tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-289910472024-03-13T12:58:46.875-04:00___"LIVE from Mongolia!"___From anchoring the Mongolian news to singing onstage with Luciano Pavarotti, or even just saving enough money to buy a circus costume, everyone has a dream. What's yours?Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-1830641566541659932014-12-03T13:15:00.000-05:002014-12-03T13:15:52.904-05:00The dream-following radio show has debuted! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
WELLINGTON—"LIVE from Mongolia" is now a radio show! And since I'm broadcasting from New Zealand, I'll give you one chance to guess the title. Correct: "<a href="http://accessradio.org.nz/Programmes/LIVE+from+New+Zealand#.VH9Nhb7X5vA">LIVE from New Zealand!</a>"<div>
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The show, like the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0">book</a>, is about people who pursue their wildest dreams. There were the two self-described "<a href="http://ondemand.wizz.co.nz/media/download.php?_uid=1416948388-356-3">morons</a>" who cycled from one Mongolian city named "Moron" to another Mongolian city named "Moron", and then wrote a book about it. There was <a href="http://accessradio.org/media/download/201410231152561414018376-20141022_LiveFromNZ.mp3?_uid=1414017825-263-3">Zoë Tryon</a>, the member of British royal society who left all that wealth behind to live in a roach-infested hut in the Amazon to follow her dream to save the Amazon. And there was the failure of a dream—renowned poet Hinemoana Baker's very personal story, which aired just last night. And many more stories. </div>
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If you'd like regular updates about the show, follow our Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LiveFromMongolia?ref=tn_tnmn">@LIVEfromMongolia</a>. There, you'll find podcasts (for instance, although the show about Hinemoana's failed dream aired last night, the podcast will only be released today, so best to tune into the Facebook page if you want an easy link to the download. </div>
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Finally, until December 15th, Goodreads is doing a giveaway for the book. Click the link below to win one of three signed copies, just in time for the holidays! Happy gifting (or receiving, if ya keep it!).</div>
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'<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0">LIVE from Mongolia!</a></i>' is the true story of a dream followed, warts and all. Published by Beaufort Books NYC. Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and in some int'l bookstores. </div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" target="_new">Goodreads</a> Book Giveaway
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17848121"><img alt="Live from Mongolia by Patricia Sexton" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396832793l/17848121.jpg" title="Live from Mongolia by Patricia Sexton" width="100" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17848121">Live from Mongolia</a>
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by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6484221.Patricia_Sexton" style="text-decoration: none;">Patricia Sexton</a>
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Giveaway ends December 15, 2014.
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See the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/117882" style="text-decoration: none;">giveaway details</a>
at Goodreads.
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-71384637224891164552014-07-27T18:36:00.000-04:002014-07-27T18:36:16.158-04:00Grandma Maggie <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>LIVE from Mongolia has been on the road. My daughter Jade and I have been traveling in the US. We'd planned to go on a road trip, but ended up spending our time in America close to my family's home in Cincinnati, so that we could say goodbye to one extraordinary 90-year-old woman.</i><br />
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CINCINNATI, OH —Up until last week, it had been only once in my nearly-forty years that I thought the world had completely changed after someone's death. That was in 2009, and the world still feels different, somehow not-quite-right after that loss. Last Tuesday, Grandma Maggie died. She was ninety years old, and although dying at ninety isn't a tragedy, it's still a loss. The world feels simply altered after her passing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharing "four puffs" with Grandma Maggie</td></tr>
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Unlike most grandmothers, Grandma Maggie wasn't sweet, she didn't sew, and I don't think I ever witnessed her baking anything from scratch, other than a lamb-shaped cake at Easter, which had a black jellybean inserted into its bottom. Grandma Maggie often indignantly declared, "Poppycock!" when she disagreed with what you had to say, and that was frequently. She smoked, she enjoyed a drink, and she gambled. Grandma Maggie loved life, and she celebrated every day as such. <br />
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Margaret Sexton grew up during the Depression, the fourth of five children. In fact, as I discovered only after her death, she was actually one of six children; an older brother died a toddler. Grandma Maggie's father was a machinist, and, like most men during that time, fond of an occasional drink. One night, collected from a bar by the cops, he was taken into police custody and beaten to death. A generous account of his murder was that it was something of an accident, brutality gone too far. No one ever made much mention of it, and Grandma Maggie only talked about it once or twice in all the years I knew her. Her mother, for her part, raised five children on her own during both the Depression and the Great Flood of 1937. It was the Great Flood that would result in Grandma Maggie meeting the man she'd marry. She and Grandpa George eloped, and then off he went to war.<br />
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Years on, after Grandpa George had returned from fighting in the Philippines, they began building a business of their own. It was a small business, and they staked everything they owned on its success. At first, it wasn't working out, and so they did precisely what you're not supposed to do when you have three kids, a mortgage, and just $200 in the bank: they said, "To hell with it," and took themselves on vacation with the last of their savings. When they returned, somehow, the business took off.<br />
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At this point, and over the years, they grew a little bit wealthy. There were trips to Russia, Greece, and a short time living in an apartment in Paris. Grandma Maggie became a docent at the Cincinnati Art Musem. Grandpa George smoked cigars and bought fresh fish. <br />
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If this had been where her story, their story, had ended, it would have been interesting enough for those who knew them. But then grandchildren came into their lives, and that's where Grandma Maggie's unforgettable impact was made on me. What follows is the eulogy I wrote for her funeral, which unfortunately was unable to be read at the service. (I suspect Grandma Maggie had a hand in preventing me from reading the following about her!)<br />
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“Let the cat die down!” was something Grandma Maggie used to
say to me when I was a little girl, swinging in her backyard on Larry Avenue in Cincinnati.
