LaToyia Jones

Stephanie Bance

How long have you been coaching? I began life coaching professionally almost two years ago.

What made you become interested in coaching? Coaching wasn’t an interest of mine for a very long time. Neither was motivating or inspiring people. God had a very unique way of showing me my purpose. I was working for a popular newspaper in my city, and each morning people would send me trivial motivational emails each morning.

Leisurely one day, I cast my net into the sea of motivation, inspiration and ultimately my destiny. I wrote two sentence inspirational email to about four people. The only reason I wrote this was because I was 100% sure there had to be a better way. Time had passed and my readership began to grow. It grew to 50, 100, 250, 500, eventually to over 1000 readers per day were reading “Marvelous Inspirations.” I had “something” I just didn’t know what it was at the time.

Afterward my journey went from job to job, seeking the “one” thing that would fulfill me. I tried sales, telemarketing, administrative assistant; I was even an undercover police officer for over a year. None of it brought me the peace of God and the comfort that being “Alive on Purpose” brings you. As my journey went forward, I gave myself permission to become more of who I was created to be. I figured out that whatever I was going to be in life, it would have to be divorced from the opinions of others. I began to become that risk taker, keeping in mind that you can’t grow unless you live outside of your comfort zone.

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So I made a move and enrolled in a life-coaching course I heard referenced in my premarital counseling. The education wasn’t cheap and I knew that the budget was tight but nevertheless, I knew God was exposing me to his plans for me. So I moved forward. I made a choice. That choice was to become who I was created to be. How do you handle stressful situations and working under pressure? Stress is the most chronic “Dis-Ease” on the face of this earth. Many people tend to thrive in stress, so it often becomes an addictive motivator that tears down the lining of the mind. I tend not to deal with stress, as we have no familiar relationship. Long ago I decided we are as happy as we decide to be. When I began coaching the punch line to how I would carry out my practice was this. “We can focus on what we did wrong in the first half of life, or we can put together a strategy collectively for the second half. Mistakes have been made but this is the halftime of your life. Are we going to focus on winning or talk about why we are losing?” Stress is an imaginary way to procrastinate to a solution. We all have pressure in our lives from many outside and inward influences. Pressure to meet a deadline, or make a decision. The difference between pressure and stress is that stress tears and pressure is a force. Stress is what happens when the outside world is tearing you apart from the peace of God that was left for you. John 14:27 says “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

On the other hand we know that pressure can make a diamond. It’s in the pressure that God’s destiny can burst out of me. It’s in the pressure, the force of His will taking shape in my life that will make stupid people leave you and anointed people cleave you. It’s the pressure that pushes the devil away right on time. Some people stress and die, I’ll take the pressure and thrive. It’s what I teach my clients, but ultimately it’s what I live myself. What is your greatest strength? Listening is something I would say I enjoy the most. Since I’m not the artist I would not claim that any particular part of God’s portrait of who I am stands out more than another. Listening is my favorite thing to do in communication. You learn more by listening than you ever will by speaking. There is an old Argentinean proverb that says “Who speaks, sows; Who listens, reaps." Listening requires patience, and in today’s society sadly many people are too busy on their iPhones, iPod’s and iMac’s to hear the person next to them screaming “I need you to be a heart with ears right now. Do you have a moment to just listen to me?” God graced me to have a gentle spirit to hear the wounded, and listen to the lost.

When did you know you were Alive On Purpose? “Alive on Purpose” resonated with me when I met with my first client, listened to them speak for thirty minutes straight and felt no need to say a word. “Alive On Purpose” resonated with me when I would send “Marvelous Inspiration” emails and would get responses saying “I really needed that today.” When they don’t know I was writing to myself. “Alive On Purpose” resonated with me when I set out on this journey to get the vision for “Chris Marvel and Marvelous Gifts” out into the world and God blessed me with an amazing team of people who believe in my vision 100%. I was created on purpose and each and every day I know God awakens me with purpose in mind. I am Alive on Purpose.

