Meet 7 Inspirational Women Who Changed Their Stories and Changed Their Worlds
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Can something as simple as a story change the lives of others? Do you ever wonder if your life — your story — matters?
“Of course, it does,” says international speaker and sought-after story expert, Linda Olson. “Everyone has a story, and your story can bring transformation and impact into the word today.”
In Olson’s latest book, Story Matters! Empowering Your Hope When Going Through Tough Times, she provides real-life examples of seven ordinary women who faced major challenges. These women embraced their stories and learned to rise above nearly insurmountable obstacles. They did it through strength, courage and their faith in God, and they are sharing their stories to light a path forward for others facing difficult circumstances.
In this book, readers will learn:
How a single woman rose above childhood trauma to conquer fear and loneliness.
How a young mother moved through grief and loss when her young child was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
How a caring sister became embroiled in a devastating lawsuit and discovered that forgiveness is a choice.
How a middle-aged woman, faced with a choice to live or die, once again found joy.
How a career woman who achieved the many pleasures of the world discovered her real fulfillment was through commitment.
How a college student fulfilled her dream, only to find out her real dream lay deep within her.
How a teenager, devastated by the death of her brother, became a professional storyteller.
“All of these women wanted to give in and give up because they felt themselves giving out,” Olson said. “But something kept them going!”
And now they’re using the power of their stories to make a difference.
Linda Olson is the go-to story expert who helps authors, speakers and entrepreneurs impact millions with their stories. She is a TEDx Speaker, multiple bestselling author and founder of Wealth Through Stories. Her mission is to impact a million people a year with multiple authors in her series, Story Matters! Linda and her husband, Rick, reside in sunny California. They enjoy their two married daughters, sons-in-law and five adorable grandchildren who are the best part of their story.
Story Matters! Empowering Your Hope While Going Through Tough Times, Inspirational Stories Compiled by Linda A. Olson Publisher: Made for More Publishing ISBN-10: 098190145X ISBN-13: 978-0981901459 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens April Johnson Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Overcoming Awkward Aims to Help Introverts Thrive in the Workplace
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Some people are electrified by the idea of business networking events, cold-calling and striking up conversations with total strangers. But for introverts, new people, new places and new challenges can trigger a knee-jerk reaction to run and hide.
To thrive in any industry where success hinges heavily on an ability to build relationships, an introvert must break free from crippling shyness and social anxiety. Here to help is bona fide introvert master marketer Monica Parkin.
In her ground-breaking new book, Overcoming Awkward: The Introvert’s Guide to Networking, Marketing, and Sales, Parkin shares actionable strategies to create connections, build relationships, and establish loyal, repeat customers.
“How did a shy, socially awkward introvert like me turn into a master relationship builder?” Parkin asks. “Well, the answer is that you can evolve. … I was making myself crazy with all the social cues I did not understand and wondered why this comes so naturally to some people but was so impossibly hard for me. Today, I love the opportunity to go to events, meet people, hear people’s stories and build relationships. I can have the best of both worlds now, and so can you.”
Part memoir, part instruction guide, Overcoming Awkward reveals Parkin’s private struggles, shared with candid honesty and vulnerability. Her “one step at a time” approach, punctuated with personal anecdotes and humor, is easy to follow and implement.
In Overcoming Awkward, readers will learn:
How to overcome social fears;
How to build relationships effortlessly;
Effective social media marketing;
How to sow seeds for organic growth;
How to win over angry clients;
How to expand their comfort zone;
The value of expert mentorship;
And so much more.
“This is the definitive guide you’ve been waiting for,” Parkin adds. “Gone is the advice to introverts that they must learn to take on a persona that is light years away from who they really are. You will finally be free to just be you and will discover that your vibe attracts your tribe.”
Monica Parkin is a licensed mortgage broker and successful serial entrepreneur. She is an award-winning international speaker and the host of the Juggling without Balls podcast. She is also a self-professed introvert and crazy goat lady who lives on a small farm with an assortment of furry creatures. She loves to hear feedback from readers and looks forward to opportunities to speak on topics that empower others to feel more connected, confident and successful.
Overcoming Awkward: The Introvert’s Guide to Networking, Marketing, and Sales ISBN-13: 979-8773835998 Available from Amazon.com, BN.com and Goodreads
Trish Stevens Andrea Harding Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Finally, a Modern Immigration Story with a Happy Ending: Rosa
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Author Lyndon Haynes’ new book, Rosa, strikes a chord with anyone who has ever had to overcome serious challenges in life.
