Positive Alternatives

As you get older and wiser (hopefully), use that knowledge to teach your children what you have learned. It's your greatest of all gifts you can pass on.

Sometimes the Positive Alternative is not only simply to be grateful, but to have the higher focus. The higher focus is not just looking on your own problems, but on how you can positively impact the lives of others. Don't only preach it, get up, get out and practice it! Lend the helping hand.

The devastation of normalizing alcohol use worldwide is a mistake we need to walk back. Sometimes when you hear a number, a piece of data, you turn your head and your eyes widen. One death every 10 seconds on this planet linked to alcohol? How did we get this far?

Our interview with Matt Matkovich and Phil Januszewski who work together energizing their audiences with a message of being cool in your own skin and living the life you deserve to love. They are educators by day and motivational speakers by night. And they gave me a pretty sweet shirt so they are also generous to a fault! M&P Presentations

Anti-Marijuana groups are lining up to battle commercialized cannabis in Illinois. Is the focus on Marijuana taking away from a bigger problem?

Reality, a focused group of teens from DuPage County, share some background on how they worked together to impact legislators, both local and at the state level, in order to improve the health of all of the people in Illinois. The hard grind of the grass roots works they did over the past 2 - 3 years in the Tobacco 21 legislation effort will lead to a bigger and better tomorrow. Sit back, turn it up a bit, and give this episode a listen.

Thinking out loud in this episode about speaking at High Schools to teens during this challenging Prom Season, and also about the interview coming out Friday where a young person delivers a message from her Mom that darn near brought me to tears.

It's not easy to stay on point and make the change for the better. You have to be mentally strong to not fall back into dubious habits.

May is Prom Season and that means we will be speaking to a lot of great teens at a lot of great Chicago area High Schools. Toss in some pretty terrific podcast interviews and it looks like we will pretty darn busy.

This past week has been painful, joyous, draining, and uplifting. Kind of a microcosm of this mixed up thing we call life. If you listen closely you'll hear next week calling. 

April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Don't sit back and wish it would get better. Get up, get out there, and make it better! The future is in your hands.

Too often we find ourselves focused so much on our own cause we fail to see the strength we can gain when we cross-pollinate with similar causes. Working and supporting one another will lead to the results we are seeking.

Following a recent speech, a man came up to me and stressed how he felt what happened when we lost our son was simply an accident and the mother who held the party was not responsible for the tragic outcome. He told me that these type of accidents, while rare, simply "just happen". He is an example of how far we have to go in reminding parents that while these accidents do happen....we can do better....they are 100% avoidable. 

A special interview with my new pal, Jerria Martin. She had choices and she chose her hometown Selma, Alabama as the place she would make her stand. She is a leader, a mentor, and a lover of her fellow man. The world needs more people like this young lady. As you will hear, she is also a visionary who knows the path to a better future also  requires time for reflection.  Dallas County Hope Dealers  

April is Alcohol Awareness Month and we take minute or two to remind Mom and Dad that they have to set the table for family guidelines when it comes to teens and underage drinking.  With the one year mark in our rear view mirror, we added a new logo. It's truly a Positive Alternative. Let us know what you think!

In this episode we interview internationally known public speaker, Tim Ryan. Tim had a circuitous path to where he is today including being a former addict, convicted felon, entrepreneur, family man, and visionary. His story is raw, it is straightforward, and it will keep you dialed in as he shares how he was on the edge and came back to do his part in leaving his positive mark on this planet. www.TimRyanSpeaks.com  

Establishing family expectations and setting positive examples regarding alcohol and drugs in your home is the best tool a parent can have to deter their teen from poor choices.

Does the song remain the same? Will the commercialization of marijuana lead to roads less safe, teens more likely to use the drug, and long term health problems? Or will we simply benefit from the tax dollars, an increase in jobs, and the medicinal value the drug will provide? Colorado is the test kitchen. You decide.