March 4, 2025 • 22 mins
In this powerful episode of PASSIONEER Magazine The Podcast, we sit down with the incredible Janet Perez Eckles—international speaker, best-selling author, and inspiration to many.
Despite losing her sight, Janet has illuminated the path for countless others with her unwavering faith, resilience, and joy.
Join us as we discuss:
✨ Turning obstacles into opportunities
✨ The role of faith in overcoming adversity
✨ How to live with purpose and passion—no matter the circumstances
Janet’s story will uplift and challenge you to see life through a lens of possibility. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation!
🔔 Subscribe for more empowering episodes!
Stay Connected:
Website: https://janetperezeckles.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JanetEckles
https://www.instagram.com/janetperezeckles/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/janetperezeckles
Twitter/X: https://x.com/janeteckles
Despite losing her sight, Janet has illuminated the path for countless others with her unwavering faith, resilience, and joy.
Join us as we discuss:
✨ Turning obstacles into opportunities
✨ The role of faith in overcoming adversity
✨ How to live with purpose and passion—no matter the circumstances
Janet’s story will uplift and challenge you to see life through a lens of possibility. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation!
🔔 Subscribe for more empowering episodes!
Stay Connected:
Website: https://janetperezeckles.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JanetEckles
https://www.instagram.com/janetperezeckles/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/janetperezeckles
Twitter/X: https://x.com/janeteckles
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome to Passioneer Magazine, the podcast Well You're Here, inspirational stories,
encouraging news, and in depth interviews with authors, influencers, CEOs
and thought leaders. Passioneer Magazine the podcast Bold Ideas, Brave Pursuits,
Boundless Inspiration.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Hello Everyonan, and thank you so much for joining me
for Passioneer Magazine, the Podcast. I am so excited to
be talking with you, Janet about the all that you do.
I was so excited to see you as a speaker
(00:53):
for a joint event that we were a part of,
and your story was so moving and I could not
wait to invite you onto the show so that others
would be able to hear about this amazing life journey
that you are on and the nuggets of wisdom that
(01:13):
you can share with us. Now, before we get started, though,
there may be some folks that are unfamiliar with you
and the all that you do. So first question, tell
us a little bit about yourself. What makes you you?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Okay? Thank you. First of all, it's a delight to
be with you. I am a Bolivian immigrant who came
to the United States way back when I was twelve
years old with dreams of life in the United States.
At first that was the case, but later on it
turned into a nightmare because when I was thirty, you
lost my sight completely and my life turned upside down.
(01:49):
My little boys were three, five, and seven. But what
I learned through that journey is that what happens to
us shouldn't affect what happens inside of us. So I'm
a decision that even though my blindness was unexpected and
it was just horrifying, I knew that I had other
things that I could work and I could use and
(02:12):
I would put into practice still still be a mom
and be.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Successful, absolutely, and that is part of the reason why
I wanted to have you on your mindset. Your outlook
is just so inspiring and encouraging, and I think that
we need to have more people sharing though they've had
some hardships, there's still some sunshine, there's still some warmth,
(02:39):
there's still some happiness, there's still some joy in our lives,
and let's concentrate on that to help you use that
to help move us forward. So I love I love
your attitude towards life. Now, my first question for you
is how do you define being empowered? Be it that
(03:02):
it is just as an individual. When we talk about
women being empowered in their lives, how should we understand
that from your perspective?
Speaker 3 (03:12):
What a perfect question. I always know people would ask
me that, because that's the answers of who I am
right now. I found my life to be such a
change from what I had planned. Obviously, I planned my
life to be able to see be a successful professional.
But when blindness it in, I had to choose, what
is it that's going to empower me? What is it
that's going to make me get up every morning inspired
(03:34):
and ready to take on the world. And you know
what it was. It was the conscious effort of knowing
what to fill my mind with. And I call that
your mental reservoir. What is it that you think about?
Do you look at the circumstance or something that's happened
to you? No, you can't get over that. How can
that be? Or do you think that's a great challenge?
(03:56):
I want to see what I can do with it,
through it, and in spite of it. So we're so
empowered first, But.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
I thoughts right, mm hmmm mm hmmm. Oh, I love that.