Rosa flees Mexico as a teenager and eventually finds herself in London, at a loss to see a safe path forward. She has to learn a new language and culture while experiencing harsh realities during her bleak, lonely and formative teenage years.
“My book is a drama-themed story about the life of a young woman who comes to London with her brothers after the death of her parents,” Haynes said, adding that it could be described as “an urban Cinderella story with edge.”
Rosa and her brothers were transported overseas for their own safety, via a crime protection program, and there they found, in Haynes’ words, “An unrelenting heatwave … The city is a furnace, a sweatbox of people melting on their daily grind. Within the confines of one public housing building lies a coldness — a sharp icy blast of harsh, unforgiving betrayal. For one young family in particular, a wind of change is on the horizon … in fact, a storm is brewing so fierce that the wreckage it leaves behind will be injurious.”
Rosa meets a smart businessman who changes her life for the better and finally sees a hint of light, offering hope and freedom, but she soon realizes that every choice she makes will impact the world around her.
Author Lyndon Haynes was successful as an actor, songwriter, singer and music video director in Great Britain before turning his attention to literature. He hails from Tottenham, North London, and spent nearly 25 years in the music industry as a songwriter, rapper and music video director. He has also been a playwright, film and TV director, and rapper for the hip-hop band The Sindecut, which was signed by Virgin Records. His previous published books include This Functional Family, released by Book Guild Publishing in 2011, and The Life and Times of Stanley Spank, his first novel, which he published through Authorhouse.
For more information, please visit https://authorlyndonhaynes.com/, or connect with the author on Instagram (Mr_lyndonh), Twitter (LyndonHaynes) or Facebook (Lyndon Haynes).
Rosa Publisher: Publishing Push ISBN-10: 1802270574 ISBN-13: 978-1802270570 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Brenda Wright Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
The Great Rupture Explores Impact of Information Age on Humanity
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Imagine that by the 2040s, Harvard College is shuttered, its hallowed halls impenetrably overgrown with miles of vines — closed for lack of demand in Ivy-League education. It’s just one jarring possibility suggested in Viktor Shvets’ thought-provoking deep-dive into the challenges facing today’s world: The Great Rupture – Three Empires, Four Turning points and the Future of Humanity – Do we need to be free?
“The lessons of the last five centuries were unequivocal — without freedom, there could be no prosperity or happiness. However, does this still hold true in the Information Age?” Shvets asks.
He expertly and compellingly distills the lessons learned over the last five centuries, and projects these into the future. Could the Information Age be rewriting the recipe for individual and national success?
According to Shvets, modern technologies are disrupting the structure of our societies, altering every facet of our lives, from the nature of work and what we intrinsically value to how we are informed, entertained and educated — it promises to be a far deeper disruption than Industrial Revolutions. Humanity is at a major turning point, and how we respond to the merger of technology and financialization will decide our future. Will it be capitalism or communism, feudalism or despotism?
The Great Rupture explores the weakening nexus between freedom and prosperity and what that means for the future of humanity. From the birth of our modern world, pivotal events have led to the collapse of non-Western civilizations — Mongol warriors sweeping across Eurasian steppes; the Black Death and a re-awakening of human spirit; Zheng He’s voyages and the collapse of Novgorod republic; and finally, the ban on printing in Arabic. What can we learn from these historical events to better prepare ourselves for the future?
As we hurtle toward that uncertain future, Shvets writes we must decide whether our cherished individual freedoms are still necessary for success and prosperity, or if in adapting to new technologies, non-Western civilizations are now better positioned for this new world, creating highly illiberal and possibly brutal orders that might no longer suffer from stagnation of ideas or wealth. For the first time in at least five centuries, we have an opportunity and tools to build a different society and economy. The book explores specific policy choices that might help us navigate this treacherous transition. Will we embrace the challenge?
Author Viktor Shvets is a global strategist at Macquarie Bank. In his almost four-decades-long investment banking career, he worked in Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, London, New York and Moscow at a number of global investment banks, such as Baring Securities, Deutsche Bank, DLJ, Lehman Brothers and Credit Suisse. Over the years, he has been a highly rated analyst across various disciplines, head of research and is now recognized as one of the more innovative global market strategists, working on the intersection between finance, technology, politics and history. He is a prolific writer on key global trends and is a frequent commentator on CNBC, Bloomberg and other media outlets.