She would always repeat this particular advice many times over, with all the
authority of every commandment she issued. “Trishy, let the cat die down!”
she’d say again one last time, as the swing came to a final stop. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I never asked Grandma Maggie what that actually meant, “Let
the cat die down;” it only now occurs to me as something I probably should have
asked, because, unlike everything else Grandma Maggie taught me, that phrase
about the cat never made much sense.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Oh, poppycock!" with my brother Tim.</td></tr>
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And Grandma Maggie taught me a lot. She taught me how to eat
my soup like a proper lady, pushing my spoon away from me, instead of pulling
it toward me. She introduced me to freshly cracked peppercorns, salmon steaks,
and The Maisonette, Ohio's finest restaurant, and one of the finest in the country. Grandma Maggie let me stay overnight and in the morning she toasted waffles and put fresh
blueberries on top. When I was nine, she gave me my first cup of coffee,
sweet and milky in a fine-bone china teacup, and I’ve been drinking it and
thinking of her for thirty years since.</div>
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In 2001, a few weeks after 9/11, Grandma called me at home
in New York. “My baby needs me to come visit,” she’d said, characteristically
not actually asking, but informing. Grandma had already bought her ticket, and
would arrive in a few days. In New York, while I went to work during the day,
Grandma took herself to a funeral at the famous St Patrick’s cathedral held by
Mayor Giuliani for firefighter victims of the attack on the Twin Towers. At
night, we went out to dinner and argued, feisty grandmother sparring with her protégé,
fifty years younger. To this day, I still remember what that argument was about, although Grandma would certainly roll over in her grave if I put it here in print. When she left New York to return home to Ohio, I discovered a half-empty bottle of
brandy in my cupboard. When I asked her about it, she told me she’d brought it
for me to help me deal with 9/11. But it’s half empty, I’d protested. “No it
isn’t!” she insisted, and never admitted to anything other than evaporation for
the disappearance of that brandy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A few years later, Grandma returned to New York, this time
on happier terms than a post-9/11 visit. This time she just wanted to spend
time with me and to meet my friends. At dinner one night at the cozy Il Cantinori Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village, Grandma and I met with half dozen or so of my closest girlfriends. As
the wine arrived, they began firing questions at her: What was it like growing
up during the Depression? Did you really fall in love and elope? Tell us about
traveling the world! <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Stop talking now, all of you!” Grandma interrupted the
girls. “I want to hear about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i>,”
she said. And she listened intently as each of my friends told her own story.
When everyone was finished, Grandma asked if we’d heard of the “Balls Club.”
They hadn’t; I hadn’t either. “For women with balls!” Grandma explained, as if
we should’ve known all along. She thereby inducted each of us into the “Junior
Balls Club,” so named for the younger generation of the “Senior Balls Club” she’d
begun with friends of her own. Before dessert arrived, Grandma stepped outside
the restaurant with one of my friends to have a cigarette. When she’d finished
smoking, and she may have been a little tipsy, Grandma flirted with a passing
fireman, declaring in damsel-in-distress fashion that she couldn’t walk herself
back into the restaurant. The fireman carried Grandma in, and placed her at her
seat at the table. When he left and the onlookers had stopped staring, Grandma
gave everyone of us girls a knowing, maybe educational, look that said, “And ladies,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that’s</i> how it’s done.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Of course, if she were here, she’d probably deny that too. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Not long ago, I introduced Grandma to my now-husband. She
seemed to like him, like him enough anyway to include him in the mandatory
Christmas caroling and the Post-It-note jobs on the fridge. I loved that about
her: no matter who you were, no matter how new you were to the Sexton family,
you had a place in her house. And you had a job. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It wasn’t long after Christmas that Jesse and I had tried to
phone her. I can’t remember the reason we’d tried to call, but we’d tried
unsuccessfully for a few days, and then we began to worry. Just as we were
about to contact other family members to ask why her line was busy, it finally
rang, and she picked up. “Grandma, are you okay?” I asked, with Jesse listening
in. “What the hell do you mean?” she’d said, a little defensively. “I was
playing online blackjack!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Undoubtedly for me, Grandma Maggie’s greatest gift was simply
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">way</i> she lived. She lived life to
its fullest, whether she was setting her baby brother's diapers on fire during the Depression, gushing
about briefly living in Paris, playing Upwords with her latest victim, or just
visiting with her grandchildren. About a year ago, Grandma was on her patio at
the retirement home where she lived, sipping an afternoon wine and smoking her “four puffs.” The chair
she was sitting on broke, and she fell through the seat. She was stuck, and she
was sure this was the way she’d die. “Well,” Grandma told me, days later, after she’d
been rescued by a nurse, “I’ve had a good life. It wouldn’t have been a bad way
to go.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Maybe the reason I never quite understood “Let the cat die
down” was that it seemed to encourage winding down, rather than stopping. And
Grandma Maggie didn’t seem like someone who would ever really wind down, or
stop, for that matter. But although she has done just that, what she taught me,
and all of us here, will live on and on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><i>Epilogue: Just as I was beginning to pen this blog about Grandma Maggie, I received a text from my mom, who is helping to clean out Grandma Maggie's apartment at the retirement home. Inside her curio cabinet, my mom found her First Communion book. For all you Catholics and ex-Catholics out there, you know that this book is supposed to be a holy keepsake, a reminder of the day when you received one of the blessed sacraments. Tucked inside Grandma Maggie's First Communion book was a debit card for one of the casinos she frequented. Grandma Maggie, wherever you are, the world has forever changed without you. </i></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As always, celebrating. </td></tr>
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Dedicated to Margaret Mary Sexton, September 18, 1923 to July 21, 2014.<br /><br /><i>"LIVE from Mongolia" is the true story of one woman's journey to pursue her passion. The book has been a bestseller on Amazon. Author Patricia Sexton left behind a Wall Street career to anchor the Mongolian news. She now features dream-followers on her blog and previously on the TV show, WE Talk. (Published by Beaufort Books, Oct. 2013)</i></div>
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-56907911502777743212014-05-21T19:18:00.002-04:002014-05-21T19:18:39.307-04:00From Homeless to Hollywood: Following an Unlikely Dream<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>Jack Kennedy was so committed to giving his dream one last chance that he ended up homeless before he made it in Hollywood. This is his story, in a guest post by actor and film producer Jack Kennedy himself. Jack is currently on the road in Texas with just his dog and his Jeep. Find out why...</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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SOMEWHERE ON THE ROAD IN TEXAS—Whenever somebody asks me how I’m doing, I answer, “Livin’
the dream.” But I’m an actor so that
dream is often a nightmare. I’ve been at
it eleven years now, had my successes, my failures, and times when I force my heart,
