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Posts Tagged ‘relationships’

Camaraderie on the World Stage: Dear Barack Traces Extraordinary Political Alliance

Camaraderie on the World Stage: Dear Barack Traces Extraordinary Political Alliance

(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

United by a belief that democracy could uplift the world, former U.S. President Barack Obama and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel formed a friendship that transcended their disparate political views, connecting in a way that enabled them to navigate their countries through some of the most challenging events of the 21st century. While most political pundits knew about the partnership these two created, few knew the full story — until now.

“Their relationship was by no means linear,” said author and activist Claudia Clark. “They had their differences. The important thing is that despite their differences, they came out on top. They came out stronger because they had enough respect for one another.”

In Clark’s new book, Dear Barack: The Extraordinary Partnership of Barack Obama and Angela Merkel, she gives readers an inside look at one of the great political friendships of the modern world, as told through key moments that shaped the 21st century.

Obama was a left-leaning Democrat, Merkel a member of Germany’s far-right Christian Democratic Union, yet together, they found a way to help heal the fractures that existed between the U.S. and Europe at that time.

Dear Barack is a thoroughly researched exploration of the parallel trajectories that led to Obama and Merkel meeting on the world stage, and the trials — both personal and political — that they confronted in office. In the leaders’ own words, the book details such events as Merkel’s historic acceptance of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and the 2013 NSA spying scandal, demonstrating the highs and lows of this extraordinary alliance.

A story of camaraderie at a global scale, Dear Barack is a “fit-all” in terms of politics and shows that it is possible for political adversaries to establish bonds of respect — and even friendship — in the service of the free world.

Claudia Clark is an author, speaker and activist focused on social justice and democracy. In 2017, Clark and her husband moved from California to Germany, where she served as the national Get Out the Vote (GOTV) coordinator for the Democrats Abroad Germany chapter from January 2019 to May 2020. Clark has several advanced degrees, with a focus on social work, women’s history and labor relations. She lives in Berlin, where she is conducting research for her next book.

For more information, please visit https://www.claudiaclarkauthor.com.

Dear Barack: The Extraordinary Partnership of Barack Obama and Angela Merkel
Publisher: Disruption Books
ISBN-10: ‎ 1633310574
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1633310575
Available from Amazon.com, Disruption Books and Claudiaclarkauthor.com

Trish Stevens
Monica Daniels
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone

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Learn How to Form Authentic Human Connections Through Storytelling

Learn How to Form Authentic Human Connections Through Storytelling

(This press release may be reprinted in part or in its entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet or used by any means of social media sharing.)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

In an age when business can be conducted from a smart phone, family therapist Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse has a suggestion to help people cultivate authentic, human connections: storytelling.

“Screens and data have overtaken our society; we are overloaded, digitalized and distracted,” she wrote in the introduction to her latest book, Storytelling Legacy: Everyone Has Stories—What are Yours? “Storytelling can be used to connect, engage, inspire, heal and create a brighter future.”

Wegscheider-Cruse has brought hope and healing to millions of people through her work as a family therapist, co-founder of the National Association of Children of Alcoholics, acclaimed author and conference presenter. She invites readers to join her as she recounts her remarkable life in Storytelling Legacy, hoping that her narrative will encourage readers to share their own experiences through the power of storytelling.

“Communication is more than an exchange of information,” she said. “Words can inspire; words can teach important lessons. And woven together, words offer a legacy to those we love for generations to come.”

In the recounting of her legacy, Wegscheider-Cruse includes tales of celebrity, culture, humor, history, questions, relationships, surprises, spirituality, traditions and travels.

She then invites readers to go deep within, to realize the wonder of their own life experiences, and to craft their own legacy of stories.

“Everyone has a story,” she adds. “What is yours?”

About the Author
Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse is a family therapist, businesswoman, and founder of Onsite Workshops. She is the author of 23 books, including 5 bestsellers, translated into 13 languages, most notably Another Chance: Hope and Health for the Alcoholic Family, Learning to Love Yourself, and Choicemaking. She has brought hope and healing to millions through her company, Onsite Workshops, TN, and fostered a movement that brought direction to millions of adult children of alcoholics. The co-founder of the National Association of Children of Alcoholics (NACOA), she has trained and lectured for the US Air Force, counseling agencies, spa wellness centers, and corporations. She has developed programs in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Sharon has appeared on numerous television and radio shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Phil Donahue Show, The Larry King Show, and The Today Show. Her love for her soulmate, Joe, is everlasting and her greatest accomplishment is her joy for her children, her grandchildren, and relationships with her friends.

