I am a writer, a speaker, an educator, a standup comedienne, a philosopher, a non-denominational pastoral counselor, a poet, a pirate, a pawn and a king. OK. Scratch those last three! Fact is, I’ve called myself an edutainer for years. I believe that educating in an entertaining way is a better way, a more enlightening way, to teach. My mission is to showcase ways in which we can all find better ways of being in the world.
I worked as a caseworker with abused children in New York for five years, and tried to help those who felt less than, diminished, because of their abuse or neglect. I let them know they were not defined by what had happened to them, that they were worthy and deserved to be treated better, and, most importantly, that they could choose a better way of being in the world for themselves.
I worked in a residence for people with AIDS. I saw some who succumbed physically and emotionally to the dis-ease of their body and spirit, while others embraced the challenge, made life changes, and healed relationships, determined to have better lives.
I was as an instructor for Women In Distress, a non-profit agency which provides shelter & counseling for battered women and their children. I taught a program in the high schools called “It’s Not OK,” – enhancing it with role play and relevant performance poetry that brought us all to tears. I asked the teens to ask themselves every day who and how they wanted to be in this world. We talked about ways of stopping the cycle of violence.
I worked for six years in a nursing home dedicated to the care of seniors with Alzheimer’s. Some became more of who they were, while some became the opposite of who they once were. Some families seldom visited, some visited regularly, and others came every day. One such husband, moments after his wife slapped him in the face for no apparent reason, said to me, with tears in his eyes and a depth of love so deep I was honored to be a witness to it, “You see an old woman who doesn’t remember who I am or who she is, but I see my sweetheart, the mother of my children.” And that was before the book, The Notebook, and movie of the same title came out.
For two years I was a talk radio producer and weekend host of my own show – “On the Lighter Side” – for while it is not always easy, it is, perhaps, one of the greatest acts of love, to choose to live in the light when so many live so much and so deeply in the dark. I also co-hosted “Golden Rainbow,” a weekly cable TV show, and was a guest on local TV and radio shows in South Florida.
I do business as For A Better Way, creating and facilitating workshops in personal, professional and spiritual growth.
I have been a keynote speaker and workshop creator and facilitator for women of the Seminole tribe, a variety of companies, singles groups associated with temples and churches, and I have conducted spiritual growth seminars for the general public.
I was Activities Coordinator for a Senior Citizen Day Center in Fort Lauderdale for several years. Among many other things, I created a weekly “Laugh Out Loud” activity, teaching the seniors how to “sell” a joke. It was great fun.
My modalities include: music, performance poetry, lecture, role-play, imagineering, laughter and love. I am a certified…or, perhaps, a certifiable, hug therapist! I believe we must first foster love of self, and then of others, for if there is not enough love for domestic consumption, there is little available for foreign export.
My book: Tie a Knot and Hang On….when you think you’re at the end of your rope — is currently awaiting publication. It is filled with life strategies, expressed with a lot of humor, a bit of wisdom, some of my comfort food recipes, original poetry and family photos. Processes at the end of most chapters provide the tools with which to incorporate positive changes into your daily life.
Whatever path you take, I hope you reach “For a Better Way” today!
Please check out my web site at: www.forabetterway.net, and my book storefront at www.amazon.com/shops/forabetterway.
For A Better Way 