nerve, and sinew to hang on when there’s nothing left except the will which
says, “Hang on.” Yes, I stole that from
Rudyard Kipling, that brilliant bastard! A year and a half ago, I decided it was time to either finally succeed
completely or fail completely, no more in-between. So I quit my job and vowed to do NOTHING but act for a living. After two months, the
money ran out and I moved into my Jeep with my dog; when it comes to dreams,
failure is not an option. So I kept
dreaming and something magical happened: I was homeless for nine months, but had
my best year ever! I filmed a scene with
Ben Kingsley in Iron Man III, booked a commercial, filmed two episodes of the TV
show <i><u><a href="http://castletv.net/">Castle</a></u></i> and an episode of the NBC sitcom, <i><u><a href="http://www.nbc.com/community/video">Community</a></u></i>, among other things. </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XPja_aixNY4/U30yhaBFTQI/AAAAAAAAA0A/MAiFd72xX68/s1600/Marty,+Me,+and+Jason.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XPja_aixNY4/U30yhaBFTQI/AAAAAAAAA0A/MAiFd72xX68/s1600/Marty,+Me,+and+Jason.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack Kennedy (center) with Martin Short and Jason Alexander</td></tr>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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And now, heartened by a string of success, I am continuing
to dream and doing what Hollywood says cannot be done:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wrote and am producing a film that doesn’t
have Transformers, aliens, zombies, bloodshed, sex, or a scene with Channing
Tatum’s abs! Who wants to see a heartwarming tale about an alcoholically wet
and creatively dry writer who finds himself living in a semi-functional ’68
Winnebago while a dying mechanic becomes his unlikely muse?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I am gambling that others do too!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I am now pouring my heart, soul, and the remnants of my bank
account into making <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/you-are-here--7">You Are Here</a></u>.</i> I
am laying it all on the line, playing David before all the Goliaths, asking
friends and strangers alike to contribute to my production as well, knowing
that if I fail, my Rolodex will be forever tarnished, as useful as a life vest
in a hurricane, my reputation like a gazelle in a lion’s den.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it is a risk I must take, because I must
respect The Dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> respect The Dream, go to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><a href="http://indiegogo.com/">Indiegogo.com</a></u></b>, type in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You Are Here</i>, see what I’ve staked my
existence on, and give the film a little love, cuddling, and contribution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or…<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Go pursue your own dream!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dreams are not to be trifled with; they are the pioneers of our
path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we ignore them, we ignore our
destiny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And these suckers do not die; they just bide their time until we are sixty then return to haunt us all over
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when we pay attention to
them, our lives become extraordinary…maybe not in the way we imagined, but by
taking that first step toward our dreams, we will discover thoughts,
experiences and joy never imagined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
I know, because I am livin’ the dream!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><i>"LIVE from Mongolia" is the true story of what happened when one woman followed her wildest dream out of a corporate career and into the news anchor chair in Mongolia. The book is available on Amazon (<u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0">hardcover</a></u> and <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Mongolia-Street-Banker-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=">Kindle</a></u>), <u><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/live-from-mongolia-patricia-sexton/1111881631?ean=9780825306976">Barnes & Noble</a></u>, and in bookstores. Published October, 2013 by Beaufort Books in New York.</i></o:p></div>
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-1252607664913446802014-05-13T23:42:00.001-04:002014-05-13T23:42:32.972-04:00LIVE from the #BringBackOurGirls Wellington Rally<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND—This afternoon, I joined Yemi, a Nigerian friend, and hundreds of New Zealanders, several NGO spokespeople and diplomats, and 276 local schoolgirls to rally for the #BringBackOurGirls movement.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Change-a-Life Nigeria for #BringBackOurGirls</td></tr>
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In the rain and cold, we met in Civic Square in downtown Wellington and marched to Parliament, where we were met by a senior cadre of politicians. As we made our way through the capital, we were led in a chant:<br />
<br />
"<i>What do you want?</i>"<br />
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"Bring back our girls!"<br />
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"<i>When do you want it?</i>"<br />
<br />
"Now!"<br />
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"<i>Real men?</i>"<br />
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"Real men don't buy girls!"<br />
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I found it awfully difficult in these circumstances, amongst so many people so passionately banded together, the New Zealanders, the foreigners, the Nigerians, the politicians, the diplomats, and the handful of kids in strollers, to chant. Every time I raised my voice, it cracked. Eventually, I thought of anything but those 276 abducted schoolgirls, just so I could join in the shouting.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"276 Stolen Dreams" </td></tr>
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At Parliament, a South African man took the mike, and said two things that astonished me. First, he reminded us how long it took the international community to condemn the violence in Rwanda in 1994. As the speaker pointed out, it wasn't until 10,000 or so dead bodies floated down the Kagera River into Lake Victoria that the international community took action. And then he also alerted us to a new type of violence: in Nigeria, in the north, Boko Haram have begun killing children while they sleep. It is with breathless astonishment and fury that I then (and still, in this moment, as I type) tried to imagine how one might go about murdering a sleeping child, how one might lean on religion to make this act right in the eyes of their god.<br />
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The crowd, after hearing this from the South African speaker, was silent. My friend Yemi murmured that it was true, that yes children are being killed while they sleep. Shoulder to shoulder, I stood with a Sri Lankan man and a Chinese woman. The Sri Lankan held a sign that read "276 Stolen Dreams - Bring Back Our Girls."<br />
<br />
And it is with this in mind that I contemplate, once again, the nature of following dreams. For some of us, me included, following a dream was a decadence, a <i>choice</i>. I walked out of one terrific job to pursue a path to something more terrific. Alas, it was freedom that allowed me to do so, and education that provided the building blocks. So what of these children, of these girls? What of their hopes and dreams, their simple right to make choices?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">276 schoolgirls arrive from Wellington Girls' College</td></tr>
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<br />
And what can the world do? What actual action can we take? Nobody seems to want American military involvement. That much was clear from what was said by one of the politicians, and how the crowd reacted in agreement.<br />
<br />
Off in the distance, shattering the solemn silence, 276 schoolgirls from Wellington Girls' College arrived. They wrapped around Parliament, jubilantly chanting, "Bring back our girls! Bring back our sisters!" They stomped their feet, and rallied a hopeful cry that brought tears to everyone's eyes.<br />
