Amelia Starr

Amelia Starr

[00:00:00] Amelia Starr: Her last name was Corbit, his last name was Stooks. It just so happened to be nighttime so she gave me the last name Starr, go figure. Um, so that's how I became Amelia Starr. And I don't believe the, um, there's a such thing as coincidence, I don't believe in circumstance. And I believe that it was divinely put into her to name me A. Starr.

[00:00:24] And I don't say that out of conceit, but I've been through several challenges and I know many have been through what I've been through and didn't make it. But I'm grateful to God that I'm still here and I'm still able to shine bright. I don't have a chip on my shoulder or mad at the world, I still have talents, and gifts, and purpose that I can share with others that brighten their day.

[00:00:48] So I aspire every day to be a star.

[00:00:58] Ed Watters: To overcome, you must educate. Educate not only yourself, but educate anyone seeking to learn. We are all Dead America, we can all learn something. To learn, we must challenge what we already understand. The way we do that is through conversation. Sometimes we have conversations with others, however, some of the best conversations happen with ourself.

[00:01:38] Reach out and challenge yourself. Let's dive in and learn something right now.

[00:01:49] Today we are speaking with Amelia Starr, she is an author, a podcaster, and so much more. Her podcast is Purifying Truths, her new book, Soaring Above Life's Chaos. Amelia, could you please introduce yourself, let people know just a little bit about you, please?

[00:02:09] Amelia Starr: Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me on your podcast.

[00:02:14] It is a pleasure to be here. Um, I am a star, I am Amelia Starr. I am an author, I'm a mother, I'm a nurse, I am a transformational coach, and I am a lover of words. All of that being said, I'm also a lover of people. And, um, I guess that about sums it up.

[00:02:33] Ed Watters: Well, Amelia, you are a cornucopia, you do so much, I'll tell ya. And it's amazing how much you put out there.

[00:02:44] Let's walk through your journey of life a little bit and go back to your younger days when Amelia was forming her stardom. Talk to us about what those purifying truths actually are and what they mean to you.

[00:03:03] Amelia Starr: Well, um, I don't know if it started out as stardom, I don't know if I've reached stardom yet. But, um, fortunately or unfortunately, um, that's the name I was given.

[00:03:14] And so I use it, uh, pun intended to shine a light on others. So, um, going all the way back, I was born to a mother who was addicted and a father who I believe was addicted to drugs. Um, my mother had me young for back then, we won't say 19 what, but um, back then 18 was young for having a child. And so, she had no idea what to do.

[00:03:46] Her last name was Corbit, his last name was Stooks. It just so happened to be nighttime so she gave me the last name, Starr, go figure. Um, so that's how I became Amelia Starr. And I don't believe the, um, there's a such thing as coincidence, I don't believe in circumstance. And I believe that it was divinely put into her to name me A. Starr.

[00:04:10] And I don't say that out of conceit, but I've been through several challenges and I know many have been through what I've been through and didn't make it. But I'm grateful to God that I'm still here and I'm still able to shine bright. I don't have a chip on my shoulder or mad at the world, I still have talents, and gifts, and purpose that I can share with others that brighten their day.

[00:04:34] So I aspire every day to be a star.

[00:04:40] Ed Watters: That's powerful, Amelia, and, and you wear it on your shoulders so well. You're out there connecting with people, trying to show a better way, bringing people out of their struggles, letting them know there's a way out of your past and that suffering that we all feel dead inside. But bringing that out

[00:05:06] the way you do is very important. You recently released a book, a new book, Soaring Above Life's Chaos, and you brought a bunch of people together, it's an anthology of writings. So tell us, how did that start and why did you feel that something like this needed to be presented to the world?

[00:05:35] Amelia Starr: Well, it started, I believe, as, um, a divine calling.

[00:05:44] I was introduced to anthologies through Dr. Tanya Blackman, who allowed me to be a part of hers. And since I am about shining bright and showing the obstacles that you've overcome so that those that are stuck in obstacles or maybe facing challenges, don't feel as though it's the end. I, um, wanted to do the same thing that she was doing,

[00:06:09] she had inspired me. And so I said, Well, you know, I, I love to write. And I know so many people who are hesitant, I don't have this, I don't know where to get started. And so I said, you know what? You can be in my anthology, you don't have to write a whole book. We could just put together short stories and you can tell your story slash testimony with the world.