What does quality life mean to you? Growing up in the inner city of Cleveland meant many things. Number one being, most people around you were poor. Number two; many around you didn’t really know the difference. I recall a few times not wearing the best gear, or having all the money in the world in our bank accounts. What’s funny is you don’t realize what you don’t have generally until you become an adult. As I have grown older my definition for the quality of life has shifted immensely. It began at 18 with having diamonds in my watch, and hundreds in my pocket. Now today, I would rather my family’s hearts sparkle with the love and God. I would prefer to line their pockets with expectancy and the blessing and favor of God. I now know in the blessing comes the provision, and in the provision from the blessing comes the quality of life. “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul” the passage from the Book of Mark quotes. Money can help a lot of things let’s not get it twisted my friends. It cannot bring me health or a great relationship with God. My quality of life has to start with the quality of my relationship with my life giver.

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What made you want to be involved in Criminal Law? I enjoy all aspects of the law. However, criminal law gained relevance in my life after my brother, Mark Marshall was murdered. At that point, I was 11 years old and I couldn’t understand what ‘plea bargain’ or making a deal’ meant. To my young mind, his murderers should be brought to justice and accordingly be sentenced to life in prison. I didn’t understand why the murderers who were minors at the time of his death could be sentenced too much lighter sentences, guaranteeing their freedom before I could have the opportunity to graduate high school. Although his death was a tremendous loss for our family, it worked to drive my interest in understanding and mastering the realm of criminal law.

Do you have a heart for young people? Why? Not only does my heart have significant love for our youth, it also cries for them. We are in a world faced with a climate of pending change and upheaval. Our society frequently forgets that the decisions we make today can impair or impede the ability of our youth to effectively become the God-fearing leaders of tomorrow. In the next few years, our lawmakers and societal leaders will make decisions on the biggest social issues since the Civil Rights movement. With the current state of our economy and political climate, an active role needs to be taken in pushing our youth to see beyond their today and focus on their tomorrow. Additionally, many of the messages in popular VH1 and other reality television shows, which are targeted at our youth, depict an unrealistic’ perception of the world. I want our young people to realize their potential early in life, to see examples of attorneys, engineers and presidents in their community so they can know this is the REALITY of our millionaires and financially astute, not the few misguided images that are broadcast on television.

In your pursuit of L.E.A.R.N.S. did you always have the support of friends? In all of my endeavors, I have had the strong support of my parents, family and friends. When L.E.A.R.N.S began at Assembly Missionary Baptist Church in 2006 the love and support of both friends and family helped L.E.A.R.N.S. survive its infancy.

Currently, in addition to individual consultations, I am looking to introduce L.E.A.R.N.S. to local schools as an alternative tool for educators in elementary, middle school and high school.

What kept you motivated? My Faith - My Family - Myself. I attended Christian schools as a child and spent (what seemed) to be every waking moment in church. I learned early the scripture which reads “I can do ALL things through CHRIST that strengthens me.” I loved the song with the same words as a child and although I can’t say for certain, besides John 3:16, this is one of the first scriptures we learned in our household. As I grew in my faith, I not only understood this verse as it appears on its surface – I can do all things! I also understood what it meant conceptually, no matter what obstacles (and I have had enough to write a Lifetime movie) life throws your way, if you are standing under the blood of Christ, he will strengthen you to do ALL that you need to not only survive, but to succeed. In essence, he will surround you with the tools to give you strength (in my case it was my family) so that you can do ALL. I’ve used this mantra as my motivating source in every educational pursuit, every personal pursuit, and every business pursuit.

For the youth reading today, what is one quote you use when mentoring your students? “Don’t aspire to play on the basketball team or walk on the runway, aspire to own the basketball team or the runway!” – If you limit your dreams to the ordinary, you’ll never reach the extraordinary!