I just did a talk talking about my experience as
a breast cancer survivor and though it is it is
different than your experience, I think similar in that it
(04:26):
has happened to us. We didn't really write this into
our master script of what we thought was going to happen.
Our lives are different because of it, but it doesn't
mean that our lives are over. It was just the
end to that script. It was the end to that
chapter and onto a new chapter. And how can we
(04:47):
stay positive and empower others? I love that you said
that we should grow through it, not just go through it.
I love that now with all that you not only
have experience, but all that you do, how do you
stay spiritually motivated? How do you stay spiritually nourished? If
(05:11):
you will? How does your faith help you to move forward?
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Okay, well I have it. I developed I use some
screen reader to read my computers, so I have the
Bible is one of the applications, So I can some
the application to open it, and I go to certain
verses and I fill my mind in my heart with
God's word. So I'm glad you asked that because a
lot of people want to know what is the source,
(05:36):
and that is for me is God's Word. Because I
find I find comfort, I find strength and you know
what I find. I find wisdom because so many times
in life we have challenges big and small, especially the
world we're living now. So how do we face that
if we have the wisdom to discern that, yes, the
situation is not what I wanted, or the situation is
(05:59):
so out of my control, but I do have control
of how I re editward it right, how do I respond?
And so that to me has been the essence. It
has been the rocket, the solid foundation for me to
be able to know how to tackle moment by moment,
day by day in a way that is I define,
(06:20):
that's empowering, that's fulfilling, and his meaning. So there's my answer.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
And you know you said something very important there, and
I think it should be something that we do if
we are cited or visually impaired, and that is start
our day with God. Start our day, you know in
the word with a scripture. It doesn't have to be long.
(06:48):
You know, we don't have to spend hours and hours
unless we can. But just having a little something, some
type of meditation or prayer time with God to start
your day, I think makes all the difference in the world.
It starts you off on that positive foot.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Absolutely it doesn't.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Now, what are some lessons that you feel that you
have learned along the way as a professional woman. You
have been able to start, stop, reassess, recalibrate, move forward.
(07:26):
You know you've done all of these things to get
to where you are today. What are some of the
most important lessons that you have learned as far as
your professional career life is concerned.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Well, when I learned, as Angela, is that what really
goes on that doesn't really have to do so much
with yourself. It has to do with what you can
do for others. Let me tell you a story. Some
years back, I was speaking to a big corporation here
in Orlando whose name you would recognize, and after I
stepped off the stage, this executive came up to me
(08:01):
and he said, you know, I really don't go for
these motivational, inspirational talks, but you have just shown me
what I've been missing. And I immediately thought, somebody with
that caliber of success in cloud and status, what could
they possibly have been missing? And then as I went
on to speak some more and to travel, I noticed
(08:22):
that even though you could be career wise successful, if
you don't have that sense of joy, that sense of
meaning and fulfillment and purpose. There's really no success, it's
just meeting goals. So that has been something that has
propelled me to go forward to have that passion for
me to ignite in them, the passion that I call resilience,
(08:46):
because you see, I don't think in this world adversities
or enemy, it's the lack of resilience. So I'm about
to write a book on resilience, from which I developed
a talk that I did corporations and colleges to let
them see that there's nothing that you need to be
defeated by. There's nothing that could be better than you
(09:07):
if you know how to tap into that art of resilience,
how to bounce back, how to rise above it. Now,
you just mentioned a moment ago that you have faced
cancer and thank God you're revelsion now you're healthy. But
in my case, for example, I'm still completely blind, and
I still have the other tragedies that go beyond my blindness.
(09:29):
But what is it that keeps me going is that
desire to know that I'm going to touch the heart
of that person sitting in that office or in the
conference room who's being defeated and feeling so gloomy and,
according to statistics, are on the verge of suicide. How
can I reach that person? How can I let them
see that No, their situation doesn't have to dictate their
(09:51):
steps or dictate their future. They have what it takes.
They have the greenest greatness inside of them. The world
needs to see. So they need to keep on going.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Oh I love that. I love that. And you know,
as you were sharing the story about the person who said,
I'm usually not motivated by these things but was so
moved by your speech, you never know how you're going
to touch someone's life. You never know the people that
(10:24):
are in the audience who need to hear your message.
