Rhonda Sciortino - Successful Survivors: The 8 Character Traits of Survivors and How You Can Attain Them

Hatherleigh Press is committed to preserving and protecting the natural resources of the earth. Environmentally responsible and sustainable practices are embraced within the companys mission statement.

Successful Survivors
Text copyright 2016 Rhonda Sciortino

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN: 978-1-57826-629-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Interior Design by Cynthia Dunne

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-57826-666-1

v3.1

Successful Survivors helps survivors of trauma by showing them that it is possible to recover and to thrive following traumaa message from which we can all benefit.

Dr. Karen Bergstrom, Executive Director, Safe Families

Successful Survivors tells what we foster parents have known all along, that people who have experienced severe adversity can become some of the strongest, most resilient and resourceful people around. Many survivors of abuse have used the character traits within them to create successful lives, and this book will help many more to do the same.

Irene Clements, Executive Director, National Foster Parent Association

It is my wish for every person who had a rough childhood to let their painful experiences develop in them the characteristics described in this book. If they do that, and if they are honest and hard-working, they can create a good life for themselves.

Tom Monaghan, founder of Dominos Pizza and Chancellor, Ave Maria University

Each of us has a cause for which we were created. Along with that cause we have the seeds of the characteristics well need to fulfill our unique cause. Successful Survivors gives practical advice for nurturing, developing, and leveraging those characteristics necessary for success.

Matthew Barnett, founder of The Dream Center and New York Times bestselling author, The Cause within You

Rhonda captures your heart with her powerful story of surviving against all odds. She has the reader dig deep to mine the nuggets of truth that chases away the darkness and lights your world! No matter how bleak the day, no matter where you are in your journey, you can rise above your circumstances. Powerfulmotivatinga must read!

Wayne Tesch, Co-Founder, Royal Family KIDS

Successful Survivors shows us that we have within us the seeds of greatness that, when nurtured, are the characteristics we can use to fulfill our unique purpose.

Mark Tennant, Founder, ALL IN Family Ministries and Arrow Child & Family Ministries

Rhondas message of not being too broken to be fixed comes through loud and clear in Successful Survivors. Every one of us can mine the lessons out of the adversity weve experienced and use those lessons to create our own unique brand of successful living.

Sandie Morgan, Ph.D., R.N., Director of Vanguard Universitys Global Center for Women and Justice

Experience as a psychologist and foster parent has shown me that resilience, persistence, determination, and all the other character traits of successful survivors truly do overcome adversity. Not only does Successful Survivors tell of these important traits and how to develop them, but it illustrates the point through true-life examples of successful survivors of adversity.

Dr. John DeGarmo, leading foster care and parenting expert

Trauma can make people feel isolated, and when trauma involves personal violence, it often leads to feelings of being unwanted and unloved. So the logical solution to the sense of isolation and being unwanted is to be included by people who identify and celebrate the value within. Successful Survivors does exactly that. It shows us through the stories of successful survivors that we have valuable character traits that can connect us to others and be the catalyst for healing broken hearts.

Amelia Franck Meyer, M.S., M.S.W., A.P.S.W., L.I.S.W., CEO, Alia (www.aliainnovations.org)

Successful Survivors embodies the hopeful voice that resonates throughout Rhondas courageous life story of overcoming difficult odds. The power of this book is its ability to identify characteristics of greatness that will encourage and equip a generation of survivors to reach their fullest, God-given potential.

Mark Rodgers, Principal, The Clapham Group

Too many people live lives of quiet desperation, believing that there is no hope for success for them. Yet, within each of us are the gifts we need to succeed in living with meaning and purpose. Successful Survivors blasts the myth that there is no hope, and shows readers how they can turn the adversity theyve experienced into their greatest advantage and share their strengths with others!

Derenda Schubert, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist, Bridge Meadows Executive Director

Successful Survivors shifts our focus from the superficial to the substantivethe characteristics that can be honed to create and enjoy a good life.

Marty Dutch, Assistant Vice President, Philanthropy Services, First Foundation

The stories of people who have used the character traits within them to create successful lives following serious adversity inspires us all to dig deep, identify our untapped potential, and to succeed, not just despite what weve been through, but specifically because of having been forced to use those character traits that were in us all along.

Kim Phagan-Hansel, editor of Fostering Families Today and The Kinship Parenting Toolbox

Successful Survivors overflows with hope! Everyone whos gone through some kind of trauma would benefit from reading this book.

Connie R. Clendenan, M.S.W., CEO Valley Teen Ranch

Successful Survivors says what Royal Family KIDS stands forthe truth that each of us has untapped potential within us. There is value in each of us, and Successful Survivors helps us find it in ourselves and others.

Christian Carmichael, President, Royal Family KIDS

Young people who have faced adversity are capable of doing amazing things in life. A key component to reaching that level of success is the list of character traits Rhonda breaks down in Successful Survivors. This is a message that needs to be told in a big way!

Jordan Bartlett, Director of Good, Doing Good Works

Though hundreds of books have been written by people who come from brokenness, how many of those stories include life lessons to help us reframe the past? How many offer tools to keep us in moving forward? Rhonda is a person I trust to give us direction on how to flip our story to work for us, instead of against us!

Glenn Garvin, author, A Seed of Hope in Toxic Soil

Rhonda shares her passion and insight born from personal experience about how trials, struggles, and hardshipsno matter how bad they werecan forge in us great gifts. These gifts are traits that can be used to walk a pathway to a successful life instead of living a life of defeat and victimhood. She does not say the experiences were good, but what they can end up creating in us are golden. Rhonda is a force of nature, much of whose genesis was born out of horrific circumstances that she has used to help achieve great things.