're going to do. We're not right now.

[00:27:34] You know, and so that has been instrumental that's why we had the health screening day because that's what the people said they wanted they want health care.

[00:27:44] And so I think that this farm is going to be the first of many. I think that eventually when we have the health center and this community come to life, as far as this community sort of center come to life.

[00:27:58] And so it's going to be a model for the next ones across across Ghana, West Africa, you know in the places that are, it's needed the most where it'll be gifts for generations to come you're not just giving fish you're teaching people how to fish sustainably.

[00:28:14] And then providing jobs so we've already hired some of these women that otherwise were living on the streets and they couldn't afford to take their kids to school. Now they have jobs their kids are in school, you know these are generational gifts, all from a farm.

[00:28:32] I didn't know that you hired them that's great. Yes wonderful you gave them something to do to make a little bit to help support themselves. Absolutely that's that's the whole point right because you can get a little bit of help.

[00:28:43] Right because you can give somebody something all day long but letting them learn to utilize it for their own good is really the gift. That's the real gift is empowering them, giving them a source of income and then putting their kids in school.

[00:29:00] I mean, to me it don't get better than that.

[00:29:03] Generate from generation to generation. Yes, from generation that he wants us to have that generational wealth and you know I think that's fantastic. What if anything would you like to leave my audience with today what do you need the most for them to get out of sitting down talking to me

[00:29:27] I think like you like you advise going to earthangels.org take a look at the work we've done. It's honest, it's just it's boots on the ground it's you know this is this is the kind of nonprofit that I would want to support is one that I know the money all of the money is going to the people who need it

[00:29:49] most. And so I would say take a look at the site and, and you'll see the amazing work we've done all over the world and if the mission moves you.

[00:30:00] You know right now we do not have local volunteer opportunities one day that will be the case but we don't right now. So really what we need is money you know as little as as as you can afford five bucks a month, you know, whatever you can because like I said it's the people it's

[00:30:18] the people who have built this farm yes we got that small grant but like I said we bought the land. We built some you know our first structure, but then the rest has had to come from somewhere and that's from people who are giving you know a little bit every month

[00:30:33] and that's what keeps the lights on the farm.

[00:30:36] Yes, so guys you heard that here.

[00:30:40] And she's also and then has also offered a free ebook I've got a pen to the bottom of the screen you guys can head on over there. Look at that I post it on my personal and my 12th straight top back page.

[00:30:58] So here's a little clip of the website where you can see the wonderful things that she's doing there. Is there anything else that you would like for us to be aware of today before we exit.

[00:31:14] I would like to know that if they ever want to hear me speak if anyone out there would like to hear more of my story or about Earth Angels, or more about this book that I shared for free.

[00:31:28] The legacy is me.com is my speaking page and there too you can find out more, more so about me that the speaking page is more so about me.

[00:31:39] I talk that I talk about you know we really focused on Earth Angels today, which is awesome that you know like I said it's my baby, but the legacy is me is is a whole not a little bit about that before you go.

[00:31:54] Okay, we do we do we do a little bit about that I did watch the video.

[00:32:00] Did you.

[00:32:02] Yes, I did.

[00:32:04] Yeah, so the legacy is me is as you said I you know I lost my parents young I was orphaned young and so that you know just change the trajectory of my life I moved to the US when I was 15.

[00:32:17] I was adopted by some family.

[00:32:20] It did not go well. I ended up running away at 18 and I've been on my own ever since.

[00:32:27] The legacy is me comes from is the aunt that was part of raising me was was not a kind human and she said some really wicked and vile things to my siblings and I.

[00:32:43] And one of the wicked things she said, often was that, you know, just so you know your parents left no legacy behind just so you know they left nothing behind.

[00:32:55] It wasn't until I was in my early 30s and I was working night shift as a nurse. And I had this really crazy week where so many amazing things happened to me back to back, and I had this big just aha moment.

[00:33:12] And I realized, wait a minute, I, you know, I have, I have this nonprofit. I have these two great kids that I'm raising. I'm an amazing friend, you know all these great things keep happening to me and, and I think this lady was wrong.

