This episode of Stand Up & Speak Up with Debby Montgomery Johnson and Peggy Lee Hanson shares the importance of life's experiences, the good, the bad, and the ugly! Each of us has something we're hiding because of embarrassment or shame. Writing your story is the first step to healing and recovery. Speaking about your story is the first step to helping someone else. Going PUBLIC with your story will start a movement to change the world. Be courageous one word at a time. You never know who might be impacted by your story. Peggy Lee Hanson is the Founder of Courageous Women Publications and works with women around the world in crafting their unique message. She's got a story to tell herself - one that's been "nudging" her for years. Today is her day to shed the guilt over hiding and RELEASE her full potential.

You are NOT your story, but you ARE the teller of your story and it's time to change the way you speak to yourself and to the world.  Gail Dixon is the Founder of The Heart's Voice Movement and an author, speaker, and Communicational Consultant.  For decades Gail has worked with individuals and organizations to harness the power of words to achieve their goals. She listens "between the lines" to hear the heart of the message and then speaks back the "right" words to create your powerful results.  We all have something happen in our lives and we could crawl under a rock and HIDE yet Gail says "Chances are we don't live under a black cloud 365 days a year!  Something happened and I'm still here, so rewrite the story." We need to honor the grief and loss and then choose to change the narrative you tell yourself and the world.  

Don't get sick with "Comparisionitis" which means 1.  Avoid comparisions from THEN and NOW, ie: I used to be... 2.  Avoid comparisons of yourself to others.  No one has the same skills, life experiences, and capabilities that you do and 3:  Don't compare your "behind the scenes" to their "Highlight reels!"  Don't compare "Perfect to Possible."  We need to change our head voice to our heart voice - I'm worthy.  I belong.  I care. I make a difference!  Self sabotage is sometimes easier than positive self talk so maybe it's time for a corrective message.  Gail has the strategies and the success to walk us through and she's celebrating with the first ever National Raise Your Voice day on May 2o, 2022.  Join us at www.HeartsVoiceMovement.com today.

SEASON 3 here we come!  What a great way to kick off the start of Season 3 of Stand Up & Speak Up.  Storytelling isn't just for kids - it connects us ALL.  Today's special guest on Stand Up & Speak Up is Kesha Christie and she's coming in from Ontario, Canada.  Originally from Jamaica, Kesha grew up hearing traditional stories from her grandparents.  Oral storytelling is an integral part of  African and Caribbean identity and passed down from generation to generation.  Not wanting the ART of storytelling to die out with the older generations, Kesha took on the mantle of STORYTELLER and she's a master.  Stories are not just for the teller, the magic is in the listening and we got to listen to How Tulips Came to Canada, and one of my favorite, The Bird of One Thousand Feathers!  Kesha founded Talkin Tales and hosts a regular podcast.  Talkin' Tales shares stories that empower and entertain for all ages.  Come on in, close your eyes, and enjoy the "sights and sounds" of the Caribbean and beyond!  

Visit Website: http://www.talkintales.ca Kesha Christie is an Afro-Caribbean Storyteller who tells Caribbean and African folklore, Aesop fables and original works.  As an animated edutainer for all ages, Kesha ignites the imagination and carries her audience on an amazing journey from tale to tale.  Through her stories and workshops she interweaves history and motivational speaking.

What a great way to end Season 2 with a SUCCESS story!  Aleksandra Rehar, born in Slovenia before it was Slovenia, has suffered tremendous personal losses over her lifetime.  She's Standing Up & Speaking Up about how all the magic happens outside of your comfort zone!  Aleksandra and Debby take a journey across the pond to Slovenia and encourage YOU to look at the map - the country is beautiful and is surrounded by history and history in the making.  Then it's time to take a look within.  Get to know your limiting beliefs and how to say "No More" to them and any toxic relationship around you.  Aleksandra shared her personal story as a co-author with Sammy Blindell and 26 inspired thought leaders in The Law of The Brand Attraction 2 and is leading Quantum Business Leaders around the globe. 

With Tinder Swindler and Inventing Anna, the world of online fraud has blown up.  Online relationship fraud/scams are running rampant and during the pandemic millions have been "taken" by scammers around the globe. Dr. Tim McGuinness, Founder and Director, of The Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams (SCARS) and Debby Montgomery Johnson, also a Director, raise awareness about Pig Butchering (financial fraud linked to relationship scams) and the steps victims/survivors need to take to report the fraud to law enforcement.  We ALL can be taken at one point in our lives, no matter our age, education, or financial prowess.  The lack of reporting leads to MORE scammers laughing their way to the bank.  What age groups are most susceptible to fraud?  ALL of them and we give the whys.  Join us for this important Stand Up & Speak Up Fraud/Scam Alert session.

#SCARS #The Woman Behind The Smile #Online Relationship Fraud #Pig Butchering #Tinder Swindler

For a full transcript of this podcast, visit https://romancescamsnow.com/dating-scams/2022-scam-update-a-podcast-with-dr-tim-mcguinness-and-debby-montgomery-johnson/

She lost her arm in a motorcycle accident - it was not the "honorable death" she had planned pre-deployment yet it changed her life and she hasn't looked back.  Victim?  Not on your life.  Sammy Moonwalker Tucker, was born the day man walked on the Moon and her father wanted to remember that forever! Drugs and abuse ran rampant around her during her childhood and then reared their ugly heads during young adulthood.  Poor choices led to experiences that robbed her of happiness and purpose.  Find out how life became a "Hot mess" and how Sammy (Moon) took responsibility for everything that happened to her and FOR her.  Hear her say "I'm dying but I'm not ready."  So, what next?  Her brother said "Sis, have you ever done archery?" and in spite of the Naysayer clerk and the  "You need two hands for archery", Sammy went on to become the first American woman to win the Paralympics for archery.  This is an AMAZING story of true grit and grace!   

