Express Yourself!

Individuality is more important than imitation. But how can you express your individuality? Hosts Asya Gonzalez and Brigitte Jia talk about how teens can find their true identity. They read the chapter, the Gift of Individuality by Cynthia Brian, from the book, Be the Star You Are!® for TEENS which focuses on marching to the tune of your own drum. Author of more than 50 books, Elizabeth Lenhard is interviewed for her newest book, Flirt-Our Song. Elizabeth has always been a full-time writer starting at a newspaper then moving to ghost writing and her own books. She advises people who want to write to just write, be unique, and not worry about getting published. Brigitte excites us with her Art Attack segment focusing on amazing examples of individuality in the history of art, including The School of Athens and Rafael. Your actions and decisions are powerful, and impact both you and the people around you. Be proud of yourself and your individuality, and remember that you are a star!

What is friendship and how do we create life long relationships? Hosts Caiseen Kelly and Brigitte Jia discuss the meaning of real friendship. The Gift of Friends by Erica Miner from the book Be the Star You Are!® for Teens is read with tips on how to be a friend. The ladies then interview author, Erin Bow with her newest YA science fiction novel, The Scorpion Rules, that reveals how friends help one another survive. In Art Attack, Brigitte shares information on how movements in art were begun because of the friendship between friends, including Impressionism and Cubism. "Choose your friends wisely. Then be there for each other. That is a gift that has no price: the gift of a lifetime."

What is fortitude and do you have the strength to keep on keeping on? New host Brigitte Jia examines fortitude for a full hour beginning with reading the Gift of Fortitude by Cynthia Brian from the book, Be the Star You Are! for TEENS. In our 2nd and 3rd segment, Brigitte introduces Rachel Caine, the New York Times, USA Today, and #1 internationally bestselling author of more than 45 novels that span the categories of horror, suspense, urban fantasy, science fiction, media tie-in, historical, and young adult. Rachel discusses her first novel in The Great Library series, INK AND BONE, while giving insights on how to get started as a teen writer. In Art Attack, Brigitte profiles artists with immense courage, who faced obstacles and challenges to complete their works and maintain their craft. What does Fortitude mean? Fortitude entails strength, guts, resilience, courage, staying power, stamina, endurance, and determination.

When someone does you wrong, it can be hard to forgive. Without forgiveness, we can't move on. Host Asya Gonzalez reads the chapter, The Gift of Forgiveness, from both books, Be the Star You Are!® for Teens and Be the Star You Are!® 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference where we learn that time spent blaming and complaining is totally wasted. We are the winners, not the losers, when we forgive and let go because it means that we can also forgive ourselves. Co-host Caiseen Kelly joins Asya to interview mega best selling author Mary Nethery about why she writes about forgiveness in her forthcoming novel, Nabbed in New Orleans. Mary Nethery deals with a band of friends on an adventure in post Katrina New Orleans in which they discover love, friendship, and find forgiveness. Finally, our teen hosts discuss how forgiveness has moved them forward in their own lives and how teens can embrace this virtue. Forgive and forge ahead.

What is financial literacy and why is it important to understand starting at a young age? According to the dictionary, financial literacy is the ability to understand how money works in the world; how you earn it, how you manage it, how you invest it, how you use it to help others aka donating. Producer, Cynthia Brian, sits in the hosting seat to interview teen reporters Zahra Hasanian, Eric Pawlakos, and Asya Gonzalez on what financial literacy means to them, how they are learning, and what are the benefits. The chapter on financial literacy penned by Heather Brittany is read from Be the Star You Are!® for Teens advocating the importance of earning a living to live a life. • • "A penny saved is a penny earned." Benjamin Franklin

The word "work" often has a negative connotation. Hosts Caiseen Kelly and Asya Gonzalez look at the "whys" of working hard to achieve goals. They interview award -winning author Brooks Olbrys about his book series, The Adventures of Blue Ocean Bob. This colorful and inspiring early chapter book series provides young readers with an introduction to timeless principles of achievement. Brooks encourages us to follow our hearts and passions to discover our purpose, then, work will be fulfilling and joyful. Reporter of Book It!, Courtney Cheng, discusses the novel, Motherland, a story about a German mother caught in the middle of WWII and what working meant to her family. Having work could simply be your own way of keeping yourself busy, your mind sharp, your body active. Asya Gonzalez tells how she became a child entrepreneur and how the hard work led to her being awarded one of five top teen entrepreneurs of 2015 and winning the Dan Danner Leadership Award providing an additional $10,000

The word "work" often has a negative connotation. Hosts Caiseen Kelly and Asya Gonzalez look at the "whys" of working hard to achieve goals. They interview award -winning author Brooks Olbrys about his book series, The Adventures of Blue Ocean Bob. This colorful and inspiring early chapter book series provides young readers with an introduction to timeless principles of achievement. Brooks encourages us to follow our hearts and passions to discover our purpose, then, work will be fulfilling and joyful. Reporter of Book It!, Courtney Cheng, discusses the novel, Motherland, a story about a German mother caught in the middle of WWII and what working meant to her family. Having work could simply be your own way of keeping yourself busy, your mind sharp, your body active. Asya Gonzalez tells how she became a child entrepreneur and how the hard work led to her being awarded one of five top teen entrepreneurs of 2015 and winning the Dan Danner Leadership Award providing an additional $10,000

Encouragement is the gift of caring and kindness. Without encouragement and support from at least one dedicated cheerleader, it's difficult to succeed in life. Hosts Henna Hundal and Asya Gonzalez read The Gift of Encouragement penned by Billijo Doll from Cynthia Brian's book, Be the Star You Are! for Teens, then discuss how encouragement has made the difference in their lives. Katelyn Darrow shares how she began she charity, Angels of God Clothing Closet at age 12 with the encouragement of friends and family. Broadcast veteran Paul Sladkus joins the conversation from a Willy Nelson concert in Brooklyn to shed light on good news and peace. Paul is involved with sharing the Good of the people of the world. He created www.goodnewsplanet.com for people to share their stories and events in their lives. And he organized the www.peacedayparty.org to help strengthen the message of the United Nations for the International Day of Peace on September 21.

Knowledge is power. Information is food for the mind. Nourish yourself with education. Show hosts Henna and Asya read the chapter, The Gift of Education by Dr. Don Martin, from Cynthia Brian's book, Be the Star You Are! for Teens then chat about their own journeys in their pursuit of education. They then welcome Aussie author of 21 books, Sue Lawson, who discusses the life of a writer and her new book Freedom Ride, based on true events. Asya wraps it up with the importance of educating on ourselves on numerous topics including child sex trafficking. She and Henna advise using education and your gut to keep safe. When you learn, you grow. An education is a treasure that pays big dividends for a lifetime. Educate yourself today!

The Gift of Dreams No matter who you are or where you come from, you have the power to dream. Imagine the life you want to live. Host Jennifer Lee jumpstarts our dreams with a rendition of "Imagine" followed with host Henna Hundal and Jennifer offering ways to do what you love and love what you do as they read the chapter, The Gift of Dreams from Cynthia Brian's book, Be the Star You Are!® for Teens. Why do we dream? HealthRap Reporter Alex Pawlakos sheds light on the science behind dreaming. Often the imagery in a dream may be connected to a real-life problem in a more visual way. In our REM dreams, we are re-processing emotional experiences that happen in our waking life. But, because of the reduced levels of stress chemicals, we are able to re-processing these experiences in a more stress-free environment. Ilana Harkavy, an LA-based recording artist/songwriter and entrepreneur with a passion for female empowerment debuts her first solo EP