Stop Bullying: A Video Featuring the Talents of Author and Illustrator Jane Stroschin, Art Prize 2017

Hello and welcome to the Girls Succeed blog!

I am thrilled to update you on  Artist Jane Stroschin.

Artist and Children's Author Jane Stroschin

Jane is one of the amazing role models who shared her childhood story about her dream to be an artist in the interactive ebook, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women. She has certainly achieved success in many venues.
In 2017 she was involved in a presentation at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, an international art show with hundreds of artists in 175 venues in and around the city. Jane's colorful artwork brings awareness to bullying.

This YouTube video will explain more about her project, Be Kind: Walk a Mile in My Shoes.

Be Kind: Walk a Mile in My Shoes

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To learn more about Jane's beautiful artwork click here to see how she created a huge mural to be installed on the outside of a building. The deer below is just one of the pieces.

One of the paintings included in Children's Author and Artist Jane Stroschin's murals.
Click here to see how she created this artwork.
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Click here to meet all of the 15 inspirational women in Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women

Photos of women in these careers--horticulture, horse trainer, bike racer, business, technology, medical doctor, chef, professional clown, artist, teacher, social worker, 
medical researcher, semi-truck driver, Christian minister.
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Back of the Book:

Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women is an interactive e-book filled with dreams and passion. Fifteen successful career women in a variety of occupations share their stories in these pages. Explore careers involving women who have discovered cures to stamp out disease, made people laugh, earned Olympic gold medals, and seen the USA from coast to coast in the cab of an 18 wheeler semi-truck.

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Click here to download your copy from amazon.  

Click here to order from your favorite online bookseller.

Hello and welcome to the Girls Succeed Blog!

 Labor Day in the USA!

Monday, September 7, 2020, is Labor Day in the USA. We honor all those who work in our country to make it better for our citizens. People from all over the country honor all kinds of jobs. There are a lot of jobs to do too. What do you dream of doing with your future?

I always wanted to be a writer. But it took me a long time to do it. First I was a waitress, a student, a teacher, a floral designer, a business owner, then finally I started writing for newspapers and magazines and the Internet. Eventually, I authored fiction stories like mysteries and paranormal (ghosts, creatures, robots.) 

Now I am revising, updating the eBook and adding a new chapter to Girls Succeed! Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women. I am working on a new book cover too! I guess I could add publisher and book cover designer to my list of jobs now. 

I'm so excited to bring you this fresh, new look and up-to-date stories about amazing women who dreamed about the jobs they wanted to do when they grew up. They worked hard and overcame obstacles to make that dream a real job!

The Successful Women in Girls Succeed! Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women

Here are the careers in the book:

Table of Contents

Chapter 1--Horse Trainer/Competitive Dressage Rider, Pati Pierucci

True Love

Chapter 2--Bike Racer, Mackenzie Woodring

Speeding Around the Track

Chapter 3--Children’s Book Author and Illustrator, Jane Stroschin

Practice, Practice, Practice

Chapter 4--Medical Doctor, Cate Bradley

Role Models Rock

Chapter 5--Chef, Sue Chef

Cooking Up a Career

Chapter 6--Technology Expert, Diana Stoneberg

Keep Your Sense of Humor

Chapter 7--Christian Minister, Laurie Haller

Serving God

Chapter 8--Horticulturalist, Sharon Loving

Thank You Very Mulch

Chapter 9--Medical Scientist, Juanita Merchant

Confidence Counts

Chapter 10-Olympic Gold Medalist in Women’s Ice Hockey, Angela Ruggiero

Showing the Boys

Chapter 11-Semi-Truck Driver, Barbara Totten

Freedom of the Road

Chapter 12-Teacher/Coach/Athletic Director, Barbara “Chili” Chiles

Aim Higher

Chapter 13-Social Worker, Lenair Correll           

Overcoming Obstacles

Chapter 14-Entrepreneur/Product Developer, Veronica Bosgraaf

Find the Path to Success

Chapter 15-Professional Clown, Brenda Marshall

A Big Red Nose

NEW! Chapter 16--Stacy Flanery, Attorney at Law

                      

                     Helping Others

YOU will be the first to see the new book cover when it's all done and find out where to get your copy!

Congratulations Artist Jane Stroschin-- Be Kind: Walk a Mile in My Shoes Artprize 2017

Hello and welcome to the Girls Succeed blog!

I am thrilled to update you on artist Jane Stroschin.

