Inside this Issue:

Issue 44

FEBRUARY 2013

Article of the Month:

Prepare Your Work & Make

it Fit for Your Market

WISHING YOU HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

Women Stepping Out!

Natalie Brown—Presenter

& Founder of Inspired

Dreams (ID) Brand

Empowered Woman

Leadership Mentoring

Programme Testimonies

Taking Action in 2013

By Natalie Brown

Issue 44

.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Prepare Your Work & Make it Fit for

Your Market………………..…….…..2

Empowered Woman Conference 2013:

The Transformed Woman .................. 3

Testimonies from Mentees on LMPP

Programme…………………………....5

The Mentoring Academy Pro-

grammes…………..………………….6

Women Stepping Out! Natalie

Brown...………..………….……..…….7

Love is Not Enough Conference...

…………….……………………….....12

Being Single to Be Married Blog

Cor-

ner……………………………………...13

Taking Action in 2013………………14

Special points of interest

The Empowered Woman Confer-

ence 2013… The Transformed

Woman….April 20th 2013

The Mentoring Academy Mentee

Testimonies

Love Is Not Enough Conference

Taking Action in 2013

H i Ladies

Welcome to this special month of love……. Happy Valentine’s Day to every Empowered

Woman reading this month’s EW Newsletter.

Whether you’re celebrating with a loved one or you’re spending it on your own may I add that you’re not alone, Jesus Loves you more than any other person ever could.

As we continue to build in the 2013, I would like to encour-age you to take some time out and appreciate you.

My role is very much about giving of myself, my gifts, my resources, to others, I forget that I also need to spend some time with me; appreciating and pampering me. One of my goals for this year is to make regular visits to a spa to

pamper and refresh myself.

Being that we happen to be in the month of Valentine’s – Love, I’m going to be doing a lot more loving on me.

I remembered a time in my life when I was searching for success.

I thought working a 9 – 5 job would bring me the success I craved for; when I got my de-gree and landed my first corporate job in the heart of London – the City, I thought I had arrived. I had dreams of being a top city executive, travelling as and when.

I hadn’t realised that I was a craving a worldly lifestyle.

And there is everything wrong in this when such a lifestyle can make you so comfortable enough to forget that you have a purpose/work to build. And trust me, a career is NOT your purpose.

I got as far as a lead senior consultant for a corporate search and selection firm recruiting personnel for the triple A rated investment banks. Amongst other duties of my role, I also had to entertain the human resource managers of these banks by taking them out to lunch (we were provided company credit cards for this).

I suppose I tasted some of the corporate lifestyle I so craved; but I wanted more and the glass ceiling that most corporate organisations have was creating a barrier for me.

I also realised that this kind of job wasn’t fulfilling me any longer, it was okay helping peo-ple find jobs etc.; but after 3 years, my clients who I had found jobs for would come back wanting more too.

Suddenly I was faced with how I could help myself and how to help them. EW

LADIES, LADIES,

GET READY FOR THE GET READY FOR THE

EMPOWERED WOMAN EMPOWERED WOMAN

CONFERENCE 2013CONFERENCE 2013

3

Watch DVD

SPACES ARE GOING FASSPACES ARE GOING FAST, T,

DON'T WAIT UNTIL THEDON'T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST LAST

MINUTE!MINUTE!

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5

THE MENTORING ACADEMYTHE MENTORING ACADEMY

Discipline Pioneers for LIFEDiscipline Pioneers for LIFE

Testimonies from the Mentees Studying the Leadership Mentor-Testimonies from the Mentees Studying the Leadership Mentor-ing for Purpose Programme (LMPP)ing for Purpose Programme (LMPP)

Carol’s Testimony

As I begin to compose my testimony I get an overwhelming elation of joy. The reason for my joyful heart is this, the nearing Module 5 to complete EWMPP.

I joined EWMPP because its a Christian Mentoring Programme. I knew I was in a desperate need of changing my lifestyle. I was living in oblivion to the fact that I was likened to a hamster on a wheel trapped in its cage. I needed something to enhance my life and that could also be of help to bless oth-ers.

