Hello, and Welcome to Powered-by-Hope!

I appreciate you visiting the website I launched in July 2018 — the summer I turned 54, and a few months before celebrating the 10th anniversary of my company, InkandescentPR.com.

While I’m most comfortable behind the scenes as a publicist promoting other small businesses, or going behind the video camera so a client or one of the stars shines on my Truly Amazing Women TV show — I have decided it is time to step up and stand out.

This is a means to an end. As a journalist, serial entrepreneur and author, my mission is has always been to inspire others to be the best version of themselves that they can be. It’s something I’ve done my entire career, my entire life actually. Now, I’m ready to take some bold steps.

This year my daughter Anna and I (pictured with me, right) are planning to open Inkandescent Health & Wellness: Meet Me At The Well — a creative co-working, co-op and community center that will bring people of all ages together who want to connect, explore, and expand their personal / professional horizons.

As yogis and healthy eating fanatics, our ambition is to help others connect on a deep and fundamental level, while they heal what ails them. We are in the process of building out a beautiful space to host uplifting / calming exercise classes, interesting / inspiring workshops, and engaging / artful music and dance events.

Our team of teachers include instructors with decades of experience, as well as Anna’s 20something friends who envision the world in a way that is new and fresh. We’ll also be inviting massage therapists / acupuncturists / Reiki masters to practice in our space, which will be an art gallery and performance studio for musicians and dancers. Check out our progress at www.YourWell.us. 

While Anna, a fitness coach, will help our members work up a sweat, eat better, and build the body they dream of, I’ll be running the center, and teaching Kundalini Yoga, working as a Reiki Master, and also doing pregnancy massage — some of the soulful skills I’ve acquired in the last three decades when I wasn’t building my writing / PR businesses or raising my two kids. The teaching aspect will definitely take me out of my comfort zone, but again, at 54, the time has come.

A good friend told me, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone,” and I am here to embrace that truth and push past my limits — on this website, and for the rest of my life. I hope you’ll join me!

I’ll begin by sharing my giant goals. 

My big dream: I want to open Inkandescent Health & Wellness in 2018, and in 2019 build Inkandescent Learning, a distance learning company for home school / public school kids. I also want to write more books (the title I’m working on now is “Why Divorce: 5 Reasons to Leave”) and also keep writing freelance articles — all while I travel internationally, find true love, let go of the things I can’t control, and know that each and every day I am doing the very best that I can.

Living that dream can be a tough road to travel. In the last year I’ve experienced the loss of many things personal and professional that I’ve held dear. While I have had practice with the art of letting go, I’ve really had to dig even deeper. My hope is that as you peruse this site, you’ll find inspiration and encouragement to dig deeper, too.

Admittedly, it’s not easy to go after what your soul is calling you to do — much less step into the spotlight when you prefer being on the other side of the camera.

The first time that I appeared on TV in 2014 to promote my book, “PR Rules: The Playbook,” I thought I was going to die. Thank goodness for my dear friend Sonya Gavankar, the reporter (who is also the face of the Newseum) who interviewed me for the Washington, DC ABC morning show, “Let’s Talk Live.”

“You got this,” she said with her trademark take-no-prisoners grin. She wasn’t going to let me be weak, and I knew in my heart that she wouldn’t let me screw up or seem silly during the interview. She had my back — but more importantly, she wanted me to know that I had my own back. Once the camera flipped on she simply joked and played with me through the 5-minute segment as if we were sitting at lunch chatting about my career and book.

I am eternally grateful to Sonya for gently guiding me out of my comfort zone. Not only did we become immediate friends, but she was one of the first women I interviewed for my Truly Amazing Women TV series — a project that I’ll be expanding to include dozens more women who are making strides and changing lives.

That’s my goal for this website: to inspire women — and men and kids — to reach for the things that they believe are impossible to achieve. Why? Because sometimes you just have to go for it! I did just that when I wrote and produced a rock video for the Grateful American™ Foundation called, “Grateful American Kids Rock!” I remember sitting at my dining room table one Saturday morning as my son sat on the sofa, listening to the verses I was writing. He laughed, made suggestions, and by lunchtime the song was done.

Three months later, the amazing music teachers at the Stewart School in Richmond had set it to music, and taught it to 30 first, second, and third graders. My video team turned it into one of the most adorable videos we’ve created. What fun! I’m looking forward to having even more!

With the mission of standing up with pride and encouraging others to do the same, on this site you’ll find:

• An inspirational quote of the day, accompanied by a photo that I’ve taken during my “Finding Hope” expeditions: www.InkandescentQuotes.com
• Videos I’m featured in, hosted, written and / or produced — with an invitation for you to hire us to help you shine in front of the camera: www.Inkandescent.TV
• Podcasts we’ve recorded in recent years that share great stories, and feature fascinating people — including bestselling authors, award-winning artists, foodies, millennials, and more: www.InkandescentRadio.com
• Links to the services that my firm provides, especially our Public Relations offerings: www.InkandescentPR.com.

Mostly, I hope to share thoughts and ideas that will open your eyes, your heart, and your courage. Am I a little polyanna? Of course — and I think you should be, too.

Here’s to connecting with you soon, and to wishing you well on your incredible, indelible, Inkandescent journey! Love, Hope email: hope@hopegibbs.com

Illustrations by Michael Glenwood Gibbs: www.MGlenwood.com