The Alert Parent, Happily Ever After and Queen Power all rolled into one.

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Happy Day! The ice and snow are melting and the sky is clear and bright blue. I missed another trip to Chicago (some of you might remember last year's failed attempt). But other than that...all is well.

Enjoy today's first feature article. If you need a good laugh, then take the time to read it. And I'd LOVE for you to take the time to tell me your own stories on the subject. I know you have at least one!

The Parenting feature article is a must - read for anyone with girls. It's a great story to share with your daughters and/or granddaughters.

As always the articles will be posted below for your convenience. If you'd like all the bells and whistles, then click on the links.

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FEATURE ARTICLE #1: Automated Voice Madness
www.allynevans.blogspot.com

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FEATURE ARTICLE #2: The Gift of Uniqueness

Please note: Because this article is going to be printed in a book being released later this year (Be the Star You Are for Teens!) I am unable to post it on the blog (so no bells and whistles this week). However, I have been given permission to share with you and have posted below. BTW, this story is a great story to share with young girls.

For the story, keep reading...

In November I had the pleasure of meeting actress Jodi Shilling. We both spoke at a Girl Scout - sponsored event. Her story inspired me and the 300+ girls and moms in the audience. After hearing her story, I decided she would be the perfect subject for Be the Star That You Are! For Teens, a book that will publish her story (November 2009).

Here’s her story…

Jodi, most notably starring as Tiffany in That’s So Raven and on Comedy Central, grew up in small - town Indiana. When she was young, her farmer father had a hard time making ends meet. “We didn’t have much money, and I had to wear the same clothes over and over. I was the child with the cooties, the one the other kids called Groddy Jodi.” Add in excessive shyness and an almost crippling tendency to perfectionism, and Jodi consistently scored in the lower levels in reading and math. Then there was the lisp and funny voice. “All these things added up,” she said. “And fed my insecurities.”

By middle school she had conquered her perfectionism. With hard work, her grades soared. Her parents’ finances improved, and she enrolled in dance and singing lessons to help her overcome her shyness. She loved performing arts, and continued them throughout high school.

Jo Rowan, founder of the Dance Department at Oklahoma City University, saw Jodi perform and encouraged her to audition. She did and won a scholarship.

Jodi created a furor when she signed up for acting lessons her junior year. She didn’t know students weren’t allowed to enroll in dance and acting programs at the same time. “I wanted to take a few acting classes,” she said. Even though it caused problems, the dean of the acting department gave her his support and Jodi discovered acting was what she really wanted to do.

Her acting teacher hated her voice. He told her she would never make it in acting. Falling back on dancing abilities, she auditioned for the chorus in Chicago summer stock. “I blew the dance audition,” she confessed. “Afterward I made a joke. They laughed, and I decided to tell a few more. They kept laughing. By the end of the day, I had been invited to play the lead!”

Jodi headed to New York City to pursue her Broadway dream. “The only problem with that idea is I really couldn’t sing.” She then tried acting. Acting coach after acting coach told her she needed to change her voice. “I hired a speech therapist and voice coach. Both tried to teach me to talk in a lower register. It didn’t work.” She then hired a career coach who tried to change everything else about her. “When my money ran out, I finally had to stop. I had worked so hard and paid people lots of money. What a waste.”

That’s when she finally started thinking about her strengths. “I was trying so hard to be someone I wasn’t. No one was hiring me.” She decided if she sounded like a cartoon character, then maybe she’d have more success on TV. She auditioned for an L.A. agent. “You’re unique,” the agent told her. “You’re special.” Jodi left New York and never looked back.

Jodi found the more she accepted herself, the more work she got. “The most valuable lesson I learned, and will never forget, is you need to be who you are. Be yourself because that’s the best self you can be. That’s the self who will get you work. That’s the self who will open doors. That’s the self who will rise to the top!”

Allyn Evans
info@allynevans.com
www.thealertparent.blogspot.com