Five years ago Michele went in to have shoulder surgery, originally slated to be a one time deal which turned into four surgeries in the last five years.  After the surgeries, Michele who had been freelancing for years found it hard to get back in the swing of it.  For the first time in her life this overachiever was having a hard time dealing with the fact that life didn’t stop nor slow down when we are not fit enough (mentally or physically) to deal with it.    Michele began writing articles about women’s issues.  She quickly began to realize women everywhere were dealing with similar issues that caused similar stress.  Everywhere she went she encounter women who were discouraged.  Her surgeon Dr. Foetisch who became her co-author, allowed Michele to come in and witness surgeries for an in-depth look at the process.  He also and agreed to lend his expertise to the project when Michele explained her goal to help women deal with the the curves that life throws on a regular basis.  “It’s hard to help women stay strong, while being pulled in so many different directions”, Michele explained.  It was obvious to Michele that these stresses left many feeling discouraged.  There was an obvious need for something to speak to the women that Michele had been called to help, thus the book was birthed out of the need to assist others while fighting through her own struggles.

Burdens Do A Body Good is broken into 30 different chapters and areas that represent the biggest areas where women struggle.  Accompanied with Dr. Foetischs’ advice on how to stay healthy in the midst, this easy read is a reference tool that you’ll want to keep close by.

As I looked at the chapters within the book, there were several that stood out as if they were written for me.  One in particular on uncertainty spoke directly to my core.  In these trying economic times, I meet so many people who are dealing with uncertainty.   People are faced with the possibility of loosing jobs, homes, and many are not sure if they can provide for family.  Therefore it’s more than relevant to have a chapter that breaks this concept down from a practical standpoint, leaving you prepared to face any uncertainty that may even consider sneaking into your subconscious.

Michele’s goal is to turn every negative into positive because she believes your attitude is a major part of the outcomes in your life.  It’s true when troubles arise you have a choice to emerge stronger or embittered and defeated.  “It’s important when you go through a struggle to look for others who have been where you’ve been”, Michele said.  “As you get older you realize the little control you have”.  This struck a cord with me because it seemed to be originating from a place I’ve been tracking recently, realizing that we are vulnerable beings subject to the conditions that we are exposed to.  Each day we all face unknowns that leave many paralyzed and afraid, but what’s around the corner can be met and addressed to diffuse the stress before it sets in is the message Michele shares.

The book is a great read, very concise and gives valuable information.  The roughly 130 page book, is broken down to small chapters that offer real solutions and insight to what your dealing with.  I found myself consumed with the ideas and recommendations, anxious to apply some of the suggestions to my life and share them with my clients.

Before we completed the interview Michele shared a few simple truths that helped shape her project as well as her life.

• Be honest and look at it for what it is.
• Always remember that everything we have is not really ours
• We need to look towards the needs of our neighbors
• Be generous when we are able and not make money the be all to who we are.

These words were powerful coming from a woman that reads 4-5 books a week, writes non-stop and has so much insight to a plethora of topics.

Before I knew it I had been inspired.  It was clearly evident that Michele’s passion surpasses any plan that a publicist could have ever laid out, and hence the success has been phenomenal.  Burdens Do A Body Good was written to help with life’s weightier challenges with courage, faith and hope.  After completing the book it felt great to say that I believe it accomplishes the goal it set out to.

Over the weekend I had the experience of attending an event in Atlanta where vocalist Ozara Ode’ paid homage to one of the greatest soul artist to grace the stage and someone she is compared to often, Dr. Nina Simone.  Dr. Simone wrote and performed songs that spoke to the conciseness of America with titles like Mississippi Goddamn and my favorite “Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”, in total Ms. Simone wrote over 500 songs in her career before passing away in 2003.  Ode’ became familiar with Dr. Simone just in 2005 after people continuously told her she reminded them of the vocalist.  After hearing Dr. Simone, Ode’ fell in love with the music and realized it was ok to just be herself.  The play written by Ozara Ode’ is entitled “Nina Simone in Her Own Words”.  I was blown away by the performance, but realized this wasn’t the first time her melodic tone had grabbed my ear and refused to let go.

I remember it like it was yesterday, sitting in Cafe Circa located near downtown Atlanta.  It seemed as though she appeared from out of nowhere and took the stage with a presence that demanded respect.  It was obvious that this was an impromptu performance as she briefly spoke with the keyboardist to explain what to play and the key that it should be played in.  When he didn’t catch on immediately she began to hum a smooth melodic tone that could have been the strums of a bass that I felt in the pit of my stomach.   Before I knew it she belted out a sound that was undeniable.