Viktor was born in Kiev, which at the time was the capital of the Soviet Ukraine. He attended Kiev University of Trade before immigrating to Australia, where he completed a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Sydney and a Master of Commerce degree from the University of New South Wales. He is married with two sons and currently resides in Hong Kong.
The Great Rupture – Three Empires, Four Turning points and the Future of Humanity – Do we need to be free? Publisher: Boyle & Dalton ISBN-10: 163337386X ISBN-13: 978-1633373860 Available from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Kobo.com and iTunes
Trish Stevens Margot Cunningham Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Trish Stevens Claire Downing Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone 800.854.2207 Fax
(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing)
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Code-At-Home Tech Toys Keep Girls Engaged, Away From Computer Screens, During COVID-19 School Closures
Are you looking for constructive ways to keep your children stimulated and engaged during the COVID-19 school shutdown? SmartGurlz founder Sharmi Albrechtsen beat out 40,000 other entrepreneurs on ABC’s Shark Tank and negotiated with guest “shark” Richard Branson, before closing a deal with Daymond John on her line of groundbreaking toys that use an award-winning robotics platform to teach basic coding skills to girls as young as 6.
“Many girls’ toys lag behind in the development of spatial skills, hands-on problem solving skills, and confidence with coding and computer science,” explains SmartGurlz founder Sharmi Albrechtsen. “These are exactly the skills that SmartGurlz aims to develop.”
The SmartGurlz line of unique, interactive, self-balancing robots and dolls are controlled with the SugarCoded™ App than can be downloaded onto an IOS or android phone or tablet that once downloaded requires no Wi-Fi, just Bluetooth.
A full, step-by-step tutorial teaches basic coding strategies so young girls can maneuver the toys around obstacle courses of their own design. With several levels of learning and chal-lenges, the toy keeps kids occupied several hours a week for 4-6 months.
The company is also offering a free weekly webinar for parents and kids affected by COVID- 19 that includes getting started, tips and tricks, and weekly home assignments.
Girls playing with SmartGurlz products learn three key concepts:
Spatial Reasoning. Girls learn how to direct/orient their robots in new environments and in-terpret maps.
Computer Programming. Girls learn to program their robots using our kid-friendly coding App called SugarCodedTM.
Storytelling & Problem Solving. Girls learn to tell stories and solve missions via coding.
The SmartGurlz product line also includes an e-book series available through the App that focuses on the everyday adventures of four talented young women studying at the fictional New York Institute of Technology — N.I.T.
We’re all adjusting to a new normal. You can use this extra time at home to inspire the female tech leaders of tomorrow with toys that integrate the power of play with the power of technology.
SmartGurlz CEO Sharmi Albrechtsen is a robotics aficionado, educator, author and mom with a passion for closing the diversity gap in technology.
In 2015, Sharmi started SmartGurlz after becoming frustrated with the lack of STEM toys available for her daughter. The SmartGurlz flagship product, Siggy, was the first robotics product designed specifically for girls. More than 30,000 girls have been educated with SmartGurlz. SmartGurlz partners include BlackGirlsCode, Girl Scouts of America and Morrison Mentors.
SmartGurlz recently expanded its product line to include Smart Buddies (a joint-venture with Pitsco Education), which features a diverse set of characters suitable for both girls and boys, targeted towards schools.
Sharmi was recently given AdWeek’s Disruptor Award in Championing Gender Diversity in Advertising and Tech. She has also been named Women Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 by the Asian Chamber of Commerce as well as named a Morgan Stanley Multi-Cultural Innovation Lab fellow. Sharmi has been featured in Forbes, Huffington Post, Financial Times, Fox Business News, Fox and Friends and CNN. She is also a featured TEDx speaker.
Trish Stevens Claire Downing Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone 800.854.2207 Fax
(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Code-At-Home Tech Toys Keep Girls Engaged, Away From Computer Screens, During COVID-19 School Closures
Are you looking for constructive ways to keep your children stimulated and engaged during the COVID-19 school shutdown? The line of groundbreaking toys from SmartGurlz Inc. uses an award-winning robotics platform to teach basic coding skills to girls as young as 6.
