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Seeds Of Confidence: Teri Thompson On Raising Leaders · Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: This is where ideas spark, connections grow, and collaborations fuse success.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Tune in for inspiring stories, expert insights, and game-changing conversations.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: Let's build, connect, and thrive together.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, collaboration is the key to success.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome to another inspired episode of ReadySet Collaborate with Wanda Pearson, where collaboration is the key to success, and purpose meets impact.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_02: Today's guest is someone who brings together justice, leadership, and power of storytelling in a truly unique way.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_02: I'm honored to welcome Terry Thompson, a judge and author of award-winning books, children's book series dedicated to shaping young minds and building strong character in the next generation.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_02: Through her work in the courtroom and her stories for children, Terry is helping plant seeds of integrity, confidence, and responsibility.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_02: Values are families and communities need more now than ever.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_02: You got that right, girl.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_02: I tell you, I do mentoring.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_02: We really need it these days here.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_02: Together, we're going to talk about leadership, education, purpose, and how stories can shape lives long before children realize they're being shaped.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_02: This is going to be a powerful, uplifting conversation for parents, leaders, educators, and anyone who cares about the future.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome, Terry.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_02: I say hello to the audience, Terry.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, everybody.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited to be here.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_01: I so enjoy you, Wanda.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_02: I've been trying to get this lady on this podcast for two, what was it, two, three months?
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_02: For real.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_02: We went to a mastermind together.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_02: She said, I want to be on your podcast.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, let me know when you want to be on.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: So it's been November.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_02: November?
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_02: I want to say November, right?
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_02: And here we are in February.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: No, oh no, it may have been September, Terry.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_01: Almost.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: You know what?
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: That mastermind was September.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: I want to say it might have been August.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, but we just connected at that mastermind with the Book Prophets Club.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm so happy that I met you.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_02: And to really be and just a down-the-earth person.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_02: That's what I love about you, Terry.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you so much for coming on the podcast.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_02: But let me tell you a little about a bit about her bio.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_02: So Terry and Bot is a match multifaceted career spanning law, literature, and advocacy.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_02: With over 32 years as a trial attorney, Terry's career has been nothing short of remarkable.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_02: She is the author of the award-winning children's book series, Adventures of Kai, which focuses on self-esteem.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_02: Her latest publication, Girls Who Rise, Empowering Girls to Become Leaders, is a powerful guide designed to ignite confidence and purpose in young girls.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_02: It is more than a book, it is a movement that helps girls discover their voice and step boldly into leadership.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_02: I love that, Terry, because I do mentoring at the middle school.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm gonna want you to be one of our guests because we actually I would love that.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: That's my passion.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, yes.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_02: I really want to bring you on to be a guest that we do a career day.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm definitely gonna bring it.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_02: So I yeah, we'll talk about that.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I definitely would love to have you on.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you so much for being on here.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_02: So let's get into the meat of the grind here.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_02: So after working so many years inside the courtroom, what led you to begin the journey as an author?
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: You know what?
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: It was such a natural progress or process for me because in law, we're always doing research and we're learning and we're learning about our clients and what the whole issue is.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: And for me, meeting so many different clients, and I did criminal defense work, um, I always wanted to know their story.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: How did they get to be my client?
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: How did they get to be in a courtroom?
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_01: What led up to that?
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: So that was always nagging in the back of my head.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I just always prayed to be able to use that inquisitive nature that I had for good.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's what led me on this journey to say, you know what?
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: Let's pause and question how did we get here?
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: And that's really for all of us, those that of us, those of us that are successful, and those of us who've made mistakes along the way and you might end up in a courtroom.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_01: How did we get here?
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: And that's really what started it, Wanda.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I love it.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_02: I love it as far as what you do.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_02: I was a social worker when I was 10 years old.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_02: I said, I want to be a social worker, no, not knowing that's what God was gonna have me be.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_02: And I love how we are helping in the community.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_02: Not only you, what you're doing, I was in at IBM in corporate, and you're a judge.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm just excited I can get a judge on my podcast, girl.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_02: I tell you.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_02: This is exciting here.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_02: So, what inspired you to start writing for children?