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~</div>
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"<i>LIVE from Mongolia" </i>is the true story of one woman's journey to pursue her passion, at all costs. It's a #1 bestseller on Amazon. Available in <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0">hardcover</a></u>, <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Mongolia-Street-Banker-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=">Kindle</a></u>, and on <u><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/live-from-mongolia-patricia-sexton/1111881631?ean=9780825306976">Barnes & Noble</a></u>. Happy dreaming…to those of us who can. (Published by Beaufort Books, 2013)<br />
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-19379047383958300662014-05-08T23:37:00.001-04:002014-05-08T23:37:28.826-04:00LIVE from the Boardwalk: A Doctor's Dream to Skate<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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PACIFIC BEACH, CA — He was a doctor. He drove a BMW. He had a lot of money and an IRA. He was also, so he says himself, an asshole. One day, long before he did anything about it, he met an old man in a cafeteria. The old man gave him a piece of advice, one which he's never forgotten: "Do what you want to." It took him many more years, but one day he quit, and started skating. Yes, <i>skating</i>. In the short film <i>Slomo</i> by Josh Izenberg, we meet the man who left behind a neurology career (and a BMV, Ferrari, mansion, and exotic pets) to skate the boardwalk of San Diego's Pacific Beach.<br />
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Click below to see Slomo himself in action, and to hear what he thinks about IRAs, assholes, and the spirituality he found in skating.<br />
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"Everybody thought I was crazy, because I was too happy." -Slomo<br />
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(Thanks to reader Nathan Horne for sharing this incredible story!)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Xn87-mcnoVc" width="560"></iframe><br />
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"<i>LIVE from Mongolia</i>" is the true story of one woman's journey to pursue her passion. The book is at #1 on Amazon's charts in the Mongolia category, and Top 10 in two other categories. Author Patricia Sexton left a Wall Street career to anchor the Mongolian news. She now features dream-followers on her blog and previously on the TV show, <i>WE Talk</i>. "<i>LIVE from Mongolia</i>" is on sale on <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Mongolia-Street-Banker-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=">Amazon</a></u> for just $2 for the next 2 days, until May 11th. Happy reading, and happy dreaming! (Published by Beaufort Books, Oct. 2013)<br />
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-92123570684770104492014-04-28T19:13:00.003-04:002014-04-28T19:16:23.736-04:00Coming Home to America <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
WELLINGTON — For the past two days, my little girl and I have been on a steady diet of Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, and Roy Orbison. Driving along in the wet and wind in Wellington, we crank up the volume (at her insistence); she claps her hands and dances in her car seat, and I gulp down a lump in my throat.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found on the back of a checkbook?!</td></tr>
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It's been nearly a year since the three of us left New York to move to New Zealand to follow my husband's dream to return to his home. In that time, I've discovered that hot cross buns really do exist; I'd always thought they were just part of a nursery rhyme. I've become accustomed to drinking some of the world's best coffee (see CNN's <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/04/travel/best-coffee-cities/">report</a> on Wellington's world-class coffee culture). And I drive through the green splendor of a national park every time I venture into town. This is some of the stuff we came here for: the green, the proximity to adventure, the little surprises of things like hot cross buns.<br />
<br />
And yet, as summer approaches in America, I find myself growing more and more wistful for my home, for summer as I know it. Those muggy nights. Catching fireflies at dusk (or, as we called them in Cincinnati, "lightning bugs"). Eating cherry-flavored popsicles. Knowing each and every day that it'll be hot, real hot. Looking forward to the 4th of July, that holiday when you put to bed your uncertainty about the direction of the country, and raise a glass of cold beer in one hand and a grilled hot dog in the other, and toast the nature of pursuit and determination that isn't endemic to America, but is nonetheless deeply personal to most everyone who has known America as home.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot cross buns really do exist!</td></tr>
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Just as all this nostalgia reached a fever pitch, a funny thing happened. I got word from Beaufort Books, my New York publisher that something really good was about to happen with the book. And when something good happens with your book, you can justify a trip home. In fact, you can even think about a road trip. With a two-year-old. And Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, and Roy Orbison.<br />
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So, American Summer, I'm coming home to see you. I'm coming home to eat my dad's burned hamburgers, and my mom's Cool Whip strawberry shortcake. I'm coming for "lightning bugs," for that summery damp smell of air-conditioning, and for days so hot that nights stay that way. And, of course, I'm coming home with my book, to talk about what can happen when you follow a dream. And perhaps this time I'll talk about what it's like to follow someone else's dream, too.<br />
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<i>Amazon has chosen "LIVE from Mongolia" as part of its Big Deal. For the next two weeks, the book costs $2. LIVE from Mongolia is one woman's true story of what happened when she quit her Wall Street job to pursue her dream into the news anchor chair in Mongolia. It's available on <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=zg_bs_12040_3">Amazon Kindle</a></u>, in <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0">hardcopy</a></u>, on <u><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/live-from-mongolia-patricia-sexton/1111881631?ean=9780825306976">Barnes and Noble</a></u>, and in bookstores. It's currently #1 in the category of Mongolia, #3 in Journalism & Nonfiction, and #3 in Specialty Travel. Enjoy! And write me if you too have pursued your wildest dream; I'd love to hear from you! </i></div>
Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-91647349198911978782014-04-22T18:31:00.001-04:002014-04-22T18:31:37.507-04:00LIVE from…Mongolia!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
KHENTII MOUNTAIN RANGE — For eight centuries, the secret has been kept. At first, if you were unlucky enough to know the truth, you would have been killed. Later, if you were seeking the truth, you wouldn't have found it. But today, someone new is on the scene, and he's using a new kind of technology to uncover…the lost tomb of Genghis Khan.<br />
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Now, as many of you know, I have a thing for Genghis Khan. For me, his story of achieving a 'dream' (although I doubt he'd have put it that way) is one of the most fascinating and unlikely in all of history. Genghis Khan grew up in poverty so desperate that he made meals of rodents, and ultimately killed a half-brother during a dispute over lunch. From that backdrop, he would rule no less than a <i>third</i> of the world. He'd conquer more land and in less time than the Romans. His empire would expand from Korea in the east to Russia in the north, the Middle East in the south, and Europe in the west. He was one of the most successful world leaders, ever.<br />
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But we don't know where Genghis Khan was buried.<br />
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Albert Yu-Min Lin means to change all that. He's an explorer, an adventurer, and an archaeologist searching for the tomb of Genghis Khan. He isn't the first one to have tried, and he still may yet fail. But this is his dream, said best in his own words:<br />
