Dorothy O'Dell shares her inspiring journey of overcoming adversity and her mission to help others find their own paths to resilience. Growing up in a chaotic environment, Dorothy faced numerous challenges, including bullying and an abusive relationship, which ultimately fueled her desire to empower others through her writing and podcasts. As a fellow podcaster, she emphasizes the importance of community and finding a supportive tribe to navigate life's difficulties. Dorothy's story highlights that every struggle can lead to personal growth and the ability to uplift others, and she passionately advocates for mental health awareness, especially among veterans. Join us as we explore the profound impact of sharing our stories and the courage it takes to pursue one's dreams, even in the face of doubt from family and friends.

Takeaways:

• Starting a podcast can be a courageous step that opens doors to new connections and opportunities.
• Having a supportive community or tribe is crucial for personal and professional growth.
• It's important to find purpose in your struggles and use them to help others.
• Overcoming hardships can lead to empathy, allowing you to connect deeply with others.
• Building a business and life you love often requires taking bold, courageous actions.
• Mental health awareness and support are vital, especially during challenging times like the holidays.

About Dorothy O'Dell:

Born and raised in Ontario, Canada, Dorothy Graham O'Dell has transformed her lifelong passion for books into a powerful writing career. In January 2021, she published her memoir, *The Overcomer: Facing Challenges with Faith and Courage*, followed by her second book, *The Overcomer Playbook*, in November 2022. Through her writing, Dorothy shares her journey of resilience and inspires others to embrace their own stories.

As a keynote speaker, Dorothy captivates audiences with her powerful message that everyone has a story worth sharing. She is the producer and host of three impactful shows: *The Unstoppable Overcomers*, airing Monday nights; *The Power Half Hour: Unstoppable Business Owner*, on Wednesdays; and as a co-host on *A Journey in Boots: From Trauma to Triumph*, Thursday nights at 7:00 PM EST. Each platform is dedicated to amplifying voices and stories that deserve to be heard.

In addition to her work as a speaker and host, Dorothy is passionate about supporting small businesses. She shines a spotlight on entrepreneurs, alleviating the stress of creating video content by helping them showcase their natural talents and gifts. Her unique ability to put people at ease allows their authentic selves to emerge, making their stories resonate.

Dorothy's commitment to service extends beyond her shows. After featuring a retired Air Force veteran on *Unstoppable Overcomers* on January 31, 2022, and learning about the alarming suicide and divorce rates among veterans and first responders, she felt a profound calling to act. She joined several veteran organizations to ensure these communities receive the support and resources they need.

With a heart for storytelling and a passion for advocacy, Dorothy Graham O'Dell is a driving force for change, inspiring countless individuals to overcome their challenges and share their journeys with the world.

Find and engage with Dorothy at:

Dorothy's Socials:

website: www.unstoppableovercomers.com

YouTube: (38) Unstoppable Overcomers - YouTube

Roku: Unstoppable Overcomers

Linkedin:  (3) Dorothyann Graham O'Dell | LinkedIn

Facebook: Facebook

Dorothy's Book: The Overcomer Facing Challenges with Faith and Courage:

https://www.amazon.com/Overcomer-Facing-Challenges-Faith-Courage-ebook/dp/B08VHMWQ81

The Overcomer Playbook: The Overcomer Playbook: O'Dell, Dorothyann: 9781778081514: Amazon.com: Books

Foreign and welcome to the courageous destiny build a business and life you love podcast.

Today I have the incredible honor of speaking to Dorothy Odell.

She is a fellow podcaster.

Yes.

And that is going to be an exciting conversation.

Her podcasts are you guys ready?

Unstoppable overcomers.

Also the power half hour unstoppable business owners and a journey in boots from trauma to triumph.

You can find Dorothy on YouTube, Roku and Spotify and right here on my podcast right now.

Dorothy, welcome.

Thank you so much Kirsten for having me.

It's an absolute pleasure.

Oh man.

My honor, my honor.

I thought it'd be really fun.

You know, I've noticed recently how many people are asking me even like, well, how'd you start your podcast?