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_02: And I think you said it touched on that a little bit.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: But yes, but let me expand on that.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: What really led me to target that audience, children, is because within every person that I would see in the courtroom as my client, and even those times where I'm not sitting as where I'm not actually representing someone in court, but I'm in the courtroom, it was always the most common theme was lack of self-respect, lack of self-love.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I could see it in the eyes of my clients, most definitely.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: And every single time when I'm going through someone's criminal history or looking at their present criminal charges, and again, like I said before, I always wanted to know how did we get here?
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: How did we get in this particular juncture in our lives?
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: So much judging them, not that at all, but wanting to know why.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_01: Because if we don't know why, we can't fix it.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: And then we just keep going from case to case.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: If we're not sitting down, pausing, and saying, wait a minute, what happened right here?
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: And like I said before, most of it is a time in their lives where they've forgotten who they are.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I truly believe, and this isn't just to take us down a road of philosophy or Christianity or anything like that, but I truly believe that every one of us is here on purpose.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: We have a divine calling.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_01: Now, whether or not we honor that calling is a different story, but we all have a divine calling on our lives.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: And my desire was to just tap into, for each person, just tap into what that is.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I think once we take the time to do that and to encourage everyone, especially children, when they're so impressionable, when they're so young, when they're so inquisitive, to say, hey, let's take a look at who you are and accept who you are, the way you are, the way you look, and love who you are.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: We could go so much further.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_02: And that it really makes a big difference.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_02: And you can see the compassion in what you do as far as uh working with that.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_02: So, what inspired you when inspired you start writing for children?
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: And it was really just seeing the looks of those I encountered and the worst parts of their lives.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: When someone gets arrested and they're charged with a crime, that is the worst part, I believe, of their lives.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_01: To be incarcerated, to be separated, to lose your home, your family, your job, or what have you.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: That can be the most, I would think, a very defining moment.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: Either you're going to rise from it and be better, or you could go down even a deeper, lonelier road.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: And so whenever I would see someone, I just wanted to be able to not shape who they are, but get to know why they are or where they are, and to address what happened many years ago, because things don't just happen the day, your worst day.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: It didn't happen that day.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: It happened, it preceded, something preceded that event.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: And so my desire was to learn that person's journey, not so much to just be nosy about it, but to see what we can do for the next child.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_01: Because the cycle has to stop.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_01: It has to stop.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: We can't just incarcerate everybody, it has to stop, and we have to do something at some point.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I love that because actually I did a podcast with Brittany about generational curses, how you got to break that generational curse and not go down the same thing.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_02: And I know I didn't want to keep going.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_02: I didn't know I didn't want to be like the way my generation curse was going down with everything that was happening in my life.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_02: So I love that.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_02: And a lot of judges don't take time to do that.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_02: So you are definitely a special person to do that because of the compassion that you have for and help.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm glad you saw that happening here.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_02: How does the work in the legal system influence the stories you tell?
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_02: And I think you were talking about that a little bit.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yes, because it all starts when we're young.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: Everything starts if we take the time to peel back the layers and just try to see how we can serve those, I think, that are young.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: And honestly, it wasn't even, it had to, this happened long before I became a judge.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: It was just my encounters in law, period, just as a lawyer, just seeing so many individuals who you know deep down that they that had they had the right encouragement, had they had the right push.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: We can all be entrepreneurs, we can all be successful, and we can all be in corporate America, we can all be the next president.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: All of that is there.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_01: It's just a matter of peeling back those layers and giving each person the push that they need.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: And it's all inside of us.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: And that's another thing, too, because sometimes many people may say, I don't have someone to push me along the way.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't have a mom, a dad, a mentor, a coach, a teacher.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: And that can be reality.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: But deep down, again, and this was why I wrote my books, Adventures with Kai, because it's about the story of a little girl who just feels inferior.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I tried to use that book, that platform, because there are hundreds and thousands of kids that feel inferior just because of how they think they look.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_01: And then I wanted to use my other platform, Girls Who Rise, because again, inside of each person, whether you have that resource to push you along the way or not.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: Because, like I said, there are many gunnors that may say, I don't have a mentor, I don't have a Wanda Pearson to remind me of who I am, I don't have a Terry Thompson to tell me who I am.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: But my materials will tell you that you have it in you.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: Every person has it within themselves, whether you have a teacher or a parent or a coach to push you along the way.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: Why?