[00:33:29] It's it's me that was the gift. I'm the legacy they left behind.

[00:33:34] The legacy is me and that was in 2015 or so and once I once I got to that place.

[00:33:43] It really helped me heal, and it has become sort of the center point of all of my speeches that the legacy is you, you are the author of your own life does not matter the shackles that you were chained to by the hand of cards you were dealt.

[00:34:03] I realize they are there if you want them gone badly enough, you can remove those chains that hold you. And so my story has become a testament of grit and fortitude and Earth Angels is just one of those amazing things that have happened, because I have accepted all of my painful gifts, and I use them to help myself and those behind me.

[00:34:28] So that's what the legacy is me is all about.

[00:34:31] So you said gifts, I love the way you embrace that you didn't take it as a whoa it's me moment you embraced it as your gifts once you realized that what your aunt was speaking wasn't the truth.

[00:34:47] No, no, and I always knew she was wrong. I just wasn't big or strong enough to know what that meant but I knew she was wrong. And perhaps this is what she was trying to dim was this honan.

[00:35:00] You always knew that this was the light that I was going to be.

[00:35:05] Who knows but you know, I had to accept my painful gifts if you don't accept your painful gifts, it will, it will cripple you until you do.

[00:35:16] I had to, I don't think I had too much of a choice to become free of the pain and to become and to become this woman that I am today. I had to accept my pain as gifts, and to then embrace them and use them to strengthen myself and those, you know that I help so.

[00:35:39] I mean, but don't get me wrong. I have what I call my nine out of 10 days.

[00:35:44] Nine out of 10 days. I see it all logically like I just explained it to you. You know nine out of 10 days, I totally understand what happened to me and how much stronger I am because of it all.

[00:35:58] I've learned all the lessons I've learned the wisdom that I have, but then I have my one out of 10 day where I just think God I would trade it all to have my mother.

[00:36:10] I would be dumb and know nothing have no wisdom. You know a stupid last born baby spoiled by her mom to have that.

[00:36:20] And you know, and I do grieve that but that's part of accepting the pain.

[00:36:25] So, so yeah, it took me a while to get here. But you know, God blessed me with this happy spirit. I've been happy just naturally a happy human all of my life.

[00:36:37] And I do think that that has helped me get to this point.

[00:36:41] Do you dig into that in the book and the ebook? Do you dig into your healing journey and how you got here? Because since you opened it up.

[00:36:51] Yeah, yeah.

[00:36:52] Since you opened it up.

[00:36:54] I wanted to know because, you know, from 15.

[00:37:00] Yeah.

[00:37:01] To 18.

[00:37:04] And then being on your own and you're this nurse. How did that all come together for you? I have a my oldest sister is a nurse and I know that was a lot of dedication to go in the school and working full time and not having a support system like you need it.

[00:37:22] Yeah. So incredibly hard when I tell you being a nurse, you know, to get your bachelor's in nursing, they say is the hardest bachelor's to obtain. It's a very difficult degree.

[00:37:37] And then you add on top of it no support.

[00:37:42] And just, you know, doing your best. So what did I do. So from 18 when I ran away to becoming a nurse in that, you know, dozen years or so.

[00:37:54] I worked every job you can imagine. I mean, retail.

[00:38:00] You know, I worked fast food. I was a server. I became a bartender. I sold door to door in the streets of California selling knives and you know, God knows what else.

[00:38:13] So I when I say hustle that I mean it. I mean, I definitely have, you know, worked really hard to to to get to where I'm at certainly no luck or favors. There was no light. You know what I like to share with with with some of the clients that I work with I tell them there was no

[00:38:33] shining armor. You know, there was no helping hand for me. It was self belief. And knowing that I constant mothering telling myself you got this you can do it you can know you know you can to regardless of whatever that situation was and that's what got me through.

[00:38:51] Because let me tell you if you want to lay on the ground and say to yourself you can't do it or you're going to fail your most 100% will.

[00:38:59] Oh yeah.

[00:39:00] You will.

