Genma Holmes Talks Christmas and Volunteering to Jacque Reid on the TJMS

For several years, I have spoken to Jacque Reid on the Tom Joyner Morning Show about my role about as Ms. Santa. Each year, we have discussed the trendy toys and how to give back to others during the holiday season. Tune in to hear us share about www.livingtogivenow.com

Our time is the most important treasure we can give to anyone. Our volunteer time goes a long way in a child's life and makes a difference in their formative years. I volunteer to read to children as often as I can. During the holidays, it is my number one gift I give. Along with reading to children from all backgrounds, I give elementary schools books that shows positive images of African Americans. Baby Santa And the Missing Reindeer is a wonderful book that reflects diversity that is perfect to read this time of year.

Eastside Story presented Ms.Santa this book by author M. Maitland DeLand

Ms. Santa and her annual visit to Nia House Montessori

The season's hottest toy items are still the basic. Some thing never change. Girls and women are embracing dolls more and more and toy manufacturers are answering the call to make dolls that inspire our girls to be the best they can be.

www.prettybrowngirl.com

The Pretty Brown Dolls sold by the Pretty Brown Foundation are as cute as their owners. I recommend this doll because of the work of the The Pretty Brown Foundation. The Pretty Brown Foundation is a movement that empowers and inspires girls and women to celebrate their shades of brown with a simple yet powerful message. By developing positive self esteem, confidence and leadership, girls are empowered to dream their biggest dreams and live the lives that they imagine for themselves. 

For women who are young at heart or doll collector, the Ava DuVernay Barbie doll by Mattel, if one can be found! Proceeds from the doll goes to a charity. 

With the push to get kids moving again, bikes and skates, should be at the top of the list for boys and girls alike. Riding a bike helps kids get unwired from technology and gives them much needed excersie. Many family are taking biking trips, the Christmas break is a good time to take a trip that will allow riding together. Don't forget to get helmets as well.

Speaking of exercise, women are asking for FitBit to track their steps. This would make a perfect for adults who are seeking to get healthy in 2016. 

The hoover boards are the rage teens for teens. They can be pricey.

As Ms. Santa,  I am a giver. But even without my suit, I love to see "Black Gives Back." Look for non-profits that are doing amazing works and good deeds in your community and send them a check or find ways to volunteer. I am involved with non-profits that help make the world a brighter place, especially in the arts community. 

 
One of my favorites is the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. Gifting a membership to a family or individual is an awesome year round gift that will used often. Everyone can write a check at the end. It does not have to be a large amount. But every dollar counts.

Lastly, this was busy year for me behind the scenes with many wonderful endeavors to serve others. Two that will stay with me for years to come were seeing my friend Lt. Colonel Daphne Young being recognized for her service to our country. To often, we leave our women who serve out of recognition programs for the military and veteans. It was an honor to watch her peers, sorority sisters, and other organizations particpate in her surprise retirement ceromony. The beauty of being Ms. Santa is the spirit of giving last year round.

The other special moment happened this month. I spent the time at Ty's House in Franklin, TN. Ty's House was named in honor of Ty Osman, II. Ty gave the gift of life by being an organ donor. Many individuals are alive because of him. I am encouraging everyone to give the gift of life by registering to become an organ donor.

Ashley Lawal Talks Holiday Guide on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Join Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes as we profile organizations and leaders who lead by example. With extraordinary acts of kindness and charitable giving that help countless lives daily, these organizations and leaders embody "Be the change you want to see in the world."  Throughout 2015, listeners have heard from presidents of organizations who are global change agents. We will also heard from CEOs of social enterprise businesses who are changing communities, educators who are taking their students out of the classroom and into surrounding neighborhoods to learn and serve others and from activists who keep the community engaged and empowered.

On Small Business Saturday, November 28, 21015, tune in to hear founder Ashley Lawal of Urbannite discuss the importance of supporting local small businesses not just on Small Business Saturday but throughout the year. Hear how Urbannite has used its online platform to bring traffic to businesses' websites and store fronts. Listen to her share her about her latest venture since her last visit to Living Your Best Life's studios and what are the plans for next year's big homecoming guide.