Growing up Ode’ was always relegated to the boys section in the choir due to her unique voice that teetered on baritone at times.  No one knew what to do with her and she was to young to embrace the unique gift that she had been given.  In 2002 Ode’ in all her shyness began performing at open mic events in her hometown of Milwaukee.  In 2007 the Atlanta music scene was in full swing and the city had made it’s mark producing some of the worlds top selling artist like Toni Braxton, TLC and soul artist India Arie.  Ms. Ode’ realized it was time to leave the dairy capital and head to Atlanta to take her chops to another level and peruse her dream.

After declaring she was leaving Milwaukee only a few believed her.  But when her job failed to give her the transfer they promised, she stood by her decision and continued to load her truck, pack what fit and left the rest.  Ode’ told me that in order to leave behind all which was familiar she had to dig down deep, not to allowing fear and doubt to overcome her.  She felt as if it were time for her to stop talking and prove to herself that she could really do this and not let things hold her.  As she shared the story I realized that was a powerful example of what separates passion from just going through the motions.

Her first performance upon arriving in Atlanta was at the Apache Cafe, a restaurant and venue for live performances with a rich history rooted in Atlanta music.  A place where some of the top names in the industry have graced the stage before and after they were famous.  That night Ozara rocked the mic and left the audience in awe, and her world began to open up or so she thought.  Although it was passion that drove her to Atlanta, it was a lack of a plan that almost sent her back home.  After a series of dead ends with people that promised a lot but delivered little, she grew frustrated, but never stopped singing. She would quickly begin to listened and learned what people in the industry did, weed through the BS and build strong relationships, relationships that would be the key to opening new doors.

Apace Cafe would be the place she would learn about the International Soul Music Summit (ISMS) that welcomes soul music artist from around the world to Atlanta for a conference that speaks to their genre.  She would also meet Terry Bello, the founder about two weeks later.  Her career began to blossom and she would go on to open for several talented artist including the great Gerald Albright.

“Most people don’t know what to do with me”, she explained.  Due to her unique rich sound that doesn’t fit into a box and mirrors a classically trained vocalist with ranges out of this world.  She has been across the board, from voice overs to jazz, she can do it all, but it wasn’t until she stopped thinking about genre and start thinking about the music and what she wants people to feel, when she began to fully embrace who she is, which is a Soul Diva on a mission to share her gift with the world.

Ozara Just returned from an amazing trip in the UK where she performed in several cafe’s around London before heading to Paris to take 1st place in the Sankofa Soul Contest.  Ms. Ode’ will be headed back to Paris on April 30th for the next round of competition.  Her career is looking bright and she not looking back.  Hard work and a commitment to her craft continues to propel this Soul Diva to the stars and beyond.

“They call it soul music because you can feel it.  You can feel the passion, the music is inside of you instead of in front of you”, Ms. Ode’ explained so eloquently in a voice so distinct that it makes you take notice and hang on every note.

You can also find Ozara on Facebook and Twitter!

Councilwoman Perry has wrestled with the hard issues such as how to deal with L.A.’s infamous “Skid Row”, which falls dead smack in her district.  Her answer, 950 units of permanent supportive housing to provide a clean place to live, while providing the necessary tools needed to rebuild the new occupants lives.  It appears that “rebuilding” could have been the theme of her campaign because that is just what Jan Perry has been doing.  Consistently redeveloping the communities, changing the landscape, enhancing the current assets and bring in new assets that the City never had.

One of these new assets is the L.A. Live Complex, which is a combination of  luxury hotels,convention space, fine dining and entertainment is an instrumental project that provides a beautiful new hotel as well as the ever so elusive commodity; jobs.  “The night the ballroom opened at the JW Marriott was an amazing experience, Councilwoman Perry explained.  Being instrumental in the creation of a project has proven to be a rewarding experience.  But she was eager to shared that the best part of it all was seeing a young man at the opening who worked on the graffiti removal team and through the workforce development program he now had a permanent job within the hotel guest relations department.

As she is full steam in to her 3rd term as a L.A. City Council member, which will be the last due to California’s three term maximum limits that she despises.  “Term limits require us to flip our political leaders like flapjacks instead of just voting out who’s not effective”, Councilwoman Perry shared.  This is something Jan would love to change but understands she has many fights ahead as she continues to climb the political rungs. Looking forward, she prepares to find an african american woman successor to continue what she has started.

Councilwoman Perry has made the decision to run for Mayor of Los Angeles in 2013.  Her first task will be to bring in new revenue, and she already has exciting strategies an opportunities lined up to do just that.  She’s also committed to creating a project that knits social service organizations together and closes the service gap neighborhoods at risk such as South Central, which has received a tremendous boost during her terms along with several additional projects including a new environmentally sound City Hall.

