Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening everybody.
It's your girl, Sonia McQueen, with your mind, your body, your choice.
Or it is your life.
What are you going to do with it?
So there's the show I watch.
Some of you may have heard of it.
Maybe not.
It's called Dark Mirrors.
And Dark Mirrors is like, I'm a Twilight Zone buff.
Like I watch Twilight Zone every day.
I don't even have to look at it to know exactly what's going to happen.
As soon as it comes on and I hear a voice, I know what episode it is.
I can't help it.
I've been watching Twilight Zone since I was a kid.
And I watch it annually.
I have the entire series.
My daughter bought it for me several years ago because it's on CD.
It's crazy, but I love Twilight Zone.
I don't care for the newer ones.
But I like my favorite are the ones from the 50s and 60s.
And then I like the ones from the 80s.
It's been redone several times.
But anyway, I used to also like Tales from the Crip if you've never watched.
I love Tales from the Crip.
And then I watched a few other things like Creepshow.
I like stuff like that, but I don't like scary movies.
I will not watch a scary movie, but I like things that make me think like psychological
thrillers or things that have a plot twist.
That's why my favorite movies were 1408 and the usual suspects.
But anyway, let me get back on my point.
So Black Mirror is kind of like that, but it's technology.
They are like Twilight Zones, but they have the added layer of technology.
So I like them.
And my kids like them.
As a matter of fact, one of my kids introduced me to the show.
And yesterday I watched one.
They have a new season out.
It's the first time, I think since 2018 or so, but they have a new season out.
And I watched the first and second episode yesterday and it prompted this.
And my question to you is what if your biggest victory comes from your deepest valley at
the time of your greatest sorrow, your greatest grief, your greatest hurt and turmoil came
the biggest victory of your life.
Of course, I'm going to give you guys some examples.
But how deep and beautiful is that to literally turn your deepest.
I don't mean just to tell other people and to give them promise and hope.
I don't mean turning your valley into a testimony.
I mean that valley becoming so grand, grandiose in your life that it's a head shaker.
It's like amazing.
It's like God purposed and driven.
Right.
I kind of feel that a way about myself sometimes.
You know, I take my biggest valley, my saddest point in my life, the point in my life I wish
I didn't exist anymore.
And it was when I gave my son up.
And out of that, a book came and then another book and now a third and fourth book and television
and radios, but I wasn't happy and I wasn't content because I wasn't trying to take such
a sad situation and promote myself from it.
You know, I wasn't trying to prosper from that kind of pain.
Some people go through things and all they want to do is prosper.
They just want to figure out how can I make a lot of money off of this?
And that wasn't my point.
So I walked away and I had to let by motivation.
My first book, Vanessa's Choice, was doing so well.
Oh my God.
I know it was on its way because even the movie guy that's now deceased, John Singleton,
he talked to my manager about making a movie of it before his, you know, untimely demise,
but it was on that level.
Vanessa's Choice was really on that kind of level and I didn't care.
I didn't care.
My company led by motivation being sought after all over and I didn't care.
I closed it all motivational monthly.
The free newsletter I put out, I closed all those chapters and walked away.
But look at this, y'all.
Not only did I pull my books off the shelves, which I told you before, and I stopped motivational
monthly and I packed up my bags and moved to somewhere where I knew people didn't know
me.
But what happens?
Somebody's like, hey, I have your book.
Can you please come and speak at my group?
And hey, can you do this?
Can you do that?
And then somebody else.
The next thing you know, I'm having monthly meetings in my house called motivational monthly
in my house, but it was just for women.
And then I'm speaking here every blue moon and I'm writing again and look at me today.
We are talking 30 years from my deepest valley, 30 years.
Not only do I have led by motivation again, I have led by motivation outreach that will
reach back and help anybody that is homeless, hurting, disenfranchised, get back on their
feet.
Do more than just feed them.
Do more than just throw some clothes on them.
Do the extra to ensure that they go from homeless to their own homes, to a job, to their own
way of living again, giving them a second chance.