Never in a thousand years did I think, I would have persevered to the end... it’s only God. - “He who be-gan a good work in me”.

My character, far back as I can remember, I would always have the habit of procrastinating. MORE

Lara’s Testimony

All Glory honour, majesty, power belongs to you Lord for transforming my life.

I remember my first conversation with Jackie asking me why I wanted to go on the course. My reply was “I am tired, I have tried different things to make my life easy, but the stress was just mounting higher”.

I am married with two boys aged 7 and 9, self employed running a retail store. With my volume of work the thought of taking up a new course or studying was not on my agenda at all. At that stage in my life, I had to make a decision to either continue to manage where I was or surrender and let Jesus have His way. MORE

Joanne’s Testimony

Before l started this course l knew there was plenty more inside of me, but l just didn't know how to

give birth to it. It was like l was carrying a baby full term and l was in labour, feeling uncomfortable. I

was unsatisfied with my life. I was also still dealing with issues from my past, which l am still getting

help for. Since being on the course God has shown me my purpose, help me overcome fear, and to be a

more confident person . MORE

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The Mentoring Academy is as it says, a place where you are mentored and discipled to understand the full

meaning of LIFE. So many times we allow issues to stop us from discovering our divine purpose and as a result

live a sub standard life. A life riddled with emotions, debt, abuse and uncertainty.

The Mentoring Academy delivers a range of programmes that deal with everyday issues and teaches you how

to turn such issue into opportunities that transforms your life to live for purpose.

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WW OMEN STEPPING OUT!OMEN STEPPING OUT!

Natalie Brown Natalie Brown

Presenter “Time With Natalie” & Presenter “Time With Natalie” & Founder, The Inspired Dreams (ID) BrandFounder, The Inspired Dreams (ID) Brand

Natalie Brown is a dynamic TV presenter who is on a mission to inspire women globally. Natalie is the founder of the Inspired Dreams (ID) Brand and hosts a regular online TV show called “Time With Natalie” where she has interviewed various people which include Steadman Graham, Robert G Allen Makeda Ubiaro to name but a few.

I heard about Natalie when she hosted her first Time With Natalie Conference last year. The vision behind the conference was to bring inspiration to women and to empower them to be individuals and pursue their dreams.

Empowered Woman caught up with Natalie to find out how it all began.

EW: Tell Us Who Natalie Is

NB: An ordinary woman from a very ordinary background. I was brought up by a single mother who struggled to make ends meet whilst looking after four children. We lived on a poor council estate with very little money. I grew up in poverty and didn’t have a great start in life but I started out in traditional employment after leaving school and spent 10 years working in the finance sector in London. I was so unhappy with work and life and I end-ed up ill with anxiety and was unable to work. I left London and started my road to recovery which has been long and arduous but I’ve learnt so much along the way. I soon found an outlet for my love of media, music and property and with a property portfolio worth £1.1 million, I own homes in the UK and overseas with the most exotic being in the Island of Cape Verde.In 2009 I decided to follow my heart and founded the Inspired Dreams (ID) brand which is the umbrella company for all my brands including; ID Media, ID Property, ID Education and my trademark brand ‘Time With Natalie’. Time With Natalie is a chat show aimed at educating, motivating and inspiring people across all countries. Over the years, I have inter-viewed self-made millionaires and celebrities including; Robert G Allen (author), Beverley Knight (singer) and Hol-ly Valance (actor) with my most prestigious interview to date being a one-to-one interview with Stedman Gra-ham (long time partner of Oprah Winfrey).

My passion for the media industry has continued to grow and I have racked up small screen parts on BBC’s Dr Who, Casualty, Hustle, Doctors and Lewis. I am also the presenter for UK Christian Music Charts aired on Sky TV.

