Lisa Ward is a motivational speaker, published author, manager, artist developer, mentor and founder of Avodgy Collection, Humble Doc Publishing, SECDUM Magazine, and Deadline Production/management. Her book, Empowered by Disadvantages, chronicles her many adversities and how these have empowered and propelled her to the many successes in her life such as establishing a magazine that interviewed various famous & iconic artists. Lisa is also passionately dedicated to transforming today's youth into successful entertainers, entrepreneurs, and authors.Ms. Ward gets her love for the entertainment industry, writing, and business hustle honestly from her mother, her business-savvy father, and her sisters. She is the second oldest sibling of nine creative and gifted children. She has accomplished a great deal in 40 years.God changed Lisa's life and direction, transitioning her gifts toward impacting the youth of today. Lisa has always loved working with children and young adults. She has a strong desire to develop their careers and businesses while motivating others to view their hardships in a positive way. Keep your eyes on Lisa Ward and support her endeavors because whatever goal or project she has set her mind to, she is going to accomplish it and help as many people as she can!
Co-author Olivia Tishaee hails from Camden, New Jersey. As a model, wife, and mother of three, Olivia uses her character traits of being strong, loving, and hopeful to motivate others and speak life into everyone she encounters. Being a teenage mother did not stop her from achieving her goals. Mrs. Olivia is fluent in American sign language and a god-fearing woman whose passion is to touch the hearts of all those who are willing to accept love and to help others in whatever way she can.Olivia is very involved with the Empowered by Disadvantages mission because she understands what it is like to be part of the foster care and adoption system. Like Jamil and Lisa, Olivia desires to be a voice for voiceless children; the EBD podcast and book allows her to accomplish this goal. Tishaee positively impacts everyone that she meets. She reminds readers that you never know what someone may be going through, so please be careful about how you treat that person; you could be their last source of life. Further, we should always speak life because the tongue is a powerful weapon. Olivia chooses to use hers for good!
Jamil Bey was born May 23, 1979, in Pittsburgh, PA. From the age of 4, he was raised between there and Miami Beach, FL. He was always the youngest in his social circles, which caused him to grow up a little faster than his peers. At the age of 12, he became an active gangbanger; despite this, he still maintained a 3.9 GPA. Jamil received an academic scholarship to Tuskegee University where he triple majored in Mathematics, Physics, and Aerospace Engineering. While in college, he worked as an assistant teacher at Tuskegee Institute Middle School and tutored students from elementary through college. Jamil volunteered as a gang counselor in several cities and for the YMCA as an after-school counselor. This background is what led him to be such a great fit for the EBD team.Jamil and Lisa met while working at the same job. They had so many things in common that they became business partners for the clothing line Avodgy. Lisa had already written Empowered by Disadvantages, beginning a movement that Jamil related to because of his past. When Lisa proposed that Jamil be added to the EBD Podcast panel, he jumped on the opportunity without a second thought!Mr. Bey uses his street experience and youthful spirit to assist youth with overcoming adolescent challenges and disadvantages. His background in dealing with at-risk youth enables him to tap into and address underlying troubling issues. Often, when kids act out, something else triggers those attitudes, and Jamil is proficient in dissecting those issues to resolve gaps in communication gap and refocusing on learning. Mr. Bey's biggest accomplishment was seeing the "problem children" that he taught in middle school become high school honors students and giving him credit for enjoying school and getting good grades. These students would graduate and pursue higher education as if they never had a hiccup in their primary schooling! Lisa's team has the same priorities-to give the youth the voice they deserve, and Jamil has joined "ten toes down" as part of the movement.
