Dear Readers,

     As you read Discovering Your Dawn you realized that Labor Day is always my most dreaded day of the year. As this anniversary of Dawn and Wendy’s death approached I decided that I would try to change my attitude and not think about the tragedy of that fateful Labor Day weekend but instead focus on the love and memories that have stayed with me.

Since I published Discovering Your Dawn I was not sure how Miracle Resources clients would perceive this work and would they want me to focus on their marketing needs only. Our surprise as a staff has been that our clients now open up about what is holding them back and what shadows they are overcoming as a result of reading the book.  As a  Business Motivational Speaker I have audience members write to me on Labor Day to check on me.  I am so blessed because this year I received a special card from a Vietnam Veteran named Jimmy, Marlene the Executive Director of VMCAD Foundation and Margery, the most intelligent operation executive I know.  The card gave the words of God and soften the intensity of this weekend.

My sorority sister Sherri sent me a note that helped me realize that our love for Dawn and Wendy never died and that although we were forced to grow up quickly our bond as sisters deepened through this tragedy.

My husband joined me for the very first time at Dawns graveside today. Our prayer was that Dawn would be happy with my life and feel the love we have for her always. As I speak on college campuses as a  University Guest Speaker I meet students who struggle and our story helps them see the light at the end of the tunnel.

As we start this week lets agree that we need to see our blessings not focus on our losses. Miracle Resources staff hopes to see you September 14th at 7pm at Legacy Village, Joseph Beth Booksellers for our networking event and book signing.

Wishing you all the very best,

Katherine 

Dear Readers,

     As requested I am posting the commencement address I gave on 

August 21, 2010. I was so proud to serve as  Business Motivational Speaker and  inspirational speaker for ACRT graduation. I love being a  University Guest Speaker and  Motivational Speaker because commencement marks the beginning of a new journey! 

                Class of 2010 you have worked hard to get to this day.  Your class is talented, hardworking and everyone at ACRT is excited for your future. 

As a class I would like you to remember your first day at ACRT.  Remember how you were nervous and it seemed that graduation day would never come.  You made it and you are about to begin a new journey, to enter a job market and business environment that offers challenges and competition.  As ACRT students, you are taught to learn from difficult situations and rise up to create solutions. Your course work, your instructors and your experiences have taught you to look at new ways to overcome problems and form alliances while working as a team to achieve success.

        Your graduating class is made up of working people, military personnel, non-traditional students and people who never thought an education was in their reach.  ACRT helped you by making our education affordable, flexible and designed for your learning needs.  As ACRT students, you have many people who help you and inspire you. It may be an instructor who has become the voice in your head as you make decisions, it may be a staff member who took the time to help you enroll at ACRT or it maybe a family member who believed in you and encouraged you to keep going. 

 As you look at your classmates you can see that they also taught you the most important lesson, which is that a successful team is like an excellent family; you support each other, lift each other up and work through your problems as a family. 

        As you graduate, you will use your education to help others and achieve your dreams. You will use your past, including the tough times and combine it with your passion to create your future.   As graduates, you have been given the tools and inspiration to pursue your dreams. Your talent, dedication and hard work have led you to this day and you have grown stronger.  You are an inspiration to those who only wish for what you have accomplished. You had to risk to get to this day and we learn from  great people who have risked more than others think is safe. Harriett Tubman went back not once but 19 times to save more people. To get complete your education you invested in yourself and you cared more than some people thought was wise.  Mother Theresa cared more than others thought was wise and she helped millions of people and inspired even more people then she ever imagined. As students you had a dream and today you celebrate that your dream came true. Martin Luther King had a dream that would change our world and we have to remember that we must continue to have dreams and goals for our future. Your family and friends are here today to celebrate and show their love and support. They are proud that you expected more from yourself and you set a goal and achieved it.  Abraham Lincoln expected more than others thought was possible and we must continue to expect more from ourselves than even we think is possible.