Her role models have been her parents, her father Samuel Perry was a former law partner with Carl Stokes – the first African American Mayor to hold office in a major US City (Cleveland Ohio – 1967) and in 1966 Samuel Perry became the first black Mayor of Woodmere, Ohio which had a broad based, multi-racial coalition.  Jan’s mother went back to college after supporting her father through law school, raising three kids and holding down a full time job.  She received a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in social work and also taught in the American Studies Department at Case Western Reserve University and would later serve as mayor of the same city.  Her parents taught her the power of connecting with people and that we are the greatest asset to our own success.

Jan Perry received her Undergraduate degree in Journalism as well as her Master Degree in Public Policy both from The University of Southern California, she worked as a paralegal in City Hall for many years with no plan to run for political office but when the opportunity presented itself she took a leap.  The leap has paid off for not only Jan Perry, but also the thousands of constituents she represents in her district.

It was obvious to me that Councilwoman Perry views herself as a highly independent very focused person who keeps her constitutes needs first, and by doing that, everything else will fall in line.  She also believes in order to be successful people need to be disciplined, not complacent and work harder than your competitors in order to win.

T

Early on Peter recognized the internet was the benefactor that would take news and information to a higher level of exposure, especially those who relied on it the most, journalist and PR firms. Everyone wanted information ASAP and the new trend was to go after specific reporters with specific stories in unique ways that would foster a connectivity of sorts that was unheard of.  Favored with the gift of gab and ability to connect people together, Peter started a Facebook group to foster his brilliance of connecting people, but it wouldn’t be long before it outgrew itself and HARO was born.  Help A Reporter Out (HARO), now one of the worlds largest repository source for reporters boast over 100 thousand resources and has been used by 40 thousand journalist which equates to about 1200 a week.

So how is this media phenomenon possible?  Simple, HARO  provides the sources reporters need on a regular basis by sending out several daily messages to connect reporters with news worthy stories and it’s free.  Most commercial emails have about a 1% open rate while HARO’s is about 75%.  “We sell a small ad at the top of each email but we are currently sold out for the next 4 months”, Peter shared.  Surprising to me there aren’t many companies generating revenue using social media right now, but Peter is one of the few.  Sure you have droves of people running around giving online seminars but very few are making real money right now on the internet.  You would be interested to know, HARO has generated a little over 1 million in revenue in the last 12 months. People recognize the power of the brand, is how Peter would describe all the attention he has been receiving with HARO.

The key to social media success, especially in business according to Peter, is to be straight forward, transparent and listen intently to your target audience.  No spam, no waste of time and always be on target.  If you’re trying to build a social media network you have to be honest and true.  You must immediately provide the information people are looking for anytime they are looking for it that addresses their immediate concerns.  That has been Peter’s model and has warranted more than 55 thousand people following him on Twitter.  “Too many people say things that they think are interesting to them but they don’t know if it’s important to their audience”, Peter commented, “whatever I talk about on Twitter is something that is relevant to more than just me.  The goal is to be re-tweeted, that’s when you know you’re saying something interesting”.

The future of social media stands on the top of a single platform called “Life”.  One network, one device, one click.  This is where your friends will find you, that’s where you’ll plan your life. To be ahead of the curve, take advantage of new technology tools now.  Meet as many people as possible and watch what other people are doing.  Follow them and combine what works well for you.  Use it as a professional tool, but don’t post things about Farmville or people will un-friend you quickly.  It’s great to have fun with it, but as a revenue generating machine, the fun has just begun!

Check out Peter’s book Can We Do That!: Outrageous PR Stunts That Work – And Why Your Company Needs Them

Here are a few of Peter’s favorite websites and apps:

Google Apps

Four Square

Ubertwitter

Google maps

Skype

Exit Strategy

Soon to be the next “Project Runway” mega-hit on BRAVO–  ”Double Exposure”

Reality Stars Markus Klinko And Indrani are the creative team setting the magazine trends, by conjuring early Madonna/Monroe moments with super retro-sexy shoots of Lady Gaga and Anna Lynne (as seen in Cosmo hitting the stands yesterday)!

They are also the “visual” creative force behind Toni Braxton’s comeback hit on Atlantic!

Bravo’s coming season should be full of celebrities like never before thanks to Markus and Indrani behind the scenes with the “stars” they visually create!

Check out the L.A. Weekly article written by Gustavo Turner that explores the Lady GaGa and the iconic images that have people taking notice.

More information on the Bravo cast and Celebrities in the upcoming series to come.

