Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Introducing…

 The NEW Heartlight Girls Monthly Coaching Program!

Get Started With Your Coaching Program Today!

Click Here –>> Debra Gano Coaching Program!

Yes, Oprah! And I need YOUR help to make it happen! I just uploaded a video on the Oprah website auditioning to have my own TV talk show to help girls around the world on Oprah Winfrey’s new network, OWN. If there was ever a time you wanted to stand behind the mission to empower girls and build self-esteem, this is it! As an author, speaker, and self-esteem coach, I’ve seen a dire need to get this message out in a bigger way; and as a mom to an 8-year-old girl, I also know that there needs to be much more positive and inspiring television programming for our kids…how many parents feel the same way??! YOU CAN HELP.

PLEASE take 30 seconds and vote for my show, it’s truly essential that you do for it to get noticed. There are over 7,500 submissions at this point, many who entered early and have been able to gather a ton of votes, so I’ve got lots of catching up to do! The good news is that you can vote MULTIPLE times and it’s really easy to do (no signing up, just voting!) Voting closes July 3, so please, VOTE ASAP and VOTE OFTEN…and ask your friends to vote too (how about inviting your Facebook friends to vote?!) We’ve got to create a buzz for Oprah and her producers to notice, and we all know how important a show Empowering Girls From the Inside Out would be!

And if you (please!) add a comment to your vote, it will create even more of a buzz. Let’s show Oprah and her producers how essential it is to give our youth today, especially our girls, the attention they need and deserve to become the powerful women our world needs tomorrow.

Here’s the link to the video and to vote:    http://myown.oprah.com/audition/index.html?request=video_details&response_id=19866&promo_id=1 

Please vote, it’s urgent, and important. And pass this along to your friends…and ask them to pass it along to their friends…who pass it along to their friends…you get the idea And don’t forget, you can vote numerous times through July 3rd. Thank you SO MUCH for your support!

Thank you to everyone who responded to my self-esteem survey! Your input and opinions are very appreciated! If you haven’t yet taken the survey, it will be open a bit longer; you may access it by going to this link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LT3Y535. Everyone who completes the survey is automatically entered into a drawing for two to attend an upcoming Heartlight Girls self-esteem program! (All details in the previous blog post below).

We are looking for participants to feature in a few videos we are filming which will share the challenges girls face today with self-esteem. This can be your opportunity to help others, and have fun getting some national exposure! On-camera interviews will take place in the Denver area June 17-19. Here’s what we are looking for:

1. Heartlight Girls/Teens - Girls ages 7 & over and teens who are familiar with the “Heartlight” concept (meaning you’ve read Beauty’s Secret: A Girl’s Discovery of Inner Beauty and/or you’ve attended a Heartlight Girls program) and can speak about shining your light bright – as well as how/where you feel challenged sometimes in doing so. Parents of these girls to be interviewed as well if possible.

2. Girls who are experiencing issues, such as bullying, low self-esteem & low self-worth, body image issues, friendship problems, eating disorders, self-injurious behavior, suicide thoughts or attempts, etc. Extreme cases can be filmed with your identity hidden if preferred.

3. Parents concerned with what their daughters & other girls are facing today, i.e. bullying, unhealthy media, negative role models, peer pressure, etc.

4. Elementary/Middle School Counselors, Principals, Teachers – who can speak about the increase, drama, and dangers of bullying and other girl issues in their schools and in schools today

5. Doctors, Psychologists, Therapists – who work with girls/women and can speak about the dangers of low self-esteem

6. Are you a girl, or do you know one, who is doing amazing and powerful things that will inspire others? We’d love to interview and feature you!

If you, or someone you know, fits one of these categories, is in the Denver area, and can film a brief interview, please email me ASAP at debragano@aol.com. Please let me know your name, email, phone number, category you fit into, age (girls/teens only), and the topic or issue you would like to discuss. Also… Read the rest of this entry »

As you may know, I’m quite passionate about building the self-esteem of young girls, and as a national speaker and the author of the Heartlight Girls series, I’ve always felt the motivation to do so. Yet as I write this today on my daughter’s eighth birthday (Happy Birthday Ella!), it is in my role as a mother that my passion, and compassion, is fueled even more to make a difference in girls’ lives. With much recent news of teen suicides attributed to depression and relational aggression/bullying, my concern for our youth is magnified, as I’m sure it is with many other parents.

Recent statistics show that every 7 minutes a child is bullied, and that 77% of students are bullied mentally, verbally, or physically. Bullying causes feelings of rejection, anxiety, and unworthiness in a child; these are some of the same feelings which are the main causes of suicide. The Center for Disease Control reports that the third leading cause of death, behind accidents and homicide, amongst teenagers ages 15 to 24 is suicide.  Even more disturbing is the fact that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for children between the ages of 10 and 14. Self-esteem issues and bullying are worse than ever in today’s schools, and unfortunately often beginning as early as first and second grade and magnifying in the upper elementary and middle school years.

It is with these disturbing facts that I ask your assistance. I dealt with my share of bullying while working in the modeling and acting industries, and it was a challenge even as an adult. But to know our children deal with it on a daily basis breaks my heart. So Heartlight Girls is taking a stand against school bullying. In addition to writing the Heartlight Girls series (the next book, Star’s Attraction: A Girl’s Discovery on Inner Beauty, is due out near the holidays!) and developing products, I’m also building a series of expansive self-esteem programs to develop feelings of self-worth in our girls. And I’d really like your help.

I’d love to know your concerns, your needs, and your desires. What would be helpful to you, and what do you feel would be important in a self-esteem program? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts by taking a brief survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LT3Y535. Please pass this link along to others (parents, teachers, girls), for the more input we receive, the better we can create what you would like to see, as well as incorporate what’s needed to help our youth to stay strong, empowered, and in a position to always make wise choices.

By completing this survey, in addition to being a contributor in this important mission, you’ll be entered into a drawing to receive tickets for you and a guest to attend one of the Heartlight Girls Self-Esteem programs! Girls receiving this email can take the survey themselves, share it with a parent, or ideally, have both of you take it! Then we’ll have double the input, and your family will have double the chances of winning!

Again, here’s the link to the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LT3Y535. Thank you for your participation. Your opinion will shape the young girls we work with here at Heartlight Girls!

As the Director for the Young Authors League (YAL) and the President of the CIPA Education and Literacy Foundation (ELF), a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering and inspiring school-age children to read and write, I’ve very excited to share our lastest project!

This past year, YAL organized a Student Short Story Writing Competition titled, “Making the World a Better Place,” in which fourth and fifth grade students of the Cherry Creek School District in the Denver area were invited to submit a short story or artwork expressing this inspiring theme.

It is with great pleasure that I announce the publication of the Young Authors League book, Making the World a Better Place: Student Stories about Making a Difference!

From Fearless Foam-Fighters to an argument between a fork and a spoon, and from the Get Things Done Girls to the power of a smile, this is a delightful collection of inspiring short stories and artwork by the students themselves. Experience the insights, as well as the talents, of these amazing students, and find out for yourself how to make the world a better place…you may be inspired to do the same!

Purchase your copy now for $14.00.  All proceeds from the sale of this book benefit the CIPA Education and Literacy Foundation to continue developing and implementing literacy programs for students which bring out their potential and build their excitement for reading and writing.

For a list of winners, participating schools, comments, and information on upcoming YAL events, please visit http://debragano.com/young-authors-league1/.

Join us on EARTH DAY, APRIL 22, from 4-8 pm as we launch Making the World a Better Place at Barnes & Noble in Southlands Mall, Aurora, Colorado! Click HERE for more information!