Being an ambitious and committed individual, I love to create strong networks and forums for women to have a voice and have created events which have been featured in Marie Claire and Oprah magazine when I took 17 women from the UK and South Africa to see Oprah Winfrey in Los Angeles. Giving back is my motto and I regularly take part in community activities and work alongside charities to raise money including; The Prince’s Trust, Breast Cancer Awareness, Time For Change and MIND mental health charity. Never one to sit back and relax, my next project is to Continue on page 8

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WW OMEN STEPPING OUT! ContinuedOMEN STEPPING OUT! Continued

Natalie BrownNatalie Brown

Presenter “Time With Natalie” & Founder ,Presenter “Time With Natalie” & Founder , The Inspired Dreams (ID) BrandThe Inspired Dreams (ID) Brand

spearhead a campaign for the charity ‘Dress for Success London’ which helps women on a low income get back to work by providing clothing for interviews. I am also a sponsor to Olympic athlete Andrew Steele and Vyan Sampson, a young female footballer who plays for Arsenal and England. EW: Growing up, did you always know what you wanted or did events in your life bring about this need to inspire others? NB: It’s funny because my dream was always to become a singer. My mother was a singer and I love music and always wanted to follow in her footsteps so I moved to London when I was 18 and met a number of famous people including Mariah Carey, Bobby Brown, Vanilla Ice, Mark Wahlberg plus others. I started working with a manager and trained in Opera for a year. I got pregnant at 21 and things changed and I left the singing dream behind. My life drastically changed when I was about 30 when I had a nervous breakdown. It was a very difficult time for me as physically and mentally I was in bad shape but I realise now that without going through the breakdown I wouldn’t be where I am today. It changed everything including the way I viewed life. I have always tried to be kind to people but now I have a real empathy for someone who is going through tough times and love to help where I can. I believe we will all go through difficult times in life and to be able to offer hope and encouragement to someone is what motivates me. EW: You’ve come from a financial background, what opportunities presented to you to make the move to media.

NB: I worked in finance for 10 years in London for a number of accountants and banks but being a crea-tive woman with an interest in media/music/fashion I always knew my destiny and path in life would be found in these areas. I had always been a bit of an entrepreneur at heart and knew one day I would have a go at running a business. I felt that I wanted to do something different and was never really satisfied with working for other people. It’s strange because I sing and always wanted to be-come a successful singer, but I think one of my strengths is that I’m a doer. Once I get an idea and have a vision I just have to give it a go and see if I can make it work. Using my entrepreneurial skills, I began a career in property and ended up starting my own property company which owns and rents a number of houses in the UK and abroad.

I have now stepped into the media world which is

something I’ve fallen into by accident. I never really

dreamt about becoming a TV presenter/producer but

I was offered the job of presenting UKCMC, a Chris-

tian music show on Sky. I’d never presented before

and really didn’t want to do it but decided to give it a

go. Fortunately it worked out well and I have present-

ed the last 3 series.

During this time I noticed that in the UK we were real-

ly lacking great shows which inspire and motivate

people, so I decided to set up a production company

and create my own chat show called Time With Na-

talie.

Continued on page 9

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WW OMEN STEPPING OUT! ContinuedOMEN STEPPING OUT! Continued

Natalie BrownNatalie Brown

Presenter “Time With Natalie” & Founder ,Presenter “Time With Natalie” & Founder , The Inspired Dreams (ID) BrandThe Inspired Dreams (ID) Brand

EW: How important is time when pursuing purpose? NB: Time is so important when pursuing your purpose. It helps us structure our daily schedule and activities so that we can live more organised and productive lives. How many times have you heard someone say, “I never have enough time”. We all have the same amount of time - 24 hours in a day which means 168 hours per week. There is nothing that anyone can do to change it. What differentiates the people who succeed to those who don’t is how they use their time. The key is to know what your purpose is and then work out how you will spend your time to achieve it. Your success will depend on how wisely you fill the minutes in each day. It’s im-portant to set priorities and to develop the right practic-es to make the best use of your time. It’s important to plan your day. You should never start a day without having an agenda and know exactly what you need to accomplish by the end of the day. This can save you hours of wasted time throughout the day and having the frustration of not completing the most im-portant tasks. Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back. Value your time and spend it wisely. Learn how to manage it and make use of it so that you will have less regrets in the future.