For more information, visit https://sharonwegscheidercruse.com/.

Storytelling Legacy: Everyone Has Stories—What Are Yours?
Publisher: HCI Books
Release Date: July 26, 2022
ISBN-10: 0757324355
ISBN-13: 9780757324352
Trade Paperback, 272 pages
Available from Amazon.com

Trish Stevens
Lindsey Mach
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone.

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Asperger’s and Unstoppable: Matthew Kenslow Doesn’t Let Labels Limit Him

Asperger’s and Unstoppable: Matthew Kenslow Doesn’t Let Labels Limit Him

(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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Matthew Kenslow is a pianist, juggler, motivational speaker and college graduate who was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (part of the autism spectrum) when he was 6 years old. In his thought-provoking book, Juggling the Issues: Living With Asperger’s Syndrome, Kenslow takes readers inside what it’s truly like for someone living with the disability.

“My main message that I tell hundreds of people is that I have not given up on my goals,” he wrote in the book’s preface. “I persevere on my aspirations. If I can do that, certainly everybody else can too.”

Told through a series of stories about his personal experiences, Kenslow sheds light on common traits found in those with Asperger’s, such as the way their minds work, their lack of social and conversational skills, and poor eye contact with others, and how those challenges have impacted his everyday life. Simple tasks take longer for Kenslow — like reading or organizing his thoughts — while remembering things like the Periodic Table or the books of the Bible come more easily.

“We find patterns in things, and that is the key,” he wrote. “… what is difficult for me can be a piece of cake for most others, but what is challenging for most others can be two-plus-two for me.”

Juggling the Issues: Living With Asperger’s Syndrome is an important read for anyone whose life has been touched by Asperger’s Syndrome. Kenslow’s insights aim to lend understanding, provide inspiration, and encourage readers to put aside differences and embrace the gifts that others have to share with the world.

About the Author

Matthew Kenslow has grown up with a form of autism known as Asperger’s Syndrome. Life has been an adventure as he pieced together all of his surroundings amid both praises and taunts. His mission is to teach others from a firsthand perspective about how autistic people interpret things differently from the rest of the world. He believes God has blessed him with the gifts to juggle, play piano and recall facts about the American presidents, geography, science and mathematics. He juggles at elementary schools and encourages the students to never give up on their passions.

He has earned the Gold Medal of Achievement (which is equivalent to the rank of Eagle Scout) through Royal Rangers, a program he has been in since he was 5. Now, he is giving back to children and teenagers, teaching and mentoring them in a wide set of skills and knowledge. He graduated from Orange Coast College with an Associate of Science degree in Chemistry and with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from Vanguard University of Southern California. He aspires to be a middle school math and science teacher. Currently, he is a student teacher for Enhanced Mathematics at his former middle school, Ensign Intermediate School, seeking to be done by December 2022, and is an employed substitute teacher for NMUSD.

Connect with Kenslow on Instagram (matthew_kenslow), Facebook (JugglingTheIssues) and TikTok (@matthewkenslow). Or subscribe to his YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pjt4Ra47L_pYsS9SPJcmg.

Juggling the Issues: Living with Asperger’s Syndrome
Publisher: River Birch Press
ISBN-10: ‎1951561325
ISBN-13: ‎978-1951561321
Available from Amazon.com, BN.com and many other online retailers

Trish Stevens
Clare Moore
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone

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What Became of the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave? Writings of the Late Dr. Noomen Offer a Positive Outlook for Humanity

What Became of the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave?
Writings of the Late Dr. Noomen Offer a Positive Outlook for Humanity

(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

2022 Controversial Supreme Court rulings, legislative actions, or executive orders from a president can sometimes feel like an excessively autocratic approach to government, leading many citizens to push back. Do you ever wonder what happened to the land of the free?

Author and scholar Dr. Pieter Noomen had some thoughts about freedom and government, and he wrote about them on his website, www.wordsforall.org … a treasure trove of philosophical and spiritual information that Dr. Noomen (who passed away three years ago) said he was given from the highest of sources. The website access and information are free for all.

“It is erroneous to think that a structure is more important than its parts. It is the other way around,” Dr. Noomen wrote. “A corrupt government that passes laws that benefit many is still corrupt. But citizens living in a corrupt society are free — and capable — to keep their insights and striving pure and honest.”