I am so glad that you shared your message at
that event, because I believe that nothing is by happenstance,
that everything happens for a particular reason, even if we're
not able to figure out what it is in our lifetimes.
(10:45):
But so many times it's because someone needed to hear
what we had to share, the lesson that we have learned,
or the wisdom that we are passing on to someone else.
I just I love that. Now I'm gonna look down
for just a second here because You've done some awesome
and amazing things. And my next question for you is
(11:07):
about that you have accomplished not only these things numerous,
but the Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce. And you have also been awarded the Latino
Woman who Make a I'm sorry, Latino Women who make
a difference. That is awesome, sauce. How has this motivated
(11:31):
you to move forward? And there's a list, and of
course it's on your website if anyone wants to visit
that and they can see the long list. But those
in particular, for me, we're so inspiring. How have they
inspired you to continue the work that you're doing.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
Oh, those awards truly humbled me. I was very shy
to receive such a high, highest prestigious award, and I
think what that does is just reinforces me that I
am in the right journey, because often we'll have those
moments right where we feel, you know, I'm completely blind.
What can I offer to these you know, executives and
these colleges and faith faith groups and a blind person
(12:09):
could offer. But when I see the feedback, the response
and the letters and the notes that I have touched, them,
for them to be able to see their life differently,
to be able to see the other side of adversity.
It just it just fills me with humble gratitude, and
I think through the years that they're angel like. What
(12:29):
I found is that gratitude is a secret secret to
greatness because when you end up being grateful for little things,
for things that you encounter every day, you end up
having a new perspective that for me, that keeps me going.
So you know, I'm not going to say I'm grateful
for my blindness, but I'm grateful for that's all the
(12:52):
things that I'm able to do because on in Spider
Man blindness. So those awards, yes, I guess there just
reinforced that I'm going to the right to write. You write,
And as I travel also across the country and outside
to other countries, the feedex the same, even more so
in other countries because then I expect a blind person
to be successful, to write books, and to have all
(13:13):
these things accomplished. But I just want to be an example.
You know, if it happened to me, it can happen
to you. Just remember, what is it that fails your mind?
What is it that fails your mental reservoir.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Yes, oh my goodness, such a nugget of wisdom there.
And we do have to be reminded that we are
more than just our senses and abilities. We have been
given such a purpose and to make sure that we're
walking in our purpose and it really will fall into place.
You know, it's amazing that people still think in this
(13:50):
day and age that someone has to set down or
take a back seat because they may say that they
are visually impaired or that they're blind. It's like no
people have moved past that. I mean, that was a time,
that was a time period where people thought that that
(14:11):
was the best thing to do. But absolutely not. I
love that you are not only encouraging women in general,
but you are encouraging those that are handy, able to
keep being able to do the thing that they have
been purpose to do. And that takes It takes courage
(14:33):
to step out, no matter what side the fence you're on,
it takes courage to step out and live your life.
So thank you for having the courage to continue. I
think so many people get caught in their in their
lack that they use their lack as an excuse. But
but you definitely are not doing that, and I love that.
(14:55):
Another reason I wanted to have you on the show.
I love it. Now you are an author, You have
already written numerous books, and you kind of hinted at
another book there. With that being said, what is the
inspiration behind I think your newest book is Now I
(15:17):
see what was the inspiration behind writing that book? Beautiful cover?
By the way, what's the story there?