EW: What do you think are some of the challenges facing women who have a desire to succeed and be come positive influences in their world/environment? NB: One of the biggest challenges women have to over-come is fear. Being scared to strike out on their own and not having enough faith in their abilities. We need to

that there is never a "right" time to strike out of our comfort zone. We just have to have faith in our vision and ability and go for it! The fear of going after something and being rejected seems stronger in women because we are taught to be safe, while men are taught to be risk takers. If we don't believe in ourselves then who else is going to believe in us? Also another challenge is finding balance with follow-ing a dream and running a home. We need to learn how to maximise our time and balance our life so that we can fulfill the vision that we hold in our hearts. We also need to learn how to develop strong boundaries and not to over-commit. There will always be challenges in life no matter what it is you want to achieve. Whether it be negativity because of your sex, age, race, upbringing, lack of ed-ucation, the way you look, your accent etc. The list is endless. I find the TV industry, especially in the UK, is very challenging for someone like myself who is black, fe-male and over 40. Not exactly the ideal combination to be trying to break into the industry! We are cer-tainly lacking role models in this field and I believe that this needs to change. Each of us has a unique gift to give the world and we bring much value to those lives we touch. Once you can embrace that thought pattern, you are unstoppa-ble!

Continued on page 10

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WW OMEN STEPPING OUT! ContinuedOMEN STEPPING OUT! Continued

Natalie BrownNatalie Brown

Presenter “Time With Natalie” & Founder ,Presenter “Time With Natalie” & Founder , The Inspired Dreams (ID) BrandThe Inspired Dreams (ID) Brand

EW: What advice to overcome would you give to our readers facing such challenges? NB: I think it all comes down to your belief system. If you really believe you are called to do something specific, no matter how difficult, you have to have the strength and determination to follow your dreams and keep mov-ing forward, no matter how hard it gets. Don’t listen to negativity and people who don’t understand your vision. Your vision was given to you for a reason and you have to persevere through all the challenges and trials until you overcome. I believe if you want something bad enough you will achieve it. You just had to remain focused and surround yourself with the right people who also believe in you and your vision and who will help you to make your dream come true. Never forget that we are all put on this earth for a reason and to make a difference to someone’s life and your vision can have such a huge impact on so many people if you will keep the faith and keep persevering. EW: You recently took 17 women to the Oprah Show in Los Angeles – Live Your Best, what was the highlight of the trip for you? NB: It was such an amazing trip and a real blessing to be able to organise it. This is the third time I have travelled to see Oprah and this time I decided to film the journey as a documentary. It was interesting for me seeing the footage from the trip and I think the highlight for me was being able to take such an amazing group of ladies and watch the impact the trip had on them. They all returned inspired and motivated and knew that dreams can come true. Of course the other highlight was being featured in the January edition of Oprah magazine. An amazing accom-plishment for me and one which I never saw coming. I began the year interviewing Oprah’s partner Stedman and ended it also interviewing her best friend Gayle and all the experts from her show AND being featured in her magazine. God is so good!

EW: What forthcoming events will you be hosting this year and how can our readers who may be interested in attending register. NB: I am hoping to organise a big event in London later in the year. This event will help people to maximize their time and balance their life. I believe there are 7 keys areas we need balance in. We need time for work, relation-ships, health, spirituality, personal development, community and most importantly, you. This event will feature a number of high profile speakers and give people the opportunity to learn how to live a more fulfilling life by mak-ing small changes in each area. Further details about events can be found by visiting www.timewithnatalie.com or by following me at www.facebook.com/timewithnatalie or www.twitter.com/timewithnatalie

PASTOR ENOMFON NTEFOPASTOR ENOMFON NTEFONN

PRESENTSPRESENTS

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B EING SINGLE TO BE MARRIED BLOG CORNER

The Four Seasons of Marriage - The Nature of Marriage

R elationship Skills

Part of the Wisdom for Life Skills

Mentoring Programme

Our Relationship Skills Mentoring

Programme will be launched in April 2013 to read a

full list of sessions please go to WFLMP

Gary Chapman's book "the Four Seasons of Marriage"

talks about the ever changing cycles of marriage. I have

used this to conduct a group discussion regarding the

different seasons a marriage faces in life.