        As instructors, we share the reality of our coursework and how to apply what you learn in the real world.  As a business owner, Business Motivational Speaker and instructor I meet people everyday who work hard but cannot unlock their potential. ACRT has given you the tools, resources and training but today begins your journey to unlock your potential and ensure your success. Everyone wants happiness and success but few people achieve both. The secret to unlocking your potential lies in learning from your past, forgiving yourself and others, learning to love yourself which is the foundation of building the confidence you will need for your career and your personal life. Life will present trails and you will overcome obstacles if you ask for help, achieve balance and strive for self respect.  In the workplace you will be challenged and you will have to respond not react. If you strive to be that one person that your company cannot live without, your value will guide you to promotion and leadership. In your personal life if you strive to be the one person that your family cannot live without, you will be a foundation for love and happiness.  Being the one, does not mean being perfect or being a pushover, it means being the one person that people can count on to help them grow and unlock their potential.  Over the years I found that people said, call Katherine she’s the one you need or call Miracle Resources they are the ones that can help.  Being the one in business means you are a resource, an expert, you are dependable. In your personal life it means you are the one who can provide, support, love and direction.

If you truly want to be the “one” you have to commit today to taking the oxygen before you help others. When you fly the flight attendant shows you putting on the oxygen mask then  helping the person next to you.  Too many leaders give to others then burnout, promise me you will not be the person in your company or family who gives so much then burns out before you can achieve success and happiness.  To be the one, means you are expectional and you are a leader. You will only achieve this by forgiving yourself, learning to love yourself, giving of yourself and committing to your continued education and personal growth. When tough times come please remember this quote that I wrote when I suffered a personal tragedy.

“Whatever you are going through use it,  if you lose love learn to love yourself, if you are hurt help another, if you lose faith search to find it and always, always fight for your happiness.”

        As a class, you represent hope, wisdom and you are a light that others will look to for inspiration. Class of 2010 this is your time to shine and no matter what darkness you face you will take what you learned and seize every moment and make the most of every opportunity.

You are the miracle of resilience and you have overcome obstacles and you are now a member of a unique and talented group of people. Remember it is better to be an academy graduate than compete with one! So be the one, The one that your company and family cannot live without but most importantly be the one that you have always dreamed you would be!  You are stronger, wiser and more resilient than the challenges you face. Congratulations class of 2010! 

Dear Readers,

     Today I challenge you to be the “One” !!! 

As a business owner, Business Motivational Speaker and college instructor I meet people everyday who work hard but cannot unlock their potential. I have learned that everyone wants happiness and success but few people achieve both. The secret to unlocking your potential lies in learning from your past, forgiving yourself and others, learning to love yourself which is the foundation of building the confidence you will need for your career and your personal life.

Life will present trails and you will overcome obstacles if you ask for help, achieve balance and strive for self respect.  In the workplace you will be challenged and you will have to respond not react. If you strive to be that one person that your company cannot live without, your value will guide you to promotion and leadership. In your personal life if you strive to be the one person that your family cannot live without, you will be a foundation for love and happiness. 

Being the one, does not mean being perfect or being a pushover, it means being the one person that people can count on to help them grow and unlock their potential.  Over the years I found that people said, call Katherine she’s the one you need or call Miracle Resources they are the ones that can help.  Being the one in business means you are a resource, an expert, you are dependable. In your personal life it means you are the one who can provide, support, love and direction.

If you truly want to be the “one” you have to commit today to taking the oxygen before you help others. When you fly the flight attendant shows you putting on the oxygen mask on yourself then helping the person next to you.  Too many leaders give to others then burnout, promise me you will not be the person in your company or family who gives so much then burns out before you can achieve success and happiness. 

To be the one, means you are expectional and you are a leader. You will only achieve this by forgiving yourself, learning to love yourself, giving of yourself and committing to your continued education and personal growth. When tough times come please remember this quote that I wrote when I suffered a personal tragedy.

“Whatever you are going through use it, if you lose love learn to love yourself, if you are hurt help another, if you lose faith search to find it and always, always fight for your happiness.”

Wishing you all the very best,

Katherine

Dear Readers,

     My title may concern you but as you send me comments I am inspired by your ability to overcome obstacles, find your passion and discover your truth(what I call your dawn).  As a  Christian Speaker for a retreat last weekend we discussed that people will betray you and you will put faith in people who let you down. God is the only one who will not let you down.  In an executive womens retreat I served as a  Motivational Speaker and Womens Speaker and we discussed how to increase revenue in a tough economy I realized how blessed I am to have a staff who works hard to help businesses and non profits increase their revenue. We were excited to be featured on Outreach News this week. Check us out on you tube  http://youtu.be/y4YBgCCapqw

   My work as  Marketing Speaker and Keynote Speaker is featured on this broadcast and I share how non profits can hit revenue goals in a challenging economy.  My prayer for you today as you grow your non profit or business is to look at the pain and become motivated to turn it into beauty.  One of our clients lost an employee and created a memorial and engage vendors in an effort to raise money for cancer. The event was beautiful and the tributes to the employee motivated all of us to continue our work with passion. 

