IMAGINE WHAT’S POSSIBLE WITH 100 WOMEN ROARING

Meet Kelly. One rainy April morning, Kelly had a car accident that jolted her physically, emotionally and spiritually. The proverbial last straw, that accident opened a door and allowed her to examine her role in a string of unfortunate events that had occurred in her life in recent years. The result was a realization that she was anything but a victim and that she had the power and the responsibility to choose her path and live an authentic life. Since then she has built a successful business, married a true friend and partner, and discovered a passion and talent for the book arts.

Meet Andrea. In 2006, Andrea “came out” as a rape survivor and created a program for survivors of sexual violence who are ready to laugh again. Within six months of its inception, Living Out Loud was given a prominent mention in SELF magazine and acquired by a national nonprofit. Through that experience, Andrea traded being weighed down by her secret for being empowered by her own leadership abilities. She woke up to her strength and to the power of sharing of her story.

Meet Mandy. Mandy’s awakening came in the form of a major promotion that she had worked toward for years. Rather than being a cause for celebration, her achievement left her feeling unsettled and troubled. Despite her efforts to ignore her inner voice, she eventually gave in to the fact that the universe was calling her bluff and that she was pursuing someone else’s dream rather than her own. And with that, she made a leap of faith and stepped off the merry-go-round to find her calling. While her search continues, she has learned that she always has a choice and that, for her, the cost of safety is not worth it.

Many women have had similar defining moments in life—a sudden or gentle awakening where something unmistakable happens: a woman’s experience of herself shifts from powerless to powerful. From whispering her worth … to roaring.

Hear Us Roar! is a collection of auto-biographical stories—like Kelly’s, Andrea’s, and Mandy’s—that celebrate the vitality, strength, and power of women across the globe. Our goal is to collect stories from 100 women, publish them in a book by the end of the year, and raise $100,000 from book sales to be donated to charity by June 2009.

Are you ready to roar? Do you know someone else who is? For more information, and to submit your story online, please visit the Tell Your Story page.

The time has come to Hear Us Roar!