Speaker 3 (15:26):
You know what motivating motivated me to write that particular one,
which is my fifth book. It's that person who right now,
on the outside seems so successful, they're smiling, but inside
they're dying only because they I've been able to overcome
the setbacks, the challenges or the maybe tragedies that they
(15:46):
suffered in their life. And I thought, you know, I
need to not tell them how not write a book
with a sermon or write a book on how to,
but I wanted to show them. So what I did,
and now I see is I pretty much really in
my story. But I did it in such a way
that when you read it, you see yourself there because
I wrote all the ups and downs, you know, the
(16:07):
nights that I couldn't sleep, the times when I received
notice that my youngest son was murdered and the man
responsible was acquitted. How do you overcome that? How do
you face something? How do you face the unthinkable? So
when I thought about writing the book, I thought, I'm
going to show them so that no matter what you're
going through, you'll be able to see. That's how I
(16:29):
can do it too. And I just do overcome and
endure or thrive, but to truly find that deep joy,
that triumphant victory that you can have no matter what
tragedy you face. So that's sad the I guess the
motivator behind now I see. So I teach people how
they too can see their world through different eyes, the
(16:52):
eyes of triumphant victory.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Oh I love that. I'm so sorry to hear about
about your son. But being able to share that story
and allowing others to grow through your vulnerability, Oh wow,
that is so powerful. Thank you for that than.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
You well, you know the reason I share that particular
story as well, which is one of the most tragic
tragedies obviously in my life. It's because sometimes when you
show up for work, no matter what level of a
position or how what a high ranking executive you are,
what do you see in your company or college or group,
(17:33):
there's someone there who brought with them such burdens that's
really distracting them, that's really killing the desire to be productive,
to perform, to be creative. But if I can touch
the heart of that person to see, no, you don't
have to be defeated. There's something more than your pain
or your situation. There's greatness, there's beauty, there's abilities, there
(17:56):
are gifts that you need to show the world what
a privilege it is for me able to lift them
up so they can become productive and creative. Because really,
like I said before, adversity is really not our enemy.
That lack of resilience is. And that's why I'm going
to write that book Radical.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Resilience, absolutely, and then that'd be a reason for you
to come back and visit with us, to definitely let
us know about that book. I love that. And you know,
you said something very powerful, and that is, don't let
the adversity be the thing that keeps you down, that
keeps you in that low vibration of your life. As
(18:38):
you said that, it made me think about the many
women in particular, but sometimes the moms who decided that
they were going to run for political office and be
the change in their local communities or in congress because
something happened to their child or their spouse and they
(19:00):
wanted to make sure it didn't happen again, or at
least lend their voice to a positive change. So you
are so right. Use that as a stepping stone to
not only heal yourself, but to help others as well. Oh,
I love that. Now. What advice would you give to
(19:21):
an aspiring author who wants to either share their personal
story of victory or simply just wants to get into
the world of writing. Are there any particular tidbits or
pieces of wisdom that you could share with them?
Speaker 3 (19:40):
Yes, I get that question asked quite often because a
lot of people want to write their story or write
something meaningful, And I always say, whenever you start to
write anything, you need to first focus who is my reader?
Who is the person I want to touch? Who is
the person I want to change? You almost want to
describe that person soon? Is it? You know? Are they
(20:02):
between twenty five and sixty five? Are the men women?
What are they facing? What are their struggles? What is
it that they can't overcome? And you do research obviously,
you know, you don't want to just write a book, really, Willie.
So you do research and when you begin to write,
you have that purpose and focus and you're writing to
that person. That's where you have parted. And I'm so
(20:23):
so blessed that the latest book of what we just
mentioned a moment ago now I see, has won already
two awards. And I think only because I'm touching my
reader's hearts with the power to motivate them to change
just number one. Number two, I think you need to
study the craft of writing, because you can express yourself
with words that hold your attention, that engage you to
(20:45):
draw you in, or you can just words words that
really distract the readers. So learning the writing craft is
so so important. Sometimes I crane you when I read
my first book back in two thousand and four, and
I think, oh my goodness, I was I thinking, you know,
before I really learned the craft writing. So that's another thing.
And you know, begin to write possibly articles. I did
that when I wrote my first story for Chickens for
(21:07):
the Soul, and I was it was accept that I
thought I reached the tip I couldn't believe accept the
one my stories all down. They accepted thirty three of them.
So that's that's a good test if you're a good
writer or not. So yeah, write articles for magazines and
such before you write this book.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
I love that. I love that well, Jennet. You have
been just a well spring of information and motivation. Thank
you so much for coming on and sharing your story
and your life's journey, your success journey with not only
our listeners, but with our viewers as well. I appreciate
(21:46):
your so much. Now before I let you go, though,
if someone wants to reach out to you, what is
the best way to do that. What's your website? Are
you on social media?