[00:06:31] And that empowered them to not only write, but each of them also either have written their own books or is in the process of writing a book because of the anthology. Um, the ones previous obviously already had begin writing. Um, so the debut authors would be Samuel Murry and um, Patricia Andrews. So it was such a pleasure working with them.

[00:06:59] And we came up with the title together, Soaring Above Life's Chaos. It is a , it's just an amazing collection of people because we are not the same, but yet we are the same. Um, our personalities are different, our writing styles are different. So it shows that no matter who you are, where you are, we're from all over the United States, that you can soar above life's chaos.

[00:07:25] And what you may think is just your problem, someone else has had it too and has overcome it. So let's do it together.

[00:07:34] Ed Watters: Yeah, great. Now your portion of this book, it's titled Just Another Project Chick, it fits you kind of well doesn't it?

[00:07:47] Amelia Starr: You know, it does, it does. And I say that with grace, and with love, and with no disrespect. I know when you hear that, many times you think that's disrespectful. Especially if someone is calling you, you know, a project chick, trailer park chick, you know, you think that those things are, um, unbecoming and certainly it can be. But when someone throws something like that at you, use it to your advantage.

[00:08:16] So rather than hiding from it and allowing it to continuously hurt me, I realize I don't get to choose how I grew up, right? I wasn't the child paying the rent or not paying the rent. I wasn't the child, you know, that was in control. And I say that because there are some child stars out there, I wasn't one of those superstars.

[00:08:41] And so I had to do what my parents allowed me and what they could afford. So with that being said, yeah, I grew up in the projects. I was, no, I didn't grow up, forgive me, I was in the projects, I lived in the projects my teenage years and I'm grateful for it. I had several people call me out of my name as to embarrass or condemn me.

[00:09:04] And when doing so, they're saying, You're just a chick from the projects, you know, you're just another project chick. And I thought, Oh man, you're right, I am. You know? But after some years of growing and understanding, I begin to, like a star, use that. I am a project chick. You know what? For all those project chicks out there in the various projects all over the world, understand just because that's where you are, that doesn't mean that's where you'll end up and it doesn't define you.

[00:09:36] You may have lived in the projects, you may have come from the projects, but there's a whole big world. Don't let that close you in a box. That's just one piece of the puzzle.

[00:09:49] Ed Watters: Yeah, that's a big piece of the puzzle, you know? And life is a project, and once you put yourself inside the project and actually live for what's actually becoming of the project,

[00:10:05] well, it betters lives for everybody. And that's what the connections you are forming and the stories that you're telling through not only your podcast, but your amazing writings and bringing other people in, that, that's a unity program and that's really what we need the most. So a project chick, you know, I, I admire

[00:10:33] project chicks, they make things happen. And, and that's really what we need and how the, how each and every one of us make things happen really is up to us. And that choice, it's very valuable. So instead of just going head strong, go in with a plan. Make, make sense of it and make use of it. So if you're throwing lemons, make some lemonade, basically.

[00:11:09] Amelia Starr: Absolutely, absolutely. And you know, many times when you're looking at, um, a project chick, you're talking of someone that's poverty, someone that's living in subsidized housing, someone that, um, statistically isn't supposed to make it, it's supposed to be generations of doom and gloom. But you know, you can turn that around and I can't say every day's been sunshine,

[00:11:34] I can't say every day's been shiny, but I can say that those days in the project houses in Pennsylvania, they helped me to cope with life after the projects.

[00:11:50] Ed Watters: Oh, yeah.

[00:11:51] Amelia Starr: You know, you're not so naive, you're not so insecure, you know, you are able to, to fight the fight, you get tough.

[00:11:59] Ed Watters: Yeah. And, and you know, I, I was raised in a similar, uh, background.

[00:12:07] You know, I, I struggled to find a blanket at night in the winter to stay warm. Uh, I didn't know if we were going to have food on the table. Uh, my, my mother and some of the characters that hung around, well, the food stamps that came in usually went to cash them in to make some money to get their alcohol and drug fixes.