Why did you start a podcast?

And all of those things and, and it really is a big answer.

You know, for me there's so many things like when, you know, I'm a business and life coach and I had so many distinctions and different things that I wanted to share with the world and as I was sharing with them, I would find these amazing people that have these amazing stories to tell and I just wanted to showcase them.

I wanted to showcase some of these really cool stories.

And then I ran into you in my travel and you have a cool story.

So would you mind sharing with our listeners who you are and what you are all about?

Oh my gosh.

When we only have 30 minutes.

So.

In 30 minutes or less.

In 30 minutes or less.

I'm Dorothy Odell.

I am a wife, a stepmom, an author, I don't know, I think a three, four time author.

And I have had a crazy chaotic life.

Grew up in a very loving home.

However, I had one parent sick or, and then the other one, anything from heart and stroke, you name it.

My parents had it diabetics and I was overweight so you know, bullied for my weight which led to extreme low self esteem.

So the first guy that said he loved me, I actually believed him.

Yes, girls, don't fall into that trap.

Which turned into a four year abusive verbally and mentally abusive relationship.

Didn't think I could get better, so I stayed.

My uncle had taken his life on Christmas Day 26, four years ago somewhere around there.

And my life was always chaotic and, but I didn't, I didn't think that, that, that I thought that was normal.

I didn't think anything else of it, right.

And till one day I was, I just took a like a deep breath and I was talking to a girlfriend.

I'm like Man, I've been through a lot.

And she said, yes, you have.

And I said, I should write a book, you know, because if it helps one person, it'd be all worth it.

And she said, you should.

And so that's how the overcomer facing challenges with faith and courage was born.

And great.

It only took me like three months to write it, but I'm telling you, I thought, you know, I wanted to get it out there because I wanted to identify with those women out there that were going through the same thing, that maybe had lost hope in some of that and wanted to give a light to a dark world in dark situations.

And of course, you know, being from Windsor, Ontario, nobody knew who I was.

So I started networking again, finding those incredible people that had similar stories that were, you know, ready to give up until they heard, like, if I can, if I can overcome this, so can they.

And so that led a journey of I really found like all these incredible people, like you said.

And I'm like, okay, so let's, let's give a platform for people to be able to share their story.

This is not something obviously I never wanted to be front and center growing up because I didn't want attention drawn to me and my body and things like that.

So I.

This, I don't.

It had to be a God thing because there's no other way to describe it.

Definitely not something that I thought I would be doing.

Actually.

My biggest dream is to be in hotel management growing up.

So this was not something that I had ever was on my radar.

And in that I met a fellow by the name of Greg Bicknell.

He's a 28 year Air Force veteran.

And Greg completely changed my life.

Reminded me of my military roots.

Have a lot of people that have served.

My uncle, my dad's baby brother being one of them.

And when Greg told me that 22 veteran today died by suicide, I knew that I had to be part of the pro, part of the solution and to get rid of the problem.

So that is why I have a huge heart for, huge heart for veterans and have done everything in my power the last three years to help them, including being on a board of a nonprofit in Florida.

And yes, I am in Windsor, Ontario.

But you know, when God calls you somewhere, you do it.

So that's what I did.

And yeah, it's been a journey ever since.

Went from one pot, one show to three shows in the last almost four years.

It would be four years in May.

And I met some incredible people, built lasting friendships, whole new family since mine's pretty much almost died off.

Met a whole other family that I can connect into and so yeah, it's just been a journey.

Well, I love what you said too.

That, and I find this too with podcasts is that you do meet your family.

You meet so many like minded people.

And what I love so much about having these kinds of conversation is that they're intentional.

They're intentional and they have the ability to inspire people.

They have the ability to, they can say if, if, if one person like you said, gets one nugget, it can change everything for them.

So you've got this, this story of overcoming and a past history of overcoming.

What advice or steps would you recommend that somebody do if they were going through it?

Oh, I'm, you know, that's funny that you asked this question today because last night I had somebody interview me on my own show.

