Yesterday I had the great fortune of listening to Janiva Magness speak at the Foster Youth Pathways to Employment hosted by New Ways to Work.  Her story healed me.  For those that know me you know I am terrified to tell my story, there are so many trigger points that lead me to a moment of fear so I’ve regressed and I’ve been quiet about my past.  Janiva told of her upbringing with exactness, meaning she said what happened the year it happened and moved on.  Imagine that.  She moved on.  

I sat in my seat on the verge of a waterfall of tears because this woman was telling the replicate of my story and she did it.  She lived it, experienced it, told it and moved on.  Foster care is a traumatic experience and she spoke of the difficulty of being an adult living with those experiences; as successful as she is and as much fortune as her talent has given her she is human and her experiences have created the successful human being she is today.  She I and other foster care alumni have the shared experience of making it and being successful human beings.  I am a firm believer that things happen in our lives for a reason.  My mother did not raise me because there was something else meant for me.  I grew up in Georgia not Connecticut because I meant to experience life outside of Connecticut, I was meant to live through my experiences so I could create Miles Above and be an employment advocate for foster youths.  I was meant to hear her story so that I could be healed. 

I attended a training by Van Jones at Green For All where he spoke of the importance of individual stories.  We each have a story, a moment or period of our lives that can be shared with other people.  How will you share your story? How will your story develop?  Will you help??

Miles Above was created to Elevate and Empower I had no idea that creating this company would elevate me.