“Many girls’ toys lag behind in the development of spatial skills, hands-on problem solving skills, and confidence with coding and computer science,” explains SmartGurlz founder Sharmi Albrechtsen. “These are exactly the skills that SmartGurlz aims to develop.”
The SmartGurlz line of unique, interactive, self-balancing robots and dolls are controlled with the SugarCoded™ App than can be downloaded onto an IOS or android phone or tablet that once downloaded requires no Wi-Fi, just Bluetooth.
A full, step-by-step tutorial teaches basic coding strategies so young girls can maneuver the toys around obstacle courses of their own design. With several levels of learning and chal-lenges, the toy keeps kids occupied several hours a week for 4-6 months.
The company is also offering a free weekly webinar for parents and kids affected by COVID- 19 that includes getting started, tips and tricks, and weekly home assignments.
Girls playing with SmartGurlz products learn three key concepts:
Spatial Reasoning. Girls learn how to direct/orient their robots in new environments and in-terpret maps.
Computer Programming. Girls learn to program their robots using our kid-friendly coding App called SugarCodedTM.
Storytelling & Problem Solving. Girls learn to tell stories and solve missions via coding.
The SmartGurlz product line also includes an e-book series available through the App that focuses on the everyday adventures of four talented young women studying at the fictional New York Institute of Technology — N.I.T.
We’re all adjusting to a new normal. You can use this extra time at home to inspire the female tech leaders of tomorrow with toys that integrate the power of play with the power of technology.
SmartGurlz CEO Sharmi Albrechtsen is a robotics aficionado, educator, author and mom with a passion for closing the diversity gap in technology.
In 2015, Sharmi started SmartGurlz after becoming frustrated with the lack of STEM toys available for her daughter. The SmartGurlz flagship product, Siggy, was the first robotics product designed specifically for girls. More than 30,000 girls have been educated with SmartGurlz. SmartGurlz partners include BlackGirlsCode, Girl Scouts of America and Morrison Mentors.
SmartGurlz recently expanded its product line to include Smart Buddies (a joint-venture with Pitsco Education), which features a diverse set of characters suitable for both girls and boys, targeted towards schools.
Sharmi was recently given AdWeek’s Disruptor Award in Championing Gender Diversity in Advertising and Tech. She has also been named Women Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 by the Asian Chamber of Commerce as well as named a Morgan Stanley Multi-Cultural Innovation Lab fellow. Sharmi has been featured in Forbes, Huffington Post, Financial Times, Fox Business News, Fox and Friends and CNN. She is also a featured TEDx speaker.
Trish Stevens Maria Jenson Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing)
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Crisis Of Purpose Hinders Humankind’s Efforts To Resolve World’s Biggest Challenges
The defining crisis of our time isn’t growing authoritarian regimes, economic uncertainty or even climate change. It is a crisis of purpose. Our hope for the future will ultimately depend on how we best conceive of progress if our actions are to result in real human advancement.
In Hope and the Future: Confronting Today’s Crisis of Purpose, the first of a three-part series, Dr. Charles M. Johnston contends that much of civilization lacks a narrative, a compelling human story that can propel us forward. The challenges we face require that we think, act and relate in new ways, he says, and the critical questions before us require that we “grow up” as a species in order to deal with these challenges effectively.
Among the critical questions the book tackles are: How do we best ensure a safe human future in a world filled with weapons of mass destruction? How do we address inevitable environmental catastrophes? How do we make love endure in the future with gender roles in flux today? How will we deal with important challenges that require global cooperation, such as terrorism and the need for a stable economic infrastructure? How do we make moral choices, given their growing complexity and the weakening of cultural guideposts? And finally, how do we best determine if our actions result in real human advancement?
Dr. Johnston’s book distills 30 years of work by the Institute for Creative Development, a Seattle-based, non-partisan think tank and center for leadership training. It introduces the “creative systems” concept of cultural maturity and provides a compelling guiding story for going forward.
Author Charles M. Johnston is also a psychiatrist and futurist, and is best known for founding and directing the ICD and is the originator of Creative Systems Theory, a comprehensive framework for understanding purpose and change in human systems. He is the author of 10 books and numerous articles on the future and how we can best prepare to meet it.
Hope and the Future: Confronting Today’s Crisis of Purpose
Publisher: ICD Press
ISBN-13: 978-1732219007
Available from Amazon.com, www.hopeandthefuture.com/hope and www.ingramcontent.com
