Monthly Archives: October 2015

Motivational Speaker, Emcee, Hostess & Ministry Leader-Toni J

Toni J

I had the pleasure of meeting Toni at The Unstoppable Woman Tour in Tampa.  I was a keynote speaker and Toni was the hostess with the mostest!

Toni brings joy to the stage, her personality radiates through her smile and she captures the audience with her quick witted humor and inspirational speeches.  A woman with passion and purpose…

My friend, and yours…Toni J!

Please find below my questions in bold followed by her answers:

1. When & how did you first realize you wanted to become a Youth Motivational Speaker?

Motivational Speaker-Harriet Turk

If you want an inspirational speaker that is clearly the definition of THE ‘Youth Motivational Speaker’  and ‘Youth Leadership Trainer’ of this world…Harriet Turk is the woman for you!

I have yet to meet Harriet in person, however, we have numerous mutual friends; they all rave about her ‘down to Earth’ personality and dynamic character!  She has been very helpful with answering questions I have and giving me advice about Professional Speaking as a career.

Please find Harriet’s answers below with my questions (in bold):

When & how did you first realize you wanted to become a Youth Motivational Speaker? I realized I wanted to be a speaker when I was hiring speakers for youth conferences and I couldn’t find any women speakers for the programs. I was the youth programs coordinator for the Mississippi Office of Highway Safety—I was in charge of alcohol/drug prevention programming and programs like SADD/seatbelt safety/safe driving. I was speaking in all the high schools around the state of Mississippi, but when I was hiring speakers for the conferences, I could only find a couple of women…and, they were very niched with their presentations. I was always the emcee for “my” conferences, and the male speakers would say that they thought I could make it as a national speaker if I was interested. I was…but, I was scared. And, then…I started being asked more and more to present at SADD conferences and highway safety conferences…and, then one day…I just took the leap! Since I’d been doing it part-time, I thought, “why not?” That was in 1996…and, I’ve been a professional speaker ever since.

What do you love about speaking? I love hearing what touches a teenager after they hear my program. Sometimes, I’m pretty floored—as what meant the most to them wasn’t a “goal” of my program. I’ve learned that I need to concentrate on every word, idea and thought that goes into my speech…because no story is less important than another.

How long have you been speaking? Since 1996.

Share one occasion when a youth really inspired you after they heard you speak?  Two years ago, I received a letter from a girl who had heard my program in Pennsylvania. About three sentences into her letter, I was in tears. Her story was heart breaking and gut-wrenching. I forget that there are teens who live in just horrible conditions with adults who are horrible people. I know some say, there are no horrible people, just horrible behavior…no…I believe there are horrible people. This girl lived with them. As I was reading how she loved a part of my program where I tell the audience to learn to “Deal With It,” I was sick to my stomach. When I tell people to deal with it…I had thought I was telling people to deal with minor setbacks…or to deal with not getting what they want like homecoming queen or the boyfriend…not what this girl faced. But, she took “Deal With It” in a different way. She took it to mean that because she had survived…and, because she could see her physical scars…she HAD learned to “deal with it” and could continue to live and “deal with it.” She told me that the phrase would also inspire her to go to college and deal with that…and, that she’d contact me when she graduates. I really hope she does…

What type of advice would you give a female that wants to pursue Youth Motivational Speaking?  Advice I’d give a young female motivational speaker…When people say you can have it all…they are wrong. You cannot travel all over the US and think you will have a “normal” family life. You can’t. Children rely on their moms in a different way than they do their fathers. Mothers want to be there in a different way than fathers do. I don’t care what anyone says—women are nurturers by nature. Even if you aren’t married or don’t think you will have children…you might. So…if I were starting over again…I’d build my business closer to home. I’d contact anyone and everyone within a 100 mile radius. Right now, within a 100 mile radius, hardly anyone knows me. I don’t market/promote myself beyond a website…and, my name is known better in other states than within my own…because I work more outside of my state. So, my advice would be to develop your craft before your website…and, then promote yourself closer to home. Then…there’s always opportunity to expand.

Thank you Harriet!  I appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences with us.  Keep leading the way for us female speakers.  You are a STAR!

Motivational Speaker-Bianca Ash

Female Motivational Speakers are special and few and far between, especially Female Youth Motivational Speakers.  I have asked a few women that inspired me to pursue the art of motivating young people to share their experiences with the world.

First, let me introduce to you, Ms. Bianca Ash.  I have not had the pleasure to meet Ms. Bianca in person, but as you will read below, she seems to shine through her words, so I can only imagine how bright her light is in person!

Bianca Ash, a native of Kansas City, MO graduated with a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Strayer University. She is the Founder/ CEO of Beautiful Legacy Inc. an Atlanta nonprofit organization geared at educating, equipping, and empowering girls and young women to create and leave a legacy that is uniquely their own. She is also an ordained minister using spiritual knowledge with practical application to help her girls build a foundation of faith. She is currently expanding her empire to reach girls and young women around the world through her speaking, life coaching, and consulting business.

Please read her thoughtful and inspiring answers to my questions (in bold) below:

• When & how did you first realize you wanted to become a Youth Motivational Speaker? It kind of just happened, I’ve been in youth ministry for over 10 years. I never saw myself as a speaker, but the more I began to work with and teach youth, I realized that they listened to me and enjoyed the stories I would share. It wasn’t until about two years ago, after I started my own nonprofit, that I decided I wanted to take my speaking a step further and start sharing my story and life with others everywhere.
• What do you love about speaking? I love being able to connect with the audience. There is something very powerful about a person making the connection with your story or the words you are sharing and seeing their reaction. It allows me to be vulnerable in a way I cannot be in any other setting. I also love meeting young people from all over the world.
• How long have you been speaking? I have been speaking informally for about 10 years but formally I’ve been speaking for about 3 years.
• Share one occasion when a youth really inspired you after they heard you speak. Wow, there have been so many great stories but the one that comes to mind was during youth ministry. I used to hold sessions for a group of girls at my church. We would meet and discuss things from self-esteem to the Bible to dating. There was a young lady who used to give me a hard time. She was disruptive and always had something to say about everything what we talked about. A lot of times she acted as if she did not want to participate in the classes but she came anyway because her friends were there and her mom sort of made her. One night, I was helping with our youth ministry and the speaker asked them to share something that they had learned from someone that influenced them. The young lady, who I thought never paid any attention, raised her hand. She began to recite all the things I had been teaching them over the last few weeks word for word and how it had helped her in a situation she had faced in the last week. At that moment, I realized the impact I had made on her life. I also realized that just because someone’s actions may say one thing, it doesn’t mean they aren’t listening and taking in all that you are saying. I knew if I could get through to her, then I could reach anyone.  She was part of my motivation to keep speaking and helping girls.
• What type of advice would you give a female that wants to pursue Youth Motivational Speaking? I would tell her to first, determine with whom she wants to share her story with and speak to. Second, I would tell her to be herself and to not worry about trying to copy someone else. Her authenticity will be what connects with her audience. Lastly, I will tell her to jump out there and do it. It is one of the most rewarding experiences she will ever be a part of.

Thank you Ms. Bianca Ash for taking time to share your story with us. 

Keep shining your light!

If you would like to contact Bianca and have her speak to your audiences, please contact her at the information below.

Contact Info:

Website: www.mybeautifullegacy.org

Email: beautifullegacy11@gmail.com

Phone: 678-861-3872