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"Three years ago while sleeping on a friend's couch I had a dream that took complete hold of me. I set out to find a legendary tomb in a forbidden place. And yet, what I was looking for may have been in plain sight all along. It's been said that if you're searching for Genghis Khan, just look into the eyes of any nomad and you'll find him there." -from <i>The Missing Tomb of Genghis Khan</i><br />
<i><br /></i>Click below to watch a clip of Dr Albert Yu-Min Lin's incredible adventure...<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/1FmmsMc1Md8" width="560"></iframe>
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LIVE from MONGOLIA <i>is the true story of what happened when one woman followed her wildest dream out of a corporate career and into the news anchor chair in Mongolia. </i><i>The book is available on Amazon (<u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1398201507&sr=8-1">hardcover</a></u> and <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Mongolia-Street-Banker-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1398201507">Kindle</a></u>), <u><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/live-from-mongolia-patricia-sexton/1111881631?ean=9780825306976">Barnes & Noble</a></u>, and in bookstores. Published October, 2013 by Beaufort Books, NYC. </i><br />
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-23374863624096419352014-04-14T19:55:00.000-04:002014-04-14T19:56:16.925-04:00A Word about My Dad…and Palestrina<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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CINCINNATI—Yesterday, as I was driving to a meeting, the local classical station introduced "Palestrina." For nearly forty years, I've thought "Palestrina" was a thing, not a person. When my brothers and I were kids, Dad used to threaten us with Palestrina. If we were badly behaved, particularly on Sunday mornings, he'd turn on the record player, and crank up Palestrina. In fact, even if we were well-behaved, he'd find an excuse to play Palestrina at full-volume. To us, Palestrina was a punishment of maudlin church music.<br />
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Turns out, as I found out last night, "Palestrina" is Giovannia Pierlugi da Palestrina, a composer, one of the most famous composers of sacred music. Still, though, I'm not exactly sure why my Dad is so taken with his music. It's just a little bit…funereal.<br />
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Anyway, in my excitement at having discovered, after all these decades, a little bit about Palestrina, I emailed my Dad. Now, a word about my Dad and email: he does not use it. He calls email "Gmail" because that's the platform he uses, and he virtually never responds. So, it was with some surprise that I received a response from him just a few hours after I'd mailed. Which said:<br />
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<i>Trish, No, not 1690. Palestrina did his composing around 1500. And</i></div>
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<i>why would anyone want to play classical that old. The further you get</i></div>
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<i>from our time, the stranger the music sounds in general. If you wish</i></div>
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<i>to experiment try Guillaume de Machaut from around 1200, really weird.</i></div>
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<i> D-A-D</i></div>
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So, aside from setting me straight about the timing of Palestrina composing (which he would've remembered; he doesn't know about Wikipedia), Dad revealed to me that he never really thought much of Palestrina. I admit to being a tad dismayed by this, having spent the better part of my childhood being subjected to dusty old church tunes from the Renaissance period.<br />
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But what really struck me, and why I'm writing at all about this on a blog series about people who follow their wildest dreams, is that my Dad and his dreams never cease to impress me. In the early 1970s, he left everything behind (including Christmas dinner; he left on Christmas day!) to head to Central America. There, he built houses and hitchhiked. He only came back because he'd fallen in love before he'd actually left, and so he took a teaching job to support the family he and my Mom would create.<br />
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Back in Ohio, he taught. He taught at a school that would end up doing him very wrong (there's considerably more detail in the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Mongolia-Street-Banker-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1397440213"><u>book</u>)</a>. And so when he was fired, it seemed like his dreams were finished. And for a little while, they were. But, he and my Mom had four kids to take care of and they had to get on with life. Dad became a house painter, and spent a lot of time listening to, we both know where I'm headed, Palestrina.<br />
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So, here's to a man I spend everyday looking up to. To an adventurer who took risks. To a teacher who demanded the best of his students. To a painter who prides himself on precision. To a father who taught four little kids, held hostage by the whimpering tones of Palestrina, that dreams are possible, even if they don't always go your way right away.<br />
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"LIVE from Mongolia" <i>is the true story of what happened when one woman followed her wildest dream out of a corporate job and into the news anchor chair in Mongolia. The book is available on Amazon (<u>hardcover</u> and <u>Kindle</u>), on <u>Barnes & Noble</u>, and in bookstores. Published October, 2013 by Beaufort Books, NYC. </i><br />
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-50345660946446565612014-04-13T21:52:00.000-04:002014-04-13T21:52:04.804-04:00LIVE from…A floating village in Thailand!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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KOH PANYEE, THAILAND — If this short film about following an impossible dream doesn't make you cry, then you need to get your tear ducts checked out.<br />
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This is the true story of a group of young boys in Thailand who dreamed of, quite simply, playing soccer. Trouble is, they come from a floating village. The floating village doesn't have any land. Not a single square inch of it. So, what did they do to achieve their dream? And…what happened when they did? (Click below to watch.)<br />
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And here's what they had to say about overcoming obstacles in pursuit of a goal, and (spoiler alert) becoming regional soccer champs for many years in a row:<br />
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"Whatever challenges you face in life, if you think you can make a difference, we say you can."<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jU4oA3kkAWU" width="560"></iframe><br />
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"LIVE from Mongolia" <i>is the true story of what happened when one woman followed her wildest dream out of a corporate career and into the news anchor chair in Mongolia. The book is available on Amazon (<u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1397440213&sr=8-1">hardcopy</a></u>, <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Mongolia-Street-Banker-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1397440213">Kindle</a></u>), on <u><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/live-from-mongolia-patricia-sexton/1111881631?ean=9780825306976">Barnes & Noble</a></u>, and in some int'l bookstores. Published October 2013 by Beaufort Books, NYC. </i></div>
Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-91621703559283442042014-04-10T21:20:00.003-04:002014-04-10T21:20:43.785-04:00Stephen Colbert on Following a Dream<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
NEW YORK — "Simply being a guest on David Letterman's show has been a highlight of my career," Stephen Colbert said. "I never dreamed that I would follow in his footsteps…"<br />