[00:12:37] Amelia Starr: Yep.

[00:12:37] Ed Watters: So I recognize that and it takes strong individuals to say, No, that's not gonna be okay with me.

[00:12:46] Amelia Starr: Absolutely.

[00:12:47] Ed Watters: And, and without, without people that has suffered that and went through it, there's not hope for anybody else because there's no one to break the cycle. And that's what we're doing here today meeting, and we're trying to end these

[00:13:07] generational curses that everybody gets kind of stuck on once in a while.

[00:13:14] Amelia Starr: Absolutely.

[00:13:17] Ed Watters: How, how did you transition out and tell yourself, I'm above this. And you're right, it's not, uh, big ego or, uh, I'm better than you, it, it's, I want to be better than myself. When did you find that attitude?

[00:13:38] Amelia Starr: Well, to be very honest, Ed, I was reared by my grandmother.

[00:13:42] Remember I said that my mom didn't know what to do cause she was quote, unquote, young at that time, 18, having a child. So my foster grandmother, my mom's foster mom, raised me whom I call my grandmother. And so she had already instilled into me that I'm different, that I can do anything, don't let others, um, define you.

[00:14:03] So when I left there at 15, that was already instilled in me. So I got to maneuver around and learn, quote unquote, the ways of the streets. But I never had the intent on staying cause I had already seen and was brought up knowing there's more out there. Um, I was fortunate not to have been in that situation.

[00:14:29] I'm grateful that my mother did allow my grandmother to raise and nurture me and instill those morals and values in me that I still have to this day. I knew that this is not the end. Also, my mother was my biggest cheerleader. Now, she didn't do, but she sure was happy when I did. And when I say that, you know, she didn't graduate from high school, but oh, you should hear her talking about I was the first one

[00:15:00] to graduate in our family. And it was like I had, you know, hit the lottery or something. I, you know, and so it was amazing. And then it was like, Oh, well I want, don't we all want praise? I want to give her something else to blow her mind, I got my driver's license. Ooh. You know, And these are things that is normal to others, but

[00:15:17] it hadn't been done in my family before me. And then I knocked their socks off, I went to community college. Like, and I loved the applause and so I kept doing things. And so, um, it was just amazing that I could cause I didn't necessarily believe I could, I was just trying. And so when it worked, you know, that was even better.

[00:15:39] And the more I could accomplish, the more I was like, Hey, you can too. Come on, let's, let's, let's, whoever's around me, let's, because we can all do it. And that's the thing, you know, my grandmother just instilled in me, it's the community and we. So when I figured out it's possible, then let me show you how, this is what I did,

[00:16:00] look. And then I went ahead and I bought my first home, I bought my first home at 22 years old. And you know, you don't have to stay in the projects, you can buy your own house. You don't even have to rent .

[00:16:11] Ed Watters: Amen. That's right.

[00:16:13] Amelia Starr: There's so many things that happened that I'd never dreamed could happen after I ended up with my mom in the projects. But that light, that flicker of a light that my grandmother instilled in me still shines today and encourages me and gives me that strength to just try to be thoughts.

[00:16:36] And many times I do.

[00:16:39] Ed Watters: That's a blessed woman,

[00:16:41] Amelia Starr: Yes.

[00:16:42] Ed Watters: thank God for her. And you know, we, we, we sometimes run into individuals like that and those people that touch us like that and instill the wisdom of kindness and understanding in us. It, it, it's amazing what that will do over time. So I, I used to have to scrap for everything and worry about where things were gonna come from.

[00:17:11] I, I don't do that anymore, I, I let go and let God because that's where my source of power comes from. I, I wouldn't be here without the miracles that I've witnessed in this lifetime. And, and it, it takes other people to come into our lives and show us and educate us. Let's talk a little bit about your co-writers and what their stories mean to you.

[00:17:49] If, if you will, we can take them in order that they're in the book,

[00:17:54] Amelia Starr: Okay.

[00:17:54] Ed Watters: this is no special order. It, it goes, Patricia Andrews, A Regulated Mindset. What, what did that mean to you to have Patricia come into the book and write her story?