Dr. Noomen’s writings speak largely about his belief system and often refer to messages he said he received from a higher power, but his words can resonate with all, regardless of faith. He attributes his quotations to that higher power, rather than himself.

“Engaging in noble causes or producing beautiful things is not a substitute for one’s mental and spiritual health,” he wrote. “The sanity of humanity is in people discovering — and bravely holding onto — their and earth’s universal and spiritual roots. Sanity is not attached to particular external achievements, even if those seem to improve justice, beauty, health and protection for many.”

He also wrote that “children need adults, adults need governments, laws, codes of behavior, etc.”

Born in the Netherlands, Pieter Noomen worked as a psychotherapist and staff member at a Los Angeles church. He completed doctoral studies in theology and pastoral psychology at the Free University of Amsterdam and became senior minister of three Protestant churches.

An example of Dr. Noomen’s Wisdoms of the Week from his website, as we continue to hold out hope that better days lie ahead:

“In the full universal reality from which our earthly world is isolated, the freedom of choice is absolute. Nothing is impossible there. … more often than we realize, we can be on top of our decision-making and of our behavior. The choice of what person to be or with what kind of attitude is ours and ours alone.”

Trish Stevens
Gloria Gonzalez
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
281.333.3507 Main
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

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Has Humankind Ever Been More Broken Than Now?

Has Humankind Ever Been More Broken Than Now?
Writings of the Late Dr. Noomen Preach ‘Connectedness’

(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

Does it sometimes seem as if political parties, the country and perhaps the entire world has fallen into an unprecedented morass of divisiveness and animosity? Read the news, turn on the TV, listen to the radio or just eavesdrop on conversations. Has there ever been a time when civilization was any less agreeable? Can anything be done to help fix this rampant and dangerous antagonism?

Author and scholar Dr. Pieter Noomen wrote at length about his belief that “all is connected,” and although he passed away three years ago, his writings are still available to all, free, anytime, on his website (www.wordsforall.org). Among the 12 “booklets” he posted is one he called “Connectedness.”

“If on your inner level you do connect with the universal sphere, boundaries blur,” Dr. Noomen wrote. “You then experience that your universal links are not vague or impractical at all. You can hook up to a world that poses no threat and lets you know and feel that.”

Dr. Noomen’s writings speak largely about his belief system and often refer to messages he said he received from a higher power, but his words can resonate with all, regardless of faith. The booklet on “connectedness” is written in first-person, with the “I” being the higher power that he believed spoke to him.

He begins the booklet thus: “One of the most amazing statements I make is related to this ‘all is connected;’ not that the fact itself that all is connected is surprising, as you observe it on earth … but indirect all-connectedness makes good sense. You and, say stars, are separate worlds; yet what is in between serves as link. And so it is with everything. All that exists is acting in the same play of being. Let the word play conjure a sphere of playfulness, team spirit and adventure.”

That may sound like Pollyanna wishful thinking in 2022, but what if the Russians and Ukrainians, the pro-life and pro-choice folks, the Republicans and Democrats, and all the other so-called diametrically opposed groups could look at civilization as one big family?

“Truth has ways to overcome confusion, to a point of restoring clear vision,” Dr. Noomen wrote. “For this, you’ve the whole eternity at your disposal. So do not worry or panic. Realize the sixth component of being well-connected is already a part of you. For present humans, this connectedness is severely disturbed. And it shows. Yet, in you, ‘all is connected’ waits to be recognized and be applied positively.”

Born in the Netherlands, Pieter Noomen worked as a psychotherapist and staff member at a Los Angeles church. He completed doctoral studies in theology and pastoral psychology at the Free University of Amsterdam and became senior minister of three Protestant churches.

An example from Dr. Noomen’s Wisdoms of the Week from his website, as we continue to hold out hope that better days lie ahead:

“It seems scientifically proven that laughing is good for our health. (I still regret that I can’t even tell a joke. Sorry!) Yet I know a source that always lets me smile inside. That happens when I realize how awesomely great the universe is and how tiny I am. And much more, when I realize that this Totality of all, Life in its full volume, is essentially a love reality.”

Trish Stevens
Gloria Gonzalez
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
281.333.3507 Main
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

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Angel Faces Retreats Facilitate Emotional Healing for Women Disfigured by Trauma

Angel Faces Retreats Facilitate Emotional Healing for Women Disfigured by Trauma

(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

Since 2003, the nonprofit Angel Faces has helped transform the lives of adolescents and young women who have suffered severe, permanent scars and disfigurements from burn injuries and traumatic events through intensive, residential retreats, and ongoing support.

