I’m excited that today, Lydia Criss Mays is “Speaking From the Heart” and sharing her experiences with all of us. I have known Lydia for the past couple of years. I have been so inspired by her beautiful vision and passion that I asked her to be part of this series; she is a mentor to me. On See Beautiful’s website, Lydia shares the stories of others. In this interview, I’m delighted that we all get to hear her beautiful thoughts.

Amber Krzys is a coach, speaker, dog-lover and bodyhearter! She is on a mission to  help you believe in yourself and act like it. You can check out her  website and join her complimentary ‘I Believe’ video training series here. I am really inspired by Amber's vision and passion, so I asked her to be part of this series; she is a mentor to me. I spent my teenage years and the early part of my twenties not loving my body and after realizing the error in my ways I have to spread the word. I get excited when I find others with a similar mission and love reading her Feature Fridays.

I'm so excited that today, Amanda Abella, is “Speaking From the Heart” and sharing her experiences with all of us. I have had the privilege to be coached by Amanda and will tell you she really is a fireball of inspiration.  We connected randomly a couple years ago as we were both recent grads who had a lot in common.

Amanda Abella is a certified life coach and motivational speaker who has been helping millennials have success with work and money since 2010. 

Ever wondered how writing and reflection can inspire you to excel in your life? I'm excited that today, Michelle Ward, is speaking from the heart and sharing her experiences with all of us. I am really inspired by Michelle's vision and passion, so I asked her to be part of this series; she is a mentor to me. I spent the early part of my twenties reflecting on what I wanted to be when I grew up.

The Self-Discovery Retreat is rooted in my passions: psychology, water, empowering others, and writing. These interests have drawn me to seek out resources and build a community of people with similar interests. Over the years, one of the tools that really strengthens my growth are the articles in Psychologies magazine. I especially look forward to what the editor has to say in the first couple pages, so I asked her to be part of the "Speaking From the Heart" interview series. I'm so excited that Suzy Greaves is “Speaking from the Heart” and sharing her writing experiences with all of us today. 

As I said in my last post, conversations change lives. For me, one of those conversations was seeing Mo Isom being interviewed on Ellen. Watch the video here. Mo's story really inspired me and I had to reach out and connect with her.  I'm so excited that today, Mo Isom, is “Speaking From the Heart” and sharing her experiences with all of us. 

At just 23, Mo Isom is recognized as a powerful, fearless female voice rising up for her generation. Her unique personal story and athletic endeavors have provided her with a platform to inspire, empower and encourage others to live boldly, despite their circumstances. Having faced great personal tragedy—including battling an eating disorder, overcoming the suicide of her father, and surviving a horrific car accident—Mo is passionate about speaking on a wide variety of topics and is able to connect with men and women of all ages and demographics. 

Jen Saunders is the creator of Wild Sister Magazine  and the Wild Sisterhood . She’s a tie-dye wearing daydream believer, writer and spirit junkie. Jen's got so much love for women who own their power, smile at themselves and believe that happiness is a choice – so if that's you, give her a wave at any one of her online homes (Facebook, Twitter) so you can connect! I am really inspired by Jen's vision and the Wild Sister Community so I asked her to be part of this series as she is a mentor to me. 

Elizabeth McKenzie is a  twenty-something speech pathologist + life coach (and kinesiologist in training) from Australia. Her home on the interwebs is Your Highest Self  where she helps women rock their life with confidence, passion and purpose, showing them how to make that seemingly impossible dream life a reality. She is also the creator of Bringing Sexy Back Bootcamp, an ecourse to help women get their mojo back, speak their truth and learn the skills necessary to create a life they’ve chosen for themselves.

I'm really excited that today, Robyn Hussa Farrell is “Speaking From the Heart” and sharing her experiences with all of us. Robyn is the Founder and CEO of Mental Fitness, Inc. (formerly NORMAL), an award-winning arts and education organization that teaches about eating disorders, mental health, and healthy coping through arts and media programs.  When Robyn approached me in early August to tell me about her exciting news, I had to spread the message; I invited her to be part of this series.  I have known Robyn for a couple of years now, and I am a strong supporter of her work.  Even though we live in different countries, we have similar passions. You can read her full bio here or see her "Profile of Perseverance" interview. 

Rachel MacDonald is a Life and Blog Coach, Co-author of Spirited: Soulful Lessons on Clarity, Connection + Coming Home (to You), and creator of In Spaces Between from Australia. Problogger deemed her one of the "Top 15 Bloggers to Watch in 2013" and through one-on-one coaching, online programs and speaking events, Rachel is on a mission to move women into their magnificence by empowering them to dream bigger, slice through fears and limiting beliefs, connect back up to their true selves, and own their greatness. I am really inspired by Rachel's vision and passion, so I asked her to be part of this series.

Anna Runyan, MBA, is a Blogger, Career Coach, Professor, and Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton in San Diego. Anna started her blog, Classycareergirl.com, in March 2010 to document what she was learning during business school and on the job. She quickly found that what she was learning was helping other young professionals as well. After just a few months, Classycareergirl.com was named one of the top 50 up and coming HR blogs for career development. Anna writes her blog as her “passion project” and loves helping others nail interviews and find fulfilling careers. Her growing blog now receives over 200,000 page views/month and her Get Ahead Community has grown to over 30 professional women. I was introduced to Anna after finding out about a blogging teleseminar she hosted. I listened in and realized that we share similar stories so I had to reach out and connect with her.

“I suffer from depression” are not the four words that you would have expected to come out of a teenager's mouth on a global stage. Yet, some are breaking the stigma and talking about mental health issues by expressing themselves. The teenager who spoke up on the TEDXKids@Ambleside stage in May 2013 is Kevin Breel. Kevin is a teenager, a stand-up comic, a writer, and an activist for mental health from Victoria, British Columbia. We both have ties to this beautiful city.