   Have a great weekend everyone and remember during pain it is hard to see beauty but even in betrayal you can learn great lessons.  I wrote this quote after a very painful realization happened to me this week. “Whatever you are going through use it,  if you lose love learn to love yourself, if you are hurt help another, if you lose faith fight to find it”

Dear Readers,

     I write with a heavy heart today.  A very dear friend of mine has passed and it is hard to hold back tears.  As I spoke with the family we focused on the fact that he is in a better place, in god’s loving arms, as we reviewed the what if’s ,if he had been in prolonged pain or had to be on life support it was clear that we we striving to see the good in this horrible time. 

     I know that looking at the positives helps us become stronger, motivated and helpful to others.  When I wrote, Discovering Your Dawn, I knew I had to share that when I became negative I created a personal prison. When I share the mistakes I made it has helped others. I have learned that even when I am speaking about leadership people relate to us and learn from us when we share the reality of our lives.

     As a Corporate Motivational Speaker I have seen people hear my message and act on the ways to unlock their potential. My friend who pass ed shared his business struggles with me and helped me see how I would grow my business one day. He also let me share my personal struggles and he and his wife showed me how faith can help you overcome anything.  As a  Christian Speaker I share how God sent people to help me.  My friend Ned and his wife Geri were the first people I ever met who were open about their faith.  They gave me a great gift in my friend Renee.  Renee gave me friendship that changed my life.

    As Renee and I shared our love for her father Ned we remembered how he taught us  Exceptional Teamwork and he always valued his employees and everyone he met.  Ned modeled to me, Increasing your Passion and Productivity and now as a  inspirational speaker I have the blessing to share ways to motivate people and change their world.

    Through my tears I can see the sunset tonight and say “What if I had never met Ned”  he changed my life, believed in me and helped me help others.  God Bless you always Ned you are the very best of what a business owner, a father, a mentor and friend should be.  I am sure God is looking at you saying, “Well done good and faithful servant” 

Love you always,

Katherine

 Increasing your Passion and Productivity  

As a business motivational speaker, I was asked to explain how passion leads to productivity.  I shared a story about a student who had tremendous talent but was numb to learning. The student had not found his passion.  As a corporate motivational speaker I meet employees who have lost their passion and become frustrated. 

I am blessed to work with a client this week who needs me to speak to provide resources and motivation to employees.  My speech is called “The power of Leadership, Problem Solving and Positive Attitude”  The client is showing their employees they care about employee retention, motivation and passion.  The first step to taking care of your employees is to give them tools to increase their passion and work smarter not harder.  The result of giving employees tools and resources is employees who are stronger, healthier and productive.

 Passion is gained through not finding exactly what you want but starting a journey to find your purpose and putting your commitment to the test.

Risking, giving up everything and believing in your purpose is tough but living your life without passion means complacency and living a lie. My mentors taught me that you must find your truth!  I call it discovering your dawn, the moment when your truth is known and you learn from your past.

One of my mentors says this is the day when you begin to live. It is not easy and does not mean your life is always happy it just means that you cannot deny what your purpose is and you cannot go back to the way you used to live. 

Some people wait for someone else to take action and I found that I was waiting for someone to write a book to help college students and my mentors pushed me to realize I had the story, the experience and the passion to help college students.  Mentors see potential in you that you cannot see.

Today secure mentor who will help you find your passion and take a risk to find your purpose.  You will unlock your potential!   

Wishing you all the very best!

Katherine

Dear Reader,

       Thank you for reading my blog.  I wish you all the very best this memorial day weekend.  As we thank those who gave their lives for our country and remember those we have lost, I ask you to remember the lives, not the deaths of those you mourn. When my friends were ripped from my life the words and stories about their murders paralyzed me with fear and sent me into a tail spin. Only when I focused on their lives and how they impacted others with love and friendship could I move forward.