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: Because we're divinely made.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: And within each of us, there is that spark of hope that we can just flourish and just take over the world.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: And that's what I see in every person that I encounter as a lawyer.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: I see it all the time that, hey, deep within you, aside from the mistakes, you can push forward.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: There's a tomorrow, there's a better day.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I'm excited.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: I'm excited about the future for everybody.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_02: And I love what you're doing as towards that because I am about, in fact, with the mentor and I do affirmations.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_02: Every time those girls, when they walk out, they say, Miss Wanda's gonna tell you affirmation.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_02: I want you to do it with my grandson.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_02: Here's the affirmation, read it to me, say it back, believe it, and high five.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_02: And before you walk out the door, give me a smile.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_02: That's how I do the girls here, so I love it.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's so powerful.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_02: It really is because affirmations is so important because that's something that you start believing.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_02: Because I see these girls, we have from sixth to eighth grade.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_02: I have seen them grow from sixth grade, just coming in.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_02: Remember, they're coming out of grade school to middle school, and then they're going to high school.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_02: I've seen them grow from that sixth grade till they got into eighth grade, and then to see the girls come back to help us with the we have it's a storage program that really, and I one of the girls, she just really went into them, and she it's just amazing to see how they grow from that.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_02: So I want you to tell us about Girls Who Rise, Empowering Girls to Become Leaders.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_02: What is it all about?
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_02: And I want to get a book, I want to get a copy.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_02: I need to get those for my grandchildren.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I'm so excited.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: That is my newest book.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's available for pre-order, it should be done very soon.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited about that book because it's a book.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: The name of the book is called Girls Who Rise, Empowering Girls to Become Leaders.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_01: So the reason I wrote the book again, because of everything I already said, and that's because I want to inspire the next generation.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's time that the people that we see, that we embrace, that we run into every day, that they can in fact be leaders.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's not a matter of complacency anymore.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: The time is to empower our girls to become leaders.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's actually volume one.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: Volume two, I'm also excited, is called Girls Who Rise.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: And this one is more of an anthology.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: I am having young girls write a chapter, and it is so unbelievable.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: And it's called Girls Who Rise, Volume Two, Our Voices, Our Victories.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_01: And then Volume Three of Girls Who Rise is going to take on kids, younger girls who are from Ghana.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm excited about that too.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: I'm doing that in conjunction with Terea Avant.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_01: And so we are just so excited.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_01: I always tell people, Girls Who Rise, the book, is not just a book.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: It's also going to be a workbook for young girls.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's going to include a workbook for mentors, teachers to give all of us adults some ideas on how to encounter each child that we meet and to give them some inspiration too, because there's always going to be hiccups along the way.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: So I want to empower not just our girls, but the adults as well, whether it's the mom, the girl dad, the coach, the mentor, the teacher.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_01: So those resources will be there for them too.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_01: And so I'm so excited about it because, like I always say, it's more than a book, it's a movement.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_02: And the different volumes that you have, you're going from step to step.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_02: So the lesson years can be difficult time for young girls.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_02: I know I have a nine-year-old, 11-year-old granddaughters, and then an eight-year-old one just turned six.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_02: And then I have two grandsons.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_02: So from relationships to school to home life, what do you hope to achieve with this book?
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_01: What I really hope to achieve is confidence building.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_01: Because let me tell you something.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: A girl and even take gender out of it.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_01: Girl, boy, take gender out.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: But a child who is confident is completely unstoppable when it comes to their dreams.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_01: Once I believe in myself, it doesn't matter who says no.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't matter if the job says, I'm not going to give you a promotion, because I am confident.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: That just means not now.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_01: What I take every no as not now.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_01: Or maybe it's not with you.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: But a person who is confident can go anywhere.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_01: They can get into any school.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_01: They can get into any job or any type of position because why?
