Inspirational Journeys: Stories that Matter

This week, my special guest shares the story of surviving the loss of his brother, who was killed in action while they both served in Afghanistan and overcoming grief, survivors guilt and PTSD, in order to share his compelling story with the world. He also started a podcast to share the stories of others who’ve served in the military and suffered with some, if not all, of the same struggles he went through after coming home from his tour of duty in Afghanistan. Grab a cup of your  favorite beverage and join the conversation. After you’ve heard this compelling story, be sure to share it with your friends and loved ones, and say a prayer for the men and women who serve your country, wherever you are, as you listen or watch this week’s episode.

Scott DeLuzio is an Army veteran, having served six years with the Army National Guard, including a deployment to Afghanistan in 2010. Scott’s brother, Steven, was also deployed to Afghanistan in 2010. Unfortunately, Steven was killed in action on August 22, 2010. After returning home, Scott struggled with coping with the stresses of combat, the loss of his younger brother, and adjusting back to civilian life. In the years following Scott’s deployment, he noticed other veterans dealing with their struggles in unhealthy ways. Scott started his podcast, Drive On Podcast, to connect with current and prior service members. He interviews veterans and civilians to discuss personal triumphs, life experiences, and emotional hardships to give hope and strength to the military community.

Scott lives in Surprise, Arizona, with his wife, Vicki DeLuzio, and their three children.

Connect with Scott at the following links:

https://driveonpodcast.com/

https://twitter.com/scottdeluzio

https://twitter.com/driveonpodcast

https://www.facebook.com/driveonpodcast

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdeluzio/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/drive-on-podcast

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkO9JA_H1z2A8zbvadyhglQ

https://www.instagram.com/scottdeluzio/

https://instagram.com/driveonpodcast

If you’re looking for high quality content editing services at reasonable prices, send queries to [email protected]

Visit www.everyday-excellence.com

and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get 10% off any product on the site.

Support this podcast with a monthly donation:

https://anchor.fm/inspirational-journeys/support

or you can give a one-time donation via PayPal at:

https://paypal.me/annHarrisonBarnes?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US

This is a special bonus episode in celebration of Disability Awareness Month. My special guest and I talk about her disability field guide and her multifaceted writing as a whole.

Tracee Lydia Garner started out as a poet. Years before entertaining full length novels, poetry allowed her to express feelings about having a disability or life in general and the obstacles and barriers that exist as she tries to make a space in the world.

Her poetry has won honorable mentions and has appeared in her campus's literary magazine. In 2001 Tracee took up longer, more dramatic fiction. Her desire to write something longer was first piqued though a story entitled Tides, a romantic love story "still in progress". The website owners invited others to contribute to the story and Tracee decided to give it a try by writing her own spin and how she felt the story should continue. After writing chapters 8 and 9, and later chapters 11 and 12, and having both her contributions posted, Tracee felt as if writing was "it".

After writing and submitting the complete story to Tides, she received no information about whether it was a good story ending, neither was it posted, she turned to creating her own stories from start to finish. In 2001 after several attempts at her academics, Tracee entered her story, FAMILY AFFAIRS into the contest and won, changing her passion pursuits and her life. After winning the grand-prize award, receiving an advance, a book contract, a trip to New York to accept her award and most importantly having her work published by BET Books, she sent two more books and managed a book deal with the house. Since then Tracee has gone on to write at least 18 books, with more on the way. She’s a public and motivational speaker, adjunct profession, course creator, and a loves writing more than anything. While her heart will always be in fiction, the genre that changed her life, this year, Tracee penned a book giving people with disabilities, and parents of children with special needs anecdotal advice for their life journey. In Disability: A Field Guide, she’ talks about all of her barriers, hurdles and overcoming challenges faced in finding gainful employment, dealing with the lack of quality, competent caregiving personnel, deciding to drive and the pains of needing to fund and learn expensive adaptive driving equipment for her vehicle and dealing with discrimination, limitations others place on her abilities and emergency planning and so much more.

As a public speaker Tracee has facilitated workshops, conferences and other events with the likes of Martin Luther King, III, former secretary of labor, Alexis Herman, former Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education, Judy Heumann, and been a guest for the radio show On A Roll, with late founder and host Greg Smith, a live weekly syndicated commercial radio talk show on life and disability.

