I would recommend me. As a zero I know what a wonderful thing it is to grow up being supported in every way. I have worked every day to pass that legacy on to my children and inspire others to be hungry for that kind of feeling. I am not a clinician. I have felt and seen the effects of unconditional love. I present the subject in a very simple way in 3 parts. First, the Science of ACEs. Second, the Impact of ACEs on all of us. And third, and most importantly, the Hope and Joy found in resilience. I am disappointed here in Nashville Tennessee that the name and focus of the program is called Building Strong Brains. In a day long meeting of the ACE Awareness Foundation, not one speaker used the word Heart or Caring. They focused exclusively on the architecture of the brain. Yet, without heart and caring, the message is dry and cold. I drive sometimes for Uber and Lyft as a way to pay forward the love my parents gave me so unconditionally and gave away over 500 of my books to help inspire people to read out loud together with their families. I tell them that I don't have all the answers, but discussions will start that are essential to the familial intimacy that prevents ACEs. You can imagine the feeling I get when a dad called me from American Samoa asking for 20 more books after his son sent him the copy I gave him in the car! That kind of Psychic Compensation is priceless! If you don't know what a lifetime of love feels like...how do you inspire people to reach for it? I go back 2 years ago to my first hearing about ACEs on NPR. Reading that doctors were brought to tears by the results of the first round of responses hit dead center in my heart. I have heard the sadness and felt the pain of my children's friends who were hungry for the connection we shared with our kids. My life changed forever after a third grade teachers conference where the teacher asked me to write down what we said and did that allowed our son to watch over the entire classroom with a spirit that said "shouldn't we all watch over each other?" In 22 years of teaching she had never seen anything like it. At 31, that son and my other children are still doing that. If you don't know what that feels like. ..how do you inspire change? I'm not bragging, I simply try to honor the kindness and generosity of spirit my folks gave me. You can see and feel it with our whole tribe. I wish everyone could feel safe in their own skin like we did. I know each of my 3 siblings thought they were THE FAVORITE! That is the magic of great parenting. ..honoring the difference in each of your children and talking and listening enough to know who they are inside. I would PROUDLY give away my books to anyone that would pay for printing and shipping...about $5. It has never been about money. ...but changing the history of a family. ..one heart at a time. God bless my parents for that gift! There is NOTHING that compares to speaking and touching hearts.
,