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: They believe in themselves.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: And that's the key to really to all of my books, my children's books, and of course, Girls Who Rise.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_01: And it's building that confidence to believe that I can do in spite of my circumstances.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_01: Because oftentimes, and I'm sure you've seen this, sometimes we just look at our circumstances.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_01: And it's, oh, I don't have the money.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I don't have the car.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: I don't have the job.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: And we get, we find ourselves getting stuck in what we see, not believing that, hey, wait a minute.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: I have within me everything I need.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's really what I want to teach and enforce in our young people that I have everything I need already.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_01: I don't have to go and get something.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_01: I don't have to look a certain way.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: I don't have to change my hair, my nose, my eyes.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: I'm good enough the way I am.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_02: That's right.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_02: God, that really because it speaks to me because I know I've been there.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_02: I've been there, done that.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_02: And when you have somebody that believes in you, that confidence makes a big difference.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_02: Does with how you but you got to believe it.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_02: And that's why I say you, that's why the affirmations are so important, Miss Royd.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_02: You got to believe about yourself.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_02: So that's so right.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: So why is leadership so important to young girls?
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_01: Or anyone?
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: I think leadership is important because it allows them to dream big.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: Because if I believe I can be a leader, if I believe I am a leader, that means that I can choose whatever field I want to go into.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: And let me pause here because a lot of times as adults, once we get our own titles, yes, I did go to college, yes, I did go to law school.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: But a lot of our young people may have no desire to go to college or law school or med school.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_01: And I want every young person within the sound of my voice and every adult to believe that's okay.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: That's perfectly fine.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_01: I chose graduate school and professional school because that's what I wanted to do.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: But I believe every young person can still be unstoppable because another thing that I teach and I strongly encourage in my programs is entrepreneurial skills.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_01: Because not everybody is designed to go to dental school and medical school and law school.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_01: That may not be what they want to do.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_01: And that's perfectly fine.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_01: But everybody can be a leader.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_01: And being a leader means I can run my own business, which means I can run my own income.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_02: Hey, hallelujah.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_02: Because it really, when I left corporate, I actually, and COVID happened, I actually started doing with our services, helping people.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_02: What is your passion?
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_02: What do you want to do?
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_02: You don't have to get stuck in that space where you have to go work for somebody else.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_02: You can work for yourself.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_02: We have an entrepreneur family, and I love what you're doing as far as giving them that vision.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_02: It's a vision.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, it is a vision.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, how they can actually do they can do the same thing.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_02: You don't have to say, Well, I can't do this.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_02: And just like the president, you can become president, it's within you.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_02: So it's within you.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_02: So what I was gonna ask you real quick, what are the what is the relationship between self-esteem?
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_02: And we and that actually goes with what we're talking about here.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, self-esteem in kids and truth to that that you've seen.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_01: You know, what I've seen is I've seen both sides of the coin, so to speak.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_01: I've seen, because I did a lot of work in juvenile court as an attorney, and I would see so many kids just follow behind the next person, peer pressure, and doing whatever the group wanted to do.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I would always, whether it was a client that I was representing directly in juvenile court or and I always did volunteer work with other organizations, I would always try to encourage that one child, one-on-one, to believe in yourself.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: Because all this other extra stuff, extra people, is it's really it's just a diversion.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_01: And it's a distraction which leaves so many kids along the wayside of not doing what they really want to do.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: I've never had a child, whether it was a gang, whether it was just following the wrong group of people, actually really by choice want to do that.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: Oftentimes, one-on-one, they would tell me, I really don't want to be there.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_01: I really don't want to be a part.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: And that's when I learned firsthand, Wanda, that if I continue to speak into that individual child, they figured it out.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: I don't need this group, I don't need the extra people.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: So self-esteem is one of those things that if we're not careful, we will lose the next generation.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: If we're not, if like I said in the beginning, if we don't stop and do something different, we will definitely lose that next generation.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_01: So self-esteem is something that's so important and it's so easy to change.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: Everything that I've talked about, Wanda, and I'm sure that you've seen it in your career and all of the kids that you've mentored, this isn't something that takes money to do.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: It isn't something that takes really a whole lot of time to do.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: My experience has been just one-on-one connection and follow through and being consistent.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_01: That can change the life of a child.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: And in turn, the self-esteem rises from zero to a hundred.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yes.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_02: That is so true.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna have to have you on my show again because this is really good.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_02: So, can you share a moment when a child, a parent told you how your books had an impact on them?