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I don't know about you, but I think there's something pretty special about Stephen Colbert's story of how he got to where he is.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stephen Colbert as a kid (Imgarcade)</td></tr>
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Colbert is a small-town kid from a big Irish Catholic family who experienced tragedy at a young age when his Dad and two of his brothers were killed in a plane crash. He was a mediocre student who barely considered college. He'd dreamed of being, of all things when you consider who he is now, a marine biologist, but couldn't due to damage to his ear drums. To make ends meet when he didn't have any money, he sold souvenirs.<br />
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I'd love to personally ask Colbert what urged him to carry on, how he managed to continue to believe in himself when nothing seemed to be going his way. I'd love to know who said to him, "<i>You</i> can do it." If any of you readers happen to know Colbert, and if he isn't too busy doing what he said he'd be doing to prepare to take over from Letterman, I'd sure like to talk to him. I have a few questions about dream-following to ask...<br />
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"I'm thrilled and grateful that CBS chose me. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go grind a gap in my front teeth," said Colbert in CBS's <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/late_show/news/1002302/">full press release</a>.<br />
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'LIVE from Mongolia' <i>is the true story of what can happen when you pursue a lifelong dream. It's been the Mongolia bestseller on Amazon (available in <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1397178786&sr=8-1">hardcopy</a></u> and on <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Mongolia-Street-Banker-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397178786&sr=8-1&keywords=live+from+mongolia">Kindle</a></u>), and it's available on <u><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/live-from-mongolia-patricia-sexton/1111881631?ean=9780825306976">Barnes & Noble</a></u>, and in some int'l bookstores. Published by Beaufort Books in 2013. </i><br />
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-24520064640524156922014-04-01T19:38:00.003-04:002014-04-04T15:45:42.153-04:00LIVE from…The Great Wall of China!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
THE GREAT WALL—He is one of the few people in history crazy enough to do it. He's also the youngest westerner, the first New Zealander, and very likely the only trained lawyer. In 2000, Nathan Hoturoa Gray set out to walk the entire length of the Great Wall of China. He was joined by a Buddhist monk, an Argentinean photojournalist, a Mormon golfer, an Italian recording artist—and for a time, a soon-to-be ex-girlfriend. In order to achieve this incredible dream, he had to skirt police surveillance, brave snakes, and even face starvation. Once, he had to sleep in a plastic bag to protect himself from a blizzard. Oh and, he had to walk <i>four thousand kilometers</i>.<br />
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Nathan Hoturoa Gray is a 39-year-old adventure journalist. He's a half-Maori, half-English New <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nathan Gray (Courtesy: Nathan Gray)</td></tr>
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Zealander living in Wellington. Nathan is described as having "youthful energy," and that he does. He talks quickly and excitedly about the adventures he's been on. And those have been many. Nathan has traveled to more than seventy countries, thirty-six American states, and he's hitchhiked from Norway to the Middle East, with a stint in between in western Europe and at the pyramids.<br />
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"You do it with the power of your thumb!" Nathan says about hitchhiking, or about his ability to achieve unusual feats of adventure, or maybe both.<br />
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It was a 1993 trip to South Africa that would change his life.<br />
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In 1993, when Nathan was eighteen, he was chosen to study abroad in South Africa. His selection for the exchange program was significant. Ever since the 1981 Springbok rugby tour, one of the most contentious events in New Zealand history, New Zealand exchange students had not been permitted to study in South Africa. Nathan would be the first Kiwi to study in the country since 1981, and the first Maori—ever. At the time, South Africa was in tumult. Three years prior, Nelson Mandela had been freed. There were riots, demonstrations, and racism. For a "fresh-faced and naive Kiwi," as Nathan described himself, it would have been a tremendous risk, especially for someone of color, as Nathan is.<br />
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"I experienced living history and learned self-reliance," he said about his year there. Enrolled in a staunch Afrikaans school, he made sure to learn the language. And then he did something unusual: he taught his classmates the <u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI851yJUQQw">Maori haka dance</a></u>, which would be a turning point for him, and for them. While it helped his classmates overcome prejudices, it helped Nathan overcome his own shame.<br />
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"I'd been ashamed of my Maori side," he admitted candidly, noting that although he is half-Maori, his physical appearance is more English. "My time in South Africa helped me to appreciate that side [of my heritage]. I experienced cultural awareness, and I was able to truly see the country for the first time."<br />
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After he completed his year there, Nathan went on to study in America. He got a law degree, and took a couple of internships in Alaska and Saipan, in the Western Pacific. His internships, one for local government and one as a summer clerk at a law firm, were supposed to help his budding law career. Instead, they drew one conclusion for him:<br />
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"I didn't want to get stuck in an office. I was twenty-four, and I knew that quite clearly."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nathan on the Great Wall trek (Courtesy: Nathan Gray)</td></tr>
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Nathan figured he had five years to travel before he had to get serious about life and work. He also figured he could get by on five dollars a day for the next two years. He'd saved $10,000 from his two internships, and he committed to using that money to fulfill this new dream of his to get on the road.<br />
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"For me, the next five years was all about seeing as many sunrises and sunsets as possible," Nathan said.<br />
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Nathan started in America, driving through thirty-six states, flew to Europe, and ultimately ended up in Egypt. And it was in Egypt, at the pyramids, that he encountered another profound moment, one which would spark his curiosity for the ancient. At Cheops, also known as the Great Pyramid of Giza and one of the oldest and largest pyramids, Nathan found himself completely alone. It was dark, the other tourists were gone, and he began to experience an "out-of-this-world intensity" that had an important impact on him. As it turns out, Cheops is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and this was not lost on Nathan. He left inspired, and more curious than ever.<br />
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All the while, Nathan was writing. It was the late 1990s, email had just become mainstream, and Nathan had begun to discover an audience.<br />
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"One thing led to another," Nathan explained. Did it ever.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nathan trekking in winter (Courtesy: Nathan Gray)</td></tr>
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Nathan's travel emails made it into the inboxes of magazine editors, and soon he was getting published in <i>Tu Mai</i> magazine, <i>P3 Update</i>, and <i>National Geographic</i>. Better still, his twin brother Tanemahuta Gray, a dancer and choreographer, had been forwarding Nathan's messages to a certain Argentinean photojournalist. That photojournalist would offer Nathan the chance of a lifetime: he invited Nathan to join him to walk The Great Wall of China.<br />