Artist and Children's Author Jane Stroschin

Jane is one of the amazing role models who shared her childhood story about her dream to be an artist in the interactive ebook, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women. She has certainly achieved success in many venues.
This week she is involved in a presentation at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, an international art show with hundreds of artists in 175 venues in and around the city. Jane's colorful artwork brings awareness to bullying.

This YouTube video will explain more about her project, Be Kind: Walk a Mile in My Shoes.

Be Kind: Walk a Mile in My Shoes

####

To learn more about Jane's beautiful artwork click here to see how she created a huge mural to be installed on the outside of a building. The deer below is just one of the pieces.

One of the paintings included in Children's Author and Artist Jane Stroschin's murals.
Click here to see how she created this artwork.
####

Click here to meet all of the 15 inspirational women in Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women

Photos of women in these careers--horticulture, horse trainer, bike racer, business, technology, medical doctor, chef, professional clown, artist, teacher, social worker, 
medical researcher, semi-truck driver, Christian minister.
####

Back of the Book:

Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women is an interactive e-book filled with dreams and passion. Fifteen successful career women in a variety of occupations share their stories in these pages. Explore careers involving women who have discovered cures to stamp out disease, made people laugh, earned Olympic gold medals, and seen the USA from coast to coast in the cab of an 18 wheeler semi-truck.

Click here to download your copy from amazon.  

Click here to order from your favorite online bookseller.

Summer Time for Playing and Dreaming, Turn Dreams into Success

Hello Dear Readers,

Careers and education
Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
by Stuart Miles

Is school out for you? Summer plans ahead? 

Today we leave for our first camping trip of the season. The trailer is packed. We're just waiting to pick up our grandsons from school this afternoon and then we'll be off to stay in a State Park near us. Not taking a big drive for the first voyage of the summer. 

We're meeting our daughter and her family--yes, there will be five kids ages 15-7 to spend the weekend together. And I am looking forward to it. S'mores, roasted wieners over the fire, campfire, sunshine, and the freedom we experience as we are away from home and responsibilities. It's like summer camp.

Time to play and dream.

I bet you have dreams too of places you want to go, things you want to do, people you want to meet.

I interviewed successful women who had dreams for their lives. Some of them were just little girls when they knew what they wanted to do. Some started down a different path that led them to a successful career, one they love even more than what they dreamed of.

Dreaming by J.Q. Rose

In a graduation speech to Dartmouth College graduates, Author/TV Writer Shonda Rhimes admitted she wanted to be an award winning author like Toni Morrison. That's all she dreamed about. But she didn't sit around and wish to be a writer or think about being a writer. She actually began writing. She didn't become like Toni Morrison. Instead she found her dream transformed into becoming a writer who creates multi-award winning TV shows like Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. Far from her original dream job. But one she loves and would not trade for anything.

Shonda makes a point to tell students in order to make a dream come true, you have to begin working on it, working toward it. Follow the path to find your way to your dream job. Twists and turns and rocky roadways may try to stop you, but grab that GPS for success and keep going. When you get to your dream, jump out and claim your trophy. But don't stop there. Keep going as far as you can.

Best wishes!!

J.Q Rose

* * *

When I interviewed fifteen successful women about their successful careers, each one of them told me about obstacles in the way of their dream career. If you're interested in stories from doctors, chef, entrepreneurs, horse trainer, gardener, Olympic and Paralympic gold medalists, plus more, download a sample or purchase Girls Succeed! Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women now.

What are your plans for the summer? What is your dream career?
Please leave a comment below. I'd love to hear from you. Thank you.

Careers Today by J.Q. Rose

Careers Today by J.Q. Rose

Women are entering professions never imagined when I was graduating from high school. With the advances in computers and technology, so many different jobs are opening. Have you talked with a college student lately about his or her major? What an amazing choice of degrees to earn these days. Majors are in recreation, hospitality, business leadership, marketing, all those computer technology majors, and even how to engineer packaging for products.

With so many choices available, I want to encourage girls to dream big for the career they want to pursue and follow the dream by working hard to make it a reality.

Girls Succeed!
Available at Amazon and all major online booksellers

The stories in the Girls Succeed! are about careers, but also the path the women followed to make their dream profession come true. 

This is non-fiction book and was written as a reference for gathering information and inspiration about different occupations. If a career catches a reader’s eye, then I hope she will read about it. At the end of each chapter, there are live links to the subject’s websites, videos, books, and articles which will enhance and update the information provided.