Oh, they did?

Yeah.

We, I'm in part of a body same with Dr.

Christie, a book called bringing new words to your body conversation.

So I'm one of 10 authors.

So we were doing a series of the authors that could make it so we finished it off last night and they asked the same question.

And so I was first asked, well, how did you get through those first years?

Like those years?

Because I, I basically did it myself, which I don't recommend.

And I, God gave me a group of seven incredible women.

I, I want to say about five years ago and so be having that tribe around you.

I have been unstoppable, even more so, but to a new degree.

But growing up, I didn't have that.

I had a couple friends that were more like acquaintances, were not really friends.

And I basically just put one foot in front of the other.

And that's all I knew was in order to.

I was in circ survival mode, it felt like and I didn't even realize that was the feelings I had going then.

But now that I've had a lot of personal development, now that I'm on the other side of it and now that I have people in my corner, I can see.

Well, wait a minute.

You know, it was, it was just like barreling through a tunnel.

You just kept going.

But since I found my tribe, it's been completely different.

Well, I really love that you said that about tribe.

I, you know, I have group coaching programs and I love to build community because I do think that there's resources in community, there's really great inspiration in community.

And once we have our tribe, we realize, I think the biggest thing that I hear is I'm so glad that I'm not alone.

Not that we want people to be going through real hard times and trauma, but.

But it's nice to know that there is another side to, you know, to when we are going through things and that other people were not necessarily trained right, to ask for help naturally.

You know, a lot of times I always tell people, I'm like, practice.

They ask, practice asking for help because it'll be so uncomfortable.

But if that's a courageous thing that you train yourself to do, you can learn so many things about how the world works.

You can learn so many resources.

And yes, you can also help get support when you're going through your times of need.

It, you know, it, it's, it's fun.

It's like night and day.

You know, I, I love my family, but they are not entrepreneurial, spirited.

You know, why would you work?

Why would you do that?

Why wouldn't you not work for somebody till the day you die and collect a pe, Right?

Like, why?

Why?

I had a quarter every time I heard that from my mom.

Oh, my gosh.

And so they don't understand.

They didn't understand me at all.

Then when I wrote the book, they were like, what did you just do?

I didn't tell them I wrote it until it was done because I knew that what would come out of their mouths.

So a lot of the things that I've done, like, they don't even know.

And I, I put.

My dad died three years ago, September 14th, and so he died of cancer.

So each year since then, we do like a, A golf tournament in his honor.

And the tournament went from five teams to 18 teams this year.

Wow.

What a great, great legacy.

Thank you.

So I, I'm, I, I'm just like a blown away, of course, you know, I wanted to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars my first year.

And my brother is like, well, why are we doing this?

Well, he, he wanted to do it, but he wanted to keep it close to just friends and family, right?

And I'm like, no, I want to make this international.

And I made it international my first year because I had friends from Indiana and Illinois come in.

And so I said, you have no idea who I'm connected to.

And he's just like, oh, whatever.

Because, you know, he was always not very supportive growing up.

And, you know, because I was overweight, he didn't really appreciate those things in me.

And what.

Anyways, doesn't matter how it happened, what happened, but the Thing of it is I learned to step over those things and just keep on what.

No matter what he thought or what he said, I just kept going.

And so he took a look this year and we had close, yeah, I want to say 10 whole sponsors, which, I mean, was unheard of from prior years.

And we had close to 32 door prizes.

And we.

That this was the first year that we had door prizes.

So he sits back and he takes a look and he's just like, oh, okay.

Doesn't say nothing to me, but says to my husband, oh my God, I can't believe what she did.

She goes, I'm really gonna have to help her next year more.

Wow.

Right?

So, yeah, by the way, I can.

Understand, you know, just with family, how.

How big of a triumph that is.

Yes.

You know, it's interesting.

I often will share with my clients and when I'm speaking about when you're onto your courageous destiny, many times we don't necessarily come into it with agreement.

You know, not everybody will understand.