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Yes, I'm everywhere. You just google my name, you'll find
me everywhere. But the quickest way, I guess, go to
my website, which I got the name inspiration for you
dot com all words for that fl R y o you.
That's the easiest way to remember for information for you
dot com. And also they can find me in the
same website using my name Jennifer as Echos dot com.
(22:20):
And if they visit me, they'll find a little surprise.
They'll find one of my ebooks waiting for them. Because
contagious courage, your thirty day journey to overcome a stress
and anxiety. So I get that for you when they
visit my website, I love it.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Thank you again, Janet for being a guest on Passioner
Magazine the podcast.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Thank you
Welcome to Passioneer Magazine, the podcast Well You're Here, inspirational stories,
encouraging news, and in depth interviews with authors, influencers, CEOs
and thought leaders. Passioneer Magazine the podcast Bold Ideas, Brave Pursuits,
Boundless Inspiration.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Hello Everyonan, and thank you so much for joining me
for Passioneer Magazine, the Podcast. I am so excited to
be talking with you, Janet about the all that you do.
I was so excited to see you as a speaker
(00:53):
for a joint event that we were a part of,
and your story was so moving and I could not
wait to invite you onto the show so that others
would be able to hear about this amazing life journey
that you are on and the nuggets of wisdom that
(01:13):
you can share with us. Now, before we get started, though,
there may be some folks that are unfamiliar with you
and the all that you do. So first question, tell
us a little bit about yourself. What makes you you?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Okay? Thank you. First of all, it's a delight to
be with you. I am a Bolivian immigrant who came
to the United States way back when I was twelve
years old with dreams of life in the United States.
At first that was the case, but later on it
turned into a nightmare because when I was thirty, you
lost my sight completely and my life turned upside down.
(01:49):
My little boys were three, five, and seven. But what
I learned through that journey is that what happens to
us shouldn't affect what happens inside of us. So I'm
a decision that even though my blindness was unexpected and
it was just horrifying, I knew that I had other
things that I could work and I could use and
(02:12):
I would put into practice still still be a mom
and be.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Successful, absolutely, and that is part of the reason why
I wanted to have you on your mindset. Your outlook
is just so inspiring and encouraging, and I think that
we need to have more people sharing though they've had
some hardships, there's still some sunshine, there's still some warmth,
(02:39):
there's still some happiness, there's still some joy in our lives,
and let's concentrate on that to help you use that
to help move us forward. So I love I love
your attitude towards life. Now, my first question for you
is how do you define being empowered? Be it that
(03:02):
it is just as an individual. When we talk about
women being empowered in their lives, how should we understand
that from your perspective?
Speaker 3 (03:12):
What a perfect question. I always know people would ask
me that, because that's the answers of who I am
right now. I found my life to be such a
change from what I had planned. Obviously, I planned my
life to be able to see be a successful professional.
But when blindness it in, I had to choose, what
is it that's going to empower me? What is it
that's going to make me get up every morning inspired
(03:34):
and ready to take on the world. And you know
what it was. It was the conscious effort of knowing
what to fill my mind with. And I call that
your mental reservoir. What is it that you think about?
Do you look at the circumstance or something that's happened
to you? No, you can't get over that. How can
that be? Or do you think that's a great challenge?
(03:56):
I want to see what I can do with it,
through it, and in spite of it. So we're so
empowered first, But.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
I thoughts right, mm hmmm mm hmmm. Oh, I love that.
I just did a talk talking about my experience as
a breast cancer survivor and though it is it is
different than your experience, I think similar in that it
(04:26):
has happened to us. We didn't really write this into
our master script of what we thought was going to happen.
Our lives are different because of it, but it doesn't
mean that our lives are over. It was just the
end to that script. It was the end to that
chapter and onto a new chapter. And how can we
(04:47):
stay positive and empower others? I love that you said
that we should grow through it, not just go through it.
I love that now with all that you not only
have experience, but all that you do, how do you
stay spiritually motivated? How do you stay spiritually nourished? If
(05:11):
you will? How does your faith help you to move forward?
