Sitting in the audience, you can hear the vibrant cheers of proud mothers, fathers and relatives “That’s my baby!” or “We love you!” You can also catch a glance of the educators and administrators sitting proud among the sea of caps and gowns (displaying an occasional thumbs up). As my children (students) walked across the stage, some smiled, some cried and some even broke out into an hilarious dance (you know who you are

This year I had the privilege of being asked to administer two graduations. As I listened to the roar of the crowds and the jubilant responses of the graduates, for the first time I WAS STRUCK WITH FEAR!

Ok, let me please explain, before you stop reading this blog. Yes, graduation is a joyous occasion and Yes, it is a milestone in a student’s life. The Fear was not about the appropriate length of the gowns or would someone stumble while delivering their valedictorian speech.

The question arose in my chest like a bolt of lightning surging the sky during an electrical storm. The question was simply “Had we done enough?”

I know these students have passed the reading and mathematics sections of the FCAT, and had earned 24 credits and had a minimum of a 2.0 grade point average and most of them had repaid all of their school debts; for losing their library books (wink).

The true question was had we prepared them for the relevant rigors of life.  Had we prepared them for their matriculation through college or technical school, the reality of paying bills, the seriousness of becoming parents, the maturity necessary for marriage and also instilled in them the willingness to work.

I know, I know you are saying “Well, they have to grow up sometime and take responsibility for their lives.” Yes, you are correct, but these are our children. At any point during the school year we became their teachers, their mentors, their guidance counselors, their friends, their coaches and sometimes, we are even had to step in as their father or mother.

Extraordinary Educators have a HUGE JOB!

The question still remains “Have we done enough?” Did they only learn reading, writing and arithmetic or did they understand our deeper philosophical lessons of Respect, Responsibility, Honesty and Discernment?

I hope, I wish, I pray they got it!

Students, Children, Friends, and Family as you depart for the Real World as  Adults!

Please Remember the poem by Maltbie Babcock

Be Strong!

We are not here to play, to dream, to drift,
We have hard work to do, and loads to lift.
Shun not the struggle; face it. ‘Tis God’s gift.

Be strong!
Say not the days are evil, – Who’s to blame?
And fold not the hands and acquiesce, – O shame!
Stand up, speak out, and bravely, in God’s name.

Be strong!
It matters not how deep entrenched the wrong,
How hard the battle goes, the day, how long.
Faint not, fight on! To-morrow comes the song

Educate, Empower & Inspire,

Mr. Adrian Anthony, MBA

Welcome to Our Blog!

Why are we doing it together?  That’s a question we get asked often!  The answer is unity.  Over the last few years, we’ve formally packaged everything we’ve done over the last ten years into useable, effective products and services that benefit the lives of people everywhere.  Although you can find out more about us here, we want to use this blog to share the positive results that happen when you work together with someone and create unity.  We have learned through the years that two heads is definitely better than one, and there’s a unique power that is captured when everyone is united and on the same page.   We do take engagements separately, but the comfort is that there are always two people working behind the scenes to produce a valuable experience for our audiences.  This is probably one of the main reasons we speak often on leadership and team building.

The message in unity is that we each have the power, every day, to choose.  You can use your choice to come into agreement with others, or you can use it to tear down the walls of unity.  With one choice, you “play now, and pay later” – with the other, you “pay now, and play later.”   It’s better to invest the time now, so that you can enjoy the fruits of good decisions and good leadership later on.  We can keep these words in mind:

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”  – Eleanor Roosevelt

And everyday, the unity wall we all have the opportunity to build allows us to do extraordinary things!

We would love to stay in touch with you, so make sure you join our community so that you can receive relevant updates and follow our journey!

Empower yourself with extraordinary inspiration for exceptional living…TODAY!  From us both, Adrian & Erin Anthony

Read more on Adrian or Erin’s story.

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Now, for my story.  I had an opposite, but similar experience to my husband Adrian’s experience. One of my greatest passions is for leadership and helping people determine the exact steps they need to take to achieve, and I’ve always had a special passion for female empowerment.  My women’s group, Renew, began in 1999 after a vision from God of a group of women who would meet, discuss the power of the Word and enjoy giving gifts and eating delicious foods in each other’s homes.  Each year, we have a calendar full of meetings, retreats and even sponsored a Renew for teenagers.

Our Renew retreats are so much fun – over the years, we’ve had city-wide scavenger hunts, pit seats at Broadway plays, themed tours and private salsa and merengue lessons…we always try to keep it creative.   One particular retreat, we went to the mountains of Tennessee and rented a gorgeous, secluded cabin that overlooked a deep valley.  Typically, wooded retreats wouldn’t appeal to our group of women, but this was no ordinary cabin!  It was beautiful…but unfortunately, the good news about this trip stops here!  Everything that could’ve gone wrong did – including (but not limited to):

1. Half our group got lost…for 6 hours
2. One member got extremely sick and had to be rushed to the hospital
3. Wasps plagued the area
4. The group that was lost was mad, angry and tired when they finally arrived
5. Two members were pregnant and ended up being dumped in the river on what was supposed to be a quiet canoe trip, at one point, one of them was stranded on a rock in the middle of rushing water! (note:  It was all our husbands could do not to drive down to Tennessee and pick us all up when they heard that one!)

You know the saying, “when it rains…” As the leader of the group and member of the planning committee, I was DONE.  Absolutely speechless at the way things were going.  I couldn’t talk to anyone but God about how awful this Renew Retreat was going.

I got up extra early the last morning of our trip and went out to sit on the sprawling covered porch of our beautiful cabin.  I didn’t know it, but the early morning sunrise in that area was known to be an amazing site.  I sat, watching the sun rise over the foggy valley, up over the mountains.

In that still, soft moment, I heard the following words – “your purpose is to be a distribution center for wealth and information around the globe.”  My first thought, like most, was “how?”  The answer came:  “through writing and speaking.”  I suddenly had a new awareness about what I was meant to do.

Fast-forward many years, and I, like Adrian, have spoken extensively on different topics over the years.  He and I, coming together to offer these specific services to the world is the ultimate love story.  We are able to love other people and love God through the expression of this gift.  We look forward to sharing it with you!

Now, on to why we are doing this together…but before I go, here’s one of my favorite pics of Renew, the Indianapolis Group.  Leave a Comment

Welcome to our blog!  Typically, when you go to speaker sites, you’ll find one just one person listed – but here, there are two.  Both myself and Adrian, my husband, knew that we would be speakers one day.  For him, it was a word spoken into his life from his Grandmother, Bishop Amanda A. Mims, one of the first African-American, female, Bishops of her denomination.  One hot, humid day in St. Pete, Florida, Adrian was running through her small house chasing after his cousins, and she reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder.  Adrian describes the moment so vividly, it reminds me of a song, Grandma’s Hand…

When you think of the influence of a Grandmother, especially one who you spent a significant amount of time with, you know exactly what I mean.  She told Adrian “Son…son…you are going to be a great Man of God and your words will bless people.”  Adrian never forgot this moment.

Over the years, Adrian had many opportunities to speak, and did so throughout college, and even afterwards.  However, that word, spoken by his Grandmother, came full circle in his life within the last few years, and now he pursues this divine passion with authority and conviction.

It’s exciting to know how much a simple word, spoken at the right time, can absolutely impact the direction of someone’s life.  It reminds us to choose our words carefully, and be bold in our expectation of young people.  They CAN handle it, and sometimes, your words – no matter how short or simple – can alter the trajectory of a life.  So…SPEAK!

Check out the next post for my story!

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