It was a privilege to interview these remarkable women. I felt very special to have them trust me to tell their stories. Now I look forward to getting the ebook out to readers and hope to inspire them to follow their dreams.

The Table of Contents lists all the women and their careers. How about you? Do you dream of success in a dream career? What are your plans for your future? Go for it!

Table of Contents

Chapter 1--Horse Trainer/Competitive Dressage Rider, Pati Pierucci

True Love

Chapter 2--Bike Racer, Mackenzie Woodring

Speeding Around the Track

Chapter 3--Children’s Book Author and Illustrator, Jane Stroschin

Practice, Practice, Practice

Chapter 4--Medical Doctor, Cate Bradley

Role Models Rock

Chapter 5--Chef, Sue Chef

Cooking Up a Career

Chapter 6--Technology Expert, Diana Stoneberg

Keep Your Sense of Humor

Chapter 7--Christian Minister, Laurie Haller

Serving God

Chapter 8--Horticulturalist, Sharon Loving

Thank You Very Mulch

Chapter 9--Medical Scientist, Juanita Merchant

Confidence Counts

Chapter 10-Olympic Gold Medalist in Women’s Ice Hockey, Angela Ruggiero

Showing the Boys

Chapter 11-Semi-Truck Driver, Barbara Totten

Freedom of the Road

Chapter 12-Teacher/Coach/Athletic Director, Barbara “Chili” Chiles

Aim Higher

Chapter13-Social Worker, Lenair Correll

Overcoming Obstacles

Chapter 14-Entrepreneur/Product Developer, Veronica Bosgraaf

Find the Path to Success

Chapter 15-Professional Clown, Brenda Marshall

A Big Red Nose

Career: Barbara Chiles, Teacher and Coach

It's that time of year when many of us are back to school
and hitting the books (or laptops or e-readers).
I bet there are teachers who have influenced your life in a good way.

Barbara Chiles, after a grueling climb, reached the top of Long's Peak in Colorado

Barbara Chiles, also known as "Chili," certainly was determined to become a teacher because she admired her innovative physical education (P.E.) teacher, Mrs. Kreiter.  Due to Mrs. K’s encouragement Barbara became a gym teacher and developed her own resourceful ideas and creative teaching methods.

Chili, wearing the hat, at a girls residence camp when she was a girl.

At her school in Illinois, very little money was available to purchase new equipment and to repair the old. Barbara thought of a way to repair the broken strings in the badminton racquets at no cost to the school.  She asked the kids to bring in their moms’ old panty hose.  She showed the students how to pull a leg of the panty hose tightly over the badminton racquet head and duct tape it down to the handle. It worked.  The badminton birdies bounced beautifully off the panty hose!

It was this “get ‘er done” attitude that helped Barbara become the school’s athletic director. She was the first female high school athletic director in Illinois in charge of both boys and girls athletics.

Barbara loved her job as athletic director scheduling games and overseeing the athletic programs. She developed the physical education program for her school and for the State of Illinois. She created one of the first wilderness survival programs in the country.

The idea to establish the Challenges Unlimited Club for her students came to Barbara while she was sitting on top of Long’s Peak, a 14,000 foot mountain in the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.  Climbing that difficult mountain terrain was a challenge for her. After reaching the top, she felt the excitement of the achievement.  Barbara decided she wanted her students to have that same feeling of accomplishment. When she returned to school, she asked the students to choose big goals to challenge them.  Some decided to train to do 10,000 cartwheels or bike one hundred miles in a day.  Some worked toward goals in swimming, dancing, and more. When the kids achieved their objectives, they were thrilled and ready to set new challenges for the next school year.

“Success is a journey, not a destination,” said Barbara.  “Get all the experience you can.  No one starts on top.  Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.”

# # # # 

Do you have a teacher who influenced your life? Please take a minute to tell us about her in the comment area below. Thank you.

Find out more about this trailblazing and influential teacher in the e-book for girls, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women.

Inspiring and empowering girls to achieve the career of their dreams.

Here are the links to download a sample and contents or to buy a copy:

Smashwords Link http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/241825

Amazon Link  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009NY6ZAS

Kobo Link http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=girls+succeed%3A+stories+behind+the+careers+of+successful+women

Barnes and Noble Link http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/girls-succeed-jq-rose/1114041658?ean=2940045118033

Sony Link https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/j-q-rose/girls-succeed-stories-behind-the-careers-of-successful-women/_/R-400000000000000883970

Study Guide is also available to accompany the book.