You know, when I said to my family, I'm leaving a 20 year sales executive sales career and I'm going to start a company and I'm going to be a coach and I'm going to be called, you know, my company name is Courageous Destiny, they went, what?

Courageous.

Who?

Why?

Why are you doing that?

Who's going to hire a coach?

Who hires coaches?

You do things on your own, you know.

And it was like all of the things that it wasn't like I, in.

In my situation, that I was angry with them.

It was just what I knew when I decided to go for this, I didn't expect agreement.

And because I didn't expect it, I didn't have to get angry at when I didn't get it right.

And I just would say, thank you so much, I appreciate you.

And I'm going this way anyway.

Just watch, you'll get it one day.

I.

I love that you said that.

You know, we think that our family should be our greatest cheerleader, when in fact I have more strangers that have cheerleaded me on my last three years than family.

And it's.

I want to give a shout out to Mary Van Horn.

She's from a small town called Shadow of Ontario.

And I met Mary in church at Evangel Community Church many, many, many years ago.

And I have no idea to this day what I ever said or did to this woman for her to be such a cheerleader.

But I went on a mission trip eight years ago to Dominican, and I had no idea how I was going to do it, but she's just like, whatever you need, let me know and I'll pay the difference.

And I had no idea.

Her and her husband, like, we did a lot of fundraising, and her and her husband were one of the biggest.

One of my biggest supporters.

And every.

Pretty much every day, Mary sends me messages in messenger, just giving me encouragement, and she has no idea how much that really means to me.

And.

And I.

I have no idea what I said or did to this lady, but it's.

It's.

She.

She just does it.

And.

And it.

They especially show up when I think, why am I doing this?

Because I don't know about you, but there have been several times I'm like, I just want to quit.

Nothing's working out right now.

I'm not where I want to be.

Like, I should just quit.

Right?

Go get a second job.

And the moment I have those doubts, there's like, a message in my inbox for Mary.

I love Mary.

I've got to marry.

I've got to marry.

I call her a human angel, by the way.

And I do think that Mary is a human angel, and we should do, like, a series about human angels.

That's what came to me.

I'm like, I'm running down human angels because they're people that.

They come out right at the time.

When you're ready to quit.

Yep.

When you're ready to throw in the towel, you know, it might sound, you know, courageous.

Destiny is an organically grown business by myself and some help I've had along the way.

But what's really cool is that it.

Even though, you know, you get to the point where you're running in so many different directions, and then right when you just can't take it anymore.

For me, I'm going to do a shout out to Gail Brown.

Gail Brown is.

She is the CEO of Engaging Speakers.

And when I could not.

When I first started in coaching, I was coaching a technology that was very difficult to explain to people.

And she sat there for two and a half hours, and she listened to me, and she's been in my corner ever since.

Ever since.

So, yay, Mary Van Horn.

And yay, Gail Brown.

That's right.

It does take a village.

You know, I don't know about you, Dorothy, but I didn't.

I didn't, like, go through my adulthood and go, you know, I really want to showcase myself on a podcast.

Right.

Never once.

Like, I really, you know, it's my ego that needs to be fed, and I want to get out there.

And I, I do it because I want to share these amazing stories and I want to give people the inspiration to know that that message inside of them is important.

It's so important.

And they're important.

Yeah.

My.

It's funny you said that because like I said all.

Why would I want to be center of attention?

Like, this is 100% God led because.

And then he said, you're going to be the next Oprah.

And I thought, oh, God, I like, those are pretty big shoes to fill.

Right?

And it's not just about her money.

Although, yeah, that would be freaking amazing.

Right?

But it's what I could do with that money.

Like who I could help with that money.

Do you.

The homeless rate in my town is insane.

Absolutely insane.

The amount of veterans I could help with that money would be not, not even just the money, the platform.

That's why I give them the platform.

That's why it was really important.

Like, I had enough to do.

I work a full time job and coaching and, and helping people produce their own shows and things like that.

And I'm just like, no, when I, when I, I have a co host for the AD Journey in Boots and she is also an Air Force veteran and her and I have become friends.

