In the past, I’ve been guilty of focusing on public opinion over God’s truth of who I am and His vision for Hope for Women Magazine.  I admit, I often saw what other magazines were doing and thought that I needed to do the same thing or be the same way.

More often than not, I was wrong.

Just as we are uniquely crafted, and our personalities, attractions, and DNA differ one from another, so is the vision God implants within us unparalleled to that of those around us.

It’s great to glean wisdom from others, but not at the expense of distorting who you are and what you’re called to accomplish.  When mimicking how others are doing it causes you to lose focus of your individuality, you’re off track.

I admit that I’ve had my fair share of off-track moments.  There have been times when I’ve drifted so far away from Hope’s unique character.  Like when I once considered changing the name of the publication and removing the faith-based foundation, after being advised that it would be offensive to non-faith readers and not go far.  When I came to my senses, I had to scratch everything and start over.  And how many of you know how difficult it is to start over?  It is not easy.

But you know what?

I’d rather begin again and work to get it right, than continue along the wrong vein and lose total sight of my, or Hope’s uniqueness.  And that’s quite alright.  I’ve learned to be grateful for new beginnings.  In fact, that’s exactly where I am – within myself and with Hope.

My eyes are focused on God’s original design of who I and Hope should be.  I am doing Angelia and Hope God’s way…and  I’m loving it!

Join me in embracing and celebrating your own uniqueness. Shine bright in your individuality!

Enjoying Hope,

By Tenita Johnson

On the outside, the weight of these sisters would seem like the immediate family concern. But the true weight lies in the burdens that they all carry as individuals from past hurt, pain and sorrow. From one sister recalling being raped by her uncle at the young age of 12, to another sister who struggles with sexual feelings she has toward other women and confused between what she was taught in the church versus what she feels today, these sisters hold pain and secrets that run deep.

Unbeknownst to one another, each of the sisters have all been holding on to the weight they bear on their physical body in order to protect them from any more emotional, mental or spiritual abuse. Iyanla even takes the sisters on a walk to exercise both their physical and mental bodies. Surprisingly to Iyanla, none of the sisters knew about each other’s violations or past hurts until the time of the interview.

Maybe you have your own share of family secrets that you hold on to. The things that you’ve never told anyone. The things that you think are too ugly to repeat. You know, those things that only you and God know. In the words of Iyanla Vanzant, secrets kill! They kill your joy. They kill your peace. And they eat you alive from the inside out.

This episode of Iyanla: Fix My Life highlighted the Pace sisters; however, this episode represented women nationwide. It shows us that it’s alright for women to break down, if it means that’s the only way they can break free! This particular show offered hope for women across the world — Hope to drop physical and emotional weight; hope to heal from the pain and past hurts; hope to share the secrets they’ve held so deep for so long.

I dare you to push past your pain. Give it a voice and let it out. There is no healing without hope. Find it. Embrace it. Never let it go.

Are you tired of the status quo in your life? Learn to be awesome!

Let’s face it. Due to our daily routines, life can wind up being painfully predictable. Work and home responsibilities are important, but the repetitive nature of some of them can often bore you to tears.  At the very least, you ask yourself, “Is this all there is to life? Am I meant for more?” This is true of so many people, especially those who absolutely hate their jobs. Even if you like your job and coworkers, you may still get that nagging feeling that it’s not what you are supposed to be doing for the rest of your life. You begin to dream of ways to escape the “average” life.

This is where Jon Acuff can help you. He has been there and done that…wondering what his purpose was, being afraid to start, and finally silencing the inner critic that threatened to derail his plans along the way. He has experienced what he writes about, and wants to lead the rest of us to doing what we were meant to do as well.

In Start, Acuff gives what I call “flexible, concrete steps” to reach your goal of awesome. I know that sounds like an oxymoron – but once you read the book it will make perfect sense. He lists and explains the main steps of learning, editing, mastering, harvesting, and guiding that everyone should follow. These are the stages that everyone will go through on the way to becoming who they are truly meant to be.

The flexibility is interwoven with the five main stages. Acuff explains that there is no “one size fits all” solution. Even though we all go through the five stages, each person goes through them at his or her own personal pace, depending upon where that person currently is in the life journey. The stages will also often overlap – for example, you should never stop learning…and as you are learning you can still begin to guide others.

The other flexible part is this: each person’s awesome is unique. Your awesome is not going to be exactly the same as your sister’s or best friend’s awesome. Acuff guides you through dealing with your fears and figuring out what your awesome looks like. Your purpose does not happen overnight, it develops over time. He also provides some interesting questions for you to answer (along with a good dose of humor to keep you from stressing out) to determine what is personally right for you.