Over the next months I will be discussing on the four

seasons of marriage.

The four seasons are Winter, Spring, Summer and Au-

tumn.

The social institution of marriage is first and foremost a

covenant relationship in which a man and a woman

pledge themselves to each other for a lifetime partner-

ship. In the biblical context of marriage, God's ex-

pressed desire is that the two will become one flesh. At

the heart of marriage, therefore, is the idea of unity.

This is the opposite of aloneness.

Something deep within a man cries out for companion-

ship with a woman; and the woman has a similar desire

for intimacy with a man. Marriage is designed to satisfy

this deep search for intimacy. Therefore, marriage is

not simply a relationship; it is an intimate relationship

that embraces all aspects of life . Continue Reading

T AKING ACTION IN 2013

BY NATALIE BROWN

13

The most successful people in life share one major trait – the ability to accom-plish goals. This ability expels the myth that you have to be gifted, clever or have the best connections to be able to succeed. Of course these things all help but even if you possess all these abilities but do nothing then you will never achieve your true potential. Even though most of us know what it is we should do, we just don’t do it. What’s common sense is sometimes not common practice. So what does it take to be a cut above the rest? How can we develop a habit of taking ac-tion on our ideas now and to stop procrastinating? Here are some things that will help you to take action in 2013. Believe in yourself If you want people to believe in you you have to first of all believe in yourself. Have the confidence to know that whatever you want to achieve in 2013 you can do if you just realise that everything you need to accomplish your dream is placed inside of you and just needs to come out. You have the gifts, talent and ability to overcome any challenge no matter how big or small. There is no such thing as the perfect time Sometimes we procrastinate and make excuses by stating that we are waiting for the perfect time to start on our idea. There is no such thing as the perfect time. There will always be obstacles in our way – we won’t have enough money, there’s a recession, we won’t have people to help us, the competition is tough etc. These are ex-cuses we create in our mind to stop us from moving forward. You have to learn to take step towards your dream and deal with any problems as and when they arise. There is never a better time than today to start working to-wards your dreams. Stop talking and take action Talk is cheap and gets you nowhere. Learn to be an action taker and follow through with your words. There is nothing wrong in asking people for advice or sounding out an idea but don’t get stuck on verbalising the idea but taking no action. If you want to start a business, write a book, lose weight, volunteer your time, whatever it is start today! Fear is only False Evidence Appearing Real There is nothing wrong with certain fears but don’t allow fear to paralyse you and stop you from taking action. It’s normal to feel fear and anxiety when stepping out into the unknown and starting something new, but don’t let it ruin your chances of creating something amazing. As the saying goes ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’. If there is something you are passionate about, follow that passion and break the cycle of fear by taking one step at a time. Accountability partner Even when you decide to take the necessary action to get your idea off the ground it can sometimes be very diffi-

cult to keep moving forward especially when the trials and challenges come your way. Find an accountability

partner or group who can help you remain focused and stay on course. Arrange to speak with them once a week

or a Continue on page 14

T AKING ACTION IN 2013 CONTD.

BY NATALIE BROWN

14

month and set realistic timescales that can be measured. I personally have found it really useful to be surrounded by a number of people who support my vision and who help me to stay on track. Live in the moment Don’t allow the fact that even though your to-do list is full of things which you may not manage to get done in the day, live in the moment and recognise that the only time you can control is the present moment. Don’t worry about what you didn’t do yesterday or what may happen next week. Focus on the seconds/minutes you have right now. If you speculate too much about the future you are unlikely to get anything done today. If you think about it, there are always going to be reasons not to do something. But the great thing about the world we live in is that it is never too late to take a chance, to follow a dream. It’s never to late to pursue a pas-sion, to add excitement and satisfaction to your life. Remember, you’re never going to achieve your goals or have your dream life if all you ever do is just sit on the couch and think about it. You’ve got to take action. When fear steps in, change the negative thinking to some-thing positive and take steps towards the future you desire. Don’t just sit there thinking about it, it’s time for ac-tion!

Have you registered yet?

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