Oprah Radio's Derrick Ashong LIVE on TMW Radio today 6:30p EST!

Click below to listen:
The Derrick Ashong Experience

Good morning big beautiful bright world!
I am excited, nervous, ready, frustrated...
A woman's Monday! :D

I am getting ready for my interview with Oprah Radio's Derrick Ashong today on The Movement Within Radio at 6:30p EST on blogtalkradio.com.

I have 20 minutes to speak with him and I want to use that 20 minutes to bring to you, the listener, the most that I can. He is an amazing man and I am so blessed to be able to have this opportunity. It is not for me. It is for you. So, questions are spinning around in my mind. What? Who? Why? Where? But most importantly, I want to know what inspires an individual to make such a Movement Within the world- in honor and promotion of humanity? To Move so wonderfully throughout the world to promote things that matter?
Derrick's comment about his radio show is, "This is radio with a conscience." I love that. His energy. His work. His mission has a conscience. He is making a difference by discussing things that matter. This is important. All too often, we forget and neglect each other. We each matter.
Today, I want to discuss with Derrick why his Movement. Why? Why is it important to bring light to things that we often don't discuss or we are afraid of discussing. Why is he pulled to make a difference as a song for all people?
I, personally, like to break through barriers. I feel some barriers are meant to be broken through. I enjoy encouraging others to think for themselves. There are many who think for others or who do not feel adequate enough to think for themselves. This is not accurate.
We are each given beautiful amazing gifts and abilities that help us plug into each other. Today, I want to discuss with Derrick why he feels pulled to encourage the world to think for themselves.
Derrick is a Mover. He is a maker. He is a wonderful energy that has been planted within humanity to get and keep us Moving. Let The Movement Begin and let it begin with him! This is where we are making a difference individually together.

Today 6:30p EST: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/themovementwithin/2010/11/22/the-movement-within-radio

Derrick N. Ashong - or DNA as he is sometimes known - is literally the voice of a new generation. Whether heard in the eloquent expression of his thoughts on Senator Barack Obama (as seen in one of the most viewed videos of 2008 on YouTube), in his music (as leader of the emerging band Soulfège), in his lyrics (he won Billboard Magazine's 2007 World Song Writing Competition) or in his acting ability, the Harvard educated talent has found myriad ways to inspire, engage and activate young people with positive messages for social change. DNA is the host of “The Derrick Ashong Experience”, on SIRIUS XM's Oprah Radio. The show airs Saturdays from 12:00-3:00 pm ET on Oprah Radio, XM Channel 156 and SIRIUS Channel 195 and is streamed live on www.OprahRadio.com . Dubbed a “YouTube phenom” by the New York Times, the Ghana, West Africa native has dedicated his life to building bridges between the fields of business, media, technology, youth culture, pop culture and politics. Ashong has lectured on five continents on the use of media as a tool for human development, including recent talks at the London School of Economics, King's College (Cambridge), the Reconciliation Forum in Washington, D.C., the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and before UK Parliament on the subject of "The Obama Generation." He is a member of the internationally recognized Next Generation Leadership Forum and a participant in the Arts & Entertainment task force of the U.S.-Islamic World Forum. He is also the founder of Take Back the Mic, a youth-centered cultural movement that encourages young people to take leadership in four key areas of life: art, society, business and politics. DNA is also on the Board of Directors for Children Mending Hearts, an organization dedicated to the global arts exchange between at-risk children in the United States and children living in conflict zones around the world. TMW welcomes Derrick to The Movement Within Radio! THIS is time.

The Movement Within Community Forum

The Movement Within Community Forum

Join me on blogfrog! YAY!

Lessons We Learn From Geese

Lessons We Learn From Geese

Author Unknown, found on the
internet by April Claxton, 
CEO of The Movement Within

Fact 1:	As each goose flaps its wings it creates an "uplift" for the birds that follow. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.
Lesson:	People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.
Fact 2:	When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.
Lesson:	If we have as much sense as a goose, we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others.
Fact 3:	When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position.
Lesson:	It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each other's skills, capabilities and unique arrangements of gifts, talents or resources.
Fact 4:	The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
Lesson:	We need to make sure honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement the production is much greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one's heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.
Fact 5:	When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then, they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.
Lesson:	If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.

"Because My Dreams are Bursting at the Seams..."



"We are our dreams. Our dreams bring us to who we are." -ac

It has been quite a while since my last blog. This happens when one continues to Move within themselves. In life, there are moments of pausing and moments of constant movement. But why? What is going on? Why the pause, now? I asked these very questions as I sat at my desk the last few days- or on days when I ran from my desk completely.

This morning I dropped my little one off at school. She made the principals honor roll and was dressed up for a ceremony and I watched her walk into school. It was as if everything was in slow motion. I couldn't believe that she was "my" kid. I sat watching her walk in and even took a quick picture. She is absolutely beautiful, wonderful, smart- so opposite of how I felt at her age. I struggled with grades a lot growing up. I struggled with self esteem issues and I can remember feeling as if I never quite fit in or I never deserved good things. They just weren't for me.

As an adult and while working through my own Movement, I have realized how very wrong I was. But I had to learn my self worth. Learning this took longer than I would have preferred but every part of the journey now makes sense looking back.  

I left her school this morning, got my daily cup of coffee and proceeded to drive home. While driving, the song, "Fireflies" by Owl City came on. I smiled and bobbed my head listening to the words. As I came around a corner, the sun hit everything before me in such a way that everything was illuminated and outlined in bright golden light. A few wild parrots flew over my car and the air shifted. I felt God. In the most random of moments, God seems to peek and say hello. When the moment passed, the following line from the Fireflies song played. Adam Young sang, "because my dreams are bursting at the seams..."

I kept driving and those words struck me. That is exactly how I feel now. The past few weeks have been 'off.' I couldn't, for the life of me, understand why I felt so "blah." My zest and activity had slowed and I felt stuck. I began to gain momentum recently and realized that over the last few weeks the problem was not that I was stuck, but rather that I had lost sight of my dreams.

We often lose sight of how important our dreams are. The help us identify who we are and they align us with our purpose and happiness. When we lose sight of our dreams, we lose sight of who we are.

Needless to say, I am back in the saddle again! I have many BIG things coming up that are happening with The Movement Within for you, the Movers. Doreen Virtue from Hay House, Derrick Ashong from Oprah's Radio, Best selling author, Nancy Garden, Marla Schulman from Life After Kids, Life After All (http://lifeafterkids.tv/) are all upcoming guests The Movement Within Radio.

TMW will also be a proud sponsor for an amazing event in January at the Allow Your Spirit To Soar Conference (check out the website: http://www.allowyourspirittosoar.com/). We are also bringing on some new wonderfully talented and spirited people onto TMW website (http://www.themovementwithin.com/) and
my first e-book (8 Steps to Ignite The Movement Within You: Regaining Your Life, Your Power, Your Self!) will be available soon. Lot's is a happenin'!

But why? Why are all of these wonderful things taking place? Because they are a part of my dreams. My dream is to help humanity Move within themselves. Why? Because when we do and we get past that "pause" in our lives, we discover life. We discover self. We discover joy. When we are in joy (enjoy), we are helping to lift the world. That is why. To lift humanity, one heart at a time. And baby, my dreams are busting at the seams!

Happy beautiful Friday Movers! Thank you for being a part of my Movement and for allowing your Movement to take place. Happy beautiful YOU!

Love to you all. KEEP Moving!

- April