[00:18:12] Amelia Starr: Patricia is an amazing person. Again, she's one of the debut authors, so she was a little nervous getting started, but she has a story to tell and her story inspired me so. I look at her as

[00:18:30] a woman who has it together, I don't see a little project chick when I look at her, but, uh, I actually think of the opposite. And so, you know, when you look a certain way, people put you in a box. If you dress like this, people think you're like that, you know, it's just what we do. And so, I put her in the box of being perfect, understanding

[00:18:52] no man is, but you know, look at her, she has it going on, right? Well, only to find out her story tells about how we have to control what we allow in, right? Because what we allow in, we can replay and replay and replay. And that now, you know, that we've become conscious of this, this negative self talk, but she puts her spin on it and tells her story about how she had to regulate her mindset. And oh my goodness, the challenges that she has rose above is

[00:19:28] absolutely mind boggling. She does not look like what she's been through. And thank God she has not only regulated her mindset, but she helps others to do the same. She's an amazing, amazing person. I encourage all to read A Regulated Mindset.

[00:19:46] Ed Watters: The next one is Ruby Garner, The Guiding Light. I, I enjoy this one.

[00:19:52] Amelia Starr: Yes.

[00:19:53] Ed Watters: Uh, what, what did she mean to this project?

[00:19:56] Amelia Starr: Well, Ruby is not a novice to writing, she is an amazing author. Ruby Garner in The Guiding Light was very interesting to me because she talked of what we may think of as taboo, maybe even not spiritual, or Godly, or Christian. And so, you know, all of the stories tell of overcoming, how each author have overcome something.

[00:20:22] And Ruby gave several encounters that she overcame because of the Holy Spirit guiding her. And so she refers to the Holy Spirit as her guiding light, which certainly it is, so it's a little edgy. I encourage you to read The Guiding Light because it's telling of things that many times we'll overlook in our own person, that intuition, you know, that spiritual instinct, that, we'll, we'll shut that out.

[00:20:53] We'll quiet everything that we should be listening to instead of quieting the noise and listening to our guiding light. And Ruby tells us, encounter after encounter, how she listened to her guiding light and how she was able to see what it kept her from after the fact.

[00:21:12] Ed Watters: Yeah, that's powerful when you, when you actually understand what that force is that's telling you to do something. It, it's amazing what can happen.

[00:21:23] And in the middle here is the only gentleman that wrote in this anthology, uh, Samuel Murry, Every Step I Take. What did Samuel put into this book?

[00:21:39] Amelia Starr: Wow. Well, Samuel is an amazing debut author as well. Every step I take was something that was birthed from his heart. He had explained to me how he had a vision to not just write, but to write movies.

[00:21:58] He did not know how to get into it per se, so he started out writing and he birthed Every Step I Take, and it's actually a memoir of his childhood. And a little spin on it, Samuel's my biological brother. In my first book, I met him, I was, when he was 13. So this is my biological brother and I am so honored to have him in the anthology with me.

[00:22:29] So the characters in the book, cause he changed the names, but it is, um, it's our mom and we both have a different take because, you know, I didn't grow up with her, he did. And so it's super, super special, Every Step I Take, very dear to my heart.

[00:22:46] Ed Watters: That's powerful. I, I love that story, Amelia. And, and of course yourself comes next,

[00:22:53] Just Another Project Chick. And you already touched on that so we, we'll move on to Sue Thomas, Roadblocks Can't Stop Me. Powerful. What did this mean to the project?

[00:23:10] Amelia Starr: My God, Sue. There's just an alphabetical order, um, because I believe each and every story is amazing. But Sue is a, um, seasoned author,

[00:23:19] she has two books out already. And so I met Sue oh, about a year, I think ago, and her writing is phenomenal. Her spirit is even bigger. I love the fact that she's been through hell and back more than once. And again, she's another person that does not look what, like what she's been through. And in this particular writing she wrote about nursing school.

[00:23:48] Now Sue is Haitian and she went over obstacles, jumped through hoops, and shed many tears trying to become a nurse and she finally made it. And that's what she tells about in Roadblocks Can't Stop Me, but I wanna touch a little bit on her other books. She has A Three Ring Circus, literally it is amazing.