 In tough times we have to find our motivation within ourselves. The memories and love I have for my friends can never be taken from me.  Promise me that this weekend you focus on the journey not the fire.  As a motivational speaker, college instructor and business owner I meet so many people who share that they feel something is holding them back. They cannot express it but I see that they carry a shadow, something they have not addressed that locks their potential.  I am blessed to help people unlock their potential using my journey in motivation and marketing.  What is your journey?  I would love to hear from you, e mail me at km@miracleresources.com   when you share it will be kept confidential !

Dear Meeting Planners,

You work hard and you deserve a speaker who will entertain, motivate, educate and engage your audience!

• Katherine is a marketing and motivational speaker who provides new ideas, resources and fun for your event.
• As a motivational speaker, Katherine helps people unlock their potential and challenges your event attendees to be exceptional.
• As a marketing speaker, Katherine challenges business owners, franchises and non profits to stop marketing and start motivating. Katherine shares her experience in corporate marketing to start up business marketing. The ideas and take aways help businesses, individuals and non profits to increase awareness and revenue.

What audience members are saying:

Nicole R. Ward

“If you are looking for a speaker who provides value, entertainment and motivation hire Katherine Miracle. Our employees are using her ideas and still talk about how she inspired them to be exceptional!

Mary Brown, US Bank 

“I recently attended a job seeker workshop where Katherine was a featured speaker. Her energetic, personable delivery made Katherine easy to follow. She gave real world examples of challenges and creative solutions. After listening to Katherine’s presentation, I walked away with a renewed sense of courage about my job search. Katherine is a savvy marketing professional who truly wants to help you in your search for a new career opportunity. I highly recommend attending any seminar or event where Katherine is presenting.”

Christy Harst-Rodriguez, NLCS

“During my job hunt, I had the opportunity to have my resume featured on a CNN segment. Katherine helped me make the absolute most of my four minutes of fame. She made herself available to me whenever I needed help and provided a fantastic personal branding strategy. Without her help, I would not have been able to maximize the value of this opportunity. Her help has also extended beyond me. I have started sharing her strategies with my friends, fellow job seekers and networking contacts. If you need an outstanding speaker with a dynamic personality and a great marketer, you need to give Katherine a call.”

Robert Paczula

Four words come to mind when thinking about Katherine: energy, enthusiasm, positivity, and strength. Working with Katherine is intense, creative, and fun. She’s an accomplished public speaker with messages that deliver meaning. Experience the energy!!”

David Akers , President, Celeritas Limited

“Katherine is an amazing woman. Professionally, her knowledge, network and ingenuity are beyond comparison. She is positive, proactive and gets the job done. In regards to energy, she can give the Energizer Bunny a run for his money. Personally, she is a great mentor and always willing to lend a word of encouragement, objective advice or connect you with someone else who can help. I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to hire her company for PR, advertising or fundraising.”

Crystal Thies

Life was not always a bowl of cherries for her and she too has conquered personal demons to become what I consider to be NEO’s Positive Attitude Secret Weapon”

Susie Sharp, Moriand Architects

Katherine spoke at our luncheon about how to make raving fans of their customers.  Talk about teaching by example!  Not only was Katherine a great speaker (cranked up a notch), but she provided something so important for the attendees – specific take-aways that could be used this very same afternoon.  I would highly recommend Katherine as a speaker, coach, mentor, marketer and friend!

Doug Johnson – CCEO-AP
Executive Director
Twinsburg Chamber of Commerce

Check out this new title, Marketing and Motivation CZAR. One of our clients called me the Marketing and Motivation Czar and I was grateful.  I never would think to give myself that title.  I am blessed with clients and staff that inspire me and I am thankful I can help them.

 As a university speaker, I speak on securing mentors and positivepeople in your life but most importantly, finding out what holds you back or what I call your shadow.  I let my shadow hold me back from success and happiness too long and I call my truth about this, my Dawn.  My book “Discovering Your Dawn” is a story of love, friendship, tragedy and hope.  

Please know how grateful I am to you for reading this blog and my book. I never imagined the impact the book would have I just knew I wanted to help people.  At our first book signing January 16th I was shocked over 125 people attended and I signed books from 12:40 to 4pm  it was amazing. 