This book is an important read for everyone who is searching for their real purpose.  You will discover what path is right for you, along with ways to find time each day to work toward that purpose. And make sure you read the appendices as well – Acuff provides information on being awesome in the social media age, plus tips to help if you are currently unemployed. Most of all, he wants you to do one thing right now – start doing something!

HOPE: How did you get involved in lending your voice to the film, Not Today?

Kari Jobe: The director of the film contacted me and my producer, Ed Cash, and asked if I would sing the song [“What Love Is”].

HFW: Did you know much about the subject of human trafficking before you got involved in the film?

KJ: Yes, I did. I have been involved with The A21 Campaign for about 6 years now. I was just so attracted by the gross reality of this slavery, even years ago. They sent me the movie before I said I would sing on it because I was like, ‘Let me see it so I can just make sure I feel good about it.’ It is so well done. I was just like, ‘Yes! I would love to be a part of this!’

HFW: Have you had the opportunity to meet any of the young girls who have been saved from the evil of human trafficking?

KJ: I went to one of the safe houses in Greece that A21 has and I walked in and just started balling. The newest girl that had just got there, she jumped out of a two-story building and found the hotline number for A21 and they came and rescued her. She was drugged and held captive, and had to service around thirty men a day! She was from Bulgaria and had been sold, and ended up in Greece in one of the brothels. You just see these men standing outside [the brothels] waiting to go in, or coming out and they just look like your average dad or college-age dude, as if they are going in to get, like, a coke. It’s sad, but I think a lot can be done through prayer. Just praying that God would convict the hearts of these men that are going in for these services.

HFW:  As someone who has been an advocate for ending human-trafficking, do you have any advice for others on how to help abolish this inhumanity?

KJ: What most people are doing is helping to support ministries that are rescuing and rehabilitating these girls. You could go from just supporting financially or actually going and serving in a safe house where they are rescuing girls, mostly under the age of sixteen.

Not Today is in theaters now. For a list of showings near you, or to find out more about how you can help end human trafficking, visit www.nottodaythemovie.com.

But, what happens when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, you receive a creepy email from some random guy who totally ignores your relationship status that says ‘In a relationship’? Some women will dismiss the flirty email, while others may feel the need to address it. If you want to discourage this behavior from men, consider the following tips:

• Make sure that your relationship status is plain and clear. A lot of people use social networking sites to spark prospective relationships. Some people take relationship status very seriously and would rather not keep their marital status discreet, even while conducting business online. Failure to reveal your relationship status leaves the freedom for others to assume that you’re available.
• Put your foot down if you want to stop inappropriate advances. If you have a working relationship with the individual, set boundaries and reiterate the importance of professionalism.
• Include your spouse. Now I’m not suggesting that you start your own soap opera and create a lot of drama on social media. However, if you simply reply to the sender and include your spouse within the message that sets a tone that you are acknowledging your spouse. Sometimes, men fish for clues to see if you are happy. Acknowledge your husband when you can and leave no room for assumptions.
• Awareness is key. If you have a strong feeling that the person is coming on to you, then you may want to make your response more public. This is sure to make them stop sending you private messages.
• Set the tone. If you tolerate their messages, then don’t be surprised if the messages increase. Men could take that level of passive tolerance as an invitation to pursue you further. Inform your spouse if the problem persists. Neglecting to inform your spouse could be a whole other story, depending on who you’re married to. So protect yourself from any possible assumptions. You may wish to CC your husband on your initial response, especially if the messenger is a mutual friend. That is a sure way to discourage any inappropriate messages.
• Delete or unfriend the individual. This will surely make your point loud and clear.

Have you ever been a supervisor for people who were much older than you and more experienced in the field than you? You spent time in school learning and educating yourself to get this position, yet the people who report to you are not as excited as you are about your new role.  You feel intimidated, but you have a title that demands respect.  Those thoughts are the beginning of a bad relationship.

Both parties know something that the other one doesn’t.  So how do you win in either of these situations?  I’m glad you asked.

If you are an employee with a younger supervisor, you can create a win-win relationship when you do two things:

• Help your new supervisor grow.  You should make it your mission to help with any training needed.  Sharing your knowledge and experience with your supervisor will help him/her to learn and grow and it demonstrates good character.
• Be a resource for your supervisor.  When you share insights and knowledge to help your supervisor, you lay a foundation to a good working relationship.

As a supervisor of older and more experienced employees, you can create win-win relationships when you do three things:

• Share information freely.  When you share things that the employees do not know in a way that is transparent, it lets the employees know that you have information they don’t know and are willing to share it.
• Teach employees some parts of your job that they may not be aware of.  It helps employees to see a side of what you do that they did not consider and that you are willing to share some of those responsibilities to help them grow.
• Ask questions.  Don’t act like you know everything, because you don’t.  Be willing and open to learning from your employees.  It builds trust and respect.