How important is it for people to know the law? Scores of people, especially minorities, were only able to effectuate change in this country by knowing, understanding and challenging the laws. Having a foundation in the fabric of our country – Our Laws – assures that you will also have power and a voice to make a difference.

When you graduate in 2013 what will be your next endeavor? I plan to pursue my PH.D. in Secondary Education from The University of Akron. I also look forward to finishing my book “Making It without a Basketball or a Catwalk: Educating Our Next Generation in the Mantra of Success”.

Attorney and Founder of L.E.A.R.N.S. Tutoring Program

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CHRIS DAVIS pg. 5-6 Chris Davis known as “Chris Marvel” is a Certified Life Coach specializing in helping clients find their true passion and purpose for their life. Chris Marvel Coaching has clients ranging from the homeless to the 9-5 everyday worker to A-List Celebrities. For more information you can reach him at Chris@ChrisMarvel.com or visit his website at ChrisMarvel.com

SABRINA MCPHERSON pg. 8Sabrina McPherson was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Unsure which career path to follow, she went on to secure a job in the banking industry. After five years she decided to resign from her job to follow her new found passion in the entertainment business. While attending school at the Ohio Center for Broadcasting she worked as a Server and Barista at local establishments to make ends meet. Her career began to come into fruition with several co-hosting roles including “Nu-City View”, “More Bounce” w/Austin Carr, and her self-produced segment “Phive Things for Women”. It wasn’t long before she decided to branch into acting and began taking classes at Houde School of Acting with Instructor, Jessica Houde. She is currently honing her acting skills and has appeared on The Cool World Network’s “CAPRICE”, landed a leading role in Miki Blak’s “If Joy Comes” and was cast as the leading female in “Cleveland, I Love You: Love at 4 A.M.” Besides acting, Sabrina prides herself on being an Entrepreneur, family woman and mother to her only child, daughter Brooklyn.

EDLEXUS HENLEY pg. 9-10Edlexus Henley Crying and proclaiming she made it into this world on March 11th 1983 she was born to her parents Brenda Chaney and Edward Henley. Even though her parents loved her, death and addiction overtook them so she was blessed to be adopted by her aunt and uncle who she now calls mom and dad. The death of her natural parents was only the beginning of a domino effect of hardships in her life. Growing up in the church is not on her resume, neither is being taught the word of God as a child. What she felt was punishment at the age of 12, being forced to walk down the street to a random church alone was actually her training ground. As she watched the first lady of that church pray, cry and prophesy she said to herself “I want to be just like that”. Not knowing that seeds were planted, she went on with her life. She traveled from Detroit to Toledo at the age of 21 and that’s where her ministry began to develop inside her. She began to study, read and become fascinated in the word of God along with the art of teaching and preaching. While under the leadership of Bishop Randall Parker III and Louise Parker she answered her calling to preach. While being in Toledo the hunger for praying and preaching intensified so much that she recalls having a dream where a man asked her what was the name of her ministry. Turning to the man she said “Ephod Ministries”. Not knowing at the time what that meant she pushed it to the back of her head and continued on her journey. Broken, hurt, frustrated, and ready to give up at the age of 27 she landed in Akron Ohio. As she looks up she sees a hand reaching out towards her. As prideful as she was she knew if she didn’t grab on to the hand she would die. That hand was who she now calls her spiritual father Pastor Donte Thompson. Now in a place of fresh air and no more spiritual pollution in her atmosphere, something kicked inside of her. What is that feeling? It was Ephod ministries getting her attention. Her desire to help other broken misunderstood people just like herself finally made sense to her. “I went through years of destruction so it could only take someone minutes of deliverance” is what she always says. Edlexus is a daughter, sister, friend, author, designer, make-up artist, and servant. Be prepared to see the God in her imprint all over the world in one way or another.