Founder Lesia Cartelli was severely burned by a natural gas explosion when she was just 9 years old, and as an adult, she recognized the psychosocial needs of adolescent girls and young women with disfigurements.

The next retreat takes place June 11-16 on a private compound (courtesy of an anonymous donor) on lake Winnipesaukee in beautiful Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.

The theme for this retreat is “Let it Roll,” and sessions led by licensed mental health professionals will focus on managing healthy relationships, boundaries, post traumatic growth and understanding the impact of trauma on our lives.

Professional artist Kate Lemay will lead an art project, “Let It Scroll,” during which participants will create beautiful scrolls on canvas decorated with both words of forgiveness for their past selves and motivational messages for their budding, future selves.

Additional program elements include yoga, climbing and journaling, plus one-on-one instruction from professionals in the cosmetics industry to teach the women how to minimize scarring while enhancing their individual beauty.

“Our six-day retreat is a unique gathering of women who have been left marred by severe trauma (abuse, car crashes, bonfires, explosions, war and house fires) to find the courage to heal,” Cartelli said. “We encourage the participants to not waste their pain, and to use their trauma as a gift to discover their resilience and strength. Time at the retreat is inspiring for attendees and those who are privy to volunteer.”

Angel Faces Founder Lesia S. Cartelli has witnessed and experienced the struggle with social interactions, boundaries, and self-esteem issues that plague adolescent girls and young women with scars. In her 40 years of experience in developing educational and psychosocial programs supporting trauma victims, she became aware of the intense need for a more in-depth program. She created Angel Faces to inspire and empower adolescent girls and young women with burn/trauma injuries to reach their optimum potential and develop meaningful relationships with themselves, their families and their communities.

Cartelli is also the author of Heart of Fire (Carlyle Publishing; ISBN-13: ‎978-0990430711), in which she shares the details of her own traumatic experience and the path that led to her founding of Angel Faces.

For more information and a schedule of 2022 retreats, please visit www.angelfaces.com, or follow the organization on Instagram and Twitter at @angelfacesinc.

Trish Stevens
Beverly Moore
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone

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How to Get Better at Offering and Receiving Help

How to Get Better at Offering and Receiving Help

(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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Are you tired of doing everything yourself? Do you wish people would give you the help you need? Do you get frustrated when your attempts to help others don’t work?

Knowing how to extend a helping hand or ask for assistance when needed is one of the best ways to build trusting, collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships with colleagues, clients, family and friends. And yet, for far too many folks, “help fluency” remains elusive.

Go To Help from mother-daughter team Deborah Grayson Riegel and Sophie Riegel is a truly groundbreaking, easy-to-use guide that teaches concrete strategies to help readers get better at offering, asking for and accepting help — and explores the ways in which “help fluency” builds better relationships both professionally and personally.

In Go To Help, readers will learn how to:

  • Offer help that inspires others to learn and grow
  • Overcome emotional barriers to asking for help
  • Manage when someone doesn’t accept your help
  • Reject requests when you’re overloaded
  • Ask specifically for the kind of help that’s actually useful

Plus, Go To Help introduces 31 effective help strategies, along with tips and tools for putting these new approaches to use.

“Let’s face it, navigating the road ahead of us will require that we know how to offer, ask for and accept help, as we adapt to hybrid work environments and evolving workplace expectations; parent in high-stress situations (while facing everyday parenting challenges); participate in school that looks and feels different; and support our friends and family through change, and change again,” Grayson Riegel says. “This book will help you be more skilled, strategic and selective as you help others, as well as help yourself.”

About the Authors
Deborah Grayson Riegel is a coach, speaker, author and consultant. She is also an instructor of Management Communication at the Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania, and teaches Leadership Communication for Columbia Business School’s Women in Leadership Program. She is also on the faculty for Duke Corporate Education and regularly writes for Harvard Business Review.

Sophie Riegel is a student at Duke University. She is an author, mental health advocate and global speaker who champions and encourages conversations about mental health.

For more information, please visit www.GoToHelpBook.com, or visit the authors’ websites at www.deborahgraysonriegel.com or www.sophieriegel.com.

Go To Help: 31 Strategies to Offer, Ask For, and Accept Help
Publisher: Panoma Press
Release Date: January 17, 2022
ISBN-13: 978-1784529642
Available online and from all good bookstores

Trish Stevens
Karen Williams
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone

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