[00:24:13] It is about her and her husband, his girlfriend, and his other and so that's why it's called A Three Ring Circus. And how she was able to manage and survive mentally and physically when the other woman said that she had a two year old child by Sue's husband. Oh my God, must read. And the other one is, I Forgot To Forgive Myself.

[00:24:41] She kept blaming herself about what did I do wrong and why did he do this to me? And we all have those questions. And then she realized, you know, I have to forgive myself. I take accountability for what I did. And at the end of the day, I forgive everybody else, I have to forgive me. She'd even forgiven him

[00:24:59] but was a struggle to forgive herself. So she is a phenomenal author, such a pleasure to have her in the book. Just like the icing on the cake, Roadblocks Can't Stop Me. One other story about how she overcame.

[00:25:15] Ed Watters: And, and it's such a powerful read. So she's a nurse, you're a nurse. You went through nursing school after coming out of the projects,

[00:25:29] Amelia Starr: Oh yeah.

[00:25:30] Ed Watters: that must have been tough. Can, can you tell us how that journey felt for you, especially at the end when it all happened and you finally got the certificate?

[00:25:44] Amelia Starr: You know, I, I have two other degrees, I, I have two other associates and a bachelor's and my nursing certificate cause I'm an LPN. Um, my nursing certificate was literally the hardest to earn.

[00:26:01] So the others kind of came cause I love to write, I love to read. Eh, so, you know, they just, it was just a matter of doing the work and, and you get the degree, right? But for nursing, It was different. It was as if

[00:26:19] the nurses that were teaching did not want you to be a nurse, it was very, very hard. They say nurses eat their young and I, I do not do that, but I see, I clearly understand where that comes from. It was very hard. And so in every other degree, other than medical, I don't know the other medicals, but a C gets a degree.

[00:26:42] I mean, that was the slogan, c's, we get degrees, so what's the big deal? Oh no, I don't have a nursing degree, I have a nursing certification. But you had to have a B average because a c is a failure. In my journey in nursing school, I did not make my first go around and I was devastated. And it wasn't even a full point.

[00:27:05] I, I don't remember exactly, but something like a quarter of a point, maybe three quarters of a point away from a B, and I just was devastated. Like, Are you kidding me? You know, I'm not even a point. They don't play. And I tucked my tail and I went back, held my head up, and I made it. And I made it with an A the second time.

[00:27:31] But you know, it is very hard. But at the end of the day, it's so worth it when you're able to care for people, when you're able to, not just physically, but emotionally care for people. It's something that money or words can't explain and I enjoy it more so than anything else. Mothering is, to me, a form of nursing,

[00:27:55] we say we nurse our children. And so in nursing, you get to nurse others. Um, it's, it's phenomenal, it's such a rewarding job, a career that you can do so many things. I look back now like, wow, you know, I had the same thing, I remember food stamps being like paper dollars that had like colors on them and you could like pull 'em out of a book, okay.

[00:28:22] So we didn't have cards when I, um, was little and to go from that, you know, trying to, trying to sell what my mom gave me, a food stamp so I could get into the football game, you know, on Friday night, to being able to literally bring you back to life. You know, CPR saves lives and it's like, wow, these hands, these hands, you know, it's, it's amazing and humbling and I'm just so grateful.

[00:28:50] School was hard, but it was worth it.

[00:28:53] Ed Watters: You sort of touched on my next question here. How has nursing and nursing school helped you in motherhood and did it, uh, increase your sensitivity or anything towards your children and how does it affect your overall life now?

[00:29:15] Amelia Starr: Well, nursing is something I believe that I will do

[00:29:19] all of my life, I believe I have the gift of help. And even though I've bought it because Oh, you should be a nurse, I don't wanna be a nurse. I was a CNA for 15 years, I'm like, I don't wanna do that. They're mean, they're this, they're that. Um, but now that I am a nurse, as far as my children's concern, I still do the same, but my heart, my heart of hearts is hospice.

[00:29:43] And many people think that it's scary, that it's, you know, creepy. And I think it's a privilege. And I wanna share a story about my first hospice patient and why I went from, I don't wanna be a nurse to, I can't wait to get to be a nurse. And I, um, I was a CNA and I was working at a hospice house and I was working night shift.

