Carolyn A. Brent - Transforming Your Life through Self-Care: A Guide to Tapping into Your Deep Beauty and Inner Worth

Transforming Your Life through Self-Care

Transforming Your Life through Self-Care

A Guide to Tapping into Your Deep Beauty and Inner Worth

Carolyn A. Brent

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

Lanham Boulder New York London

Published by Rowman & Littlefield

An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706

www.rowman.com

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Copyright 2019 by The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Brent, Carolyn A., author.

Title: Transforming your life through self-care : a guide to tapping into your deep beauty and inner worth / Carolyn A. Brent.

Description: Lanham, MD : Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, [2019] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018051748 (print) | LCCN 2019003002 (ebook) | ISBN 9781538120859 (electronic) | ISBN 9781538120842 (cloth : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Self-actualization (Psychology) | Self-care, Health.

Classification: LCC BF637.S4 (ebook) | LCC BF637.S4 B7334 2019 (print) | DDC 158.1dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018051748

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

To my dad, Pastor William L. Brent, ThD: I will be forever grateful to have been blessed with him, the most wonderful and amazing parent I could have ever hoped or asked for. His words of wisdom: No excuses. Find a way. Believe for a miracle. Press on till you win. Dont quit !

Acknowledgments

M any individuals deserve to be acknowledged for the support they have given me in life and in the preparation of this book. A special thank you to the most exhilarating people in the world whose contributions have broadened my worldview: International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) professionals; national thought leaders in the pharmaceutical, science, and political arenas; Dave Ramsey, financial genius; Dr. Wayne Dyer, self-development and spiritual growth leader; and Kathy Palokoff, author, educator, and chief igniter.

Id like to extend my gratitude to the following professionals who have contributed to my health, wellness, and financial lifestyle journey: Dr. Delia Weiss; Dr. John Webster, orthopedic surgeon; Dr. Perry Bard, chiropractor; Jessa Carter, PA-C; Dr. Nathan Hare; Dr. Oscar Jackson; Dr. Sean Feezell; Dr. Kirsten Fleischmann; and financial professionals Duane Thompson, Kevin A. Guttman, and Gregg Nevills.

A special thanks to the men and women who shared their personal stories or were interviewed for the purposes of this book: Lashai Ben Salmi, Thell Dodd, John Sandifer, Jose Flores, David Octavio Gandell, Beatriz Osorno, Christine Jackson, Ben Courson, Angela James Maness, Zulieth Mendoza-Gayle, Anthony Parrinello, Goldine Eismann, Annthia Phan, Neil Koppel, and Maria Kramer.

Special recognition to my family: Thell Dodd, John Sandifer, and my extended family from Ghana; and my God-sister Philomena Brew whom Ive never met in person; God-son Martin Brew, daughter-in-law Sara, and granddaughters Josephine and Martina. I have been blessed to have them by my side for many years. They have always offered an illuminating perspective on several subjects covered on these pages. Our lengthy conversations have sparked several ideas and challenged many assumptions. For that, I will forever be grateful.

My sincerest thanks go to those who helped me prepare, package, and promote this book: Suzanne Staszak-Silva, Elaine McGarraugh, Jen Huppert, Leticia Gomez, Kathy Palokoff, and the editorial team whose contributions have helped make the writing and the production of this book a reality.

A big thank you to the people behind the scenes, who helped me during my journey to transform my life through self-care by tapping into my deep beauty and inner worth: Val Jaentschke, NPC master of ceremonies; Jocelyn Jean, IFBB Pro bodybuilding champion and bodybuilding coach at FitRx; NPC Dayana Cadeau Classic 2016; Andres Miller, IFBB & NPC Promoter; Carla Dunlap-Kaan, American female body-building champion; Sandi Jackson, life fitness/wellness coach; David and Shaun Nunes, coaches and consultants at Nunes Pro Fitness; Dr. Josefina Monasterio, life coach, weight-loss expert, and female body-building champion; Jeff Jansz, eighty-three-year-old kickboxing and personal trainer; Ernestine Shepherd, American body builder who is best known for being, at one point, the oldest competitive female body builder in the world; Patricia Valenti, IFBB Pro; Roody Exantus, IFBB Pro; Rhonda Spicer, womens body builder and personal trainer; Mel Peters, makeup artist; Lysias Hair Studio; Annthia Phan, Lush Beauty Bar; Jesse Stein, Stein-O-Mite Media; Mel Peters Photography; NPC news online http://npcnewsonline.com; Grandpas Dream Productions; Andrew Mondia, Jim T. Chong, and Pastor Johnny White; Carol Staab, anchor/reporter, and Roni Lewis, cohost on NTVs Good Life , in Nebraska; Cheryl Miller, cohost, Bill Bevins, former cohost, Greg McQuade, host, Jessica Noll, executive producer, and Torri Strickland, producer, on Virginia This Morning , WTVR CBS 6; Janelle Wang, anchor, KNTV; Dr. Brenda Wade, author and national TV personality; Margaret Larson, former anchor and reporter at KING 5; Janice Edwards, host and producer, Bay Area Vista ; Perry Atkinson, president, the Dove TV; Jacqueline Hayward Wilson, former anchor, WUSA 9; Cynthia Butler, former producer, ABC News, Sacramento & Company ; and Mary Nicholson, president for Healings In Motion.

Introduction

I have spent a long time thinking about the right title for this book. Words are important. They can inspire or deflate. Ignite or extinguish. Drive you to action or move you to despair.

The words others use against us have power. But the words we use against ourselves are infinitely more powerful: I am not worth it. I cant. I give up. We have all used those words against ourselves at some point in our life, and the results can be devastating.

On the flip side, words of joy and confidence help us achieve our dreams: I am beautiful inside and out. I love myself. I am so worth it.

How do I know this? I know because of my own journey and talking to literally thousands of people who are searching for the answers and actions to age with grace, health, and wisdom.

I have physical ailments that could keep me in a life of pain and disability. I have left a spouse who betrayed our marriage vows. I have uprooted my life to move to a place where I literally knew no one. I have weathered the storm of family disputes.

But because of discipline and determination, I have taken the actions required to reclaim my physical, emotional, relationship, mental, financial, and spiritual health. At sixty-one years of age, I am thriving. I have tapped into my deep beauty and inner worth.

So let me start by carefully defining the key words in the title of this book: Transforming Your Life through Self-Care : A Guide to Tapping into Your Deep Beauty and Inner Worth .

Transforming

Every day I read the courageous stories of people who have overcome incredible obstacles and tragedies in their lives. Every day I also read the stories of people using every excuse in the book to justify their actions and faults. I have come to the conclusion that the difference between these two groups of people is how much they are committed to transforming their lives.