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Nathan Hoturoa Gray never did end up a lawyer, and he hasn't spent a day in an office that didn't excite him. (Often, his office is on the road; he's covered stories from the 2008 Beijing Olympics to the 2009 cyclone in the Philippines and many more—he's even reported on the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa by examining race relations in the country.)<br />
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After Nathan received the invitation from the Argentinean photojournalist, he packed his bags for China. Over the next two years, he walked and he wrote.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ue-59B7kV8o/UzszJQSWZ4I/AAAAAAAAAx4/3ZMAAtlpkbw/s1600/frontpage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ue-59B7kV8o/UzszJQSWZ4I/AAAAAAAAAx4/3ZMAAtlpkbw/s1600/frontpage.jpg" height="320" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nathan's book, "First Pass Under Heaven"</td></tr>
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"Being first out of the womb, I am generally considered to be the elder," Nathan writes in the opening chapter of his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0143020676/ref=rdr_ext_tmb" style="text-decoration: underline;">First Pass Under Heaven</a>, which tells the tale of this incredible journey from the Gobi to the Bohai Sea. "Not so, it seems, from the perspective of the Maori. They believe the second is the elder because the latter twin 'kicked' the first from the womb. Life began with an eviction. I suppose it does with us all."<br />
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In his book, Nathan faces barely imaginable obstacles in his pursuit of his dream to walk the Great Wall. It's no secret that he makes it; the secret is in <i>how</i> he makes it. "I made a promise to myself," Nathan tells me. "And that was getting to the end of the wall."<br />
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To read about Nathan's incredible journey walking the Great Wall of China, you can buy "First Pass Under Heaven" (Penguin, 2006) on <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0143020676/ref=rdr_ext_tmb">Amazon</a></u>. Nathan has also recently published "The Age of Fire", an adventure travel book looking at where the human species is heading in the next fifty years. Buy it <u><a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/nathan-hoturoa-gray/the-age-of-fire/paperback/product-21277310.html">here</a></u>. Nathan has clerked for the Chief Judge of the Maori Land Court/Waitangi Tribunal and worked in Communications for the CEO of the Ministry of Maori Development. He served five years on the Maori Board of Creative New Zealand as well as two years on the Board of the New Zealand Film Archive.<br />
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<i>"</i>LIVE from Mongolia!<i>" is the true story of what can happen when you follow your wildest dream. It's available on Amazon (<u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Mongolia-Street-Banker-Mongolian/dp/0825306973/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_har?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396320938&sr=1-1&keywords=live+from+mongolia">hardcover</a></u> and <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Mongolia-Street-Banker-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1396320938">Kindle</a></u>), on <u><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/live-from-mongolia-patricia-sexton/1111881631?ean=9780825306976">Barnes & Noble</a></u>, and in select int'l bookstores. Join me here for this weekly blog series featuring stories of ordinary people following extraordinary dreams! </i></div>
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-20281411133160927212014-03-28T15:56:00.001-04:002014-03-28T15:57:48.873-04:00LIVE from…Whale Wars!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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WELLINGTON WHARF & THE SOUTHERN OCEAN—For months at a time, they live in cramped quarters on a ship that sails to one of the coldest, most hostile, and most unforgiving seas on the planet. There in the Southern Ocean, battling winds, thirty-foot waves, frigid weather, collisions with much bigger ships, and confrontations with governments, their singleminded focus is to save the lives of whales. They even take an oath to offer up their own lives if it means the chance to save the life of a single whale. They eat only vegan food, and are called, among other choice insults, terrorists.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Sea Shepherd Bob Barker (Photo: Aaron Carlino)</td></tr>
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They are also brave.<br />
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This week I sat down with the captain and crew of the Sea Shepherd Bob Barker, which has just returned from ninety-five days at sea to dock in Wellington, New Zealand. I wanted to understand what it is about them, and what it is about whales, that make these people so doggedly passionate—so doggedly passionate that they are actually willing to die for their dream.<br />
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Andrea Gordon and her boyfriend Sam Sielen are New Yorkers. Andrea is from Flatbush, and she used to be a public defender; Sam worked in the Manhattan DA's office. Both are crew members on the Sea Shepherd Bob Barker. Andrea is Manager, and Sam is Director of Photography. Andrea first became aware of the movement when she saw what she described as "gut-wrenching" photos of baby harp seals being skinned for their fur. At first, she didn't think she could do anything about it. Then she read an article about Paul Watson, the founder of Sea Shepherd. Andrea was impressed with his and the organization's philosophy to put the animals first, the "clients" she joked, admitting that her law training forced her to think about injustices, about righting wrongs. So Andrea took a year's absence from her job to volunteer for Sea Shepherd. This commitment must've spoken to the ship's top brass. When the famous Captain Peter Hammarstedt made a personal telephone call to Andrea to come work for him, he asked her if she could be in Africa on one of their ships—in just a week's time. She hung up the phone to think about it, and then called Peter right back. Andrea said yes, and five campaigns later and a lot of subsequent time in Antarctic waters, and she's still working for him.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7CUOkZNB2Kg/UzXMG_CKbfI/AAAAAAAAAwE/GU0niOVEm-Y/s1600/Harp_seal_3_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7CUOkZNB2Kg/UzXMG_CKbfI/AAAAAAAAAwE/GU0niOVEm-Y/s1600/Harp_seal_3_thumb.jpg" height="131" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby harp seal (Courtesy: Sea Shepherd)</td></tr>
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Ultimately, her boyfriend Sam left his job too, and joined the campaign.<br />
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The ship's bosun is a man named Phil Peterson. He's fifty-six years old, divorced, the father of two adult children. Phil has a weathered, permanent tan and tucks his long hair beneath a ball cap; he looks like a man who's spent a lot of time near the sea. And he has, passing some of that time whale-watching, as is customary in his hometown back in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Talking with Phil Peterson (Photo: Aaron Carlino)</td></tr>
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One evening, Phil was watching "Whale Wars" on TV, the reality show that has made the crew of the Sea Shepherd famous. For Phil, this was about to be a defining moment. As he watched a whale being chased and then "blasted" to death, Phil said he began screaming at the television. "I was horrified," he told me, his voice cracking. "I couldn't believe commercial whaling [the term for harpooning whales to death for their meat, or for science] was still going on. Especially in a <i>sanctuary</i>!" The defining moment came when Phil asked himself what on earth he was doing with his life. "What am I doing in the world? I'm just a consumer, a mortgage payer." Suddenly, it didn't seem to make any sense to him that he was working to pay for a house that he no longer needed. "That was the moment I decided to do something," Phil said. "At some point, you have to <i>do</i> it or not. There are no half measures." Phil sold his house and then he sold everything else, and he too joined the crew of the Sea Shepherd.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Captain Peter Hammarstedt (Photo: Aaron Carlino)</td></tr>