[00:30:06] And I had a patient, um, who was not responding to anything. He was what we call imminent, close to death. And so I went ahead and did my rounds, we're changing shifts. So when you're an aide, you're gonna do rounds with the person before you, make sure everybody's breathing, and to make sure that, you know, they have changed them, and done the care that they need to do so that, you know, you're not walking into a mess.

[00:30:34] We're doing the rounds and I look at the patients, everybody's breathing, my first night I'm super nervous cause I'm not quite sure it's not creepy either at the time. And so then, you know, I put my lunch up and, you know, do what I need to do to start my, the rest of my shift and, um, the nurses are kind of making fun of me, like, what's wrong?

[00:30:56] You know, what's going on? I'm like, cause they were like eating chips and you know, just having a good time. I was thinking, this isn't normal, people, dead people, are here. People die, like, shouldn't you eat outside? You know, they're like, honey, you're gonna learn, you're gonna eat anywhere you can cause it's gonna get busy.

[00:31:13] And I'm picking up strange gazes and I say, well, time for me to go check my people. And we would check every hour, you know, just to go make sure everything's okay. And I went to, it was a black man, and I say that because the radio was playing. I don't remember what, but I'm thinking, I know you wouldn't be listening to this if, you know, us younger CNAs were

[00:31:38] bathing him, and changing him, and stuff. So we put on what we wanna hear so we can kind of zone out from what we're actually doing. So I said, well, you know, I know you didn't listen to this. So I'm changing the radio station and I talk to my patients as if they're, you know, gonna see the next 20 years. Not that they're responding and I knew he was unresponsive.

[00:31:59] But I'm changing the station, nah, I don't think you like that. No, I'm sure you don't like this, oh my goodness, neither one of us like this. And I'm just, you know, talking to him and I finally hear something, tap, tap, tap. Oh my God, I'm scared to death because he doesn't move and I'm the only one in the room,

[00:32:14] what's going on? So I'm trying to investigate, my heart's going like a hundred beats a minute. He's tapping his foot on the footboard and he had these nails that were like bird claws, right? These toenails, that was making the noise. And I'm like, oh my God, let me go tell the nurse, this is the channel, this makes him happy.

[00:32:36] I'm super excited, right? I tell the nurse, she's like, okay, yeah, all right. I'm like, wait a minute, you gotta see. She's like, he doesn't respond, he hasn't responded in days. He's responding. And so she humors me after convincing her and walks down to see, you know, look, this is the station, this is what we need to do.

[00:32:53] And he was dead. I lost it, oh my God, I just killed my patient. I shouldn't have done it. He could not, you know, I'm thinking, you know, he used that extra energy to tap his feet and now he's outta here because of me. And, um, , I was in tears like, Oh my God, I cannot believe it. And that nurse was the most compassionate, most caring.

[00:33:17] She was like, Honey, look what you did. Why are you crying? You made sure his last moments, he was happy. You made sure that when he went out, he was listening to something that he enjoyed, you made a difference. And you know, I'm boohooing, but I'm thinking, I guess I did, didn't I? And so, you know, the next step is to talk family and such.

[00:33:38] And I'm like, Oh no, I'm not telling them it was me. So, uh, the way the rooms were set up, it was a room, a bathroom, and another room, the next patient's room, the bathroom was in between the two rooms. So I hid in the bathroom as she told the family. And the way that she used her words made me want to be just like her.

[00:34:01] And even though, you know, the, um, postmortem care is the job of the aide, that nurse helped me as if she was an aide as well. She talked me through it, not that I couldn't do it, but because I was still feeling like, are you sure I didn't kill him? Are you sure? You know, and she was just so kind and compassionate that I wanted to do nursing from that moment on.

[00:34:25] And I became a hospice nurse and it is the most rewarding, that thing that I can think of. It is just the most rewarding because you do make a difference. And you do make sure that those last moments, you know, the family maybe can't be there, or went home to get some sleep, or is there and many times the patients will wait until like they go to the bathroom or something.

[00:34:48] So it's nice to be able to be there with somebody and treat them with a hundred percent respect, honoring them, and still caring for them as a person and not an object.