I really wanted the book signing to be more networking and I wanted to interact with everyone not sit behind a table and sign books but Barnes  and Nobles was packed because my staff marketed the event so well. As a top motivational speaker I want to give my best to everyone I meet and I did not get to spend the time I wanted with each guest so my friend Tom Stephens is hosting the next event.

We are having the second book signing Feb 6th at Liberty Tax in Wadsworth at 1:30pm  this event should be smaller and I will get a chance to talk to everyone.

My book “Discovering Your Dawn”  was written to help people unlock their potential and I am hearing from people across the United States and now from other countries that the book is life changing.  I am so thankful the book helps people that was my goal.  I just want readers of this blog to know  that this book was hard to write and the journey contained many tears. To make an impact I had to share my mistakes and show the reader the reality of my bad choices.  I did not want to publish this book but so many people came to me that needed the book that I could not turn my back on the truth. I begged God so I did not have to publish but he had other plans.  I have learned to trust God and not push my own agenda, please know that is a daily struggle but I love God and trust his will for my life. As a christian speaker I am not perfect and I am a sinner like all of us. I just want you to know that I am trying to be a help to God.

I hope “Discovering Your Dawn” helps you and you share it with anyone who needs it.  The book benefits three charities and I want to thank each of you for inspiring me to get the courage to publish.  Jasmine wrote a nice note to me and I wanted to share that if you want to find me on twitter I am katherinemiracl    no e on the last name.  Jasmine thank you for inspiring me. 

I love marketing and motivating people and businesses to unlock their potential and I hope to see you Feb 6th for our second book signing!

Why do you let fear stop your success? As you learn from your past, do you see moments and opportunities that you regret not pursuing? Learn from them! As a university guest speaker I see that your fear of failing prevented your success and often your happiness. If you had tried and failed, you would have at least learned something, improved for your next attempt and had no regret. If you do not try you will not learn, you will not grow and you carry regret…you just push yourself away from what you want. During the time I was writing “Discovering Your Dawn”, I learned that I should have been there for my friend’s families but I was afraid it would upset the family to hear from me. When we reconnected in 2008, it was a time of healing for the family and me. This healing changed my life and I stopped holding myself back and saw my true potential. My next step was to ask for forgiveness from all the people I hurt during a time of tragedy. I was afraid and many tears flowed about how I should I ask for forgiveness or should I just bury all the pain. The ask to each person built new relationships, cleared up assumptions and healed the past. I struggled with forgiving the men that killed my friends and I knew it was unsafe to meet with them, just like some people you cannot have a relationship with but by forgiving them, you can move on and not give them power to hurt you. When I work with audience members as a christian speaker I hear of relationships that are unsafe and people we need to remove from our lives or maintain a distance.  If someone hurts you and you can forgive them and grow a healthy relationship that is amazing. But I have to acknowledge as a Corporate Motivational Speaker I have seen times when people cannot have a relationship. Sometimes we fear moving away from unhealthy relationships but that contains a risk of continued unhappiness, unhealthy behavior and loss of self.

When we fear, we let the fear dominate our actions. I know each decision I made could have a positive and sometimes negative effect. I finally decided that my book may bring up painful memories and it may hurt someone but the thousands of people who have read the book and share that it has helped them let me know I made the right decision. I knew I would have to pay a price for writing “Discovering Your Dawn” and I had to face my fear to show my past and my mistakes in an effort to help people unlock their potential. I used to be afraid to let my scar show and to talk about my friends who were murdered. I realized that my scar is a symbol that my parents love me. My parents made the decision to have an experimental surgery that no one knew would work. My parent’s decision saved my life, what if my parents chose to fear and I did not have that surgery? My friend’s murders have defined who they are and this year I have decided that is not acceptable. I am not afraid anymore because people need to know who my friends were and how important their lives are. My motivational speaking  and my book shows how my friends helped me and our other friends. I will not let fear stop our story from helping people. If you choose to not fear you can have what you desire, enjoy success and even if you fail, you will have no regret because you tried. Sometimes not everyone is happy with your risk but as you consider the risk consider the reward for you and for others. Fear can dominate your life…how long are you willing to let fear hold you back?