And when you get into the veteran world, the veterans don't necessarily trust civilians.

So you have to be very careful.

And you really.

It took me three years for them to trust me and say, and know that, hey, Dorothy's the real deal.

And when I had a Marine say, I have your six, when I asked a request of some, I asked for a reference.

And when he said, I have your six, that was like the best day of my life next to being married.

It was just like, you know, you've arrived.

When, when a, when a Marine tells.

You, tell me what that means.

What does it mean?

They have your back.

Very nice.

Very.

So I get chills just saying that right, right now.

And it's just like these men and women have sacrificed a lot for their country, whether they're in Canada or whether they're in the United States.

And by the way, I deal mostly with veterans from the United States.

I don't know why they're willing.

I want to tap into Canada.

However, you know, it's becoming, it has been difficult to do that.

Why?

I don't know.

But anyways, so.

And anytime I hear that there's a need, I'm like, okay, I know who can help you.

And I immediately get them the support that they need.

So it, it, it's been a journey.

And I.

I just love them.

And I am one of them.

Like, I.

I get it.

I.

I have a veteran call Fridays at noon, angels with angels 14.

And those guys are like, okay, you are one of us, Dorothy.

Because, I mean, that's where I could be.

My 100% me.

Right?

I can be rude.

I could be raunchy.

I could be whatever I want with these guys because they accept that that's what they want.

That's what they like.

Not that I'm rude or raunchy, but all the time, but I can.

I am.

I.

I can.

I can be like one of them.

And it's so amazing.

I could just, like, say whatever I need to say.

That's amazing.

Now, were you.

You were a veteran?

I am not a veteran.

My uncle, my great grandfather served.

He was on.

It's funny, he was stationed in San Francisco on a boat.

He was in the Navy.

I don't know.

I don't know exactly his whole story.

He died before I was born, but I do.

My dad's baby brother was in the Canadian Armed forces, and he was.

I'm not sure how long he was actually there, but he ended up leaving there to go, sir.

To go teach English in Taiwan.

So he just didn't want to come home, I believe.

My grandfather, my father, and my brother were all cadets.

I have a nephew that's currently serving my dad's uncles, Pretty much all of them served.

So it's.

And my godfather served.

He was in Vietnam.

So.

Yeah.

Wonderful.

Wonderful.

One of the things that I.

I'm noticing about your different podcasts that I think would be really helpful for our listeners is that there's a theme.

Right.

For each one.

I know that's obvious for me to say, right.

But we've got unstoppable overcomers.

The power half hour with unstoppable business owners, and a journey in boots from trauma to triumph.

And I know, like, for me, when you have something that's in your heart that you want to showcase, that you want to get out in the world, when you can bring it under the umbrella of a theme like that, that's a really good first.

Like that intention, that intention that you want to get out in the world is the first step in creating a podcast.

Now, you, at least to me, what would you say it would.

Because you say you help people to create the different podcasts.

Yeah, you.

You got to know what you want to talk about.

And my.

My through line is being unstoppable in life, business and service.

That is my through line.

And mental health is the, the back, the backdrop of everything I do.

Can we put that out just for a minute?

I, like you said through line.

I don't know that everybody will know what that is, but that sounds like something, a really good nugget.

Yes.

So tell me about the through line.

Funny, because that just came to me.

But a through line is something like in everything you do.

There's something like a drop of that in everything you do.

Right.

So from beginning to end, it's going to be there in some capacity, is what I believe it is.

So definitely overcoming is.

Is in everything that I do.

And met the mental health piece, especially now.

I mean, right now we're coming into the holiday season.

This is the worst time for, for suicides and mental health.

And so if I can save one life just by speaking my uncle's story, you know, who happened to die on Christmas Day.

I mean, we didn't necessarily find him on Christmas Day, but that's a whole other story in itself.

But, yeah, circus life, Christmas Day.

Just think of how, how.

What kind of mental state that person would have to be in to.

To do that, right?

Had kids.

You know, there's a, There's a lot of backstory there, but it's, there's.

