Lovern J. Gordon

Lovern J. Gordon is the Founder and President of Love Life Now Foundation, Inc. (LLN) which promotes year-round awareness against domestic violence (DV) via its initiatives and helps to bridge the gap between shelters and the communities they serve.

The 2010 winner of two back to back beauty pageants, Lovern started out by using the 2 titles as a platform to increase awareness on the issue. The following year LLN was formed.

Since then, she has spanned awareness in multiple cities by hosting events year round...events that have in turn raised thousands of dollars to benefit shelters in various cities across the world, shelters that provide services and emergency housing for victims and survivors daily. LLN also founded Love Life Magazine, an online, quarterly publication centered on shining the spotlight around all aspects and behind the scene work on the issue.

She also shares her personal story with abuse (as a 15-year child witness to it and an adult survivor of abuse after a 2-year abusive relationship), to anyone that will listen. Believing the more we all talk about this issue publicly, the better a victim’s chance is of seeking help, she conducts educational DV Workshops at high schools, college campuses, and job sites. Her reach continues to span after she has appeared on numerous television shows on the issue such as:

Huffington Post Live, Huffington Post Magazine, NBC’s This is New England, CBS This Morning, WHDH’s Urban Update, CBS’ – Centro, ABC‘s Cityline, Reelz’s Security Brief TV, as well as radio for Sirius XM’s Jenny Hutt Live and WBUR’s 90.9 FM.

•I am in good health

•I woke up this morning

•My breath

•My sight

•My body (mobility)

•My life-partner

•My children

•My mother

•My siblings

•My grandmother

•My tribe of beautiful, strong sisters

•My empathy (my heart)

•My home

•My students

•ability to speak multiple languages

•My dream life in LA

•the sunshine

•my car (which gets me everywhere that I need to go

•the view of the city from my balcony

•my amazing baristas that show me so much love and keep me caffeinated (they know who they are)

•clean running and drinking water

•AC for those hot nights and heat for those cold nights

•Good food

•my smile

•my patience

•my sound mind

•my curls who always seem to do their own thing

•my customs/traditions

•my values

•my beginners mind (curiosity)

•my zest for life

•my love for humanity

•transformation (dedication for healing)

•walks in nature

•early nights, tucked in bed next my best friend

•palm trees

•being kissed by the sun,the way the sand feels underneath my feet

•how the sun feels on my face

•my guiding angel (my dad, may he rest in paradise.

•my yoga practice

•meditation

•sunrises/sunsets

Marvin & Kristen Speller are a husband and wife duo, Community Health Activists, & Humanitarians in Los Angeles, CA.

They took action and have helped countless men & women reach their goals through their many endeavors. After seven years, they both are making an impact in the local community through their Rise Up programs.

Marvin Speller is known for making a lasting impression through his intensive Transformational Mental Health Coaching, vast business acumen, community endeavors and public service. Marvin moved to Los Angeles from Charlotte, NC where he was an activist for numerous Domestic Violence organizations, Charlotte Reads Program, Habitat for Humanity, Aids Walk, and Girl Talk. Marvin on many occasions offered support also to underserved youth throughout the Charlotte area. Marvin contributed his image to several Billboards in Charlotte to promote literacy amongst children 5-12 years old. Once he arrived in Los Angeles, CA, he became his wife’s music manager. Marvin has continued to help the community of Los Angeles contributing his voice to the Minority Outreach Symposium with Political Leaders, Law Enforcement, Our Rise Up programs, and several Domestic Violence programs.

Welcome everyone, in today's episode I will be sharing the 5 Health Benefits of Journaling. Here are the 5 benefits that I have discovered along my journey:

1. Clarifying your thoughts and feelings

Taking a few minutes to jot down your thoughts and emotions (no editing) will quickly get you in touch with your internal; world.

2. Know yourself better

By writing routinely you will get to know what makes you feel good and recognize situations and people who may be toxic for you. I believe that this is an important information for you to have for your well-being.

3. Solve problems more effectively

Problems are best solved when engaging right-brained creativity and intuition. Writing out your feelings unlocks other capabilities, allowing the opportunity for unexpected solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems.

4. Reduce Stress

Writing about anger, sadness and other painful emotions helps to release the intensity of these feelings. By doing so, you will feel calmer and better able to stay in the present.