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh, yes.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_01: This actually happened very recently.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_01: I donate a large number of my children's books.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_01: And we just did a conference in Accra, Ghana, and I took my children's books and donated them.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: And not really thinking too much about it, I just said, okay, I made a donation.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_01: Do you know I received an email because my contact information is always available?
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_01: And again, didn't think about it.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: I opened the email, read the email.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_01: It was from a young lady.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: Who used my children's book and my the I have a coloring book, and in the coloring book, they she took it to her school and she sent me pictures of the kids focusing on one particular picture, and it was the picture in the coloring book of a little girl with huge Afro Puffs, and it talks about there's a little quote on each page in my coloring book, and it says, I am beautiful just the way I am.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_01: And she said she used that one page, not even the whole book, but that one page.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_01: And each child colored it.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_01: They used the crayons and colored it, and they talked about, and she sent me the video.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_01: They talked about how they themselves believed that yes, I am beautiful just the way I am.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_01: So that was that just happened about three weeks ago, and that just really warmed my heart, and it literally made it made me well up with tears.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: Because my goal and my dream was always to touch children.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_02: And you are doing it.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_02: And that's where the affirmation comes from.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_02: Because I said, I said, I am beautiful.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_02: I said, No, no, you are beautiful, but give me another positive affirmation because you're not so easy to say.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_02: We know you're beautiful, but what else can you give me?
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_01: So the head, it shouldn't take that long to say what you're but you know what I love what you do is you make them repeat it back, yeah, and they have to believe it.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_01: Because that's the other thing you said a few minutes ago.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_01: Affirmations, yes, I love affirmations, but it's empty if you don't believe it.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_01: So I love what you're doing.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, it is something I tell this is what God had me do after I left corporate.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_02: I said, okay, Lord, what do you want me to do to get back into?
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_02: And it was the social work and doing what I do.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_02: And it's just so happened that one of our friends met, knew this lady that actually started the stars program.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_02: And she said, I have a person exactly that you know, that I can and she introduced her to me, uh to each other.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_02: I've been doing it for eight years now.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_02: When I left her corporate, I said, This is something I want in that message.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_02: Another young man that actually is doing mentoring in the high schools.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_02: So we're trying to get into the high schools as well.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_02: But what you're doing, and like I said, I definitely want to uh to connect, we got to connect each other because we we love what we do, and it's really we have to work on that that next generation because there's so much negativity in this world, and it's about how we can change that.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_02: But it has to be the mindset that's positive mindset, really gotta make a difference.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_01: So it's right here, it's all in the mind.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_02: And believe in it because if you can get somebody, we can teach them that and they go home, but then that negativity is back into their brain.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, you're not gonna be anything, you're not gonna do this.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_02: So it's about just continuing to keep that that going here.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_02: So, what are some of the things we can do as parents, grandparents, mentors to support the girls?
