Live life like it's a movement: full of purpose and fiery resolve. How? By finding your significance and leaning, perhaps falling, in the direction of your greatness. Maybe you fail. That's fine. Just don't quit. But make forward progress at all costs. Success is found in the sum of its parts and how they fit uniquely. In other words, you matter. Your story matters. Our stories matter. Hence, Letters to My People was born-a conversation that hopes to affirm and provoke a renaissance in your heart and soul. It's never too late to start living your excellence! So start today. Aspire. Letters to My People is a poignant collection of intimate essays, poems, and aphorisms that aims to spark a chain reaction: a wave of honest growth from a quiet storm to a revolution of intent. Consider these letters the reflections of a fellow sojourner walking along that determined road. Now, here's your invitation to join me! Give no regard to your past, your record of wins and losses, your status, or your current beliefs. Rather, exhale and dance alongside the words and rhythms on the pages that compel you to discover, confess, and own your calling. Learn how to seize your worth from a power-packed, insightful read. Learn to expect more. Then be dared to instill that same know-how in another. Be encouraged and challenged to tap into your greatest self. Be the you that the world needs-the flint that ignites another soul. A legacy unknown or unfulfilled is a life never truly broken in. Instead, find your own clarity through the provocative voice of another in pursuit of an inconvenient and uncommon truth. What is sown in this exchange is certain to be reaped in the peculiar ways that each life counts. As explained in one of the essays, find your mountain. Every mountain has a name on it; and every person, a victory waiting to be claimed. Read Letters to My People and step into a brave, new you, and frame the world you want to experience.
Dr. Chris T. Pernell, a dynamic physician-leader and health and wellness visionary, strives to heal and transform souls. In her public health practice, she concentrates on community-based health promotion and advocacy and worksite wellness programs, emphasizing a holistic approach to total well-being. Specializing in vulnerable populations, she has sought-after expertise in health and wellness consultancy and prevention strategies. A cum laude graduate of Princeton University, she attained her medical degree at Duke University School of Medicine and an executive master of public health in healthcare management from the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. Dr. Pernell trained clinically before segueing to population-based care. Recently, she began the Johns Hopkins General Preventive Medicine Program, where she helps facilitate local, regional, and national public health and preventive medicine projects. Dr. Chris, as she is affectionately known, founded My Body & Me as a faith-based initiative to combat overweight and obesity and associated chronic illnesses. My Body & Me has expanded to include diverse audiences, spearheading the use of novel prevention practices for engaged, healthful living. In particular, the program was adapted for the public school setting with workshops for parents of school-aged children, and as a series for the residents of the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey. Dr. Pernell was selected as a contributing writer for "Health Care Rx," an online expert panel conducted by the Washington Post, where she submitted weekly blogs on the health-care reform debate. AOL highlighted one of her pieces as the best of the web in their weekly series. In Letters to My People, she affirms the unique greatness of each person and hopes to empower others to tap into their highest calling and abundance. Dr. Chris serves as a senior minister with Bet HaShem YHWH Worldwide Ministries, Inc. She actively combines her passion for faith with her vision to improve the health and well-being of souls and communities. Alongside her mission to heal, she labors as Director of Bet HaSHEM (the Praise & Worship Ensemble) and founder of YAHSpeak, an inspirational spoken-word performance group. Raised in East Orange, New Jersey, she has made Newark her home and purposes to raise her city to the standard of global beacon and urban gem. She vows to use the pulpit of public service to agitate for social change and justice.