Study guide Smashwords Link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/275371

Study guide Amazon Link http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B27S4H6

 

Career: Olympics Gold Medalist Angela Ruggiero, Ice Hockey

Stanley Cup Playoffs this week..big time hockey games. And I know it isn't just a game for guys. Girls love playing hockey because this poster above has been re-pinned so many times from my Pinterest Girls Succeed board. I love it, not just because it is hockey, but because the message is so important. Hockey Girls Have Goals. Exactly the message in the Girls Succeed e-book for girls.

Also the message passed along by Olympic gold medalist Angela Ruggiero. Angela is an internationally known athlete for her skills in ice hockey. She's been a member of Olympics Team USA four times, voted the #1 hockey player in the world by Hockey News, and serves as President of the Women’s Sports Foundation, dedicated to advancing the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity.

When Angela was nine years old she became aware she was not welcome to play the "boys' sport." Although she was heartbroken when her dad told her she couldn’t play for Team California because she was a girl, she never wanted to quit.  Instead, she became more determined than ever to be the best player she could be.  She didn’t try to get even by knocking the boys down or hurting them, but she did decide to outsmart them with her outstanding skill and maneuvers.

Angela certainly accomplished her goal 
of becoming the best hockey player she could be.

In 1992, Angela learned that women’s hockey was going to be an Olympic sport in 1998. From that point on, at twelve years old, she trained hard with one goal in mind, to go to the Olympics. She made Team USA in 1998 and that year the team brought home a gold medal for the USA!

Do you have goals for your future? Angela kept her goals in mind (and not just making goals in hockey!!) and worked toward achieving them. What are you working on for your future?

To learn more about Angela Ruggiero, check out Chapter 10, Showing the Boys, in the Girls Succeed e-book available at these major online booksellers.

Smashwords Link http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/241825

Amazon Link  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009NY6ZAS

Kobo Link http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=girls+succeed%3A+stories+behind+the+careers+of+successful+women

Barnes and Noble Link http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/girls-succeed-jq-rose/1114041658?ean=2940045118033

Sony Link https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/j-q-rose/girls-succeed-stories-behind-the-careers-of-successful-women/_/R-400000000000000883970

Career: Sue Chef with Easy Recipes

Sue Chef shares some easy recipes

The beginning of the new year means a lot of folks make new year resolutions to improve their lives by changing habits or taking up new interests. Did you make any resolutions this year?

In case one of your plans is to eat healthy foods, then you might want to print the following recipes shared by Sue Chef. Sue believes "fresh is best." She prepares food that is tasty and good-for-you.

Here are a couple of her tasty recipes that are easy to whip up whenever you want a snack.

Homemade Trail Mix

Combine ¼ cup unsweetened apricots, ¼ cup dried cherries (unsweetened), ¼ cup almonds, ¼ cup walnuts, ¼ cup roasted whole kernel pumpkin seed, and 5 cups Multi-Grain Cheerios. Serves 5

Sue says you can choose your favorite nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and whole grain cereal to create your own special blend of homemade trail mix.

Mango Berry Smoothie

In food processor, combine ½ cup water or milk, ½ cup frozen mango, ½ cup frozen raspberries, 2 oz tofu, 1 tsp honey

These recipes are from The Take Charge of ADHD Booklet with recipes by Sue Chef

To learn more about Sue and the story behind how she became a chef, check out the new non-fiction e-book, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women.

Girls Succeed is available to download a sample and purchase at the following online booksellers.

Smashwords Link 

Amazon Link 

Kobo Link 

 Barnes and Noble Link

Sony Link 

Time to Celebrate! Launch Day for Girls Succeed

We’re doin’ the happy dance today because this is Launch Day for the new interactive e-book, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women!

This non-fiction e-book is filled with dreams and passion to inspire, entertain, and empower girls. Fifteen remarkable career women in a variety of occupations share their stories in these pages. Explore careers which include women who have discovered cures to stamp out disease, made people laugh, earned Olympic and Paralympic gold medals, and crossed the country in the cab of an 18 wheeler.

Meet the remarkable women in the pages of Girls Succeed!

In a sense today is the fulfillment of a dream I pursued since 2006 when I first envisioned a book about careers which would inspire girls to dream big and empower them to make that dream come true.

So let’s par-tay!! Peek around all the bouquets of bright flowers and you'll see lots of cyber goodies there on that round table in the corner—chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate as well as some salty favorites like chips and dip, veggies and dip, pizza! Mmmmmm….the punch bowl is in front of the swan ice sculpture on the table to your left. Enjoy the colorful lights and the music. Hey, let’s turn it up a little louder!

