I will not allow fear to dictate my destiny.

My journey from single mother of five on welfare to successful career woman.

Over the years, as I’ve shared parts of my story, the resounding comments have been: You must write a book! A friend explained it more fully by stating: “People need to hear your story. They need the message of hope so they can believe they too can overcome.” The confirmation for that came when a simple post about achieving home ownership went viral on LinkedIn. That post showed me that we live in a day and age where people are desperate to believe they can survive hard times. My hope, here on this blog, is that you will see that you too can be an overcomer. My story can be your story. It’s an imperfect story of hope, perseverance, and grit.

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Shelley Underwood 10/31/21 Shelley Underwood 10/31/21

Dream BIG

Don’t listen to the naysayers.

Don’t listen to the negative voice in your head.

Do listen to Your Mentors.

Do listen to Your People.

Shelley Underwood 6/2/21 Shelley Underwood 6/2/21

“Just Because” Strawberry Cake and Maslow’s Hierarchy

Are you glad it’s summer? I cannot express my joy enough over warmer weather and blue skies! AND that we are getting on the other side of this pandemic.

Shelley Underwood 2/11/21 Shelley Underwood 2/11/21

Taking Forced Action

I believe Fear and anxiety are the drivers for why we don’t do the things we say that we want to. When I was struggling to make ends meet, I was consumed with negative emotions.

Shelley Underwood 1/28/21 Shelley Underwood 1/28/21

Understand Yourself

As I began to take small steps to overcome my welfare dependency, I found I had a real advantage in that I understood myself. I understood my strengths. I understood my weaknesses. I had spent the previous 20+ years really digging into understanding who I was.

Shelley Underwood 12/30/20 Shelley Underwood 12/30/20

The Necessity For Sacrifice

Question from LinkedIn User: I really want to be where your are and I'm not afraid to work hard. What do I have to do? Sacrifice and Delayed Gratification. These are important building blocks to achieving your aims and goals.