5. Resolve disagreements with others

Writing about misunderstanding will help you understand another's point of view. This helps you to come up with a sensible resolution to the conflict.

Journaling has helped me to track my patterns and growth over time. It has been a great tool in aiding my healing journey and self-discovery.

How do you begin journaling?

-Pick a time of day where you can devote 20 minutes to journaling.

-Don't think, just write and don't worry about grammar.

-Pick a theme to write about each day, this will help to give you a sense of direction.

-Don't judge yourself, there are no rules.

If you would like more information on how to begin to journal, please do check out my book; Peaces Of Freedom (A Self-Healing Journal) chronicling some challenging and triumphant moments in my life. Available on Amazon and Kindle.

Marcy DePina’s passion for the arts and activism has been the anchor for her career using art as a vehicle for positive change. After creating FORSA Media Group LLC in 2005, Ms. DePina honed her expertise in the areas of event and multi-media production, public relations, marketing, and social media, managing projects for clients such as the United Nations, 92YTribeca, Central Park Summerstage, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Festival Mawazine and Festival of Casablanca in Morocco, Caribbean Fashionweek in Jamaica and the Atlantic Music Expo and Kriol Jazz Festival in Cabo Verde. She was also the host, script writer, and voice over talent for the multi-Emmy Award winning show “Rhythm and Roots” for two seasons on Ebru TV and the deejay and host of “The Movement: Cape Verdean Vibes” on Caribbean Zone Radio.

In 2014, Ms. DePina was named Executive Director for Newark Riverfront Revival, a non-profit organization that programs Riverfront Park and advocates for riverfront development and public access. In this role, she developed an innovative approach to curate events that bring together dynamic cultural expressions with diverse audiences to reconnect people with the historically abused and neglected waterway. Ms. DePina is actively involved in Newark’s current cultural blossoming, and is the Vice-President of the Board of Newark Arts Council and Board Member of the Newark Chess Club. As a deejay and radio host, she produces a weekly radio show called “FORSA!” on Newark(dot)FM, playing music from Africa and the Diaspora. In 2017, Ms. DePina was honored to be featured in the commissioned project by PSEG entitled “100 People of Newark” for her work in the arts and environmental justice sector. An ambassador for the City of Newark, Ms. DePina was featured as one of three hosts for United Airlines “3 Perfect Days in Newark” project which appeared on 300 daily flights in March 2019 and continues to be available on all flights on demand. In addition, in 2019 she was received the “Social Media Influencer of the Year Award” from the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau. In May of 2019, Ms. DePina accepted the position of Producer/Editor for iHeart Media’s Podcast division where she is producing podcasts on food, travel and lifestyle. An avid traveler, she embarked on a passion project #12TripsIn12Months to experience new spaces, people, and culture and is documenting her journey through a podcast of the same name. A speaker of four languages, Ms. DePina is originally from New Bedford, Massachusetts and has been a resident of Newark, New Jersey for the last 25 years where she lives with her son.

ANICA A. BARBOSA is an exotic beauty who hails proudly from her native homeland of the Cape Verdean Islands. She is the second of 6 children who grew up in a small country that still resembles a serene paradise full of rich and natural culture. Raised with strict Cape Verdean beliefs and traditions would provide her with a solid foundation to shape her into the woman she is today. Full of dreams and worldly curiosity, Anica longed to see what the world was like outside of her small native humble paradise. At the tender age of 13, she was given a life changing opportunity to relocate with her family to the United States, Boston, Massachusetts.

Being the first generation of the women in her family to ever read or write, she focused on education knowing it was a way to venture outside her tight knit culture. By maintaining high grades Anica earned a high rank in ROTC, scholarships to camps such as NAI Flight Training in the prestigious Tuskegee University in Alabama as a teenager. She went on to getting aviation certified and further achieving a BS in Business Management at Bridgewater Sate University in Bridgewater Massachusetts. At an early age she fell in love with martial arts which she used to stay disciplined, strong, focused and to keep moving in a positive direction.

Moving from Boston to Los Angeles in 2004, Anica was in search of her inner artist. With her lifelong passion for entertaining and performing she saw the chance to break free from being a local hometown performer and the only life she knew and pursue her dream on a bigger scale. Los Angeles has since provided her an outlet to explore her talents with both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Life as an Actor/Model in Los Angeles has opened doors to working with other amazingly talented artist and allowed her lifelong dreams to come true.