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_01: I think the the what we can do, which again, which again is so simple, but I acknowledge it might there might be challenges too, but something that we can do is consistently show up.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_01: Consistently show up for our kids.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_01: Like you just mentioned, too, doing affirmations and when you encounter the young girls that you encounter, it can't be a one one-day event.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_01: It has to be consistent.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_01: And we as adults, as moms, I'm a parent, I know you're a parent, but as mentors, coaches, whatever your role is, we have to number one be consistent, but we have to show up.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_01: We really do.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_01: Because our kids, they watch what we do, and we may not think about it.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_01: But if we if we're late or we don't show up, always say, you know what, let's just do this next week.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_01: They're watching that and they're internalizing that because what that says to them is, oh, I guess Terry's not, she doesn't think I'm important enough to come.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_01: No, and that's not the message we want to send.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_01: So be consistent and show up.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely, absolutely.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_02: And I have two daughters, and you know what really makes me happy is that the cards that they write, and my my younger daughter, she's my graphic designer too.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_02: She's the one that created your flyer.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_02: She actually writes her own cards and how she said how she looks up to me.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_02: Because you don't know how your kids feel about you.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_02: I was traveling a lot with IBM and coming back, but I made sure that when they had those teacher conferences, I was there on my if I couldn't be there, my husband was there.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_02: And they look at you, like you said, they're looking at what you're doing.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_02: So you need to make sure that you're showing in a positive way to say this is what you can be as well.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_02: So I didn't know how I was gonna be.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_02: Who knows?
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_01: That is so true.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_01: Even when you don't think your kids will notice, they watch what you do.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, yes, they do, they do.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_02: Let me ask you another couple questions, and we're gonna get into the end of that because we can just go on and on.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_02: No, so what's one lesson every child should learn early in life?
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_02: Oh gosh, that's a good question.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_01: The one lesson is I am enough.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I am enough.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'm enough, and I even though my kids are older, they're out on their own, they're very successful, and they're doing their own thing, I still remind them I am enough.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_01: Because here's the thing sometimes it's our high achieving kids that we have to watch too.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because a lot of times, and I've done studies on this, a lot of times, even our high achieving kids, the ones that we don't think we have to worry about, oh, I don't have to look at her homework, I don't have to check up on her, she's in her room, she's okay.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_01: And we think, oh, they're making A's, they're good kids.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_01: That's probably true, I'm sure.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_01: But sometimes they need checking up on to.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_01: And oftentimes, because I think I suffer from this as well, I don't know if others do.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes when we get to be high achieving, we keep achieving because we think we still have to keep up that momentum.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_01: Only to find out that it only burns us out, and we can hit rock bottom.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: So one of one of one of the things that I do in Girls Who Rise is, yes, I also want to, I always want to target the child that has low self-esteem, low confidence.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm also mindful and my eye is on, and I'm always looking for that teen girl who we all think it has, she has it all together.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_01: Because a lot of times we miss cues or we misunderstand their achievements.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_01: Could it be a cry for help as well?
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_01: So my program is very inclusive.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's not just the ones that we think, oh my gosh, she's at risk.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_01: I include everybody because we all have been there.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_01: We've all had highs and we've all had lows.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_01: And I just want to make sure that as adults, that we all learn, even as adults, I am enough.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_01: And as children, I am enough just the way I am.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_02: I actually have a t-shirt.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_02: I went to a conference and had I am enough.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, I love it.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'm telling you, so many questions I want to ask you here.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_02: So if I'm gonna do a part two, yes, we do, we do.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_02: So if our listeners remember one thing from this conversation, what do you want it to be?
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_01: Oh gosh, I would want every listener to understand that all of our journeys are different.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_01: All of the roads that we take are different, they're not even meant to be the same.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_01: But at the end of every journey, and even along the journey, is the lesson that I am loved and I give love.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_01: And the reason why I want that to be the important lesson is because even though, yes, I do believe we're all loved, we're like I said before, we're all divine creatures, all of that is so true.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_01: But also we have the capacity to give love because we're all here of service to one another.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_01: And so when I see someone, whether it's a child, whether it's a teen girl that I'm mentoring, or any other kid, I want them to know, yes, you are loved, but you can give love because we're all here together.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_01: And that's really the key to your whole thing: collaboration, working together.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_01: We can all give love and receive love at the same time.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_01: And again, irrespective of the journey that we're on, the choices or the career moves we make.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_01: I just think that's so firmly a lesson that we all need to remind ourselves, I am loved and I can give love.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_02: You know, that's funny because that was my inspiration today that I sent out to about 21 people.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_01: Ah, isn't that funny?
