Graduate Stories
Our testimonials reflect back the power of greatness, which helps Life Success Seminars tell our story.
Greatness is an amazing thing; its an energy that doesnt seem to stand still. Instead, it moves out around you, much like ripples inspiring and resonating with others making an impact in a subtle, yet powerful way.
Immediate ripples can be as simple as being there for your child or your spouse, appreciating a moment in time that helps them recognize their own greatness. Gradual ripples may take the form of a well-considered decision to take a 6-month sabbatical, investing in a Winnebago, and a promise to see the country at age 40. And a further-reaching ripple could be to finally start that business dream that always seemed too big or too hard.
No ripple is bigger or more significant than another. More importantly, fostering your own greatness allows these ripples to move outward, positively impacting the world around you.
As we continue to grow as an organization, we want to hear more about each of you, and we welcome stories, big and small, because they may inspire someone to invest in fostering his or her own greatness. Please click on nmonahan@lifesuccessseminars.com if you'd like to share you're story, or if you've been inspired by a Life Success graduate whom you'd like to write about.
Alicia Spencer
For a girl who was shy and introverted most of her life, Alicia Spencer can’t believe that she now loves to talk in front of groups of people and is out there most days leading exercise classes.
Alicia was first introduced to Life Success by Brian Calkins, her boss and buddy. He had mentioned it a couple of times in passing. Then she met a few other people who had been through. Before she attended Basic, Brian sat down and talked to Alicia, taking the time to explain how this step would change her world and life.
Intrigued by that, she dove in – first Basic, and more recently, IPI. And Brian was right – everything HAS changed for Alicia. People even say she looks different! Says Alicia, “Basic and IPI have given me so many tools to use. I look at myself differently and have direction and purpose. I value every moment of every day and live in the moment, focusing on remaining centered and strong.” All of that confidence and enthusiasm has helped her to reach for her dreams. In November of 2007, Alicia and Brian had eight individuals in their Adventure Boot Camps located in Blue Ash and Mason. They now have over 40 in the indoor camp and over 70 in the outdoor camp.
When Alicia is out every morning at 5:30 a.m. training people and keeping them motivated, you know she is having an impact on others. “Never in my wildest dreams would I see myself leading a group of women. I have such a passion for women and their need to take care of themselves. So many times women put everyone else first and don’t take time to do things for themselves or take steps to improve their quality of life – and also have a little fun. It is so awesome to start my day with these ladies and lead them to a higher level of fitness and wellness, and to support and love them. Brian gave me the push and I took off running towards this dream…it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
In asking Alicia what her future holds, she replied, “I am being called to leadership. I’m very excited and open to this new area of growth. I am not totally sure how this will unfold in my life but I am growing and reaching for my dreams.”
Marcia McClure
My name is Marcia McClure and I have a story I want to share with all of you.
In 2001, under a little duress, I went to Basic. Right away I noticed some differences in the way I was acting and reacting to people and situations. I had just gone through a divorce and the timing was perfect - as it always is. Although I was using the tools I learned in Basic and making small changes in my life, I was not ready for the next seminar, IPI.
Then in 2004, I lost my father to cancer which was quite devastating for me. You see, I had one of those father-daughter relationships that most girls dream about. My brother and sister are much older than me, so when I came along, it was just Mom, Dad and me. My dad and I would pal around all the time while Mom was working evenings and weekends leading classes for Weight Watchers. During the month of May, we spent days at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with his buddies in the garages and the press tower checking out all the action. Anyway, he passed away in October of 2004, and I went to IPI in 2005. It was four years after attending Basic, but the timing was perfect - as it always is. I sharpened my tools and made some life-long friends from both Basic and IPI whose relationships I cherish every day.
In late 2005, I was diagnosed with cancer! "How can this be?" I thought. After everything I went through with my dad, now me. Well, I did what he did and plowed through the treatments. Fortunately for me, I beat it! Where I found most of my support and strength was within my Life Success circle of friends; I couldn't have made it through without them.
In early 2008, I was diagnosed with cancer AGAIN! Now I was scared and unsure of my future. But like before, my Life Success support group rallied around me and put together a schedule of who was dropping me off and who was picking me up from my treatments. They lifted me up when I needed it and they cried with me when we all needed it. At the end 2008 I am once again cancer free! You have no idea how much I am looking forward to 2009.
It occurred to me not too long ago how much Life Success has become a part of how I live and the choices I make. Even though I may not be in the room as often as I should, and I do not go to 5th Day as often as I should, the tools I was given and choose to use every day have been a big part of my survival. Surviving cancer is a physical challenge, but more than that, a battle of emotions and the desire to fight and WIN! It's the choice I made both times and will do again, if necessary.
