Victorious Woman!
Annmarie Kelly
Optimal Living Press
September 2004
279 pages
Amazon | BN
RBM’s Disclaimer
Victorious Woman! Shaping Life’s Challenges into Personal Victories offers nine compelling stories of real life women who overcame daunting challenges such a cancer, abandonment, domestic abuse and more. Each riveting story in Victorious Woman! is followed by thought-provoking coaching questions intended to inspire and encourage readers to rethink all or part of their life.
Guest Post
I got the idea to write Victorious Woman in a dream. Then, like many of us who get great ideas that way, I immediately found an excuse to ignore the inspiration. A few months later I started having a gyn problem and the doctor couldn’t diagnose it. After ruling out different kinds of cancer, I was waiting for a call and wondering if it was ovarian. If it was, I didn’t know what I would do; I didn’t even know if I wanted to be treated or just go peacefully into the next world. That’s when the Victorious Woman idea popped into my mind again – and it was like the universe smacking me on the head, and gleefully telling me, “We tried to tell you nicely but you ignored us, so we had to give you the ‘two by four between the eyes’ to get your attention. Now will you write Victorious Woman?” The phone call came moments later and it wasn’t cancer. Interestingly, my gyn problem resolved itself within two weeks; it was the outcome of an embolization which, at that time, was an experimental treatment for fibroids. But I wasn’t going to fool around anymore. I did my first Victorious Woman interview six weeks later.
My primary objective was to uncover the substance beneath the indomitable spirit of the Victorious Woman—that is, the victorious spirit that is in each of us and all of us. My secondary objective was and still is to help other women find the Victorious Woman inside them. That’s why I included self-help or “take the next step” questions at the end of each woman’s story. Also, since I learned so much from the many, many women I interviewed, I made the last chapter a “lessons learned” chapter. I included the Stepping Stones, the four lifestyles that either support or sabotage a woman’s victory. I also included the Six Skills every woman must develop and created the Victorious Woman Model. Those three elements became the foundation for The Victorious Woman Project (www.VictorousWoman.com), including the many workshops I developed for women; they are also the basis for my keynotes.
About The Author:
Author Annmarie Kelly is a professional speaker, workshop leader and victory strategist, who has firsthand knowledge of the transformative power which determination and motivation, the stuff of victory, can have in a person’s life.
Growing up in her Italian-Catholic home, Kelly wasn’t a natural go getter but rather a shy and introverted girl – a “good girl” who felt invisible and insignificant and powerless to deal with family problems including alcoholism, sibling abuse and mental illness.
In her early twenties, a broken engagement and her father’s reaction to it, caused Annmarie to look at her life and where she was going. After a couple “dark” years, she realized she had a purpose but that she was following a path that would only give her more of what she already had: disappointments, regrets and lost opportunities. Annmarie understood that she needed to make a change; she decided to start on a new track.
Through the rest of her twenties and thirties, step-by-step, she changed the way she thought about herself and her future, set major goals, and let go of many of the limitations that were holding her back, from kicking the undesired habits of smoking cigarettes and being a couch potato to getting honest about her own sabotaging behaviors. She also let go of people and environments that became obstacles to her efforts.
While leaving the comfort of the familiar for something better was what she wanted, it wasn’t easy. But in time the effort paid off. The decisions Annmarie made then have enabled her to BE more and DO more than she ever thought she could and HAVE more of the kind of life that, on her old path, would only have been a dream.
Not content to keep that kind of empowerment and success to herself, Annmarie Kelly has made it her life’s mission to help other women find the same confidence, inner power, and most importantly the “feminine victory” within. Whatever she does, whether she’s speaking, teaching, writing, blogging or coaching, she shows women just how much power they have over their own lives, encourages them to LIVE VICTORIOUSLY – out loud and in living color – and shows them the skills they need to do it!
Annmarie Kelly owns and manages SkillBuilder Systems, a training and development firm specializing in management development and communication skills. She is also the founder of The Victorious Woman Project which focuses on the information, resources and skill building which help women empower themselves so they can live their best life.
Annmarie is a member of the National Speakers Association (NSA), the Greater Philadelphia chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTDPhl), The Press Club PA and the National Association of Female Executives.
Her services include:
– Keynotes for Corporate Events and Association Conferences
– Training Workshops (SmartWoman@Work and New Beginnings)
– Retreats
– Seminars, Teleseminars, Webinars
– Individual coaching
– Group coaching (Victory Teams)
Annmarie Kelly is available for interviews in the Greater Philadelphia area, New York, Maryland, Delaware and Washington DC, and by phone anywhere.
Connect With The Author:
Website | Facebook | Twitter
Molly, thanks for allowing Annmarie to stop by and share the story behind the creation of her book. We appreciate your allowing her to inspire even more women out there!