Tracee’s approach to life and her presentations are filled with lots of humor, fun, real and practical talk that helps people confront their barriers in their own lives, and define a level of success that’s right for them. Additionally she gives parents of special need children, the push, fortitude and encouragement to create an ideal life focused on what their child can do, rather than what they can’t!

Connect with Tracee at the following links:

http://www.traceegarner.com

http://www.traceegarner.com/blog

https://bit.ly/3aOhCxe

https://twitter.com/teegarner

https://www.instagram.com/teegarner

In today’s episode, My special guest, Beth Jones shares tips, inspiration and encouragement for writers about how to simple put your but in the chare and conquer the 3 P’s: Procrastination, Perfectionism, and pitfalls. Come prepared to take notes as you join in the conversation.

Beth Jones is an International Speaker and Author, wife to fire chief-paramedic Ray, and mom of 3 beautiful daughters, Heather, Eden, and Leah. She also has an adopted black cat with green eyes, Natalya, who follows Beth everywhere. Beth’s mission is encouraging women to use their gifts for God’s glory, fulfilling their purpose, and living a life they love. She also helps aspiring speakers and writers to share their hearts’ powerful, unique messages.

Beth’s featured book is entitled How to Write Fast: Making Your Writing Dreams Come True

Description:

Do you want to write a book? Have you always dreamed of being an author? Do procrastination, perfectionism, and other pitfalls stop you from writing--or finishing--your book? Learn how to get out of your own way and get it done with this practical, how-to writing tips guide by an Amazon Best Seller Author of 13 books. Discover what you need to know about getting started, actually writing your book, outsourcing the frustrating "techie" aspects like editing, formatting, and designing the front cover, and much more. This is the year to write your book. Now is the time to make your writing dreams come true!

Purchase link:

https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Your-Book-Fast-ebook/dp/B01KTXFHGO/

Connect with Beth at the following Links:

website:

https://www.BethJones.net

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/author/bethmjones

Podcast:

https://anchor.fm/bethmjones

Facebook biz page:

https://www.facebook.com/BethJones.net/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bethmjones

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/beth_mjones

If you’re looking for high quality content editing services at reasonable prices, send queries to [email protected]

Visit www.everyday-excellence.com

and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get 10% off any product on the site.

Support this podcast with a monthly donation:

https://anchor.fm/inspirational-journeys/support

or you can give a one-time donation via PayPal at:

https://paypal.me/annHarrisonBarnes?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US

In today’s solo episode, I share the story of how I learned to create a to do list matrix to help me figure out which tasks are urgent, which ones are important, which ones I need to do and the ones I want to do that can wait. My prayer is that my message and tips help you find a way that helps you get out of the rut of overwhelm and move forward in your kingdom driven career path.

If you’re looking for high quality content editing services at reasonable prices, send queries to [email protected]

Visit www.everyday-excellence.com

and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get 10% off any product on the site.

Support this podcast with a monthly donation:

https://anchor.fm/inspirational-journeys/support

or you can give a one-time donation via PayPal at:

https://paypal.me/annHarrisonBarnes?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US

This week, my special guest and I talk about how hiking the Appellation Trail inspired him to write his debut novel entitled The Habits of Squirrels. While he steps away to get his book to show to my viewing audience, I make reference to NaNoWriMo and the Camp NaNoWriMo April and July Camp NaNoWriMo sessions, due to the fact that this was recorded on July 1st. I challenge you to consider this as a reminder to create your NaNoWriMo project so you can write with us during the month of November. Grab a snack, fix up a hot or cold cup of your favorite beverage, and pull up a chair in my virtual living room as we talk about writing, traveling for research and inspiration, and a little bit of editing.

Brian “Mister Frodo” Livingston was born and raised in Marietta, GA. In 2012, he graduated from Clemson University with a B.A. in History. He then thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2013 before starting his J.D. at Washington & Lee University School of Law. Mister Frodo currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his wife and black lab, Maddux. He supplements his hiking with reading, fishing, and copious live music. The Habits of Squirrels is his first novel.

Connect with Brian at the following links:

www.brianlivingstonbooks.com

https://www.instagram.com/brianlivingstonbooks/

https://twitter.com/LivingstonBooks

https://www.facebook.com/BrianLivingstonBooks

If you’re looking for high quality content editing services at reasonable prices, send queries to [email protected]

Visit www.everyday-excellence.com

and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get 10% off any product on the site.