And, you know, I, I've had a lot of people say to me, well, it's selfish to do that.

And at first I thought that however, it's selfish to do to, to complete suicide.

I've heard that several times.

But people have no idea what they're going through in that moment.

So you can't say that.

You know, I always think, sure, there have been moments in my life where I thought life would be a heck of a lot easier if I wasn't here.

But I always kept a picture of, I have two handsome nephews that my brother gave me.

And so, and when I ever.

Whenever I thought life was hard, I would always think of them.

And I actually had a picture of them done when they were young.

And every time I thought about giving up, I would just either visually look at that picture or dig the picture out.

And I still have it.

It's in my draw.

I need to put it on the wall actually somewhere, but focus on something that, you know is going to get you through.

Because I, I think, you know, like, how I felt when the news hit me that I no longer have an uncle, right?

And so I just want to think, okay, how.

How would that leave even my mom, right?

Like, could I do that to my mom?

So, and I get it when you, when you've hit complete rock bottom and you don't see a way out, I always say reach out for help, right?

There's always 988.

That's both us now and Canada.

988 for to reach out for help.

If you can't, if they can't help you, reach out to a friend.

I always say I'd rather answer my phone call at 3:00 in the morning than, you know, attend somebody's funeral.

And if I don't keep the phone in the bedroom.

So if somebody was to try and call, I would, I would get it as soon as I, you know, got up.

And usually I'm up at 4:00.

So.

But still, I feel like, particularly since this came up, I would love it if you could provide me the number and we could put it on this podcast episode.

Because like you said, even if we could save one life, that would make a big difference.

And I, I think that brings me back to what is the difference you can make on a podcast?

100.

Isn't that amazing?

Like when you really think of that and get present to it, you know, when you get present to somebody's listening and then they might be in a state and then they get a little bit of help, you know, that's the difference.

And I think that's, to me, that's why podcast, that's why I do what I do now.

I think that people, when I think of build a business and you love, and I think of this podcast in particular, I think of people who are unhappy and they think that life can only go one way.

And I want to give them that.

There are other options to be able to monetize, to be able to make a living that don't require somebody paying you.

Well, somebody pays you, but somebody doesn't have to.

You can be, you can have your own business.

In other words, you can have your own business, you can have your own clients, you can, you can podcast, you know, in order to do business development, you can podcast in order to make a difference and impact in the world.

You don't have to do the things that we learned how to do.

It can really open up and it really, the world really can be your oyster.

And that's really what I wanted to showcase in this podcast and build a business in life you love.

But when I think of just one person listening in and they hear that, you know, I always think that.

And I don't have any problem saying this on my podcast, but I always think that God is coming through.

Yeah.

You know, God is guiding.

And if you're operating from your heart, you're not worried about what you're going to say or who you're going to offend or, you know, if somebody doesn't like to talk about God, I don't care.

Take what you want and leave the rest.

Right.

But I believe he's working.

And I believe that all these things that when you're having these kinds of conversations that come up can really make a difference in the world, to really make a difference for somebody.

And that's God working 100%.

Yeah, you.

I have seen so many miracles performed, especially in my father's life, that you can't tell me that there isn't a God.

You can't tell me that there isn't.

Even if you don't want to think of a God, think about a higher power of something, Right?

Yeah.

Something higher than yourself.

There.

You.

The amount of miracles that I have witnessed, there's not, there's no way I can say that that's just human.

I know you think that, that you haven't said as much yet, but don't you think that has to do with Dash?

Is it in agreement?

But don't you think that God is.

Don't you think that God is what?

I'm just rolling with it because he evidently wants to speak, but God, the overcoming.

Like, I believe that God works.

I'll just say it like, I believe that God does not always work through unicorns and rainbows.

I believe when we're onto the things that we need to do in this life, that we're here to make a difference, that we're here to make an impact.

In order for us to do that and for us to live what I call your courageous destiny.

You know, a lot of times it comes up in, you know, in, in tragedy.