Markus, Indrani & GK Reid give the scope on the symbolism in the Gaga Shoot:

• we are all about positivity and light
• occult symbolism can be transformative, imaginative, reinvention of the self
• powerful female in male only Masonic temple,
• we painted cartoon eyes on her eyelids, Horus all seeing-eyes representing spiritual sight, inner vision, higher knowledge
• GK attached red bow to Gaga’s head, a heart symbol representing love, which became part of her her look for months translated into her hair
• crystal dress, symbolizes greatness, purity, innocence, reminder of 4 elements, embodiment of life
• the sun behind Gaga with a mystical ladder, represents the spiritual growth and ascending the chakras
• cats are pagan symbols of fertility and fantasy, representing magic, renewal, singular focus, goddess energy, regal, curiosity, nurturing, cool and collected, independence

…Stay tuned for an in-depth look at the artist behind the images.

Wendell James, CEO & Hollywood personality talks business, the entertainment industry, diva’s and more.

20 years ago, Kellye found yoga as a way to relax, relate and release, by using age old meditation techniques. Through this discovery she was able to uncover what methods were most effective and how to add extra value to an emerging application using her own acquired skills.

“Stress is normal and will always be around.” Kellye explains, “the key to dealing with stress is knowing how to bring ourselves back.  Many of us use the wrong things such as excessive eating, chemical pleasures and shopping to deal with the stress”, which I view as the equivalent of putting a band aid on a gaping wound.

The result, de-stressing techniques to aid in finding life’s balanced approach to mind, body and spirit.  Kellye’s de-stressing model took hold of some of the nations top companies including Pepsico, Bayer and William Morris to help their employees deal with stress.  Soon after, she started hosting a column in the New York Daily News and making several television appearances spreading the news of her Bliss campaign.  But it was during one of her seminars that Kellye realized something was missing from her presentation when a frantic participant approached her and said she missed her last session and desperately needed her.  Kellye strongly believes that we all should be centered with ourselves and not solely depend on people to provide our level of comfort; yet tap into the reserves we have within ourselves.

Right then Kellye decided to place her treasured findings in a neat little book and The Bliss Principle-Easy Ways to Go from Stress to Peace was born.   Kellye explains that we are our own teachers and we have the power to unleash the bliss that dwells inside us all with a little help from her book of practical methods. What I love about The Bliss Principle-Easy Ways to Go from Stress to Peace, is that it shows you how the simple things can bring you a wealth of balanced living.  Like taking off your shoes as soon as you get home and leaving your ego at the door; something we all need to practice more often.  Unwind, relax and enjoy life.  We only have one and it is not promised, but are we ready to live life more simplistically?  Kellye’s new book also includes new methods on meditation, yoga, bliss breathing techniques and food, environment and attitude review and makeovers that help create a more peaceful, tranquil and balanced you.

I conclude my conversation with Kellye but not before she reminded me of the importance of having balance during the holidays.   During this time many people experience major stress bouts, but Kellye says we should just go easy on ourselves.  The key is to cut back on spending, think long term, and loosen up on expectation.  Don’t try to get “that gift” for this person or expect to receive “that gift” from someone else, ease up on being a people pleasure and always leave time for quite time.  In all I I was reminded to relax and never judge a book by it’s genre.  While I learned to cook a delightful Quiet Creamy Pea Soup from page 74 and listen to my Peace Urge in order to live a Blissful existence.

Kellye has been an on air lifestyle correspondent and featured expert on E! Entertainment Television Network, Discovery Network, NBC’s Weekend Today Show, CNBC, FOX 5, WCBS News and more.  Visit Kellye Davis at  www.theblissprinciple.com and experience bliss for yourself!

“I learned early on you can get pissed, defeated or down but, I choose the alternative and was determined to fit as much in without doing too much to bring remission into fruition”, Ray would explain to me as we sat on his tour bus.

Who is this man that seems to have super human strength or is it simply a strong faith, determination and stellar work ethic that has set this multi-talented individual on the ride of his life.

Ray Johnston, now in his early 30’s was a one -time point guard for the NBA franchise The Dallas Mavericks.  Now he is the founder and lead for the Ray Johnston band or RJB to the multitude of fans that seem to be growing exponentially.

Growing up in Montgomery, Ray’s early inspiration would come from groups such as the Allman Brothers, Leonard Skinner, Led Zeppelin, Edwin McCain, Hootie and the Blowfish on his tape deck in 93.  But there was also the infusion of hip hop which wouldn’t miss Montgomery.  There was Kriss Kross and BBD with songs like Poison as these influences are now evident in the stage show when the band breaks out into a rendition of Nelly’s “Must be the Money” that sends the crowd into a tizzy to see a white guy not just rapping but rapping well.