Genma and Ashley having fun at WENO.

Ashley and I will also discuss the benefits of partnering with other brands to increase awareness of your goods and services.  And why doing good in the community by volunteering is an awesome way to make others learn more about your company while putting your mark on helping others.

Tune in for a fun show that will help guide you through the maze of holiday shopping while supporting local small businesses.

Living Your Best Life, a radio show that empowers, inspires, and motivates us to live our BEST life, is heard on 760AM The Gospel in the Middle-TN area, Tune In,  military bases and on Ustream.TV worldwide from 9:00-10:00am CST.

More About Small Business Saturday

First there was Black Friday. Then Cyber Monday.  And on November 27, 2010, the first ever Small Business Saturday. Small Business Saturday is the day we celebrate the Shop Small movement to drive shoppers to local merchants across the U.S.

More than 200 organizations have already joined American Express OPEN, the company’s small business unit, in declaring the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday.

More About Urbaanite's Ashley Lawal

Urbaanite was founded by Ashley Lawal, born in Nashville and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. Home is definitely where the heart is and moving back to Nashville after graduating from Northern Illinois University was one of the best things she considers she could have done.  She is a Christian, wife, daughter to the best Mom ever and foodie, with a huge love for family & close circle of friends. She is a marketer by day and unofficial chef by night, trying out the latest recipes she seeks out on her favorite blogs.

Her love of all things entrepreneurial started when she launched her first business in 2009, iHospitality, an eco-friendly packaging company in the city. On Urbaanite she states, "I am so excited to now have the opportunity to share and connect with other like-minded folks in the community that make up our culture here in Nashville."

Artist to Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Popes on Living Your Best Life with Genma Homes

Join Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes as we profile organizations, leaders, and volunteers who lead by example. With extraordinary acts of kindness and charitable giving that help countless lives daily, these organizations, leaders, and volunteers  embody, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

On Saturday, November 14, 2015, tune in to hear the artist to Presidents, Prime Ministers, and three Popes, Igor V. Babailov. Igor V. Babailov, Hon RAA, world-renowned portrait and figurative artist, Honorary Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts (est.1757), scholar and spokesperson for the traditional school of art, was born on February 9, 1965 in  the town of Glazov, Udmurt Republic of Russia, into a family of academia. Listen to him share about being selected out of thousands of applicants for one opening at the Moscow Secondary School of Fine Arts later renamed The Moscow State Academic Art Lyceum under the Russian Academy of Arts.

His selection into this prestigious  school was a stepping stone to a lustrous career that has allowed him to paint official portraits of world leaders and teach master classes at some of the most highly regarded institutions of higher education around the globe. 

Mr. Babailov will also share about his meetings with Pope Benedict XVI (Vatican, Rome), Pope St. John Paul II (Vatican, Castelgandolfo) and the unveiling of Pope Francis (Vatican, Rome) portrait when the Pope visited the United States. For those who would love the opportunity of a lifetime to have one of his sketches or portraits to add to their family treasures, tune in to hear how you can own one of his masterpieces that will help benefit a fundraiser with the Brentwood Woman's Club on December 1, 2015.

Living Your Best Life, a radio show that empowers, inspires, and motivates us to live our BEST life, is heard on 760AM The Gospel in the Middle-TN area, Tune In,  military bases and on Ustream.TV worldwide from 9:00-10:00am CST.

More About Igor V. Babailov 

 Igor V. Babailov, Hon RAA, world-renowned portrait and figurative artist, Honorary Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts (est.1757), scholar and spokesperson for the traditional school of art, was born on February 9, 1965 in  the town of Glazov, Udmurt Republic of Russia, into a family of academia. His father, Valery Babailov, was a portrait and landscape painter, he taught art in a preparatory art school. He was also poet and composer. Igor's mother, Rosa Kudasheva Babailova, was an acclaimed and award-winning teacher of biology & chemistry. In the family of cultured and academic intelligentsia, Igor and his brother Vladislav, grew up in an environment of ethics and inspired creativity.