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it was it was actually I am loved.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_02: You have to you have to feel love.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_02: It's God's love that's given to you.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_02: So tell us how people can get in touch with you, and as far as what you have coming up next, how we can support you.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_01: So, right now I am using my Instagram to just do more in the community.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_01: And my Instagram, if you want to follow me, is We Are Girls Who Rise.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_01: The name of the book, of course, is Girls Who Rise, but we are girls who rise.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_01: That is my Instagram.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_01: I am adding more and more content every week.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_01: So please go to it, follow me, and I'm going to, like I said, I'm doing content every week.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm so excited about that.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_01: And then as for events, again, follow me on Instagram.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_01: I'm going to be posting things.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_01: I'm going to be doing a workshop in Alabama.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_01: Alabama's my hometown called the Confidence Lab.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm going to bring that workshop also to the Atlanta Metro area, the Confidence Lab.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_01: And it's for our kids.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_01: And it's going to be a fun workshop.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm going to be putting those dates up there as well.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_01: They'll be in person.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm going to try.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_01: I had not done any online things because I'm such a people person.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_01: I like hugs and touching people.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm going to try to make an online version as well.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_01: But that's a challenge for me because I love being around people.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_01: So anyway, but follow me on Instagram.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_01: We are girls who rise.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_02: All right.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_02: And what's your Facebook handle?
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_02: I'm going to put all this in your in the show notes anyway.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_02: But what's your Facebook handle?
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_01: So on Facebook, you can also follow me using my name, Terry Lee Thompson.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I also have Zella Publishing, which is my Facebook page as well.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm going to also bring We Are Girls Who Rise to Facebook.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_01: So that's going to be published soon.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_01: But you can always find me using my name, either on LinkedIn, Instagram, We Are Girls Who Rise.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_01: Even on Instagram, you can use my name.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_01: And on Facebook, you can use my name, Terry Lee Thompson.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_01: We Are Girls Who Rise is, of course, my signature program.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_01: And like I said, the one of three books.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm so excited about that.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_01: So you'll hear me yelling that loud, loudly everywhere I go.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_01: We are girls who rise.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_02: I am so excited about that because I know you just got back from Ghana.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_02: So you got a lot of energy as far as this.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_02: No, I am so excited about that.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_02: But I want to, Terry, I want to thank you for such an inspiring and meaningful conversation.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_02: Your work reminds us that leadership isn't just about positions, it's about influence, integrity, and the seeds we plant in the next generation.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_02: And that is so important, right?
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_02: So to our listeners, if you're a parent, educator, or leader, I encourage you to explore Terry Thompson's award-winning children's book series.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_02: What is the series?
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_02: We are The series is Girls Who Rise.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_02: GirlsWhoRise.com.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_02: And you're going to give all that to me.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_02: That's going to be in the show notes as well.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, great.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_02: So continue work, continue work of shaping young minds with purpose and care.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_02: This has been the Ready Said Collaborate podcast with Wanda Pearson, where collaboration is the key to success and where stories, leadership, and values come together to create real impact.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_02: Until next time, stay encouraged, stay purposeful, and keep building a brighter future with one story at a time.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_02: And make sure you follow Ready Said Collaborate on all podcast platforms, including Audible.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_02: It's even on Audible, as well as YouTube.
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_02: So, Terry, thanks you once again for being on this podcast.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_02: And we're going to have a part two of this because I'm going to know, I want to know the next steps.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_02: You got so many steps.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_02: Did you guys know that's going to be happening?
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_02: But thank you, audience, and thanks again, Terry, for being on the podcast.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_02: My pleasure.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_02: Bye.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_02: Bye-bye.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_00: That wraps up another episode of Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you found inspiration and valuable insights to help you build meaningful connections and successful collaborations.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_00: If you enjoyed today's conversation, be sure to subscribe, share, and stay tuned for more great discussions.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, keep collaborating and making an impact.