It can come up in tragedy, it can come up in misfortune, it can come up with, all of a sudden you're doing really great financially and then boom, you had a downfall.

But if you didn't have that downfall, it didn't have you work really hard and become self employed and then build a huge empire, Right?

Like everything is, I believe God is working all the time, 100%.

Everything that I refuse to believe that everything that I've overcome in life was for nothing.

It had to have been to help somebody else through it.

So there's no way that, that, you know, being in, in abusive relationship, being tormented for years on end by, by different Classmates and, And things like that.

There's no way watching my father die like that was my last, my last big one.

There is no reason, there's no way that that was for nothing.

That was so that I could have empathy, so that I could identify with somebody else that's going through the same thing.

And maybe that person doesn't necessarily believe in Christ or maybe that person doesn't believe in a higher power or doesn't believe that there's no way out of the situation that they're in.

And then, you know, I can come along, you know, with my ever loving optimistic point of view, I guess, and bright light, as some people like to say, and sarcasm and my Scottish humor and say, hey, you know, there, where there's life, there's breath.

And I.

I firmly believe that.

Did I know my dad was dying?

Yes.

Does that mean that I didn't believe that there.

That God could have changed that around if he wanted to?

Absolutely.

But my dad was tired.

My dad.

It was time for my dad to go.

And so I can't be upset about that.

The man was in pain for 15 years prior to him passing, so I can't be upset.

Do I miss him?

Yeah.

But I also know that when we were going through that and in order for me to get through those really dark times, I went for a walk and I would push play on my Streamyard as I was going for a walk.

I have a tendency to walk and talk at the same time.

So you'll see a lot.

We have a lot in common as I'm listening to your story.

Yeah, for sure.

You'll see a lot of those videos out there.

And.

And so I had woman's one woman private message me.

And I'm like, I am so glad that you posted that because she was going through the same thing too.

Like, and people, you could see the pain that was rating off of me, but also through that, like I was smiling and, and, and things like that.

That doesn't mean that every day is rainbows, but that just means that I choose to see the bright side in it and that I know that I'm going through it for a reason.

Yeah.

I remember when my dad had passed.

My dad was on hospice and I was.

My dad and I were really good friends and we had a really close relationship.

And I'll never forget because my hands were on his legs when he had passed and I felt him leaving.

And when he left, I felt that energy flow through me and I felt incredible joy.

And yes, I was sad that my dad was gone.

But there was something in that moment that I knew that he was free and that he had moved on to wherever he moved on to.

But it was good.

Like, it was really, really good.

And that changed everything for me.

It changed my faith.

It changed a lot of things for me.

And, you know, I think that.

I think that if we.

That changed my outlook on death completely.

So now when people say to me something like, well, what if so and so passes or this or that?

It's not that I don't feel for that.

I have incredible empathy.

And I'm, of course, sad.

And I want them to stay with us, but I also know they're going home.

Yep.

I know that if.

I know that if that were to happen and God chooses to take them during that time, I know they're going home and that they're going to be okay.

And then I feel like.

And it's whatever you believe, but for me, I feel like I'll see them again.

Oh, yeah.

Or something like them.

Or maybe I'll feel them again.

Maybe.

Who knows?

It's.

It's.

It's really interesting.

And you can.

It's not that you're not sad.

It's not that you don't have negative feelings or hurt feelings, but you can look at the beauty in even the toughest of situations.

Yeah.

My dad comes through to me.

Okay.

So two weeks after my dad passed away, I was at work and I go.

I usually go for a walk on my lunch break at work, and I saw this butterfly just barreling down.

And I had to.

I literally ducked for a butterfly because that's how.

That's how it was coming at me.

And I was just like, man, like that.

That has to be you, dad.

Like, it has to be you.

And it was confirmed that it was him.

And.

And then now whenever I take a road trip, especially if I'm by myself, there is always an eagle flying above me.

My entire trip, every single time.

And what's really ironic is, so last summer, or was it the summer before, I went to.

I have lots of friends and family in.

In Chicago.

So I was.

Went to Chicago by myself.

And I saw prime trucks.

