(Originally Published in Exposure Magazine).

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Is happiness a choice? It is according to Dr. Tylisha Johnson. Dr. Johnson is the Founder, CEO and Chief Strategist of Transcending Horizons Enterprises Business Strategy Agency. She utilizes her excellent competencies in education and diverse corporate, nonprofit, entrepreneurial, administrative, and supervisory and life experiences to help people “Soar Beyond the Limits” in business and life. Dr. Johnson’s A.I.M.is to effect change as she Activates, Inspires, and Motivates others to Aspire Higher by speaking at a variety of events for youth, women and entrepreneurs.

Tylisha is truly a ray of sunshine, and clearly practices what she preaches. Since she is helping people in so many ways, we narrowed down what she should share with Exposure Magazine readers. Considering all the press surrounding the recent suicides, we chose to discuss being happy. Dr. Johnson chooses to be happy. Yes, she does believe it is a choice and that there is a true path to finding that happiness. When happiness becomes a choice, one must understand it will require an exchange. Choice involves letting something go. You must choose to let go of sadness, despair, disappointment or negativity to allow the exchange for happiness. These are sometimes hard choices, but they do have to be made consciously. One must CHOOSE to be happy.
Tylisha has formed an acronym for the word happy to describe how one gets to that happy space.

• H is for highly engaged. To become truly happy one must be present, engaged, and engrossed in the moment. Technology creates challenges for people today. You, your friends, and family deserve to have you present with them and not distracted, and genuinely creating connections and memories.
• A is Attitude of gratitude. If you are not grateful for your blessings and bounty, true happiness will likely elude you.
• P is for purposeful. Committing to live out your purpose will increase your happiness. Your aim should be to intentionally work towards that purpose. When you walk in your purpose, you will collide with your destiny. Your talents and skills will reveal your true purpose.
• The second P is for passionate. Passionate is sometimes an overused word but is truly significant. The passion to fulfill your purpose is what will keep you from throwing in the towel when times are tough. The passionate pursuit of your purpose is an expression of your happiness.
• Y is for Yes. Say yes to YOU! Schedule time for yourself. Give yourself the quiet time for reflection, meditations, reading, and focusing on nothing but what matters to you. Set boundaries and allow no one to interrupt this “you time”. Love yourself enough to be happy!

Choosing happy will be much easier if you are affirming that happiness is your desire. Dr. Tylisha Johnson offers great support on this and many other topics in self-discovery via her website at transcendinghorizonsent.com. Let happiness be your choice today!

(Originally Published in Exposure Magazine 2018.)

Protein bars are great for people on the go. Are they good for you? This is a common question. With contradictory opinions on every food, diet, lifestyle etc., we encounter, the noise is deafening. Unfortunately, it leaves us in position of feeling confused, rather than confident.

Perhaps a better question to ask is “why” we are eating them. Ae we using them for a meal substitute, or as a better option than a candy bar, or as a boost after a hard work out? Deciding what your needs are will help you better decide which bars are right for you. For most people, the top concerns are calories and sugar. When choosing a bar that fits your needs, think about what your purpose is. If it’s to cut calories and sugar, be aware that the ones that taste better to you may not serve that need. Be aware that certain elements of protein bars can cause uncomfortable digestive issues as well. Once again, asking why one wants to ingest them is a valid question.

Marketers work to lure you with names that remind you of things we already love but are diet wreckers. Stick to reading ingredients and look for natural ingredients that are as whole as possible. You can easily avoid all chemicals and artificial ingredients by going to the internet and making your own protein balls, bites, and granola bars. You can control the sugar and the ingredients. You don’t have to make the bars to last for weeks on a shelf by using preservatives. There are many reviews on line; you can weed through them, and then taste test them for yourself.

I encourage you to take control of this particular type of food in your diet and create one you love with whole ingredients that serves your needs, your body, and your lifestyle.  Be your own chef; it may save you dollars, your stomach comfort, and your health!

(Appeared In May online edition of Exposure Magazine).

Today, we struggle to understand the language surrounding our health and beauty products. GMO, toxic, nontoxic, and chemical free are among many confusing words that plague us.  It is nice to know that there are a few companies that are transparent, upfront, and honest about ingredients, sourcing, and manufacturing. One of those companies is Poofy Organics. When Kristina Gagliardi-Wilson’s mother, Nella Gagliardi, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, they began to research chemical free alternative products. They decided to create their own products when they discovered very few options. They have been creating delightful healthy product since.  The company, with its unusual name, is named after Kristina’s daughter Mariah, affectionately referred to as Poofy.  The very popular Baby Poof line was created for her son Nicolas.  It is truly a family affair, and all members help in the business. This New Jersey based business creates all the product themselves by hand, in small batches, and use only organic ingredients, including therapeutic essential oils and extracts. Poofy Organics does have the USDA certified organic stamp of approval.

