I was born in a home of seven children, I was the 5th one so got choked... my dad was an irresponsible Alcoholic. I never experienced affection or never received any kind of stuff from him. When I was a teenager, I left the house and lived in the street like a tramp, got in to Drug abuse, was an Atheist, and at the age of 21 my life got changed by making a decision...

 ... to work for the poor and that led me to start a charity, which gives a future and brings a smile for over 2000 children and hundreds of families.

The woman that stands before you today, was not always the powerful, confident woman you see. I was once considered a "Geek", even though I was popular, I was still scrawny and was made fun of quite often for it.

My nickname was "Bean", so that sort of sums it up! When I was very young, there were a few things I knew for certain, without a shadow of a doubt, and one was that I was going to be an ACTRESS. No one was going to stop me, or tell me I couldn't do it. That's what I wanted and I was not afraid to go after it. I also knew that if I could gain recognition as an actress, that I would have an easier time of transforming peoples lives. That, is one thing that has ALWAYS been present for me. And that is to help transform peoples lives. It is in my blood and there is nothing that can stop me from doing it, it is a pleasure, an honor and a gift. It brings life to my body!

Our journey has taken us from relationship failures to the relationship of our dreams; from working low-paying, energy-sapping jobs we hated to running our own successful business doing what we love; from living in a dirty, depressing, gang-infested neighborhood to living in one of the most beautiful places on earth; from a couple of unknown wanna-be's with no money, no experience and no connections, to a pair of well-respected authors and entrepreneurs with some of the most powerful personal and professional relationships in our industry; from a life of struggle, confusion and doubt to a life of fulfillment, joy and ease.

When we met each other nine years ago, we discovered that...

It is with great pleasure that we pay it forward and share success stories from our peers. Here's one about Trudy.

The short story is that I've just opened my first art gallery, 2 years after starting my business and 3.5 years after holding my first art exhibition and 'moonlighting' in the art world while working in corporate America. And, I have to say that I LOVE MY LIFE! I'm working harder than ever, but it doesn't feel like 'work'. Every day is a thrill and I love helping people find great art they love. It makes SUCH a difference to be surrounded by beautiful art that inspires, uplifts and enriches.

Where Trudy comes from:

- I worked in corporate Europe/America for 12 years, in marketing and corporate communications/public relations (PR). Once I started the business I moonlighted for a while, testing the concept and then went part time to see if it was really viable before jumping in full time...