I love this image of a heart with wings. It’s a beautiful symbol of love, hope and dreams. And to me, it’s also a reminder of a special day I spent painting murals with children outside the Kondwa Day Centre for Orphans in Lusaka, Zambia, during a three-week journey in Africa with a girlfriend of mine.

Kondwa means “be happy,” and on this day several delighted little faces peeked out from behind a brick wall to see what my friend and I were up to. We had begun to paint the first mural, and we could tell the children really wanted to join us. They looked so cute and curious, so how could we say no? So we waved them in and handed out paintbrushes. They eagerly began to fill in the pink of the heart, and as you might imagine paint began dripping and flying everywhere! Pretty soon it was all over their heads, eyebrows, arms, clothes and feet (most of the children didn’t have shoes), but they continued … //READ MORE

My son Tobin was 6 when I decided to start a nonprofit empowerment retreat for foster youth. Being a mother had sparked in me a deep desire to speak up for kids stuck in the foster care system who couldn’t be with their mothers or families due to circumstances out of their control. The more I researched and the more I learned, I knew I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. I had to act.

But I was worried that my dream was going to take too much time away from Tobin. As both a mother and an entrepreneur, I found myself constantly being pulled in two directions. “How could I do both and do them well?” I asked myself. Could I take care of myself, be an amazing mother and start a nonprofit all at the same time?” … //READ MORE

My son Tobin was 6 when I decided to start a nonprofit empowerment retreat for foster youth. Being a mother had sparked in me a deep desire to speak up for kids stuck in the foster care system who couldn’t be with their mothers or families due to circumstances out of their control. The more I researched and the more I learned, I knew I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. I had to act.

But I was worried that my dream was going to take too much time away from Tobin. As both a mother and an entrepreneur, I found myself constantly being pulled in two directions. “How could I do both and do them well?” I asked myself. Could I take care of myself, be an amazing mother and start a nonprofit all at the same time?” … //READ MORE