CONTEST: Join me on the book tour November 5-November 17 to learn more about the book and the remarkable women who grace the pages. Leave a comment here and on the stops along the tour to be eligible for the random drawing for prizes--$10. Amazon gift certificate, FREE copy of Girls Succeed ebook in your choice of format, “Succeed” beaded bracelet kit, and inspirational notepads and pens.

PRIZES

$10.00 Amazon Gift Certificate

FREE copy of the e-book in your choice of formats

Succeed bracelet kit to design your own

A huge thank you to the generous authors who are hosting this event:

NOV.
5 Barbara Ehrentreu

7 Pat McDermott

9 Marva Dasef

12 Conda Douglas

14 Lisa Haselton

15 I.B. Nosey 

16 Penny Estelle

18 Announce winners


If you would like to download a free sample of the e-book which includes the Table of Contents listing the careers, go to these links:

Amazon Link  
Smashwords Link 

Connect with J.Q. Rose online at:

Girls Succeed blog 
J.Q. Rose blog 
Author website 
J Q Rose Amazon Author Page 

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Help yourself to some refreshments, leave a comment, and visit with us for awhile.

USA National Park Service Ranger

This ranger was our guide when we cruised an Alaskan fjord this summer.
She did a fabulous job of finding the wildlife and explaining the history of the area.

Do you like to work outdoors? Do you like nature and animals? Then you may want to consider becoming a National Park Ranger. According to the National Park Service website there are job opportunities at "397 national parks and in partnership with communities across the country to preserve their history and create places for outdoor fun."

Playful otter greeted us on our cruise.

Eagle looking over the fishing possibilities.

Enjoying a sun bath.

These are a few of the photos of wildlife we spotted on our tour. The Park Service ranger was enthusiastic and full of information. She sounded as excited as we were when we saw the animals in this wild environment. She works as a seasonal  ranger during the high tourist time beginning in early summer until fall. Full-time permanent careers and internships are also available for rangers. Our ranger guide said she was proud to know that there is opportunity for career advancement in the National Park Service.

Rangers work in so many different kinds of jobs from archaeologists, gardeners, museum specialists, to police park rangers and more. Find out more at the National Park Service website.

Salute to 9/11 Police, Fire, and EMT Personnel

Today we remember the destruction, devastation and loss of life that occurred on September 11, 2001. We salute the brave people who helped in that time of emergency--the firefighters, police, first responders, and EMT's.

Perhaps you are considering one of these careers. Learn all you can about the work and also examine if you have the desire to help people. Perhaps you are a future police officer, firefighter, Emergency Medical Technician. 

Thank you to all these pesonnel who help us and keep us safe!

Mackenzie Woodring, Gold Medalist in Cycling

The Summer Paralympics are this week in London, England. Athletes from all over the world compete in 20 sports and 500 events. The games are held in London using the same venues as the Olympic Games 2012. The highly skilled athletes who compete in the paralympic games have physical disabilities.

Mackenzie Woodring, athlete

Team USA members Mackenzie Woodring and  Karissa Whitsell won gold, silver and bronze medals in cycling in the 2008 Paralympics held in Beijing, China. Mackenzie and Karissa raced a tandem bicycle which seats two riders. Mackenzie was the pilot on this team because Karissa is blind/visually impaired. This team combines their athletic skills into a powerful duo to race competitors from many countries.

Mackenzie joined the U.S. Paralympics team to partner with Karissa. Not only did they medal three times at the Paralympics, they set a world record in cycling.

Mackenzie Woodring
I told Mackenzie I'd have to edit out the porta-potties in the back ground for the book,
 but she exclaimed,
 "Porta-potties are very important to racers!" So I left them in for this post. 

At this elite level of competition, Mackenzie has to keep training year round.  It is difficult for her to put in the ten to twenty hours of training each week because she also has a full time job as an engineer.  Ninety percent of the women who race need to work at another job.  The prize money for winning is not enough to depend on for a living.

 You can learn more about Mackenzie Woodring and her career in bicycle racing in the interactive e-book Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women which will be released this fall. Check back regularly to the Girls Succeed blog to learn more about careers and remarkable women and for updates on the e-book.

For more information about Mackenzie and the Paralympics click on the sites below:

2012 London Paralympics Games

Paralympic Cycling

Mackenzie's Goals