Anytime you have a new supervisor or anytime you are a new supervisor, there are always changes and it can be uncomfortable not knowing what to expect.  Both parties can make the change smoother by being open to learning from each other.

Let’s face it, menstruation is a burden. From a historical perspective, women of today are having way more monthly periods than our ancestors. In the past, women did not start their periods until they were at least 14, with some as late as 16. From the surge of childhood obesity and the hormones added into processed foods, girls are now starting their menses as young as 10 years old. Women also had way more children in the past than women today, so they spent much more time being pregnant and therefore not having monthly periods. That leaves us with one question; are we as women meant to have so many periods in our lifetime?

Menstruation is often accompanied by disabling pain. According to Drs. Lin and Barnhart (2007), women missed work the most because of menstruation-related symptoms. Our lives are just so busy that having a period slows us down from the things we need to do. There are also those special events that you look forward to but end up dreading because you know it will take place during your period. In the past we just packed our tampons, Midol, and heating pads and hoped for a light, easy period. Thanks to the use of oral hormonal contraceptives, we may not have to do this anymore.

When oral contraceptives were first developed, women gained sexual freedom and control over their reproductive systems. Through the years, we have learned that hormonal contraceptives are used by many for more than just to prevent pregnancy. Nowadays pubescent girls take birth control pills to help with severe acne and to maintain a regular, light flow. The benefits are wonderful; not only are our periods lighter, but they are also shorter. However, many women still struggle from severe abdominal and pelvic pain during their periods. Because of these pains and the hassle associated with menstruation, doctors now advise women to use their hormonal contraceptive to skip their periods altogether.

So, how does it work? In most packs of birth control pills, there are 21-24 pills containing hormones and there are 3-7 placebo “sugar” pills. In normal use of oral contraceptives, the woman experiences her period when she takes the placebo pills. Since these pills are just placebos, they are not necessary to take. The main concept is to withhold the hormones from the body during those days. Other hormonal contraceptive methods, like the patch and the vaginal ring, work the same way. Provide three weeks of hormones and remove the patch/ring for one week to allow for a period. In continuous birth control, you simply skip the placebo pills and go straight to the next pack. You do not withhold hormones from your body. Instead, you take hormones constantly. You do not give yourself a break to allow for a period. The same strategy is used for the patch or vaginal rings. Instead of allowing a week between patches/rings, just insert a new patch/ring after three weeks.

What is the controversy? Well, most women who hear about this are shocked and appalled. They seem to think that it is necessary for women to have a period, no matter what. Some women believe that not allowing yourself to have a period means the integrity of the uterus and ovaries are in jeopardy. In response to this misbelief, one must really understand the menstrual period to understand that when you are on birth control, you don’t experience a “real” period.

Although it is quite complicated, I will try to simplify for you. When a person is not on birth control, a normal period requires multiple hormones. At the beginning of the cycle when the woman bleeds her uterine lining, all hormone levels are pretty low and stabilized. As you get closer to ovulation, estrogen, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels begin to rise. At around day 13-14 of your cycle, there is a huge surge of FSH, LH, and estrogen and this marks the release of an egg from the ovary. After ovulation, these levels suddenly drop and return to a very low level. After ovulation, the corpus luteum in the ovary secretes progesterone. Progesterone (from “pro-gestation”) works to prepare the body for pregnancy; it prevents FSH and LH from rising and therefore prevents the release of another egg to mess up the cycle. When the egg does not get fertilized, the progesterone levels drop significantly and as a response the uterus sheds its lining and the cycle starts all over again.

On birth control, this cycle does not take place. For the 21-24 days that you take hormone pills, you are providing your body with estrogen (to thicken the cervical mucus) and progesterone (to prevent LH and FSH). These hormones keep your FSH and LH levels low and prevent an egg from being released. Like a normal period, the drop in progesterone levels stimulates the bleeding of the uterine lining. Therefore, when you do not take the hormone pills, you are causing the levels in your body to drop and the body responds like it would for a regular period. This is why you still bleed, although the flow is significantly reduced. The term for this is commonly called “withdrawal bleeding” because you are bleeding simply from withdrawal of the progesterone, not because an egg was released. As a result, the drop of hormone levels also brings about pain and cramps.

While it is quite complicated, it can easily be understood that a period on birth control is not a “normal” period. In fact, we can’t even call it a period because no cycle took place. We can call it withdrawal bleeding because that’s what it is. When someone stops taking birth control, the hormone levels eventually return to normal and the ovaries go back to regular functioning.

Fortunately, many doctors are aware that a period on birth control is not a real period and are advocating for women to use continuous birth control. While on birth control, the uterine lining stays very thin, which is why the flow is little to none. There is no need to shed this very thin lining of the uterus. The only logical reason for a woman to have this withdrawal bleeding is to confirm that they are not pregnant. If you are pregnant, your lining will not be shed.