 Igor V. Babailov is one of the most sought after portrait artists of the historic academic tradition. Deemed Living Master by the Art Renewal Center and recipient of national and international awards and honors, his paintings of world leaders, celebrities and distinguished individuals are in official public, private, corporate and museum collections, including those of: 

 President George W. Bush (Bush Presidential Library), former First Lady Hillary R. Clinton (Clinton Presidential Library); Supreme Court Justice, The Hon. Joseph P. Sullivan, (Supreme Court, New York); General David H. Petraeus - United States Army Commander and CIA Director (West Point Museum), historic new portrait of George Washington (George Washington’s Mount Vernon Museum); Pope Benedict XVI (Vatican, Rome), Pope St. John Paul II (Vatican, Castelgandolfo); Nelson Mandela (Presidential Collection, SA); HRH Prince Andrew (Buckingham Palace); Mayor Rudolph Giuliani of New York, (Giuliani Partners, NYC); Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, Kirill (Moscow Patriarchate); President Vladimir Putin of  Russia (The Kremlin); Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, (Parliament Hill, Canada); Gov. Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England; Senator Michael Pitfield; TV personality Regis Philbin; actor James Gandolfini; Isadore Sharp, Founder & CEO (Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts); Dr. Wayne Streilein (Harvard University); pianist Byron Janis and Maria Cooper Janis, (daughter of film star Gary Cooper); Ted Lazenby (The Board, Kennedy Center, by Presidential Appointment);  hockey legends Bobby Hull and Vladislav Tretiak, American football stars Boomer Esiason and Tiki Barber; Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, world-renowned Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa (Steven Spielberg’s Starlight Starbright Foundation, Japan) and many others.

Take the Ford HBCU Community Challenge: Grand Prize $75,000

Often times there are economical opportunities available that can help us make a difference in our personal education goals, communities and HBCUs. What is usually required is a little determination to make it happen!

The Ford HBCU Community Challenge wants HBCU student teams to present their best ideas on "Building Sustainable Communities." One first-place student team will receive a grand prize of $75,000 in scholarships and prizes for their university and community. 

What an excellent opportunity for students educational goals while helping the community go further.

The deadline to apply is November 1, 2015! For more details, click here!

Tom Landstreet on Living Your Best Life Radio with Genma Holmes

Join Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes as we profile organizations, leaders, and volunteers who lead by example. With extraordinary acts of kindness and charitable giving that help countless lives daily, these organizations, leaders, and volunteers  embody, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

Genma Holmes and Tom Landstreet at The Rotary Club of Nashville

Tune in Saturday, August 15, 2015 to hear  Tom Landstreet help us connect the dots between government economic policies and stock prices. Mr. Landstreet will break down Wall Street jargon to Main Street, USA listeners while giving us his opinion on the breaking economic news.

Mr. Landstreet has researched and written about rising energy prices are the result of bad government policy, why food prices are soaring, and the how the Ethanol Mandate affected consumers.  
Mr. Landstreet is well known for his being a top stock picker, we are hoping he shares what he predicts will be the best stock for 2016.

This show promises to keep you entertained while empowering, inspiring and motivating you to live your BEST life. Tune in to  760AM in the Middle Tennessee Region, on Tune In, streaming live online at UStream.TV, and on military bases on Saturdays from 9:00-10:00am CST.
 
 More About Tom Landstreet

Tom Landstreet shares his wit and wisdom as a top contributor to Forbes.com and as a speaker at investment and corporate conferences and other events. He runs an economic research business where he serves some of the world's top hedge funds and mutual funds. In his research, he analyzes government policies for investment ideas. (After all, government is the 800lb gorilla in the economy defining incentives positive and negative). It is the unintended consequences of ambitious government policies that have led to the great booms and busts in history. 

He is co-founder of Tell-Tale Capital Management as well, a registered investment advisor. Tell-Tale manages money for individuals and endowments.

Tom is a native Nashvillian though his career took him to New York, San Francisco and Atlanta for 20 years. He moved back to his hometown 12 years ago and loves Nashville! 

Prior to getting a real job, Tom was a musician, comedian and advertising copywriter. Of course being a comedian was perfect training for a career on Wall Street!

Tom owes much to his mentor, Arthur Laffer, father of the "Laffer Curve," a tax refugee from California, who  hired Tom as an Executive VP of his research business. Arthur taught Tom about what they call "supply side" economics.