Thanks to Life Success, I have chosen to survive and be the best person I know how to be.
My name is Marcia McClure
I am a Dynamic, Genuine, Accepting and Worthy woman!
Naz Khodadad
In 1984, 15-year-old Nazanin Khodadad was punished and grounded indefinitely for her behavior. The only negotiating chip that her mother would agree to was her attendance at a Life Success Basic course. Unhappily Naz agreed and signed up for the Basic class scheduled for the following month.
In class, Naz's reluctance and anger about attending the course quickly faded as she listened intently to the facilitator, Jim Quinn, and the curriculum that was being delivered. Naz had never liked or enjoyed school and was taken back by her interest level as well as her ability to relate to this new material. As she challenged herself and absorbed the information, she found herself moving closer to the front row after each break and relating to her classmates in a new way.
At 17, Naz went on to attend IPI, returning again in her mid-20s. She realized that at different stages in her life she found new clarity in the same classroom - things that she had heard before but didn't understand at an earlier age. Her biggest insight was that she had the power to direct and build a great life for herself.
Naz eventually moved to California but found the time to return home and group-lead Basic and IPI on a regular basis.
During this 10-year period of time, Naz had earned an English degree but couldn't seem to find work that she was passionate about. Wrestling with this issue, Naz renewed a Basic class in the late 1990s. During one of the exercises she visualized a surprising scenario: she saw herself earning a Masters degree. Without knowing how or when or why, Naz just trusted what she knew was true for her and kept this picture in her mind.
Shortly thereafter, Naz found herself in the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) counselors office, inquiring about the enrollment process for the upcoming quarter, which was beginning in just two days. The advisor would not allow Naz to enroll at that time because an application for UC and the DAAP program had not yet been submitted. However, with her vision in sight, Naz was undeterred by their rejection, and before she knew it she was attending classes. The undergraduate courses transformed into a graduate program. Naz tells us that she never worried about how it would all work out, she just kept showing up for the next step. Ironically, Naz never formally applied to UC or to the DAAP program. For that matter she never took the GRE exam or filled out a graduate application for acceptance.
"Life Success Seminars helped me at a very young age to realize that I can make my own reality, and I don't necessarily have to limit myself to conventional rules and restrictions."
Today Naz has Bachelor degrees from University of Cincinnati in interior design and architecture. More recently, she earned a Masters in architecture. Each degree was not only a major accomplishment, but also a step that brought her closer to her natural gifts and abilities that better served the world around her. Naz is now passionate about her work – sustainable design and the concept of treading lightly on the planet. She's investing in helping people see that principles of sustainability are affordable, practical, and easy to apply; that green living is accessible to everyone. Naz also participates in Cincinnati's Civic Engagement discussions called A Small Group, which restores and reconciles social fabric in Cincinnati.
Wayne Lurix
Wayne Lurix works for the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, as he did in 1997 when the Commission was looking to expand Cincinnati playgrounds. As Life Success Board President, he saw a wonderful opportunity for Life Success grads to give to the community by collaborating with the city and United Way on a playground project. Under Wayne's guidance, what resulted was the 1,000 Hands Project. The project created a state-of-the-art, custom playground in a part of town where kids needed it the most.
Residents of the selected neighborhood committed to serving a year on the steering committee to make their playground a focal point of local pride. A design firm was contracted to turn concepts into clear plans. Then volunteers contributed by digging, hauling, hammering, and finishing. Not hundreds of volunteers, but over 2,000. A few hundred Life Success alumni took part in the actual building of the playground, working in three shifts a day!
And then the 1,000 Hands Project did it again. And again. And again. In fact, one playground was built each year from 1998 to 2003. Six creative and engaging playgrounds were constructed, serving six different neighborhoods. This included the grand finale, the Every Child's Playground at Sawyer Point. Steering committee leaders and build captains of this playground were all Life Success grads. The Every Child's Playground was the first playground in the city to be accessible to kids with disabilities and has been studied as a model for similar playgrounds built since then in other cities. Said Wayne, "It was incredible. I couldn't have done it without their support. I knew I could count on grads, and they all gave one hundred and ten percent."
Coordinating such a large strategic undertaking with so many stakeholders had many difficulties. Wayne realized that prior to taking the Life Success seminars he would have handled this project very differently, responding in a reactive and stressed-out way. But the courses had made a difference in his personal life and his professional life, as he learned to apply his new skill set to large and small project issues with calmness and confidence. The secret to his peace was something he'd learned from the seminars: that blame and reactivity sabotaged his relationships; and, more importantly, that he was responsible for his own feelings and for his own happiness. This critical insight has improved his relationships with his parents, children, wife, and the people he worked with. The 1,000 Hands Project provided untold opportunities for practice.