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Okay, well I have it. I developed I use some
screen reader to read my computers, so I have the
Bible is one of the applications, So I can some
the application to open it, and I go to certain
verses and I fill my mind in my heart with
God's word. So I'm glad you asked that because a
lot of people want to know what is the source,
(05:36):
and that is for me is God's Word. Because I
find I find comfort, I find strength and you know
what I find. I find wisdom because so many times
in life we have challenges big and small, especially the
world we're living now. So how do we face that
if we have the wisdom to discern that, yes, the
situation is not what I wanted, or the situation is
(05:59):
so out of my control, but I do have control
of how I re editward it right, how do I respond?
And so that to me has been the essence. It
has been the rocket, the solid foundation for me to
be able to know how to tackle moment by moment,
day by day in a way that is I define,
(06:20):
that's empowering, that's fulfilling, and his meaning. So there's my answer.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
And you know you said something very important there, and
I think it should be something that we do if
we are cited or visually impaired, and that is start
our day with God. Start our day, you know in
the word with a scripture. It doesn't have to be long.
(06:48):
You know, we don't have to spend hours and hours
unless we can. But just having a little something, some
type of meditation or prayer time with God to start
your day, I think makes all the difference in the world.
It starts you off on that positive foot.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Absolutely it doesn't.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Now, what are some lessons that you feel that you
have learned along the way as a professional woman. You
have been able to start, stop, reassess, recalibrate, move forward.
(07:26):
You know you've done all of these things to get
to where you are today. What are some of the
most important lessons that you have learned as far as
your professional career life is concerned.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Well, when I learned, as Angela, is that what really
goes on that doesn't really have to do so much
with yourself. It has to do with what you can
do for others. Let me tell you a story. Some
years back, I was speaking to a big corporation here
in Orlando whose name you would recognize, and after I
stepped off the stage, this executive came up to me
(08:01):
and he said, you know, I really don't go for
these motivational, inspirational talks, but you have just shown me
what I've been missing. And I immediately thought, somebody with
that caliber of success in cloud and status, what could
they possibly have been missing? And then as I went
on to speak some more and to travel, I noticed
(08:22):
that even though you could be career wise successful, if
you don't have that sense of joy, that sense of
meaning and fulfillment and purpose. There's really no success, it's
just meeting goals. So that has been something that has
propelled me to go forward to have that passion for
me to ignite in them, the passion that I call resilience,
(08:46):
because you see, I don't think in this world adversities
or enemy, it's the lack of resilience. So I'm about
to write a book on resilience, from which I developed
a talk that I did corporations and colleges to let
them see that there's nothing that you need to be
defeated by. There's nothing that could be better than you
(09:07):
if you know how to tap into that art of resilience,
how to bounce back, how to rise above it. Now,
you just mentioned a moment ago that you have faced
cancer and thank God you're revelsion now you're healthy. But
in my case, for example, I'm still completely blind, and
I still have the other tragedies that go beyond my blindness.
(09:29):
But what is it that keeps me going is that
desire to know that I'm going to touch the heart
of that person sitting in that office or in the
conference room who's being defeated and feeling so gloomy and,
according to statistics, are on the verge of suicide. How
can I reach that person? How can I let them
see that No, their situation doesn't have to dictate their
(09:51):
steps or dictate their future. They have what it takes.
They have the greenest greatness inside of them. The world
needs to see. So they need to keep on going.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Oh I love that. I love that. And you know,
as you were sharing the story about the person who said,
I'm usually not motivated by these things but was so
moved by your speech, you never know how you're going
to touch someone's life. You never know the people that
(10:24):
are in the audience who need to hear your message.
I am so glad that you shared your message at
that event, because I believe that nothing is by happenstance,
that everything happens for a particular reason, even if we're
not able to figure out what it is in our lifetimes.
(10:45):
But so many times it's because someone needed to hear
what we had to share, the lesson that we have learned,
or the wisdom that we are passing on to someone else.
