Today, singer-songwriter Ilana Harkavy is sharing her story, passions, and life lessons with all of us. I’m so grateful Ilana reached out to me by following me on Twitter so I could be introduced to her awesome music and the Just.Girl.  project – a fiery musical movement that empowers girls to embrace their passions, be blatantly honest, and take ownership of their individual struggles. After checking out her work, I had to invite her to be a guest speaker at The Self-Discovery Retreat to encourage us all to rise to our platforms & shine!

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."

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.