7/22/10

Common Threads: Ten Life Stories

Michelle Candland

Show Description:
1-2 pm PST Common Threads is filled with real life experiences, uplifting quotes, helpful tools for self improvement and numerous resources for personal growth. What you do with what you’ve learned has no limits—know that you are not alone, you are surrounded by people who truly want you to succeed and you are worth it! Common Threads began on a yellow note pad as talking points for a speaking engagement. As Michelle finalized her bullet point outline she realized she had just written a table of contents rather than talking points, and after three years of soul searching, writing, re-writing, inspirational interviews and documented research, Common Threads is now complete. Common Threads is a compilation of almost 60 years of Michelle’s personal experiences, ranging from early childhood memories, to adult “ah ha!” moments. It is a collection of little somethings that would later prove to be the cause of big somethings, joyful muses, sad observations, sources of pride, causes of embarrassment, and even periods of disgrace. All are threads of experience that are woven together to make up her life tapestry. There were times when she thought she had more unraveling than weaving going on; times when the texture was loose, the colors were dark, and the pattern was ill conceived. Other times, the edges of the images were precise, the colors were rich, and the big picture was filled with both accomplishment and hope for a brighter tomorrow. The chapters in Common Threads are complemented with the stories of other women who have been an inspiration to Michelle and who have taken their own artistic license to weave something special when they could have settled for the status quo. Many of the stories that unfold throughout the pages of Common Threads have never been told before. The courage necessary to dig up old pain and expose it to the world did not come easily. The reward is in the hope that every person who shares in the journeys of the women highlighted in the book will take away something positive, something empowering, and something inspiring that will make life a little easier and more fulfilling.

http://www.michellecandland.com

Guest Bio:
Michelle Candland was born in Los Angeles, California and was the older sister to three brothers. By the time she was three she had already learned the painful consequence of upsetting her alcoholic father, had witnessed her mother learning to please as a survival mechanism and was well on her way to accepting abuse as a normal way of life. Her parents divorced when she was six and at the age of eight, Michelle’s responsibilities included cleaning the house, getting dinner started and tending her younger brothers when her mother was at work. She smiles when she says, “I feel like I’ve been a Mom all my life!” The negative lessons she learned as a child would guide her down numerous paths cluttered with missteps, poor decisions and misguided loyalties but the positive ones would give her the strength to never give up, the belief in a power greater than herself and the desire to make a difference in the world. Michelle transformed her relationship inadequacies into an enviable marriage to her best friend, and her numerous short-term job experiences blossomed into a rewarding successful 20-year-career in commercial real estate. Her community involvement with Rotary International has provided her with a robust pool of opportunities to give back to the community and reap the blessings of service above self. Oriole1_optOn a personal note, the light of Michelle’s life is her family. She marvels at the fact that although she and her husband Art have blended six children from very different backgrounds, they all get along beautifully and on the rare occasion they are all together at once, the room is filled with laughter. The children are all married and the grandchildren number in the double digits. Anyone who knows Michelle knows she finds great peace and contentment in her garden. She tends to her flowers and cares for her koi like they were additional family members. Michelle is looking forward to sharing her insights and observations in her blog as well as in additional books in the future.