Reminiscent of the early days of the Dave Matthew’s Band, the RJB has taken the grass roots gorilla marketing tactics to another level and have begun to watch their first album “Sweet Tooth” jump to the top 10 for U.S. sales in the unsigned artist category.

The band which consists of Cooper Appelt (bass), Bobby Sparks (organ, keyboard), Ray Johnston (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Keith Anderson (sax), Jeff Randall (drums), and William Barnes (lead guitar) is an ensemble cast of talented musicians that cross genres.

The band recorded their first album at Palmyra Studios in Palmer, TX in August of 2009.

“We went to the studio and cranked out the album unbelievably fast” explained Cooper.

“We cranked out our album in about 3 weeks after 5 rehearsal dates in August.  We played 5 days in the studio, mix it from Monday to Thursday, mastered on Friday and it was on itunes September 1, 2009.  The key was that they were all prepared, songs were done and band was on one accord, but they probably also received great vibes using the same board the Beatles used to record.

The band is made up of formidable, Grammy-winning, musical talent. Keith Anderson (saxophone) has recorded with Kayne West and tours and plays with Herbie Hancock, Roy Hargrove, Marcus Miller, and Kirk Franklin. Bobby Sparks (keyboard, B3 organ) plays with Kirk Franklin, Tower of Power, Eryka Badu, and others.

All band members have their certain craft that they have been formally trained in and have studied music theory.  While Ray has never had formal training which after hearing with an ear that synthesizes sounds to strums of the cords that are delivered with point guard type precession.

Ray runs the band like a business, being good with numbers now playing numbers for crowds from small college towns to massive crowds at the House of Blues in Dallas.

He has been able to use his sports training to constantly create opportunities such as the one with the Dallas mavericks that started from being a member of North Dallas Athletic Club where several ex-Dallas Cowboy players such as Michael Irving Deon Sanders, Jake Newton and Thomas Everett would join Ray in pick up games referring to Ray as “White Chocolate”, because of his smooth skills on the hardwood.

This opportunity would lead to a spot on the Dallas Mavericks Summer League which most often meant a spot on the team, which ray would get only three months prior to being diagnosed with Leukemia.  Although his NBA career was cut short another was beginning to blossom and he would find strength in his music.

Ray was always the avid athlete that seemed to excel and characteristic Ray explains seeing something with potential and pushing it hopping that is gains value.  This rang true in his belief that he could go all the way to the NBA, which he did and now this theory is playing out in his music career as well.

It’s not going to be a tear event but rather a cheer event to show how I used this struggle and battle with disease to impact in a positive way to say wow that young man is able to preservers despite of adversity…

Some of the band’s performances will be fundraisers for The Ryan Gibson Foundation or TRGF. TRGF ( HYPERLINK “http://www.trgf.org” www.trgf.org) is a Dallas based non-profit organization that supports leukemia research throughout the U.S. Ryan Gibson, like Ray Johnston, had a passion for finding a cure for leukemia. Now, through his talent and that of his band, Ray will be spreading the word about the importance of leukemia research as well as raising funds for TRGF.

Ray’s battle with cancer and his music create an encouraging story that gives those experiencing the same obstacle strength to move forward. Consequently, CNN recently recognized him in “CNN Heroes”. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2009/10/16/cnnheroes.cuban.extra.cnn

Ray lives his life by the first scripture he memorized after coming out of the coma.  proverb 17:22 which states A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.  The application of this is evident the moment you sit down with this amazing talent who is leading a new movement of Good feel good music birthed from purpose and determination.

“I’m a man that loves the lord life and loves music”, Ray stated as we were preparing to wrap the interview after an amazing set at Peachtree Tavern in Atlanta.  I asked if he had found his true passion and his response was I think I found it twice.  ray is confident in leading and knowing with talent around him anything was possible.

If your looking for the Ray Johnston Band?  Just look for the big tour bus with Ray Johnston on the side but don’t stand in their way as the journey continues make positive feel good music that uplifts the spirit.

WHAT: The Ray Johnston Band will be performing, as the leader Ray continues his cross-country tour and plays at Andrews Upstairs. Come out and enjoy the smooth sounds of the band while they film their HDNet documentary!

WHEN: Saturday- December 5, 2009 9 pm

WHERE: Andrews Upstairs http://www.andrewsupstairs.com/main.php?page=home

56 East Andrews Drive ∙ Atlanta, GA ∙ 30305

Visit http://www.rayjohnstonband.com/ to hear his inspiring music and find out more information. Also, contact Donnetta Campbell: 203-434-3548 for addition information.