So that's my stepson.

My son back then loved Prime.

Then I saw a license plate that said Joe Senior.

Well, that's my husband's father.

And I had never met my husband's father.

He had passed before I.

I met my husband.

So I.

And then there was another, a blue ram.

I saw blue rams.

That's my husband.

My husband has a Blue ram.

So everywhere I went on that trip, it was like I had them all with me.

Now.

My husband and my stepson are still here.

But it was just really ironic that as soon as I crossed the border into the United States, I saw that license plate and I had, like I said I'd never met Joe Senior, and that was the first time I actually had a sign from, from him.

So it was.

It was kind of cool.

That's so awesome.

That's so awesome.

Yeah.

Okay.

I know I could talk to you forever, but I do have two questions to ask before we wrap up, and I.

I do want to have you back on my podcast because I think you're so awesome.

But one question I have is, what is the most courageous thing you've ever done?

Most courageous thing I would have to say starting the shows, because that's not something that I would.

That I would have done back in, in the day.

I love that and I agree.

And if anybody's out there that listenings that wants to start a show, it does take courage.

But it's worth it, right?

How many people have you met doing this?

I just want to say there's an amazing quote out there.

It takes 20 seconds of insane courage can change your life.

And that's by Ben that bought a zoo.

Remember that movie?

Yeah.

So I had an ex boyfriend that made that sign for me.

But anyways, I have had a hundred and.

Hold on.

171 on one and 132 on a.

I think 132 on another.

So that's 303 people.

Wow.

Oh, but that's not including the journey in boots.

So 340 people that I have met and made relationships with.

Wow.

And guys, when you think about it, you know, your network, I, you know this the saying, right.

Your network is your net worth.

Think about all the people that they know.

Think about all the people that they know.

And that's.

We're not far separated.

You know, we're.

We're really, really close.

That's really awesome.

One more question.

What is the most courageous thing left to do on your bucket list?

Be syndicated.

Oprah.

Oprah.

Oprah.

I know that.

I know that this is just the beginning, and I know that the.

I know that TV itself is changing and I know that everybody's switching to digital.

I know that by the time, like, give it another 10 years if that, and everybody will be on digital.

So I'm already there, essentially.

Yeah.

I'm already there essentially.

Being on Roku, however, I can see, like Millions of people pouring into our show weekly a day.

Eventually, I might get to a daily show after I get rid of the day job, but eventually it will.

It will be a daily show between one of the three of the shows.

And.

Yeah, that's.

Can you imagine the amount of people we get help when that.

When that happens?

Well, I always say, like, one of the.

The reasons when I left corporate America.

And I'll just.

I'll give you this.

One of the reasons why I left corporate America is because I knew that God put me here to do this work.

And I started to see my 9 to 5 as no matter what I would need to overcome.

I needed to make that leap so I could honor the reason why I was here.

I could honor my courageous destiny or my life's purpose.

And when I made the leap, I searched for ways to maximize the impact that I could make within that idea.

And it did lead me to podcasting.

It led us here today.

It's led me to become a speaker, a professional speaker and speak on stage.

It's led me to coach more and more and more people, and I'm rooting for you to make that leap.

All it is is money, you guys.

It's only money.

You can make money.

We can make money in so many different ways in a gazillion million different ways.

You just got to release it from your head and open up your heart and go that way.

Amen.

I've been working on it, sister.

We're rooting for you.

We're on this podcast.

I believe you need to be syndicated.

Oh, my gosh, Dorothy, thank you so much for coming on my show.

Thank you so much for sharing with me about your podcasts, your story, you know, some of the things that you've overcome.

I could have a show on Weight Alone.

I know that was a big thing for me throughout my whole life, but, man, it was necessary because if I didn't go through some of these things, I wouldn't have gotten the insight and the empathy to be able to work with people.

So sometimes the things that we go through, we're growing through for a reason.

So thank you so much.

Thank you.

It's been a pleasure being on here with you.

Yes.

Thanks, everybody for listening.

Until next time, go out there and be courageous.