This month, July 8 to be exact, marks the 13th anniversary of the premiere of the Change Your Attitude…Change Your Life brand and radio show.

Back in 2009, I was going through a bit of an identity crisis trying to figure out my next move. I had given so much of myself to my family that I got lost. I had no career, my children were growing up, and my marriage was stagnant. It was during that time, from what I was feeling, that I had the idea to create a medium that would bridge the gap between people who needed information for self empowerment, and those who could provide it.

Thirteen years ago, my life was pretty ordinary - I was a wife, mother, daughter and sister – just an average woman experiencing what many wives and mothers feel. To this day, I cannot say from where this seed was planted. I had no special training, or no radio or business ownership experience, and yet, I wanted to take it on. Looking back, I must have appeared insane. A few told me I was, but I didn’t care. 

Completely out of character, and against the wishes and advice of a few closest to me, I followed through with my “crazy” idea. To be honest, I didn’t know what I was doing or how I would accomplish my goal, but forward I went; mostly by the seat of my pants. But hey, a little common sense goes a long way!

Within a few months, I had created the CYACYL radio show, was the CEO of my first company, and was publishing 24 Seven magazine. 

Just when my career was starting to gain traction, my life took a tumultuous turn. Within a period of six months, my 23-year marriage ended, my mother died, my sister died, and my oldest son left for college. The life I knew ceased to exist. I was broken, depressed, and exhausted. I didn’t see much of a future for myself.

The irony of it all is that months before any of this loss, I chose to work under the Change Your Attitude…Change Your Life brand. When I selected that title, I had no idea what was to come. I had no idea exactly how much change I would need to embrace. But as I have come to learn, God has a sense of humor.

Over the course of the next 13 years, and during some very dark moments in my life, the one constant was this brand. Through it I have met some of the world’s most inspiring and influential people. These teachers have enabled me to turn my personal tragedy, transition, and transformation into something that has the potential to positively impact hundreds of thousands of lives. 

It hasn’t always been easy. I have had many obstacles to overcome, financial problems to solve, betrayals to survive, and endless business lessons to learn. But in the end, I have emerged strong and self-confident, and I face each day with renewed passion and joy.

So, when I discuss the importance of attitude in changing your life and surviving, I don’t speak from an abstract concept or program I have taken, I speak from personal experience and from the heart. In a brief period, I received a crash course in life - death, divorce, financial uncertainty, self doubt, and low self esteem. But, it was in those moments that I recognized a turning point, and followed the words of Dr. Wayne Dyer: “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” 

It was with that outlook about change that I was able to move on and create a life I could never have imagined. And, you can too!