If You Can See It, You Can Manifest It
Most of us are relatable by the experiences that connect us. My name is Jewell Saunders and I am from Kansas City, Missouri. I grew up under some very harsh, dysfunctional hardships. The community I lived in was full of violence, drugs, mental, verbal, and physical abuse. Situations and circumstances that only lead to destruction.
My household was a reflection of that. My mother, who I love dearly, was on drugs. My stepfather was very abusive because he was on drugs also. My biological father was a good man, but being an over the road truck driver I only saw him when he was in town and that was not often. But when I did see him, he would pull up in his eighteen wheeler truck and blow that loud horn I loved so much, and he would let me ride around in that truck with him. He took me shopping, bought me fast food, gave me money, and we would have so much fun.
Then he had to get back on the road, so he would drop me off and my momentary dream life went back to my harsh realities.
Things had gotten so bad I ended up running away from home at eight years old, and this is when my life changed from bad to worse. I was homeless sleeping on benches in Swope Park where the Kansas City Zoo is located. The streets became my reality and I was forced to learn to survive at eight years old. This is a story for another time and my life story will be out soon.
I never knew that one day my experiences would make me relatable and connect me to a phenomenal man. A man whose story is captivating. In spite of the obstacles and hardships he experienced growing up, he turned his story into an amazing reality of him becoming the ambassador of hope. This man took his disadvantages and made them his advantages, and he has been hands on in helping people change their lives for the better. This is a man who has stopped community wars in different states that in turn saved many lives. He has started many successful businesses, created many self development programs, and been a life coach to everyone from the unseen underdogs to the leaders and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies all around the world. He was counted out and expected to lose, but let me share the truth of the matter with you. My friend, brother, and mentor Andre Norman went from being overlooked to overbooked, and from prison oppositions to a White House position.
God’s original intentions are always His final destination, so it was destined for our similar upbringing experiences to connect us. As I sit in a prison cell scrolling on my Securus tablet through different podcasts, I ran across Andre Norman asking his famous question that most prisoners cannot wait to hear. Are you ready to go home? Quite naturally I was interested. The more I watched, I was drawn to Andre’s humanitarian heart. The more I knew I wanted to know him, be connected to him, and work with him.
So true story, every time I saw the warden and deputy warden at the prison I was in, I was asking them to contact Andre Norman and ask him to come speak to us at the prison. This went on for about a month and I was very persistent to the point where sometimes the wardens would see me coming and beat me to the punch. I know, I know Mr. Saunders, Andre Norman, we are on it. So I would just smile and walk away.
Finally my persistence paid off when I saw a flyer on the wall with a picture of Andre saying the ambassador of hope himself was coming on April 23, 2024. I was so excited. I ran around sounding like T. D. Jakes to everyone who had not seen the flyer. Get ready, get ready, get ready. I did not even realize I was a proud spokesman for Andre Norman Incorporated.
The day had finally come. Andre showed up in real time and when I walked into the institutional gym for the event the warden said, Here he is right here, Jewell Saunders, the one who constantly stayed on us about getting you here.
Andre shook my hand and we exchanged a few words, then the show was his.He had to get on stage. To say the least, he gave an excellent and highly inspiring presentation. After he came off stage he mingled with us. When it was my turn to speak with him he expressed how he was glad to meet me and believed in me to do the right thing moving forward to create change.
This was, is, and has been life changing to me. To have Andre Norman, the ambassador of hope, tell me he believed in me. Wow.
So before I left his presence I expressed that I wanted to take a picture with him, so he called his assistant and told him to snap a picture of us. We took that picture, then as destiny would have it he became my friend, my brother, and my mentor.
He taught me that my past does not define me, how to renew my mindset through self development, and how to unapologetically live with integrity while every day doing things to prepare for things my future self will thank me for. Most of all, Andre Norman taught me something that I want to share with you. He taught me that the biggest investment I could ever make is not in making a dollar, but in making a difference. Not in living to profit, but in living in my purpose. He taught me that the greatest gift I could ever give is to pay it forward by investing in the life of others.
As I close I want to encourage all of you reading this to believe in yourself and know you can make a difference. Your story and life does matter and know that the best way to predict your future is to create it.
I look forward to seeing all of you at the global table of success full of leaders contributing positive acts of purpose all around the world. My first book will be out soon and trust me, it is a must read.
Thanks for your time, sincerely