Support this podcast with a monthly donation:

https://anchor.fm/inspirational-journeys/support

or you can give a one-time donation via PayPal at:

https://paypal.me/annHarrisonBarnes?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US

Please note that the information provided in today’s podcast episode and/or YouTube video is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. If you experience any unusual symptoms, or you suspect that you have developed an illness, please consult your physician immediately.

In today’s episode, my special guest Michelle Slater and I celebrate her belated book launch! She shares her story of recovering from Lyme Disease, her writing process and so much more. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and come celebrate with us at our virtual memoire launch party!

Michelle Slater is a scholar of comparative literature and president of the educational nonprofit Mayapple Center for the Arts and Humanities in Connecticut. She holds a Ph.D. in French literature from Johns Hopkins University.

Her long battle with and recovery from late-stage neurological Lyme disease served as the genesis for this book. Debilitated by the disease to the extent that she was no longer able to teach at her university or perform simple tasks like driving and reading, Slater spent several years pursuing every known treatment, from aggressive allopathic methods to holistic remedies. When all failed to deliver recovery, she discovered Dr. Sergey Filonov’s dry fasting program and spent two months in Siberia under his care. She recovered completely from Lyme disease, regaining her memory and returning to researching, writing, hiking, and running. Since 2017, she has not experienced a single symptom.

Connect with Michelle at the following links:

​​https://michelleslater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/michelle.slater.9699523

https://www.instagram.com/michelleslaterny/

https://twitter.com/michell03382543

If you’re looking for high quality content editing services at reasonable prices, send queries to [email protected]

Visit www.everyday-excellence.com

and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get 10% off any product on the site.

Support this podcast with a monthly donation:

https://anchor.fm/inspirational-journeys/support

or you can give a one-time donation via PayPal at:

https://paypal.me/annHarrisonBarnes?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US

This week, my special guest talks about her new book, and what inspired her to write and become a detective in the police force. She also tells us why she calls herself the “intuitive detective”. Fix up your favorite beverage, grab a snack, pull up a chair or crank up your podcasting app during your commute to and from work and hang out with us in my virtual living room.

Stacey Webb is an Intuitive Trauma Release Mentor, Emotional Freedom Techniques Practitioner, Rebirthing Breathwork Practitioner, Intuitive Intelligence Trainer, Embodied Processing Practitioner in Somatics, Speaker and Author.

Stacey guides and supports people who feel a deep longing to reconnect with themselves. Creating and holding space for people as they; find and create safety within themselves, cultivating a relationship with themselves, to empower their nervous system in allowing the release of fear, stressful emotions, limiting beliefs and traumatic events from their body. Stacey does 1:1 sessions and group circles where her services are used by people all over the world.

Stacey is also the Author of ‘The Intuitive Detective’

The Intuitive Detective is a memoir where Stacey Webb shares snippets of her youth, early career as a police officer and detective, and present-day experiences to bring awareness to how listening to her intuition (and at times avoiding it) shaped her life. Stacey shares how following her intuition allowed her to face her fears and go deeper on her healing journey as she continues to walk towards her authentic truth and inner wisdom.

Stacey Webb inspires us to listen to our own inner compass and attune to our intuition, allowing ourselves to be the detective in our own healing journey.

Purchase link:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Intuitive-Detective-Stacey-Webb-ebook/dp/B09X9VYMVT/ref=sr_1_1?crid=21AGF8XWZYM6Y&keywords=the+intuitive+detective&qid=1655013403&sprefix=the+intuitive+detectiv%2Caps%2C342&sr=8-1

Connect with Stacey at the following links:

Website: https://www.staceywebb.com.au

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_staceywebb

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StaceyWebbEFT

If you’re looking for high quality content editing services at reasonable prices, send queries to [email protected]

Visit www.everyday-excellence.com

and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get 10% off any product on the site.

Support this podcast with a monthly donation:

https://anchor.fm/inspirational-journeys/support

or you can give a one-time donation via PayPal at:

https://paypal.me/annHarrisonBarnes?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US

I had a delightful conversation with my special guest for this bonus Friday episode. We talked about her book which launched on May 3, 2022 and we touched on her process and the story behind the book. Sit back and enjoy our conversation

Ellen grew up in the American Deep South, but with a spirit of adventure, she went up to Toronto, Canada, to go to graduate school, and stayed 50 years.

