I’m experiencing a roller-coaster of emotions as I read Passion and Purpose: 21 Inspiring Stories from Women in the US Virgin Islands on Business, Leadership, and Life. In this episode, if I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, the co-authors of this incredibly powerful anthology of essays, Jo’Hanna D. Samuel and Vanessa I. Farrell reminisce on the special circumstances under which this book came to be.

We all met in the summer of 2019 while enjoying the inaugural Annual #Girlfriendism Retreat in St. Croix. Both Jo’Hanna and Vanessa are businesswomen, accomplished speakers, and best-selling authors, so they inevitably gravitated towards each other, quickly realizing they had the same idea in mind of elevating the voices of female leaders from the USVI.

Passion and Purpose is “an amazing journey of unshakeable faith in the face of adversity, unknowns, and triumphs. This compilation of stories was written by women for women to inspire, motivate, and strengthen your confidence to follow your dreams, rise above fear, and live out your life’s passion and purpose.” This is the formal description of the book, and while it’s spot on, I share with Vanessa and Jo’Hanna how I don’t know what to expect with the turn of each page – and in a good way. Will I cry, feel enraged, laugh out loud, pause to ponder or be inspired?

Each story is mesmerizing and transformational. The authors wear their hearts on their sleeves and tell us how they pushed forward in pursuing their goals with confidence and clinging on to their faith in a higher power, even during the direst situations. But the best part is that men who have ventured into exploring these life-changing essays are also hooked with Passion and Purpose. They are likely struck by the voices of women who are exercising their leadership through storytelling because they are often dismissed, unheard or unrecognized in society.

We celebrate that the majority of the authors are first-time writers, and invite everyone to buy a digital copy (hard copy will be available soon!): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BYY6T54L/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title