Scott L Vannatter is the oldest of two children, having one sister.  He was born in New Castle, Indiana and lives in Middletown, IN in his grandmother's home with his cat, Tamika.  Scott is a published author of 7 short horror stories, 4 of which are currently in print and on sale with Amazon in both anthologies (paperback) and  on Kindle.  Scott has 2 Master's degrees, worked in computers for nearly 23 years and nearly 6 years as a special education teacher.  A massive hemorrhagic stroke in May of 2010 made him stop teaching and start writing.  He is, currently, an Independent Marketing Director for Team National. He has been divorced twice and has two wonderful children, one male and one female both 30 years or older. He is happy with life and believes that "all things work together in the end; if it hasn't worked out, it isn't the end."

Reece Sims is a passionate advocate for the professional development of Generation Y women. I'm a Personal Branding Strategist, Host of The Lovenoteworthy Show (listed as the #1 Business podcast in the New & Noteworthy on iTunes Canada) and Host for Behind the Brand which airs on Novus Television's Community Channel. I had the pleasure of being interviewed on The Gold Zebra and had to ask Reece to be involved in this series. Reece has really inspired me on my journey. I connected with her earlier this year as we both live on the West Coast.  I look forward to meeting her in person one day.  Reece speaks from her heart and empowers others on their journey!

Ever wondered how a singer/songwriter develops the courage to speak from their heart? I'm excited that today, Jesse Ruben, is “Speaking From the Heart” and sharing his experiences with all of us. 

I had to ask Jesse to be part of this series after reading an article in a local paper about his visit to Vancouver Island to encourage children to persevere.  As an educator, I know how much of an impact he made by connecting with these young people in person. Read an article about his visit here or check out his blog post about the visit.  I was so touched by his generosity that I had to reach out to Jesse as I wanted to help spread his message further. 

Ever wondered how writing can inspire the journey of a professional performer? I'm excited that today my friend, Gabriello Pitman, is “Speaking From the Heart” and sharing his experiences with all of us. 

Gabriello is a performer, an entrepreneur, and a professional coach based in Toronto, Canada. I met Gabriello before he became an entrepreneur and was pursuing his PhD in Physics at the University of Toronto.  We met and became friends as we were both residents of Wycliffe College's graduate residence.  You can check out the story in his own words on how he discovered his calling here. Gab used to come in the television room at the residence and perform card tricks for us.  I had to ask Gabriello to be involved in this series as he continually inspires and encourages me on my journey.  Plus, he is a fun guy to be around, and has quite the range of facial expressions (as do I :)).  

Have you ever been so excited about an idea that you want it to develop and to be shared with others? Yet, you are unsure of how to do it. I have a solution, and it isn’t rocket science.  One of the best ways to develop your idea is to REACH OUT and connect with others.

I was in that boat about a year ago when I first started my blog.  Seriously, I thought only my friends and family would be reading it but I was eager to meet new people and start discussions.  Since I was new to the blogging world, I was a bit naive; I thought, “I’ll write great material, and a community will immediately develop.”  Boy was I wrong! I should have realized that building an online community is the same as building an offline one – it takes time and effort to develop.

I now have 72 reasons to be smile,  adding to the list from yesterday, as today I was suprised with two more reasons!!

The first is because I have been in touch with many inspiring inviduals over the past couple of weeks.  They have volunteered to share their stories with all of us.  I'm really looking forward to hearing what they have to say! Thanks :)

Secondly, I get to share with you my new promotional material. Amy designed this for me this afternoon and this poster is too beautiful not to share (I'm totally not biased :P).  I have received many queries as to the reasoning of my blog title.

I am so delighted that Tina Steinberg is sharing her story with us. I came across Tina's jewelry when I was reading an article in a magazine and saw Kara Goucher wearing the "I am Not Afraid" necklace.  I loved the necklace and contacted her immediately to get one.  She is so talented.  I highly recommend checking out her site after you’ve read her post here. She has really inspired me. It is also through her that I met Amy Thackery, who designed my logo.  THANK YOU TINA!