Contact Sammy Moonwalker Tucker at www.moonwalkerlife.me Contact Debby Montgomery Johnson at www.TheWomanBehindTheSmile.com

Stop looking for love in all the wrong places!  If things are not working for you, then what can YOU do to change and how can you heal your relationship patterns?  Nicki Hu grew up with a "controlling" mother (don't we all and don't we turn into that as we have children?!" yet she turned on the rebellious button when she needed to do her own thing.  Sometimes we need to release the toxic relationships in our lives and it may be difficult if those relationship include family and friends.  Nicki, although young, to me, has lived a lifetime of interesting relationships.  She is vulnerable in her discussion about limiting beliefs and a personal breakdown which led to a toxic connection outside of her marriage.  Forgiveness and self-care and a very supportive husband, who chose to stay with her because he CHOSE her and their relationship, reignited her passions and her values.  Nicki is hosting Manifest Incredible Love summit on April 1 with 25 incredible coaches, speakers, experts in their respective fields and she's inviting all to join.  Get to know Nick here on Stand Up & Speak Up and then find out how you can Manifest Incredible Love!

Nine decades-plus can teach you a lot about life, but an hour with your 92 year old DAD will feed your soul forever. This Stand Up & Speak Up episode was another Labor of Love for me and for our family.  Too many of my friends lament the passing of their parents but more wish they had another hour, or another phone call with their folks.  "If only" is what I was hearing and I didn't want to have those regrets. Dr. Jack Butz has led an extraordinary life.  His father passed at 46 years old and Jack lived in a home with "lot of women" which included his mom, his aunt, his sister and a friend of hers, and probably some other "old ladies" that I'm missing.  There was no "free ride" for Jack and he put himself through the University of PA and Penn Dental School.  The Air Force provided a good starting point for his career as a dentist but life in Woodstock, Vermont cemented his "working years" until his retirement to Florida.  Author of "My 50 Golden Years", Dr. Jack chronicles the lives of his 10 special Golden Retrievers and he admits that his last one, Angel, was his favorite.  Family history took on a golden spin when he wrote about the dogs (births/deaths) and threw in nuggets about his four children!  Seeing the world through the eyes of a gentle GIANT who has seen it all the last 92 years was tender yet realistic.  It's time to take an hour with your parents if you're are fortunate to still have them around.  Life isn't guaranteed and each day is an opportunity to learn.  Good luck with having YOUR conversations.

It takes one drop to make a ripple that will change the world and Sammy Blindell, CEO of the Brand Builders Club and The One Drop Movement Global followed her vision.  "Individually we are One Drop, and together we are the ocean," says Sammy and it's time to focus on what's really important.  Bullied as a child, Sammy believes that protecting herself held her back from achieving much more and if you don't take control of your "label - victim, failure, gullible, gold digger" you are leaving your reputation on the table and someone else will "brand you."  Additionally, if you set your expectations to "make it only half way" then you'll only make it half way.  Shoot for the moon and awaken the giant within.  As a team member of Awakening Giants in San Diego, Sammy faced her fears of "looking bad" in front of Women of Contribution - little did she know then that her "failure to climb the pole" catapulted her to greatness going forward.  No more blaming and shaming herself - no more "little girl on the playground being called "FATSO"...now it was her time to STAND UP and SPEAK UP and drop the mask.  Together Debby Montgomery Johnson, Founder of The Woman Behind The Smile, and Sammy Blindell inspire each other with their vulnerabilities and their love for their mothers!  Asked if she could spend an Hour With Mom, what would she ask her?  Join us to find out and then do the same with your mom (if you can.)   

Contact Sammy Blindell at www.TheOneDropMovement.com.

TThis special edition of Stand Up & Speak Up this week is with Debby Montgomery Johnson and her mom, Gwendolyn Kennedy Butz.  If you could have your mom's undivided attention for an hour, what would you ask her?  What was life like when she was a little girl?  Who taught her to cook?  Where were the holidays spent and with whom?  Who did the dishes?  Did your mom REALLY ever talk about life as a young adult?  What were her joys and times of sadness?  Did she work outside of the home or was she a SAHM?  My folks have been married since 1955 and they're fortunately still happy, healthy, and of sound mind.  Too many of my friends are realizing they can't ever get that hour with mom back either because she's passed (transitioned beyond the veil) or is living with diminished memories.  I wanted to let my mom SHINE and for once in her life be the center of MY attention and she was and I'm so grateful.  I encourage you all to ask the questions you've never asked (within reason!) and then LISTEN to the gems that will come out.  Our Women of Wisdom (WOW, MOMs upside down!) are aging, as are we, and there is so much to learn.  All in all, life goes by too quickly and don't you want to know who was the FAVORITE child!!!  

Debby Montgomery Johnson is Founder, The Woman Behind The Smile, Inc, www.TheWomanBehindTheSmile.com 

Director, The Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams (SCARS)