An Empowered Woman’s Second Sunday Brunch Series in January: Yes, You Can!
By C. Elizabeth Peters
According to numerology, 2008 is the year of prosperity; according to Chinese astrology, 2008 is the year of the rat, making it an excellent time to begin new projects and embark on new journeys. Even if you don’t believe in either system, you are probably ready for a fresh start, and if you were at the Second Sunday Brunch on January 13, you were undoubtedly inspired by the speakers that were there to tell you Yes, you can!
Desiree Doubrox, the found of An Empowered Woman, was proud to announce that the Second Sunday Brunch held in January of last year was the first one to take place at the Mountain Gate Country Club. One year later, the full room was proof that there is no such thing as a dream that is too big or too lofty. The event had the usual yummy food and delicious shopping items to browse, as well as information on upcoming seminars and workshops. However, this normally all female event allowed men to attend, and all were treated to the stories of three inspirational speakers.
Julie Thong grew up in a wealthy Cambodian family, but her life was turned upside down when the communists took over and she, at age 15, was separated from her family and sent to work in a concentration camp. At the camp she was fed only one tablespoon of rice per day and eventually became so malnourished that she was left to die in the concentration camp hospital. One day she saw a bird eating berries outside of the hospital window and she decided that she could do the same. Slowly, she began to heal herself and, when she became strong enough, was able to escape the hospital and find her family.
“Determination, ladies and gentleman,” she reminded us, “with determination you can achieve anything.” She went on to tell the story of how she, against her parents’ wishes, walked for three days to Thailand. By smuggling goods between borders, she was able to save enough money to have the whole family brought to safety in Thailand, and they were later able to come to the United States to start a new life. Julie’s troubles did not stop when she came to the United States. She struggled to learn the language. Later on, she went through a painful divorce. She reminded us that life will always have new challenges to overcome but yes, you can overcome them. FEAR simply stands for Face Everything And Rejoice!
Carmen Aplegren, the second speaker, was accompanied by her seeing eye dog Val. Carmen is visually impaired so she can only see peripherally. She grew up in the small town of Gladstone, Michigan, where her family and friends were always supportive of her no matter what she wanted to do. Carmen played sports, sang, danced, and grew up believing that she could do anything.
This attitude would serve her well later in life when she decided she wanted to be in show business and countless people told her that she couldn’t because of her visual impairment. She would reply, “yes, I can.” She got one gig tap dancing in Haiti and another singing on stage in Japan, and eventually moved to Los Angeles, where she created her own cabaret show. She currently teaches at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles, empowering the blind students there to remember that they can do anything they want to, regardless of their handicap.
The third speaker was Norma Hollis, who opened by asking us, “To be or not to be authentic? That is the question.” She believes that we are all born with an authentic dream, a dream that is true to who you are, and it is up to you to discover and be open to it. You do so by finding your inner voice, finding your outer voice, and finding your expressive voice. When Norma was eight years old, she developed an ear infection that required painful treatments. Later in life, she needed other complicated medical procedures to help with infections and other health problems, and she realized that most of the treatments were not working. Through these struggles, she learned how to express what she needed. Today she uses that knowledge to teach public speaking skills and help develop authentic companies.
Norma also told us about her niece Chantal’s struggles. Chantal became pregnant at a young age, and later, when her son AJ was five, she left him with Norma. Chantal also spent time in jail in protective custody for witnessing a murder. However, Chantal has since begun to heal and start a path to find her own authenticity. She and AJ were both present at the brunch.
Desiree also invited two others to come up and speak briefly: Jay Williams and Elizabeth Estrada. Both had struggled with homelessness when they arrived in Los Angeles but had managed to pull themselves up and create wealth in their lives. Jay now owns J-Netics Sports Club and Salon and Elizabeth founded the workshop Getting Good at the Good Life. An Empowered Woman is a forum designed for women to empower each other by sharing their personal stories, challenges, and victories. Sunday’s speakers embodied that principle. All three women had compelling personal stories, seemingly insurmountable challenges, and incredible victories. They reminded all of us that whatever endeavors we decide to take on in 2008, yes, we can!
For more information on last Sunday’s speakers, please visit www.anempoweredwoman.com.
Join us next month on February 10 as we celebrate “The Look of Love!”
