Cover Stories
Stories That Inspire
Paul Lamar Hunter grew up in a two-bedroom house with twenty-one siblings, often without enough food, clothes or space to sleep to go around. Despite this, he’s overcome the perils of poverty, neglect, abuse and family dysfunction to become the first in his family to earn a college degree. His story is proof that it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. The proud father of four shows that neither limits nor lineage determines the quality of one’s life. Though adversity changed the trajectory of his life, his touching story about personal triumph and beating the odds will inspire you to persevere.
“Life is what is happening to you now, so try to live it as best you can, and keep trying to grow and learn.”
Ultra_Eko is an independent hip hop artist from South London, UK. He writes songs based on the message he wants to put into the world, from a place of passion and love for music. His debut album Off the Grid works on several levels in terms of its meaning and can also be interpreted as a call to arms in terms of how we are all living our lives.
Dr. Alan Barnard is a serial entrepreneur, app developer, author, speaker and one of the leading Decision Scientists and Theory of Constraints experts in the world. His life goal is to help people discover and overcome their own limiting assumptions or beliefs that could be blocking them from seeing and unlocking their inherent potential.
For over thirty years, Dr. Barnard’s research has been focused on two simple questions. Firstly, why do good people make, and often repeat bad decisions? And secondly, is it possible to develop simple decision support methods and apps that can help people avoid common decision mistakes to help them make better, faster decisions when it really matters?
When the world was shaken with the most horrific pandemic humanity had ever seen, UStrive Manufacturing answered the call to help front-line workers in need. When the pandemic hit, they immediately got to work making a difference. They pivoted from being a U.S. certified organic t-shirt manufacturer for some of the top brand names in the country to making masks and gowns. UStrive is helping communities in big ways by innovating, scaling up to meet demand and partnering to expand capabilities. A pivot helped this company not only make an impact, but show what forward-thinking innovators can do in a time of need.
Did you ever step outside after being inside all day, and just breathe in the fresh air? Nature is soothing in a way that goes down to our soul. We reconnect on a cellular level with healing that slowly unravels our tightly bound stress. For some people, that’s enough. Others need more, like talking or healing modalities that allow you to release those bits of you trapped inside. That is where Dr. Tanisha Denise Manning comes in. She answers nature’s soothing call.
Tanisha is a combat veteran, author, certificated yoga instructor and the owner of Dama Bonita Holistic Counseling and Spiritual Retreats in beautiful Puerto Rico.
Protests erupted around the world after the death of George Floyd on May 25th, and the threat of a global pandemic calmly took a backseat. A rush of justifiable rage flowed against ongoing racial injustice. There’s so much pain and anger. Regardless of face masks, the agony spilled from peoples’ eyes, unable to remain hidden.
Alicia Eunice is on a mission to inspire people to manifest a vibrantly illuminated life of health, wealth and love. Alicia is a Certified Professional Life Coach from The Life Coach Institute of Orange County. She is also a Metaphysical Practitioner with a Bachelor of Metaphysical Science from the University of Metaphysics, as well as an Ordained Metaphysical Minister from the University Seminary. Alicia wants to empower others to create their own reality and control their own destiny. She is infinitely driven by her unwavering dedication, intuition and empathy.
Master Lim Say Fon is an Esoteric Buddhist for twenty-eight years who has dedicated his life to Kodo (香道), the traditional art of incense appreciation. In Esoteric Buddhism, incense plays an important part as to which natural materials contain certain properties that can affect our body, mind and soul. An art that has been well preserved for thousands of years, Master Lim Say Fon breathes life and passion into imparting the sacred knowledge of Kodo. He has hosted countless workshops in Singapore and has been invited to teach Kodo across the globe.
Andy Magro is a German-Italian actor, singer/songwriter and philanthropist. If there is one thing Andy doesn’t do, it’s to wait for an opportunity to come to him. Andy has always created opportunities for himself, following his dreams with a fierce passion. At thirteen years old, Andy established a drama class at his school so that he could begin acting. Living in Stuttgart, Germany, Andy found it difficult to find professional work as the major film centers in Germany are Cologne, Berlin, Munich and Hamburg. With help from his parents, he kept auditioning and that same year got signed with a German acting agency.