Overcomers Overcoming

Gina and Johnny Uricchio (mother and son) advance our focused series on autism by sharing their life experience with Ally (daughter and sister), who is, as of this writing, 25 years old and on the autistic spectrum. Ally is a very talented artist with a photographic memory for some of life's details. This episode chronicles a brother's and mother's perspectives of life's lessons of learning autism. God created everyone in His image with a specific purpose. As we learn how the autistic mind functions, we can learn how to adapt to and accept others. Gina is writing a journal entitled "The Art and The Voice of Autism: A Family Journal." She forecasts the book will be published in Fall 2022.

Robin Stoloff chronicles several setbacks in her life that caused her to pivot to new ventures. She encourages others who are experiencing setbacks to discover their passion and strengths. With that, determine to overcome any setbacks. Get with those who share your values and enthusiasm and vow to take action to move beyond whatever you encounter. Overcoming setbacks is rewarding; however, nothing of value will be handed to us. You can learn more about Robin at https://www.livingwellwithrobinstoloff.com/ and on YouTube at Ageless Fitness with Rich and Robin Stoloff, Living Well with Robin on Instagram, and Health Update with Robin Stoloff on Facebook.

Candace Mae Gruber further develops a portion of her life story by describing mental health. The COVID period caused and/or revealed several aspects of relationships and our self-awareness. God created us to function best with connected relationships. Many relationships have been severed or altered because of isolation and other COVID-related factors. Too many people have resorted to other forms of activity to substitute for relationships. You can learn more about Candace's life experiences through her co-authored book, "Powerhouse Women: Survivor to Thriver," her book "Heaven Within: Restoring Wholeness for Better Leadership." And her website https://candacemae.com.

Cat Sharp describes the impact of depression on her life and her actions to improve her mental health. For some of us, others will recognize depression symptoms before we will. Poor mental health is sometimes insidious such that others close to us recognize the effects before we do. We need to be confident to ask for help from a certified therapist or other trusted person. It is becoming easier for some of us to acknowledge we need help with our mental health. As we work together to eliminate the stigma and labeling of mental health, we can improve our outlook on life. Learn how Cat overcame her initial reluctance to ask for help. You can learn more about Cat Sharp and her ministry to women at https://catsharp.com/.

Bernie "Bernardine" Dowell describes her perspective as her husband's caretaker when they suddenly discovered he was experiencing major kidney failure. The discovery occurred following a meal which they both assume might be indigestion. After a few days of diagnosis, beginning with admission to the emergency room, the medical staff determined John (her husband) had kidney failure. Bernie worked with John through peritoneal dialysis (in-home treatment), which uses your abdomen's lining to filter your body's blood. She also helped him through hemodialysis, which filters wastes and water from your blood, as your kidneys would when they were healthy.

Dr. Lance Knaub treats people with sports medicine, orthopedic, and musculoskeletal problems and specializes in transitioning clients from injury to health, fitness, and return to sport. He is a certified physical therapist specializing in total mental and physical fitness. Lance is passionate about Breakthru's model of bringing physical therapy together with fitness, which allows his trainers to help create a "balanced body" with adequate strength/flexibility/mobility to function optimally and prevent injuries. He authored the book, "The 4% Break-Thru: 96% of Small Business Owners Fail Within 10 Years. Entrepreneurs: Outlast the 96%, Avoid Burnout, and Create the Life You Love." You can learn more about Dr. Lance Knaub and his practice at https://www.breakthruptfitness.com/our-team/lance-knaub/.

Veronica Williams co-founded the veteran-owned Alliance Seminars Coaching faith-based organization. She leverages her life experiences to provide coaching services, motivational speaking, and certified workshops. Alliance Seminars Coaching shares strategies and skills to strengthen personal and professional relationships through collaboration. She is dedicated to equipping today's women for tomorrow's challenges. She empowers single and married women through workshops, retreats, conferences, and roundtables. She connects with others through her life journey of overcoming various life encounters. You can learn more about Veronica Alliance Seminars at https://www.allianceseminars.org/.

Mary (mother) was crushed as she endured Gabi's (daughter) job rejections for a host of reasons. Mary realized no one would hire Gabi despite her love of service, hard work, and effervescent personality. This discrimination is all to common for adults with special abilities. Only 18% of adults with a special ability are employed. This presented the opportunity for Mary and Gabi to focus on employing more people with special abilities. Gabi's Grounds is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals with special abilities. This opportunity focuses on coffee-related merchandise through which they provide meaningful employment and workplace training for individuals to become self-reliant and self-supporting. In addition to Gabi's Grounds (https://gabisgrounds.com/), Mary and Gabi launched Gabi's PALS! (Packaging, Assembling, Labeling, and Shipping!) Gabi's PALS employs 42 people with special abilities! This warehouse operation at the Loading Dock, 1053 E. Whitaker Mill Road, Raleigh, NC 27604. Send an e-mail to [email protected] for more information.

Lisa Pachence describes her journey beyond being an over-achiever focused on success to achieve a sense of safety and security. She learned through her life experience she was under fulfilled. With the help of a life transformation coach, she learned the value of trust in partnerships. She also learned through coaching that some of her inner beliefs were controlling her conscious thoughts. Her journey of transformation is the impetus to advance other high achievers through a process of overcoming various tenets of anxiety and depression to live a fulfilled life.

Janna Macik describes how she overcame the grief of death, $175K of debt, a failing marriage, and life habits that caused stress in her life. She is the epitome of hope. She credits Jesus Christ and her commitment to Him as her Lord and Savior for helping her develop a very healthy self-awareness through which she made many positive life changes. There was a point in her life she had nearly lost hope. However, she learned that relationships are all important, and the most important relationship is that with her Lord and Savior. Through His wisdom and guidance, she is leading a fruitful life while having a vibrant marriage.