Anica has a special connection with children and is passionate about mentoring them and she strives to touch their lives in many positive ways. Her passion for children drove her to seeking custody of a deserving young boy. This sacrifice being the most challenging thing she has ever done, it was also the most rewarding and through this she realized she wanted to dedicate her life to helping children on a much larger scale. She wanted to be the voice for young girls all over the world and be a role model to show them that one can always strive for and accomplish anything regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or background, all it takes is dedication and the belief of one’s self.

Anica stays grounded by being environmentally conscious and volunteering on her spare time. She loves animals and making time to help others is mandatory in her life’s journey. She is passionate about all that she approaches and her energy is exciting and contagious. She magically wins the hearts of the children she mentors and the people she encounters throughout all areas of her life. She also spends time getting involved with her community by volunteering at the local food banks, The Red Cross, Boys & Girls clubs and homeless shelters throughout the city. She loves to enjoy herself by immersing in the outdoors where life is most virile… among her favorite activities are bike riding, hiking, traveling, running, cooking and exploring new and exiting things.

Anica looks forward to more opportunities in the film/television industry and will continue to create a strong platform for her voice to be heard. When asked what fuels her she insists it is her passion to achieve success not only for her but everyone her life touches.

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“Luck is when preparation meets Opportunity”

Nihal Horne is a filmmaker, content creator, mother, and life-student. We discuss a very important topic and sharing our journeys of how our commitment to our healing lead us to finding true love.

Born and raised in Boston, MA in a largely Capeverdean Community, I was fortunate to be surrounded by so many like me. My family really impressed upon me that our culture lives through us. We have to continue culture, language and traditions from the Mother Land of Cabo Verde. I didn't speak English until I started school at the age of 5. As I went through school I noticed the impacts that teachers had on children. One positive word made students smile, just as a negative word diminished their being. At an early age, I started writing, things like diaries, silly poetry and stories and it continued throughout school. In the seventh grade, an English teacher told me that my writing was terrible and that writing is not for me. Although it crushed me, I knew that I had it within me to keep going with my writing and to do just what was intrinsic to me. I became a teacher because I wanted to change the trajectory of children like me, whose parents may work hard to support them, but didn't know how to navigate the system. Within my community I stay involved to support families access resources that strengthen education and positive lifestyles.

Alongside teaching Science for the Boston Public Schools, I am a copy editor for Mili Mila Inc., which published the first of its kind Capeverdean Dictionary by Manuel Goncalves. I am currently editing my children's book, and completing my memoir.

Dr. Terza A. Silva Lima-Neves is a wife, mom, scholar, award-winning professor, African feminist and advocate for women and girls. She was born and raised in Cabo Verde, West Africa and immigrated to the United States with her parents and sisters as a teenager.

Terza is associate professor of political science and chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Johnson C. Smith University. Her courses, research and published scholarship focus on international politics, global gender studies, and the modern African diaspora in the United States, particularly gender and the Cabo Verdean community. Lima-Neves prides herself in offering culturally competent advising and mentoring to her students and is an active advocate for policies that create a life-work balance as well as render visible women, parents, people of color and other historically marginalized groups at institutions of higher education.

Dr. Lima-Neves is the 2019-20 President of the North Carolina Political Science Association, the first Black person to serve in this role, co-founder of the International Conference on Cabo Verdean Women and founding President of the Cape Verdeans of the Carolinas Association. She is passionate about community work that empowers and inspires all people. She lives in Charlotte with husband Luis and their children. For more on Terza’s work visit her website, terzalimaneves.com. You can also connect with her on IG and Twitter at @Kriolamommyscholar

Satta is an accomplished entrepreneur, writer,artist, and holistic health practioner. She is extremely passionate about impacting communities and organizations by building awareness and advocacy around issues like domestic violence, health disparities in communities of color, and reproductive justice. Satta has been able to combine art and activism by performing and co-writing the two time Congressional

Award winning play "Behind Closed Doors" and with her upcoming book "Made From S.O.Y.L." Satta is also the founder and CEO of Holistic Roots LLC, where the mission is to empower women to reclaim and own their health, wealth and beauty from the inside out.