I just I love that. Now I'm gonna look down
for just a second here because You've done some awesome
and amazing things. And my next question for you is
(11:07):
about that you have accomplished not only these things numerous,
but the Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce. And you have also been awarded the Latino
Woman who Make a I'm sorry, Latino Women who make
a difference. That is awesome, sauce. How has this motivated
(11:31):
you to move forward? And there's a list, and of
course it's on your website if anyone wants to visit
that and they can see the long list. But those
in particular, for me, we're so inspiring. How have they
inspired you to continue the work that you're doing.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
Oh, those awards truly humbled me. I was very shy
to receive such a high, highest prestigious award, and I
think what that does is just reinforces me that I
am in the right journey, because often we'll have those
moments right where we feel, you know, I'm completely blind.
What can I offer to these you know, executives and
these colleges and faith faith groups and a blind person
(12:09):
could offer. But when I see the feedback, the response
and the letters and the notes that I have touched, them,
for them to be able to see their life differently,
to be able to see the other side of adversity.
It just it just fills me with humble gratitude, and
I think through the years that they're angel like. What
(12:29):
I found is that gratitude is a secret secret to
greatness because when you end up being grateful for little things,
for things that you encounter every day, you end up
having a new perspective that for me, that keeps me going.
So you know, I'm not going to say I'm grateful
for my blindness, but I'm grateful for that's all the
(12:52):
things that I'm able to do because on in Spider
Man blindness. So those awards, yes, I guess there just
reinforced that I'm going to the right to write. You write,
And as I travel also across the country and outside
to other countries, the feedex the same, even more so
in other countries because then I expect a blind person
to be successful, to write books, and to have all
(13:13):
these things accomplished. But I just want to be an example.
You know, if it happened to me, it can happen
to you. Just remember, what is it that fails your mind?
What is it that fails your mental reservoir.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Yes, oh my goodness, such a nugget of wisdom there.
And we do have to be reminded that we are
more than just our senses and abilities. We have been
given such a purpose and to make sure that we're
walking in our purpose and it really will fall into place.
You know, it's amazing that people still think in this
(13:50):
day and age that someone has to set down or
take a back seat because they may say that they
are visually impaired or that they're blind. It's like no
people have moved past that. I mean, that was a time,
that was a time period where people thought that that
(14:11):
was the best thing to do. But absolutely not. I
love that you are not only encouraging women in general,
but you are encouraging those that are handy, able to
keep being able to do the thing that they have
been purpose to do. And that takes It takes courage
(14:33):
to step out, no matter what side the fence you're on,
it takes courage to step out and live your life.
So thank you for having the courage to continue. I
think so many people get caught in their in their
lack that they use their lack as an excuse. But
but you definitely are not doing that, and I love that.
(14:55):
Another reason I wanted to have you on the show.
I love it. Now you are an author, You have
already written numerous books, and you kind of hinted at
another book there. With that being said, what is the
inspiration behind I think your newest book is Now I
(15:17):
see what was the inspiration behind writing that book? Beautiful cover?
By the way, what's the story there?
Speaker 3 (15:26):
You know what motivating motivated me to write that particular one,
which is my fifth book. It's that person who right now,
on the outside seems so successful, they're smiling, but inside
they're dying only because they I've been able to overcome
the setbacks, the challenges or the maybe tragedies that they
(15:46):
suffered in their life. And I thought, you know, I
need to not tell them how not write a book
with a sermon or write a book on how to,
but I wanted to show them. So what I did,
and now I see is I pretty much really in
my story. But I did it in such a way
that when you read it, you see yourself there because
I wrote all the ups and downs, you know, the
(16:07):
nights that I couldn't sleep, the times when I received
notice that my youngest son was murdered and the man
responsible was acquitted. How do you overcome that? How do
you face something? How do you face the unthinkable? So
when I thought about writing the book, I thought, I'm
going to show them so that no matter what you're
going through, you'll be able to see. That's how I
(16:29):
can do it too. And I just do overcome and
endure or thrive, but to truly find that deep joy,
that triumphant victory that you can have no matter what
tragedy you face. So that's sad the I guess the
motivator behind now I see. So I teach people how
they too can see their world through different eyes, the
(16:52):
eyes of triumphant victory.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Oh I love that. I'm so sorry to hear about
about your son. But being able to share that story
and allowing others to grow through your vulnerability, Oh wow,
that is so powerful. Thank you for that than.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
You well, you know the reason I share that particular
story as well, which is one of the most tragic
tragedies obviously in my life. It's because sometimes when you
show up for work, no matter what level of a
position or how what a high ranking executive you are,
what do you see in your company or college or group,
(17:33):
there's someone there who brought with them such burdens that's
really distracting them, that's really killing the desire to be productive,
to perform, to be creative. But if I can touch
the heart of that person to see, no, you don't
have to be defeated. There's something more than your pain
or your situation. There's greatness, there's beauty, there's abilities, there
(17:56):
are gifts that you need to show the world what
a privilege it is for me able to lift them
up so they can become productive and creative. Because really,
like I said before, adversity is really not our enemy.
