See, Believe, & Achieve

See, Believe, & Achieve Inspirational Person of the Month Maritza Melendez, Arrives in Washington, D.C. to embark on the grueling 26.2 mile run of her life! Stay tuned for the upcoming post about Maritza Melendez, who will be running in this year's Run for Wounded Warrior's Marathon in support of wounded warriors like herself. After a severe back injury led to an extensive surgery, doctors informed her that she could possibly never walk again, much less run. Six months later, this former U.S. Marine, mother of two, personal fitness trainer, and certified nutritionist is just two days away from proving the nay sayers wrong. Please join me in wishing Maritza good luck as she pursues her goal to finish the 26.2 mile race with a personal goal to finish in 4-hours! She truly is an inspirational person whose story embodies what it means to See, Believe, & Achieve! Please join me in supporting Maritza and our wounded warriors by visiting her page and donating to this g...

It has been a busy few weeks for me and in the brief moments between work and rehearsals for an upcoming musical I'm in (phew!), I have found myself reflecting on the people that keep me motivated. I was inspired to include a monthly post featuring inspirational people I have met (and will continue to meet) along my journey, who have moved me to be better, work harder, and stay positive. The human spirit is so powerful and surrounding yourself with positive people is essential to good mental health. I love people and nothing keeps me going than someone who has overcome a difficult situation in their life or encompasses such a passion towards life, that it pushes me to continue moving forward. The people who live to inspire and motivate others are true celebrities to me. Regular folks making a difference. Now that's something worth writing about! I'm excited about introducing you to the upcoming individuals each month and hope you find a m...

Well, thanks to Gwen Stefani's song "Hollaback Girl" I will forever know how to correctly spell the word banana. This fruit is my favorite of all time, not only because it tastes great, but it is one of the best brain foods. Bananas contain Tryptophan, which is an essential amino acid that converts to Serotonine . Seretonine is what affects our mood, causing us to feel happy (high serotinine) or sad (low serotonine). During my talks about mental health, I constantly refer to the term Serotonine, which serves as the base in helping to send out signals to various parts of the brain. Although Serotonine is developed in the brain the majority of it is stored in our digestive tract. This is just another reason why eating healthy is so important not only for your physical health, but mental health as well. So back to why bananas are rad. The Tryptophan found in bananas is also found in turkey and other protein foods. Tryptophan is associated with that sleepy feeling you get af...

Mayor/Coach Henry O. Sanchez and I at the annual New Mexico Highlands University Alumni Banquet, Las Vegas, NM Blog song of the Day: "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd  It's almost time for me to board a plane to my home state of New Mexico and I'm counting down the minutes! In exactly 24-hours I will be giving a free mental health/suicide prevention training in my hometown of Las Vegas, NM. In 2004, I read an alarming statistic that New Mexico ranked within the top five states for suicide rates. This raised a sudden sense of urgency within me. I didn't know how this issue was going to be addressed, but all I knew was that someone, anyone, had to do something. My parents were currently living in Houston, TX so I immediately drove to the one place and person who I knew would care as much as I did, and had the power to do something. Pulling up in my 1988 red Nissan Sentra (primmered on the side). I parked my car at Cit...