SHARMAYNE BOLLING pg. 11Sharmayne Bolling is a resident of Pennsylvania and completed her Bachelor’s Degree from The University of Akron in 2008. She was involved in the University of Akron Gospel Choir and is currently a member Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Sharmayne recently completed graduate courses gaining a Master’s Degree in Human Services with a concentration in Counseling Studies from Capella University March 2012. She is currently a counselor at Discovery House (Farrell,Pa) working with individuals with drug addictions to help them implement relapse prevention skills. She is also a devoted member of Greater Mount Zion Church of God in Christ (Farrell, Pa).

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SHARMAYNE BOLLING pg. 11 (continued)Prior to completing her degrees and other accomplishments, Sharmayne had experiences that caused her to have low self-esteem and no sense of identity. When not realizing who she was, Sharmayne felt that she was not qualified to reach her full potential. Going through this identity crisis and gaining a sense of empowerment from God, Sharmayne had a passion to reach out to adolescent girls to help them avoid falling into the same crisis. The passion then turned into a vision and Pretty Girls, Inc was birthed December 20, 2010. Sharmayne has reached out to several girls, women, and young men through various communication settings and in different cities. Sharmayne does not take this opportunity lightly and is grateful that God has chosen her to be one of many to encourage His children.

CHE AND KAREN KING pg. 13-14Che and Karen King are National Expansion Leaders. Originally from Ohio, they moved to the metro Chicago land area through an opportunity with Che’s job in 2007. Unlike most families in the neighborhood, Che & Karen’s household was made up of two parents that worked. Karen & Che needed their time back and realized that something would have to give, so that at least one of them could be there for their daughters.

After two years, Karen was released from her job through reorganization. Now she found herself having her time back, but no way to take care of their family. That’s when Karen came across the opportunity with 5Linx. She was not very successful in previous attempts, but Che and Karen saw an opportunity to work a business together and balance out their families lives, as well as an opportunity to be a blessing in someone else’s life. They joined this wonderful company in February 2011. They discovered the many benefits to having a home-based business versus traditional w-4 employment. Now they have teams in 10 different states and counting. Che travels state to state giving motivational presentational on entrepreneurship and life skills. The King's help non profit organizations build a strong fund base to uplift every organization spiritually, financially, and mentally. The future seems so bright for the King Family. This opportunity has forever changed their lives. Now they are entrepreneurs, motivators, inspiration, and guides toward success.

IVY WASHINGTON-MARSHALL pg. 16Ivy Washington-Marshall, Esq. is a partner with Keith, Washington-Marshall, Inc. Her practice focuses on Domestic Relations, Estate Planning and Criminal Law. Attorney Washington-Marshall is also an adjunct professor at Bryant & Stratton College and Notre Dame College of Ohio. Her courses include: Real Estate Law, Criminal Law, Domestic Relations and Intro to Law and Legal Systems. In addition to her practice and teaching responsibilities, Ms. Washington-Marshall serves in many other fields of academic success. In law school she served as the Vice-President of the Black Law Students Association; Admissions Ambassador; Treasurer of the International Law Society; National Trial Team Member (National Civil Trial Competition and Texas Young Lawyers National Trial Competition); Associate Editor for the Midwest BLSA Law Journal; and Associate Editor for the Akron Intellectual Property Law Journal. In 2009, she was recognized as the 2009 Law Student of the Year by Akron’s Black Law Students Association and also received Akron Law’s Honorable Justice Arthur J. Goldberg Constitutional Law Award.

She earned her Juries Doctor degree from The University of Akron School of Law where she received the Board of Trustees Scholarship. She will graduate in the fall of 2013 with her Masters in Postsecondary Technical Education with a focus on Teaching and Training. Ms. Washington-Marshall serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Cuyahoga County Council’s Soldiers and Sailors Monument. She is also the Founder of Leadership, Excellence, Achievement, Responsibility, Nurturing, and Support L.E.A.R.N.S., a minority youth tutoring program in Cleveland. She is also a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, the Akron Bar Association, and the Ohio State Bar Association.