There are certain groups to which nobody wants to belong. High among that list of undesirable memberships is to be one whose loved one has been stolen from you by gun violence. Sandy Phillips and her husband Lonnie are members of this loathsome club. Their daughter, Jessica Ghawi, was murdered in the massacre at the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises in the Summer of 2012 in Aurora, Colorado. Their grief and rage could not be measured and the loss of their beloved daughter was unimaginable.

They made two life-changing decisions in the midst of their grief: they’d cling to one another, keeping their marriage intact as so many survivors had not, and they’d turn their heartbreak into action to prevent the tragedy of gun violence for other families. They founded an organization to offer compassion, support, and resources to help the far too many new survivors immediately after their loved ones are taken, and through their grief process. Survivors Empowered is exactly what its name implies, an empowerment group, to not only support survivors, but to relentlessly confront legislators and businesses who have the power to prevent future gun violence.

Find out about Survivors Empowered at SurvivorsEmpowered.org

Whether doing international reporting under the aegis of the United Nations on the effects of a drought in sub-Saharan Africa in 1984, or interviewing influencers as diverse as Oprah Winfrey and Maxine Waters, Audrey Edwards has had a 40-year career as a journalist with work that has won awards, been used in university courses, and referenced on national television talk shows.

A former senior-level editor for the national publications Essence, Black Enterprise, Family Circle and More magazine. Audrey has also authored seven books, most notably the groundbreaking Children of the Dream: The Psychology of Black Success (Doubleday, 1992), co-authored with Dr. Craig Polite.

Her latest work, AMERICAN RUNAWAY: Black and Free in Paris in the Trump Years (August Press, 2020), is a wise and wisecracking memoir on her decision to run from America following the election of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States. Paris has historically offered refuge to Black Americans running from American racism, be they soldiers following World War I, or the writers, musicians, artists and other creative thinkers who have been coming to the City of Light for 100 years. She chose to run as an older, retired Baby Boomer who had benefited from the enormous social and political gains of her generation’s revolutionary activism. She was not inclined to remain in America watching those gains come under assault by the new Donald Trump political regime.

Before turning to a life of crime (or at least writing fictional crime), Boston Globe-bestselling author and multiple Massachusetts Center for the Book honoree Clea Simon was a journalist. The author of three nonfiction books and 31 mysteries, most recently the amateur sleuth adventure Bad Boy Beat, her books alternate between cozies (usually featuring cats) and darker psychological thrillers and amateur sleuth suspense.

Clea’s personal story is rich with drama too. A recent cancer survivor, her unstoppable optimism has served as an essential element of her healing process. But what’s most remarkable about this optimism is that is was born in a childhood of extraordinary challenge, including schizophrenia that plagued her two siblings and cost one his life as she describes in Mad House: Growing Up in the Shadow of Mentally Ill Siblings. The survival of this Clea’s dedication, creativity, resilience, and humor makes this author’s lived story, as remarkable as the ones she writes in her fiction.

Caroline Leavitt’s mother told her that all the Leavitt women were cursed with tragic lives. And, at first it seemed true. Caroline’s young fiancé died in her arms from a heart attack two weeks before their wedding. She was in a coma and in the hospital for months with a mysterious critical illness no one thought she could survive. And her writing career shattered, making it seem that she would never be published again. But Caroline refused to let despair break her. Instead, she persisted with hope and resilience, knowing that sometimes the biggest tragedies can make future happiness even brighter. She ignored setbacks to become a New York Times bestselling novelist, ignored statistics to marry and have a child in her forties, and she became a part of a wonderful community by helping writers during Lockdown by cofounding A Mighty Blaze.

Caroline is a New York Times bestselling author of 13 novels, her most recent being Days of Wonder.

Alex Kuisis was a happily married early-childhood-educator-turned-health coach, living a beautifully fulfilling life in Denver, Colorado, when the doorbell rang on September 1, 2016. It was the police, there to arrest her for seven felony crimes that she did not commit.

Truth Matters, Love Wins is both an astounding account of fighting false accusations in a slanted criminal justice system, and an uplifting testament to choosing integrity and introspection when responding to staggering levels of betrayal. Alex’s dedication to surviving her darkest hour through faith, love, and personal growth will captivate and inspire you.
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A must-read for anyone curious about how to handle the pain and anger that accompanies life’s most devastating curveballs, Truth Matters, Love Wins showcases the power of keeping love close when you know you have the truth on your side.

Cara Brown is an award-winning watercolor artist and teacher, though she came about this having this be her life quite unexpectedly. When she was 24, her first husband proposed marriage to her – in front of a group of friends. She didn’t say yes or no, she said “I want kids.” She had always yearned for the whole experience available to people in female bodies – becoming a mother, including being pregnant and giving birth.

When life circumstances deemed that not possible, she went into a dark time, wondering how her life could be fulfilling, how it could have meaning, given this crushing disappointment. She prayed for the energy to pursue adoption – or to be given something else.

Within a few years, it became obvious what that something else would be. She was asked by a friend to show her art for the first time in 2007. In 2011 she led her first groups of watercolor student-artists. In the years since, these two aspects of her life have evolved, grown, and flourished. She almost stumbled upon a rich and fulfilling life of art making and providing instruction and the supportive environments in which people best expand and learn. Living a Life in Full Color is Cara’s mission, for herself and all of us.

You can find out more about Carta and see her art at: LifeInFullColor.com and find her podcast about art and life, Watercolor Conversations wherever you find your favorite podcasts.