Get your popcorn this one is a long one!! It's only fitting that we kick off 2025 with a full meal and not just a snack. I share never before recorded stories and truths about myself and some healing tips that are sure to bless us all.

In this fifth episode, we visit July 21st, 1999, when I had just finished reading the book "Value in the Valley" by Iyanla Vanzant, and 19-year-old me was full of enlightenment and fresh epiphanies. The need for positive change was in the air then much like it is now and the entry hits on key themes below:

· Books and authors are powerful teachers and tools, Iyanla Vanzant is a prolific writer and a wonderful healer. I share some lessons from her book and from my life to share the wisdom and pay it forward. "The most powerful spiritual healer, fixer, teacher on the planet." —Oprah Winfrey

· Surrender is one of my words for 2025, and this entry is a good reminder of why it's important and how it becomes a reoccurring theme for many of us in our lives.

· What's really behind our procrastination? Let's go deeper because we know it isn't just laziness or fear.

· The reason why prioritizing the needs and wants of others above your own may seem noble but can be a recipe for disaster if we remain in that mindset too long. I share my own stories of how this came to life for me in the form of panic attacks years ago and how I continue to work to maintain and build a state of peace where joy can flourish.

My only question for you this episode is, "who can relate?!"

Author, poet, spoken word artist and emcee Opal Ellyse has been keeping handwritten journals since 1995. Each week she shares an entry and ties it to current events and relevant topics of conversation. Royalty is living in your legacy while you're still here. Understanding your past and bridging it to the present (and future) is a gift. Join Opal as she shares wisdom from the past as it becomes present day epiphany and a blueprint for all that is next.

Enjoy!

www.opalellyse.com

Music: DJ Pain 1

July 21st, 1999, Lessons from Value in the Valley