Tom has been married for nearly 26 years to his college sweetheart and is the father of 3 well-behaved children. He serves on the board of the Sexual Assault Center as well.

Part 2 Williams and Johnson Discuss Alanta Public School 12 on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Join Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes as we profile organizations, leaders, and volunteers who lead by example. With extraordinary acts of kindness and charitable giving that help countless lives daily, these organizations, leaders, and volunteers  embody, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

On Saturday, July 4, 2015, tune in to hear part two in a series on the Atlanta Public School Scandal. Dr. Sharon William and Tamar E. Cotman Johnson. Dr. Williams and Ms. Cotmon Johnson are two of the Atlanta Public School educators charged with racketeering on April 1, 2015. Dr. Williams and Ms. Cotton Johnson will continue to discuss life after the verdict. Hear how educators were the first in the history of this country to be criminally charged and later jailed for RICO.

Hear them continue to debunk myths told in the media about the case and why it is important for us to understand how RIOC laws were used to prosecute the educators. Learn more about what was said at trial and what was not allowed to be entered into the proceedings. Learn more about the chilling affect this case has had on educators around the country and how the case is a fight against a belief that poor children cannot meet or exceed high standards of academics.

This is not Law and Order. This is real life. And real lives. This interview promises to empower, inspire, and motivate you to live your BEST life...and ask more questions. Tune in tp  760AM in the Middle Tennessee Region, on Tune In, streaming live online at UStream.TV, and on military bases on Saturdays from 9:00-10:00am CST.

Williams and Johnson Discuss Alanta Public School 12 on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Join Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes as we profile organizations, leaders, and volunteers who lead by example. With extraordinary acts of kindness and charitable giving that help countless lives daily, these organizations, leaders, and volunteers  embody, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

On Saturday, June, 27, 2015, tune in to hear Dr. Sharon William and Tamar E. Cotman Johnson. Dr. Williams and Ms. Cotmon Johnson are two of the Atlanta Public School educators charged with racketeering on April 1, 2015. Dr. Williams and Ms. Cotton Johnson will discuss their lives before and after the verdict. Hear how educators were the first in the history of this country to be criminally charged and later jailed for RICO.


Hear them debunk myths told in the media about the case and why it is important for us to understand how RIOC laws were used to prosecute the educators. Learn more about what was said at trial and what was not allowed to be entered into the proceedings. Learn more about the chilling affect this case has had on educators around the country and how the case is a fight against a belief that poor children cannot meet or exceed high standards of academics.

This is not Law and Order. This is real life. And real lives. This interview promises to empower, inspire, and motivate you to live your BEST life...and ask more questions. Tune in tp  760AM in the Middle Tennessee Region, on Tune In, streaming live online at UStream.TV, and on military bases on Saturdays from 9:00-10:00am CST.

More About Dr. Sharon Williams

Dr. Sharon Davis Williams is a graduate of the public schools and system of higher education in Arkansas. She earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Arkansas, the University of Central Arkansas and the University of Arkansas, respectively.  On more than one occasion, Sharon Davis Williams has been invited to Harvard University to participate in post-graduate study that has enriched her professional practice.  As a result of her professional relationships with internationally known foundations, such as General Electric, Panasonic, Wallace and Gates, she has been provided unique opportunities to work with and learn from some of the best minds that generate and disseminate knowledge that portend to have a positive influence on organizational performance, including data driven decision-making, teacher quality and student achievement.


More About Tamara E. Cotman Johnson

Tamara E. Cotman Johnson possesses more than 23 years of educational experience.  Tamara’s career began in Wichita Public Schools (USD 259), where she worked in various capacities including Teacher, Principal, and Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Schools from 1992 to 2004, until she was recruited to serve as the Executive Director of School Reform Team 4 in the Atlanta Public Schools from 2004 to 2012. Since 2012, Tamara has served as an independent leadership development consultant.

Tamara completed her B.S. in Elementary Education (Summa Cum Laude) at LangstonUniversity in 1992 and obtained a Master’s in Educational Administration (4.00) from Wichita State University in 1998.