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ETB 45: This is Part 2 of a 2 part interview.

In this episode I talk with Victoria De La Garza and her mother Jennifer Gongora about their business, VK Girl Creations.  Victoria started in her High School Life Skills class learning to knit beanie hats on a round knitting loom.  She held her first pop up market at age 18, selling beanies to her fellow classmates.  Now, at age 24, Victoria’s hobby has blossomed into a growing business. She currently sells handcrafted beanies, bracelets and T-shirts online and at local vendor markets. The motto that Victoria and Jennifer live by is, “If you believe it, you can achieve it!”.

Be sure to catch the Part 1 of this inspiring interview, ETB 44.

VK Girl Creations:
https://www.vkgirlcreations.com/

Victoria’s Photography Portfolio
https://intro2photographyg4.wixsite.com/victoria-de-la-garza

J.J. Watt Dream Big, Work Hard Award Winner – Victoria De La Garza
http://jjwfoundation.org/dbwh-winners/

Connect with Victoria and Jennifer:
IG:  https://www.instagram.com/vkgirl_creations/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/VKGirlCreations

Connect with Sandy:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/sandydeppisch
Embrace the Blessing Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/ETB4ME
Website: http://www.embracetheblessing.com/

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In this episode I talk with Angela Bishop, owner of Brewed Blessings, a community coffee shop where special needs adults can gain meaningful employment and education in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.  Angela sees everybody as an individual.  Since God loves us all she believes we should love each other for who we are no matter what our differences are.

Five years ago, Angela had a dream of opening a coffee shop that employs individuals with special needs.   She knows God definitely called her to this.  No matter how many times she tried to ignore it, the dreams kept coming back.

It wasn’t until she had the same dream multiple times that Angela decided it was time to act on it.   With encouragement and support from her husband Jim, Angela moved forward, filing the necessary paperwork for a non profit business.   God is working out all the details and sending the right people to help Angela make Brewed Blessings a reality.

Angela knows that anyone who works at, volunteers at, or visits Brewed Blessings will walk out blessed and walk away knowing they are making a difference in someone’s life.

Brewed Blessings
https://www.brewedblessings.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070764337143
IG: https://www.instagram.com/brewedblessings/

Connect with Angela Bishop
Email: angela@brewedblessings.com

Dr. Grilli ~ Pediatric and Family Dentistry
https://www.dcadentist.com/

Connect with Sandy
IG: https://www.instagram.com/sandydeppisch
Embrace the Blessing Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/ETB4ME
Website: http://www.embracetheblessing.com/

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In this episode I talk with Heather Burdeaux, case manager and multi-talented, super busy mom of 3 about navigating life with 2 children who have special needs.  Her oldest, Arabella has Down syndrome and her youngest, Darin, has a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and Autism.  A  few years ago Darin’s behavior began to suddenly shift.  Heather took courageous steps to help her son through a very difficult period.  She believes in expectation management which ensures every family member is able to fully enjoy vacations and holiday gatherings as defined by each person’s individual needs.  She also encourages making time for your own friendships.  And, as an entrepreneur herself, Heather already has some great ideas about what the future might hold for Bella and Darin.

Connect with Heather:
Blog about raising her kids: http://shantijoy.wordpress.com
Medicaid Resources Website:  http://texasmedicaidwaivers.com

Connect with Arabella:
Arabella’s Wonderful Life YouTube Channel:  http://tinyurl.com/arabella911
Arabella’s Wonderful Life Shop: http://tinyurl.com/arabella911shop

Connect with GHFEDS ~ Greater Houston Families Exploring Down Syndrome
Website:  http://ghfeds.org/

Connect with Sandy:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/sandydeppisch
Embrace the Blessing Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/ETB4ME
Website: http://www.embracetheblessing.com/

Drumroll Please!

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You guys are awesome!  In a very short time, 54 entries from 28 people came POURING in.  Thank you for your thoughtfulness and creativity in helping Josiah name his budding new business.   It was extremely difficult to narrow down the list but Josiah’s amazing caregivers were up to the challenge.  I may have sent a few too many text messages to them with lists of names that were continually needing to be tweaked.  Everyone liked different ones so identifying the 3 favorites for Josiah to choose from was a bit of a challenge.

When the finalists were decided, the whisper guided Josiah through the selection process.  It was just after an evening shower, when Josiah usually prefers to head straight to his room.  He had just 4 hours of sleep the night before and walked a few miles that afternoon. Though he was tired, he complied.  Josiah was called over to the counter where he promptly sat down on a stool.   Three index cards were placed in front of him and the names read to him in order.

Read more…

We Need Your Creativity!

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While that may very well be true, we are powerless to come up with THE name for Josiah’s new business.  After many months creating behind the scenes, this new business venture remains unveiled, all due to lack of a name. 

Josiah and one of his amazing caregivers embarked on this new enterprise about 6 months ago.

The Josiah whisperer shared this business idea with me when Josiah was still in the midst of difficult challenges.  I’m well aware he works miracles with Josiah but from my perspective, this seemed like a stretch, even for him.   We were struggling to get through the days with no painful episodes of aggression/self-injury.   Contemplating a business endeavor at that point was not on my radar.

I should know better than to doubt the whisperer’s wisdom.  He and Josiah have a special connection that defies description.  He speaks and Josiah complies.  Truly remarkable. Read more…