Through the company’s distribution channel of Independent Guides, I had the pleasure of meeting Chelsea Allen. She had been using the products for three full years before joining as a representative. She was in search of some chemical free products for her two children. Her search led to this small New Jersey company. She has created an entirely free toxin zone at home with Poofy Organics products. She has become passionate about helping other create that same life. One might be surprised at the number and types of products this company has. Some of the categories are: skin, hair, and body care products, deodorant, toothpaste, and an entire household lines of cleaners. All are organic and toxin free. They even have cosmetics, nail polish, and nail polish remover; of course, these are also organic. Surprisingly, they even have nontoxic wax melts for your warmers. Chelsea was very kind to share some samples of the products with me. The most amazing thing is that, contrary to what you might think, these products smell amazing. The bottom line is that your favorite products are available, they smell amazing, and you CAN detoxify your house safely. If you are a parent looking to create a safer home with less toxins, Poofy Organics is a great place to start.  You can celebrate Earth Day with Chelsea Allen by  visiting CrunchyChelc - Poofy Organics and detoxify your home just like she did for herself and her family.

(Originally published in the online Exposure Magazine).

I completely understand the need for medical marijuana. This editorial is not to debate the benefits of it being used as such. I am very clear that, in many cases, it is very effective in medical treatments. Webmd.com states that medical cannabis or cannabinoids are used commonly by people with chronic pain, cancer treatment patients, those with seizure disorders, Crohns disease, etc. However, as I was strolling through Bourbon Street in New Orleans, and could smell it very strongly, I was pretty sure not everyone was suffering from a medical condition.  I travel a lot, and recently I have noticed that in big cities, I can smell waves of it wafting across the sidewalks and radiating off people who are in front of me in checkout lines. Are there really this many people falling into the categories listed above? It can be quite the profitable business to be in to be retailing it for medical usage, not to mention the profit gained from illegal sales. Yes, it is legal in a few states, but are we still faced with impaired drivers and other problems that come with being in an altered state of mind across the nation. I read an article that stated that some companies were still doing drug testing as a prerequisite for hiring but were not disqualifying people if they only had a dirty drug test because of marijuana. They simply are overlooking it because some employers, factories especially, cited they cannot find enough workers if they disqualify applicants based on that. I don’t think this is the best trend to ever occur in the United States. Who wants the liability of an impaired factory worker? Do you want the stoned forklift driver coming at you, your spouse, or your child? When you are driving down the highway at 70 miles per hour, do you consider who in the traffic around you is driving high? I think it’s a legitimate question. Perhaps we as citizens need to consider what the long-term impact can be and the message we are sending to our next generations. I believe that we need to focus on reaching higher, not getting high.

(Originally published in the March 28, 2018 Exposure Magazine.)

“Fall down seven times, rise up eight.”

The Japanese proverb, “Fall down seven times, stand up eight” has created an amazing movement. This movement was put in motion by music multimedia artist and entrepreneur Michael Nova. It has been a movement born of pain, scraped knees, perseverance, and the ability to not only stand up, but rise above the challenges in life, and find yourself and your center during adversity and succeed anyway. It started for Michael as a young boy, and that seed of an idea that was planted of falling and rising again grew. He has used his own experience of feeling different, and repeatedly being knocked down, to inspire and help people in their journey toward rising again. Nothing about his journey has been easy. Between health challenges, starting new businesses, almost facing bankruptcy, and maintaining and growing his musical career, he found a true purpose and passion. He used his own experiences to fuel his passion to overcome and succeed when no one believed in him or his dream. He founded the not for profit Rise up Eight to create a platform to share people’s stories of falling and persevering, rising again and stepping into their greatness. He has written a free downloadable e-book called Overcoming Adversity: 8 Ways to take Back Control of Your Life…Now! This e-book can be found on the riseupeight.org website. Michael chuckles when he describes what a labor of love this project is, and notes that it is completely self-funded. He described himself as a Do It Yourself – DIY guy. While this may have not been the easiest or fastest route, he is exceptionally happy and proud of each step and connection he has made along the way. You can read many stories and listen to interviews with some incredible people that Rise up eight has connected him to. Michael is continually in search of new connections and inspiring stories of people who have overcome adversity and went on to create success anyway. He continues to touch lives through his Rise up eight mission, as well as through his music, which is called X: THC (The Human Condition). Michael has found tremendous peace and acceptance through his music as well as using it to express himself. As a person who describes himself as an outsider who didn’t quite feel like he fit in, he is refreshingly honest and kind. His ability to easily connect with others is proof that he has lots of amazing company outside the norm. One of the most inspiring gifts Michael has is his voice. His voice exudes trust, kindness, acceptance and love. If you are that person who is struggling and has just fallen down… and needs a hand up- Michael Nova has created a beautiful space for you to be inspired, connect and heal at riseupeight.org.

To connect with Michael Nova you can visit riseupeight.org