The BRAVE Interview #35: Deb Farina
Welcome to this month’s BRAVE Interview with
Deb Farina!
It began with one BRAVE step…leaving my full-time job of 5 1/2 years and a career of almost 20 years to focus on my business.
The BRAVE Interview #34: Karen Maffeo Creamer
Welcome to this month’s BRAVE Interview with … ME!
I have changed how I arrange these interviews and for the first time since I began The BRAVE Interview series, I don’t have someone to feature. Last night I remembered something that happened in my girlhood days that had always been painful to think about, and I realized that it was actually a pretty brave act. I decided to take this as a sign that it’s my turn–especially fitting since it’s my birthday month!
This is me (I am the second one from the bottom–surrounded by my extended family), at about the age that this event happened.
We moved a lot when I was growing up. I didn’t have much time to make friends before it was time to move again. When we did stay in one place for a few years, I still had to change schools, because the town we lived in had built a new elementary school and I was in the zone designated to go to the new one.
The BRAVE Interview #33: Dee Fournier
Welcome to this month’s BRAVE Interview with Dee Fournier!
- WHO are you? My name is Dee Fournier. I’m an average 55-year-old woman. I grew up in the seaside town of Cape Elizabeth in Maine. I am one of 4 siblings. We lived in an upper middle class area where all the neighborhood kids played kick the can, hide and seek, and walked the quiet community streets in the summer evenings. In the winter we sledded, ice skated, and engaged in snowball fights to combat the winter blues. It was a very Norman Rockwell type of setting.
- WHAT is your One Brave Thing? I haven’t yet embarked on my One Brave Thing, but I have made the decision to do One Brave Thing. I will be undertaking an incredible journey. I will be hiking the American Discovery Trail (ADT) … it’s a coast to coast trail – starting in Point Reyes CA to Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware. From sea to shining sea!
- WHEN did you do it? I will start my excursion on April 24, 2019
- WHERE did it occur? It is about to happen!
- HOW did you make it happen? I’m in the process of making it happen as I write this. The research and training have been “all time consuming”. Reaching out to businesses and individuals to donate to My GoFundMe (dee goes from trial to trail) is humbling to say the least. But am very proud of the friends that I am surrounded with … that have donated, that believe in what I’m about to take on.
- WHY did you do it? My sister was killed by her estranged husband. Up until this point I used to say, ‘My sister was a victim of domestic violence’, but I no longer want to say that. Juli (my sister) was a vibrant, STRONG, witty and passionate person. To portray her has a victim is wrong to me. She died at the hands of her angry husband. He shot her multiple times. Since her death, I’ve wandered somewhat aimlessly. Lost my marriage, jumped from job to job, from city to city, from state to state … I knew there was something missing in my life and KNEW that I had to somehow make a difference. Make an effort to somehow help other women get out of a dangerous predicament.
As I walk along the ADT, my hope is to stop at women’s shelters along the way. Not to share my story, but to listen to theirs. To encourage them and let them know that they are not alone. That there are resources available for them to take advantage of.
I don’t pretend that I’m going to save every woman I meet. We know it’s a vicious cycle with women returning to their abuser. But if I can possibly help one woman THINK about not going back. To help one woman from going back that particular hour/day. It’s a positive step in the right direction.
Follow Dee here:
YouTube: Dee Goes From Trial to Trail
Twitter: Deestahdiva
Instagram: Deestahdiva
GoFundMe: dee goes from trial to trail
Read the other BRAVE Interviews: The BRAVE Interviews
The BRAVE Interview #32: Brenna Threatt
Welcome to this month’s BRAVE Interview with Brenna Threatt!
Hi! I’m Brenna Threatt, the blogger behind The Great Wide Somewhere!
I started my blog because I love to travel and write. I’ve had incredible adventures while traveling and those experiences have convinced me that everyone should get out and explore the world.
Travel brings so many life lessons and unforgettable experiences.
I’ve been able to meet people around the world and have learned that everyone has a story to share. It saddens me that so many people miss out on opportunities like this. I hope that my blog inspires people to travel and gives them the confidence necessary to create life-changing memories.
Even though I love to travel, it can be intimidating. A couple of years ago, when I was newer to traveling, I had my first solo trip. I was heading to South Africa to volunteer at a children’s home I had been to with a group previously. This was already intimidating, but additionally, I had a layover for the whole day in London. I had always wanted to visit London and decided to use the layover time to explore the city. In order to do this, I had to figure out what I wanted to see and how to navigate the Tube (London’s Metro) to get there. This was something I was determined to do, but it was still intimidating.
The BRAVE Interview #31 February 2019: Carmen Shenk
Enjoy this month’s BRAVE Interview with Carmen Shenk!
I’m Carmen Shenk, and I’m a retired restaurant owner.
My Austrian and I were newlyweds, delighted to have finally found each other in our 40’s. He is a pipe organ builder and he was busy with restoration projects all over. While he was doing that, I was running our busy restaurant. In those days, we took a few trips to the ER for chest pains for him and I was showing signs of adrenal fatigue. In short, we were working too much and missing each other. We sat down and had one of those “come to Jesus” conversations and then we put our restaurant on the market. It sold quickly and we were free.
The BRAVE Interview #30 January 2019: Amy Irvine
Here is this month’s BRAVE Interview with Amy Irvine!
1. WHO are you? By trade, I’m a financial planner. I use the term “planner” and not advisor because I think there is massive confusion around that title.
I grew up without wealth, but in a family with a strong work ethic.
The women in my family were amazingly ahead of their time. They had strong personalities. My great-grandmother and I were very close from birth. Perhaps that is because I shared her name and because I spent so much time with her. Her middle name was Grace, and she represented it in so many ways. She reminded me that I could do anything and neither my gender nor my economic status was ever to be used as a limitation. I fell into my profession at 22. I was looking for something that would use my accounting degree, but didn’t know what that was and I was lucky enough to be hired by a small trust department. I am also a wife, a daughter, a volunteer and, hopefully, a trusted friend. This is my most important role, although right now the business I started in 2015 is “hogging” me.
Karen Creamer
I am an author. My books are about relationships, trusting yourself, and being brave. I love writing about food, books, and holistic health.
I write from the great state of Maine. Click here to connect with me.
Karen Creamer