Despite the controversy, this new method of skipping periods has been found to be safe and effective. Personally, I suffer from a condition called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and that causes me to have significant pelvic pain. Because of this, every doctor that I have seen has instructed me to take continuous birth control and spare myself the pain. Doctors are now even writing prescriptions for a woman to get two or three months of birth control at a time because of continuous use. No long-term issues for using continuous birth control have been identified, and using continuous birth control does not destroy your ovaries. With continuous contraceptive use, the ovaries are not damaged or shut down, they are just responding like they normally would to high levels of progesterone (when the release of an egg from the ovaries is prevented). Therefore, we can say that we have not hung up or given up on our ovaries, they are just temporarily on hold.

Women are uniquely beautiful creatures with the innate ability to bring things to life. This not only extends to child birthing, but to all things in general. At times, we can be so incredibly and creatively good at multitasking and making things happen. For this reason, God placed us here as catalysts to creating the gracefulness and gentleness necessary to make the world go round. We are simply irreplaceable, and this is worth celebrating.

People often think of celebrations as something grand and expensive. However, celebrating you can be done in the simplest ways. For some, it can mean dining out for an evening, sending themselves flowers, or buying a new pair of shoes. These things are great, but money and material things do not always have to be involved. Celebrations can also be lived out daily. For example, we can celebrate by the way in which we treat ourselves or allow others to treat us. We can celebrate by reflecting and appreciating who we are, and praising God for where He has brought us. Finally, we could even celebrate by making a conscious choice to be happy in all circumstances.

There is a quote by Oprah Winfrey that says, “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” This means that the reverse is also true: the less you praise and celebrate your life, the less there is in life to celebrate. Thus, if at all possible, we should try to make celebrating a regular practice. Not only does it help promote a positive self image, but it will also help us to stay grounded in the midst of managing all of our daily responsibilities.

All women want to achieve the appearance of silky smooth skin without wearing expensive concealers, and now they can! M3K Beauty is a business owned and operated by women that offer amazing skincare products with top of the line ingredients. Our friends over at M3K Beauty recently gifted us with their astounding face wash, and make no mistake – this formula commands a price tag three times higher than the current price!

The company offers Barefaced and Fabulous face wash and, Dirty Boy face wash for the special man in your life. Barefaced and Fabulous is a two-in-one face wash/ toner that removes ALL make-up, is gentle on skin, and comes in an easy-to-use pump bottle. It uses natural ingredients like acai, aloe vera, goji berry, and grape seed extract for a minty foam wash that leaves you feeling refreshed and moisturized.

Follow our steps for fabulous skin:

Step 1: Cleansing- Start with the basics! Dampen your face first with warm water to loosen dirt and clogged pores. Use two pumps of your Barefaced and Fabulous face wash cleanser, and then rinse with lukewarm water. Never wash your face with hot or cold water (both can cause broken capillaries).

Step 2: Moisturize- No matter your skin type, we should all moisturize. Moisturizers prevent and treat dry skin. On the most basic level, moisturizers hold water in the outermost layer of the skin leaving your skin hydrated and looking youthful. M3K offers a fantastic face cream scientifically formulated to moisturize the skin with anti-aging principles. The light rich texture of M3K is a pleasant change from the myriad of thicker and oily products on the market today. From the very first day of use, you will notice the immediate hydration difference. Luster returns to your skin during the first week and with continued use you will see and experience the full benefits of the M3K premium anti aging formula.

Check out www.M3Kbeauty.com to achieve healthy and glowing skin this summer season.

At least that’s how I initially felt when I began Hope.  I believed that I needed to pay people crazy loads of money to help me get my vision off the ground, while blind to the fact that many of them were only motivated by dollar signs and had no real interest in its message.  Without them, though, I didn’t think Hope could reach its potential.  It sucked me dry, but I needed them.  Or so I thought.

Although they were indeed experts at their craft, they weren’t particularly crafted for Hope’s vision.  Neither did they have my best interest at heart.  I actually suffered more than I succeeded.  But all wasn’t a total loss.  I did learn a valuable lesson from it all.

There are people who are specifically designed to assist you with your God-given vision.  They are experts at what they do, and you won’t have to dish out large sums of cash because they demand it, but simply because they deserve it.  These people will connect to the heart your vision and help you to perfect it with clarity and ease.  They are the ones who can read your mind, understand your thoughts, keep you on track, help you make decisions, and protect and preserve your brand just as well – if not better – as you.  For these people, it’s not all at about the money.  It’s about being a part of a team.

Though it’s taken me quite some time to find these people, I believe in my heart it’s safe to say I finally have the perfect God-designed team – Team Hope.

Enjoying Hope,

Angelia