[00:39:01] I've had those moments I had those moments in my late 30s early 40s when I was homeless and and during that period when I was homeless, I lost my mom as a matter of fact, nine years ago this past Saturday on my son's birthday.

[00:39:19] She's been gone for nine years so when you talk about that gap. Thank you that gap of you know you have your nine out of 10 days where you have that one day.

[00:39:31] And I think we all deserve that one day is bad. Yeah, that one day is bad.

[00:39:37] And you and you are your own worst enemy on that one day and you. And that's okay. As a matter of fact, you should say it all do it all, you know, accept it all because the only way you can get through it is by standing up again.

[00:39:56] If you let the one day become the nine. Next thing you know you're on the floor and all your goals are done. Yeah. Right so.

[00:40:05] Yes, I allow myself those feelings I have you know I feel sorry for myself like, you know, I have those woe is me moments but they are rare.

[00:40:14] I deal with them and I keep it moving and that's the only way I've made it if I had allowed myself to wallow.

[00:40:21] You know because it has been very tragic I mean my story is one of I have to warn people and you know because there are triggers in my story.

[00:40:29] And it's been a lot. And so, yeah there are days where it gets to me.

[00:40:35] But I allow myself that and then I always make sure I stand back up again.

[00:40:41] Mm hmm. You have to you have you have amazing story I mean I you know my hat goes off to you. It really does for being brave enough to tell it to put yourself to school.

[00:40:53] The many, many jobs the many, many hats that you wear being a mother with your boys and also starting this project with Earth Angels is yeah you got your hands for your busy be but my hat goes off to you for all that you're doing.

[00:41:11] In the ebook. Do we get a glimpse of everything that you got going on or it's just particularly because you did mention how you did speaking engagements you do yes and a lot of presentations.

[00:41:25] Yes, so in the ebook it's called it's the nine things I wish my mother taught me the tools that built my confidence.

[00:41:32] These nine tools are the tools that I have used, you know in my life to get me to where I'm at in terms of confidence so I do touch.

[00:41:42] I think on the about me just a bit about my history but this is more so just an ebook to to help you grow your toolbox of confidence tools.

[00:41:54] Initially I had planned on selling it because the tools are those are my biggies they're part of my signature talks but then I decided you know what I, I want to impart these gifts for free and share them, because everybody can glean you know even if it's one or two out of the nine can glean something from them for sure.

[00:42:15] And you definitely have a gift from your mom to all of us here. So I thank you so much and the end for coming on sharing your story.

[00:42:26] It was a pleasure talking to you before you gave me chill bumps just listening to you just now so I hope that my audience got something out of this story you guys, you have got to go over to her website.

[00:42:41] I have all her information pinned in the show notes if you want to get in touch with her name. She's got Facebook, tick tock Instagram.

[00:42:52] Yeah, got the website YouTube, you guys if you want to go back and look at the video to get a copy of her free ebook.

[00:43:02] And if you want to do that as well, if you want to donate like she said, as small as $5 $5 a month that would help a family and Ghana, you know with food educational needs.

[00:43:16] I mean, I can't imagine being a female and not having what I need.

[00:43:22] When that time of the month comes, you know, or having to go back to work right after having a baby.

[00:43:30] Share share share. Go follow her on her platforms.

[00:43:35] Donate if you can, and if there's anybody out there that has a little bit more to give get in touch with her and see what you can do because I'm sure she could use another grant.

[00:43:51] Absolutely. Thank you so much. This has been delightful. I've had a great time and if you can hear my dogs, I'm sorry someone can you not hear them at all.

[00:44:01] I can hear them that's fine.

[00:44:03] We live in the real world over here.

[00:44:07] Thank you so much. And guys, we will see you guys back here on Monday for freedom Friday's not freedom Fridays morning inspirations at 1130 Monday Wednesday and Friday guys share share share get this information out here to all your loved ones your friends,

[00:44:29] your families and then need you the founder of Earth Angels all her information is in the show notes please go over and help her out. We all could use a helping hand and if you know someone that owns a company that do donations, give them her information each one share.

[00:44:53] You know how we used to say each one teach one each one share. Peace and blessings to you all until next time.