That lack of resilience is. And that's why I'm going
to write that book Radical.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Resilience, absolutely, and then that'd be a reason for you
to come back and visit with us, to definitely let
us know about that book. I love that. And you know,
you said something very powerful, and that is, don't let
the adversity be the thing that keeps you down, that
keeps you in that low vibration of your life. As
(18:38):
you said that, it made me think about the many
women in particular, but sometimes the moms who decided that
they were going to run for political office and be
the change in their local communities or in congress because
something happened to their child or their spouse and they
(19:00):
wanted to make sure it didn't happen again, or at
least lend their voice to a positive change. So you
are so right. Use that as a stepping stone to
not only heal yourself, but to help others as well. Oh,
I love that. Now. What advice would you give to
(19:21):
an aspiring author who wants to either share their personal
story of victory or simply just wants to get into
the world of writing. Are there any particular tidbits or
pieces of wisdom that you could share with them?
Speaker 3 (19:40):
Yes, I get that question asked quite often because a
lot of people want to write their story or write
something meaningful, And I always say, whenever you start to
write anything, you need to first focus who is my reader?
Who is the person I want to touch? Who is
the person I want to change? You almost want to
describe that person soon? Is it? You know? Are they
(20:02):
between twenty five and sixty five? Are the men women?
What are they facing? What are their struggles? What is
it that they can't overcome? And you do research obviously,
you know, you don't want to just write a book, really, Willie.
So you do research and when you begin to write,
you have that purpose and focus and you're writing to
that person. That's where you have parted. And I'm so
(20:23):
so blessed that the latest book of what we just
mentioned a moment ago now I see, has won already
two awards. And I think only because I'm touching my
reader's hearts with the power to motivate them to change
just number one. Number two, I think you need to
study the craft of writing, because you can express yourself
with words that hold your attention, that engage you to
(20:45):
draw you in, or you can just words words that
really distract the readers. So learning the writing craft is
so so important. Sometimes I crane you when I read
my first book back in two thousand and four, and
I think, oh my goodness, I was I thinking, you know,
before I really learned the craft writing. So that's another thing.
And you know, begin to write possibly articles. I did
that when I wrote my first story for Chickens for
(21:07):
the Soul, and I was it was accept that I
thought I reached the tip I couldn't believe accept the
one my stories all down. They accepted thirty three of them.
So that's that's a good test if you're a good
writer or not. So yeah, write articles for magazines and
such before you write this book.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
I love that. I love that well, Jennet. You have
been just a well spring of information and motivation. Thank
you so much for coming on and sharing your story
and your life's journey, your success journey with not only
our listeners, but with our viewers as well. I appreciate
(21:46):
your so much. Now before I let you go, though,
if someone wants to reach out to you, what is
the best way to do that. What's your website? Are
you on social media?
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Yes, I'm everywhere. You just google my name, you'll find
me everywhere. But the quickest way, I guess, go to
my website, which I got the name inspiration for you
dot com all words for that fl R y o you.
That's the easiest way to remember for information for you
dot com. And also they can find me in the
same website using my name Jennifer as Echos dot com.
(22:20):
And if they visit me, they'll find a little surprise.
They'll find one of my ebooks waiting for them. Because
contagious courage, your thirty day journey to overcome a stress
and anxiety. So I get that for you when they
visit my website, I love it.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Thank you again, Janet for being a guest on Passioner
Magazine the podcast.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Thank you
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