Summary:
At 15-years-old, Summer learned she was pregnant with her first child. At such a young age, she’s learned so much about what it’s like to say goodbye to your old life, welcome the new, and understand that there’s life after birth. Summer joins us to discuss how her teen pregnancy changed her life and shares her best advice for teens experiencing this today, for parents of teens who become pregnant, and the best way to support them.
Learn More About Summer:
Known for her upbeat, “no excuses” personality, Summer Owens literally wrote the book on eliminating excuses and overcoming obstacles. Summer became a mother at fifteen as the result of a forced sexual encounter, but she didn’t let that stop her from achieving her dreams. She graduated from high school, college, and business school with honors and was named Most Likely to Succeed and Miss University with her son by her side through it all.
After a fifteen-year corporate career with the Memphis Grizzlies, Service Master, and FedEx Corporation, Summer decided to use her life’s challenges to help others overcome theirs. Summer is the founder and CEO of S.O. What! LLC and The S.O. What! Foundation and author of Life After Birth: A Memoir of Survival and Success as a Teenage Mother and the S.O. What! Literacy, Life Skills, and Character Education curriculum. In addition to being an author, speaker, life coach, excuse eliminator, and entrepreneur, Summer is an adjunct professor at The University of Memphis where she teaches marketing and the life skills course she created. Through all of her work, Summer shares the very intimate details of her life to demonstrate the importance of making good decisions, overcoming obstacles, and eliminating excuses to achieve success regardless of challenges.
Key Takeaways:
- [01:50] Meet Summer and learn why she chose to write a memoir about her teen pregnancy
- [06:05] The unexpected way Summer discovered she was pregnant at 15-years-old
- [08:02] Summer discusses what she went through after she discovered she was pregnant
- [10:33] What to do if you’re a parent whose teen becomes pregnant
- [12:37] The #1 thing your teen should know if they become pregnant at a young age
- [15:51] How Summer stayed motivated to complete school while also being a pregnant teen
- [18:42] The #1 thing that kept Summer and focused in school while raising her child
- [21:13] Advice for teens who do not have the help or support from friends or family during their pregnancy
- [23:12] How Summer is helping teens, mothers, and fathers today
- [31:59] The #1 piece of advice Summer would give her 15-year-old self
- [33:17] Words of wisdom for teen girls, teen boys, mothers, or fathers of teens who are pregnant right now
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
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