No, she wasn’t a slow student, she just ended up getting married, raising a family, and building a successful career in charitable fundraising. She has been writing for a living for years, but was always writing for someone else. Her grant proposals, direct marketing letters, and especially her thank you letters, are legend. Her persuasive writing skills raised millions of dollars. Those Canadians loved her tales about her southern life so much, she decided to write them down and they became Remember Whose Little Girl You Are.

Recently, she moved back down south where she lives on Santa Rosa Sound near Pensacola. And yes, she is now writing about all her Canadian adventures.

Remember Whose Little Girl You Are captures the flavor of the Deep South like no author since Eudora Welty or Flannery O'Connor. Ellen Nichols captures the tenor of small-town Southern life in the fifties and sixties, with its vicissitudes and hilarity. One is captured with her openness and drawn deeply into the dialogue-so much as to, according to one reader, sometimes feel guilty of spying. Read it and see if you want those times back-or are just relieved they're gone.

Purchase link:

https://www.amazon.com/Remember-Whose-Little-Girl-You/dp/1646635140/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Connect with Ellen at the following links:

https://ellennichols.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ellennicholsmemoir

If you’re looking for high quality content editing services at reasonable prices, send queries to [email protected]

Visit www.everyday-excellence.com

and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get 10% off any product on the site.

Support this podcast with a monthly donation:

https://anchor.fm/inspirational-journeys/support

or you can give a one-time donation via PayPal at:

https://paypal.me/annHarrisonBarnes?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US

This week, my special guest shares the story of how she befriended a death row inmate and wrote his story through letters and other research. Fix up your favorite beverage, pull up a chair and eavesdrop on this fascinating conversation

Lisa Knopp is the author of seven books of creative nonfiction including Bread: A Memoir of Hunger and What the River Carries: Encounters with the Mississippi, Missouri, and Platte. Her essays have appeared in the best journals including Georgia Review, Seneca Review, Missouri Review, Shenandoah, Gettysburg Review, Creative Nonfiction, and Brevity. Knopp is a Professor of English at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She lives in Lincoln.

From Your Friend, Carey Dean: Letters from Nebraska’s Death Row can be purchased at:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Lisa+Knopp&crid=EI2NBIYRP347&sprefix=lisa+knopp%2Caps%2C266&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Connect with Lisa at the following links:

https://www.lisaknopp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/lisa.knopp.33

https://twitter.com/lisa_knopp

If you’re looking for high quality content editing services at reasonable prices, send queries to [email protected]

Visit www.everyday-excellence.com

and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get 10% off any product on the site.

Support this podcast with a monthly donation:

https://anchor.fm/inspirational-journeys/support

or you can give a one-time donation via PayPal at:

https://paypal.me/annHarrisonBarnes?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US

In this week’s bonus episode, I share my biggest takeaways so far from the Kingdom Writer’s Conference Courageous Writers Edition. You’ll want to take some notes, because I share the knowledge I learned about creating a lead magnet to help grow your email list, creating an email list, and collaborating with authors to cross promote each other’s work via newsletter swaps and freebie bundles. However, the first thing I want you to do, before you build your email list, is seek first the kingdom of God and let Him guide you down the path he has already chosen for you. My guiding Bible verse for this episode is Ephesians 2:10 and my book recommendation is Newsletter Ninja: How to become an Author Mailing List Expert  written by Tammi Labrecque, which can be purchased at the following link:

https://www.amazon.com/Newsletter-Ninja-Become-Author-Mailing/dp/B07TXLR4M2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3U8Z1LKHS1A37&keywords=The+Newsletter+Ninja&qid=1663266839&sprefix=the+newsletter+ninja%2Caps%2C155&sr=8-1

I also give shoutouts to two new podcasts I heard about and subscribed to during the conference. The Kingdom Writers podcast and the Daily Writer Podcast. Check them out on your favorite podcasting app.

If you’re looking for high quality content editing services at reasonable prices, send queries to [email protected]

Visit www.everyday-excellence.com

and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get 10% off any product on the site.

Support this podcast with a monthly donation:

https://anchor.fm/inspirational-journeys/support

or you can give a one-time donation via PayPal at:

https://paypal.me/annHarrisonBarnes?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US