Not only did I have the first and second book, I'm working on the third and fourth
and fifth.
Not only did I do X, Y, and Z, but now I'm doing K, Y, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, N, U,
and V, W, X, Y, and then Z.
Because I have decided not to let that one chapter of my life pigeonhole me, not let the
negativity that came from so many people who were supposed to love and support me, pigeonhole
me, not let them hold me and put their feet on my neck and keep me down and make me feel
bad about a decision I made 30 years ago for a young man who is awesome.
When I tell you, you would never know I gave my son up.
You would never know he was raised by.
He has so much of my personality and my brother Stacey's personality and my brother Greg's
personality and him and his sisters act like they've always been.
14 years in my life is more like 30 years in my life, like we didn't miss a beat.
How am I going to let a situation I made 30 years ago that was turned around in positivity
still keep me in a negative state of mind?
That valley has turned out to be my biggest victor.
That valley has turned out to be my biggest victor because of that valley.
I met Paula because I met Paula.
I moved to Florida because I moved to Florida.
I met my husband because I met my husband.
I have my own business because I have my own business.
I am prospering and helping others.
And it all started with a valley.
What have you done in your life that is so bad?
You're just so ashamed.
You just want to turn around and pray nobody ever finds out.
Nobody sees it.
Nobody knows.
Nobody ever just ever turned it around.
Nobody can do it but you.
I promise you your biggest valleys, your deepest valleys, your lowest points can be the best
thing that ever happened to you.
You might not see it.
This is starting to sound like a sermon, huh?
But it's okay.
You might not see it.
But I promise you I am a living walking witness testimony.
You call me what you want, slap a stamp on me, send me all around the United States, send
me all around the world.
Because what I thought was going to kill me and take me out of here has been nothing but
a blessing for me.
Was it a blessing to give away my son, hell, nah.
But the actor effects.
I had to go through something to get somewhere, y'all.
I had to go through something and learn from it to get somewhere, y'all.
I had to go through something, learn from it and turn it around for the good to get somewhere,
y'all.
I promise you if you're missing out on any of the greatness that me and the people I
know are spreading shame on you.
I mean, keep listening to the podcast.
Thank you.
But I have a free newsletter.
It costs you nothing but to send me your email address.
It's called Motivational Monthly.
It's just full of positive stories.
Different people write for it.
If you feel like writing for it, write for it.
You feel like sending me a poem, send me a poem.
You feel like sending me a quote, send it to me.
A puzzle, a picture, send it.
You want me to talk about your business and it better be a positive business.
Don't send me a strip club business, y'all.
Please send it to me.
I'll put it in there.
I'm not asking you for anything.
I promise I'm not going to turn around and say, okay, I've promoted your business.
Three newsletters now you owe me a thousand.
Come on.
Free is free.
Everybody says nothing is free.
This is free.
Just send me your information.
That's it.
You just want to read it.
Good.
You want it to go in your community center.
Great.
You have a church or some kind of following, positive following.
You want them to have it.
Great.
Just send me an email address.
It's that simple.
Send it to Sonya, S-O-N-Y-A-M, as in money.
Sonya M at LeadbyMotivation.com.
You have a story you want to tell, you want to be part of this podcast.
You have something you want me to talk about on this podcast.
Send me your idea.
I will not use your name.
The only time I will use you or your likeness is if you want me to.
If you want to actually speak on this podcast.
And I've even spoke to somebody on this podcast and they can use their real name.
It's that simple.
You want that?
Send us a message led by Motivation07 at Gmail.com.
It is that simple, y'all.
It is that simple.
Motivational monthly used to go to 12 different countries.
I had over 500 subscribers.
Some were churches and community centers and even jails.
And I stopped that.
I just want to get back there.
I want to get back to the point where we're blessing people because out of my valley is
nothing but greatness.
All right, you all, you have a wonderful day on purpose.
I'm actually going to chill out and have a beautiful day in silence for the next few
hours.
Take care and I will talk to you tomorrow.