Fifteen years ago on July 11, 2009, the Change Your Attitude … Change Your Life radio show premiered on a local New Jersey radio station. When I had the idea for a radio show, it was by all accounts a ridiculous one. I was a middle-aged, stay at home mother from a small town who had spent the prior 17 years primarily caring for my family. I had no radio experience. I had no media production knowledge. I had no dreams or goals for doing this type of work. It was nothing I had ever aspired to do. It was simply an idea that popped into my head and for some unknown reason, I ran with it.
Starting out was extremely challenging. In the beginning I was trying to navigate the loss of my mother and sister (who died five months apart), the end of my 23-year marriage (which came in between the deaths), and financially providing for myself and my kids, with no safety net. I had no idea how to successfully monetize and run a company. I was in over my head. But again, for some unknown reason, I ran with it.
As time passed and I got stronger, I started to figure out how to get by, mostly by the seat of my pants. I learned many valuable lessons the hard way. But, after trusting some of the wrong people and getting taken advantage of from opportunists, I slowly began to get the hang of it. For most of my life I limited myself so I had no idea just how creative I could be. You talk about thinking outside the box, I didn’t even know there was a box. I did things that might make a person with an MBA cringe, but my intuition worked and everything began to click.
“Sometimes the ideas that are the seemingly most ridiculous, turn out to be something truly amazing.”
Slowly and methodically, I built a brand, grew a radio show and podcast, and worked with some of the most incredible people you can imagine. When I look over the list of changemakers I have had the opportunity to meet and interview, it blows my mind. It’s so surreal that it often feels like someone else is doing it. Pictured are just a few of the more than 1600 interviews I've conducted.
Over the course of the past 15 years, I have seen companies come and go. And when I think about that, I wonder what I did that has enabled me to not only survive, but to thrive. I wonder how I figured it out and why I’m still standing.
So when I encounter an anniversary like this, I pause and thank God for giving me whatever it was I needed to keep going. Back then (and if I’m being really honest, many times along the way), I did not think it was possible. But now, I believe He is the unknown reason. I still haven’t figured the why, but I do keep running with it.
The greatest lesson I have learned is to never let anyone, even yourself, stop you from acting on an idea or dream. Sometimes the ideas that are the seemingly most ridiculous, turn out to be something truly amazing. And if you forget that, remember my story!
Thank you to everyone who has believed in me and cheered me on when I didn’t think I could go any further. You kept me motivated, you lifted me, and you loved me. I could not have done it without you. They say it takes a village to raise a child, well, it takes a village to run a business. Anyone who forgets that will certainly encounter trouble.
Here’s to another 15 years!! (I’m getting older and may have to shorten the years in that toast one day! LOL)