[00:35:02] Ed Watters: That's powerful. My wife was a CNA, I cooked for a nursing home

[00:35:09] Amelia Starr: Wow.

[00:35:09] Ed Watters: where she CNAed at. And it, it is a, it's a unique time to spend with these individuals.

[00:35:20] The knowledge that you can actually acquire from the individuals is amazing.

[00:35:25] Amelia Starr: Yes

[00:35:26] Ed Watters: And, and each individual, even to their last day is special and unique. That's, that's the beauty of all of that.

[00:35:37] Amelia Starr: I do want to touch on, you asked me about the kids. So when you see so much death, it makes you appreciate life.

[00:35:45] So the things that were a big deal, is no longer a big deal, you know? Um, before nursing, it was tunnel vision, but after nursing, it broadened my horizon. So now I take all things into consideration before judging and that's what has helped me within my parenting.

[00:36:09] Ed Watters: Yeah. That, that, that is big right there.

[00:36:12] You know, if, if we can just broaden our view before we put the scope to it, that, that always helps. Do you have another project coming, and if so, could you tell us about it, please?

[00:36:28] Amelia Starr: Well, I am the project chick

[00:36:34] Ed Watters: Of course.

[00:36:35] Amelia Starr: always doing projects, uh, seeing it, using it obviously in another term. But certainly I have, um, my second book, well, my third book coming out, but this one is, um, called A Resurrection or maybe I'll do The Resurrection, I'm not quite sure, Of A Star. And, um, That also is gonna be a self-help book. Again,

[00:36:57] I believe I have the gift of help and I believe that it comes across most poignant in writing. So, um, that's going on. And also I have started a book club, it is very small currently, but super excited cause I love to read and I love to hear other people's opinions about what we read. So right now we're just gathering members.

[00:37:22] But around October or so, we're gonna start reading and discussing books. And the books in the book club are quite unique because they're by either guests of my podcast or guests whom I've been on the podcast. So I feel as though I know them personally, it's not just a random book. It actually has meaning to me.

[00:37:43] So, um, that's what's on the horizon.

[00:37:47] Ed Watters: Well, that's pretty awesome. And getting people involved in reading, you know, it helps the literacy rate in America and around the world. So that, that's very important. Uh, I love that you're so active and you are out there trying to change the spirit of everybody into a more positive and productive manner in

[00:38:12] our world and that's what it's about. We live in a very, very small world even though it appears so big, so focus on where you are and who you are more importantly. Find that and put meaning to it. Do you have any call to action for our listeners, Amelia?

[00:38:37] Amelia Starr: Certainly, I'd love, love, love to hear from each and every one of them.

[00:38:41] Certainly you can reach me on Instagram and Facebook @facetsofastarr. Please DM me, connect with me. Of course, the books are on Amazon. Purchase a copy, we'd love to have your support. It will bless you just as it blessed us to share our story. And also, once you get the book, please, please, please write a review.

[00:39:04] Let us know what you think about it, that would be amazing.

[00:39:09] Ed Watters: We will put all your links and the show notes below this episode on the blog post so everybody can find all of those links conveniently below. Amelia, I wanna say thank you for joining us here today. Thank you for spending the time with us and keep on being a star.

[00:39:29] Amelia Starr: Aw. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Ed. It's always a pleasure, I am so grateful to be on your podcast and that we have met. You know, you're super amazing and what I love is that you prove that we're more alike than we're different. And that's what I take away from every time I hear you speak. Um, and that's what I want the audience to know.

[00:39:51] You know, we're more alike than we are different.

[00:39:55] Ed Watters: Amen. That, that's the most powerful thing in this whole conversation. We're more alike than we are different. And I wanna say thank you for the beautiful words there I appreciate them, Amelia. Enjoy your afternoon.

[00:40:11] Amelia Starr: Thank you, you do the same.

[00:40:18] Ed Watters: Thank you for joining us today. If you found this podcast enlightening, entertaining, educational in any way, please share, like, subscribe, and join us right back here next week for another great episode of Dead America Podcast. I'm Ed Watters your host, enjoy your afternoon wherever you

[00:40:40] may be.

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Purifying Truths https://open.spotify.com/show/385FWtWVHKdFpakS1NDDpr