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Peter Hammarstedt captains the ship. He's young, twenty-nine, Swedish, and slight of build. Peter appears very calm, and doesn't necessarily look like someone with the muscle to tackle opponents who loathe him, shout at him, and, occasionally, wish he were dead. And those opponents are many: governments who make seemingly empty promises to protect the whales in a sanctuary, whaling ships that have come for the kill, and unusually angry people all over the world who decry the Sea Shepherd's tactics as terrorism.<br />
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"I was fourteen years old," Peter said. "I saw a picture of a whale being pulled up the slipway of the <i>Nisshin Maru</i>, the Japanese whaling ship, in the Antarctic. The picture shocked me. I was under the impression that whaling was something of the past. To know that it was still going on...I decided that I wanted to do something about it."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead Minke whales on <i>Nisshin Maru </i>(Courtesy: Sea Shepherd)</td></tr>
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For Peter Hammarstedt, and he said so himself, "Passivity is the same as complacency."<br />
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When Peter was seventeen, he joined Greenpeace. When he was eighteen, Iceland resumed whaling. Iceland had been absent from the whaling industry for more than a decade, but they were back. Peter was angry about that, and by this point, he'd also grown disillusioned with Greenpeace, whose efforts he felt were focused more on publicity than on action.<br />
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Peter had heard about the Sea Shepherd, a marine conservation organization. The organization was smaller than Greenpeace, but they had a reputation for taking action. "I wanted to physically get between the harpoons and the whales," Peter said. The Sea Shepherd was advertising a campaign to travel to Iceland. Peter applied, and was accepted. He was still just eighteen.<br />
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Some years later, Peter Hammarstedt was put in charge. And not just of the boat as captain; he was put in charge of physically blocking the whaling vessels from refueling. During last year's Operation Zero Tolerance campaign into the Southern Ocean, Peter commanded a small boat, which aimed to put an early end to the whalers' hunting season by cutting off their fuel supply. It was dangerous work, and he was rammed several times in rough seas by much bigger vessels.<br />
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"<i>Nisshin Maru</i>," Peter cried out by walkie-talkie from his 800-ton boat to the captain and crew of the 8000-ton Japanese whaling vessel the Nisshin Maru, "I will <i>not</i> move! I will <i>not</i> move! You'll have to sink me…I am not going to move for you!"(Watch the dramatic video of this confrontation <u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEVUEQ3SDyU&feature=youtu.be">here</a></u>.)<br />
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In fact, this particular mission was so dangerous that he spoke to his crew of thirty-four prior to embarking on it. He offered them a chance to jump ship, as it were, to bow out of the campaign before it got underway. Not one of the crew members took him up on it. It was Peter's most triumphant moment of his now decade-long career, knowing his crew was as dedicated as he was. And it was his most defining moment, he added, to learn that he and his crew had saved nearly nine hundred whales. Unable to refuel, the whaling ships were forced to cut their hunting season short, and they went home with just 10% of their original quota to kill more than a thousand whales.<br />
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But for Peter, every single whale death has a memorable impact. In 2008, he watched as a female whale was harpooned twice, then shot seven times by rifle. "It took twenty-two minutes and forty-four seconds for her to die," Peter said, looking away. "The risks I take pale in comparison to what these whales risk if we do not intervene. My biggest fear is not doing enough."<br />
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I asked Peter if he cried as he watched that whale die. It took him a long time to answer. "No," he said. "I don't cry during the campaigns. I cry after."<br />
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Peter has just completed his ninth consecutive campaign since 2002. He tells me that, over the years, he and his crews have saved nearly six thousand whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. He is proud of this fact, and it flickers across his face in a rare show of emotion. But, he and the other crew members admit, there are sacrifices. Peter, for one, has missed ten years of holidays with his family. Bosun Phil Peterson misses his children back home in America. And some of the other crew members simply miss being on land.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V3kL28I7SqU/UzXOOBfEAlI/AAAAAAAAAwk/Lpzdc7ky5Co/s1600/140202-TW-Humpback-Breaching-048147_thumb-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V3kL28I7SqU/UzXOOBfEAlI/AAAAAAAAAwk/Lpzdc7ky5Co/s1600/140202-TW-Humpback-Breaching-048147_thumb-1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Humpback (Courtesy: Sea Shepherd)</td></tr>
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"We take a lot of risks," Manager Andrea Gordon says. "We know what we're doing is a matter of life or death for the whales. It means taking a stand to save this species from extinction." I asked her how she squares risking her life for a cause that will never be able to verbally thank her.<br />
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"Tails splashing is thank you enough," Andrea said.<br />
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For Phil Peterson, his dream began with taking action. "It takes one individual to start a movement," he said. Now, his dream is to see governments stick by their commitments. "If you're gonna designate an area to be a sanctuary, enforce it," he said. "You make a commitment; you stand by that commitment."<br />
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<i>If you're interested in learning more about the Sea Shepherd's mission, visit their website at <a href="http://www.seashepherd.org/">http://www.seashepherd.org</a> </i></div>
<i><br /></i>"<u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973">LIVE from Mongolia</a></u>" <i>is the true story of what can happen when you pursue a lifelong dream. Published in October by Beaufort Books, it's available on Amazon (<u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973">hardcopy</a></u> and <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Mongolia-Street-Banker-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=">Kindle</a></u>), <u><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/live-from-mongolia-patricia-sexton/1111881631?ean=9780825306976">Barnes & Noble</a></u>, and in int'l bookstores. Join us here for this weekly series that tells the stories of </i><span style="font-style: italic;">people all around the world who are following unusual dreams. </span></div>
Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-478952787456458952014-03-21T20:45:00.001-04:002014-03-21T20:51:23.614-04:00LIVE from…Kilbirnie, Wellington!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
KILBIRNIE, WELLINGTON—When she was just eight years old, Juliet Jacka knew what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. She wanted to be a writer. "Reading was magical," she explained to the crowd gathered earlier this week to celebrate the launch of her new book. As a kid, every time Juliet tucked into one of Margaret Mahy's novels, she was inspired to pursue her dream to one day publish a book of her own.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Author Juliet Jacka at her book launch</td></tr>
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But somewhere along the way, adult sensibilities kicked in. As Juliet put it, she "got distracted by all the wrong things." She went to university, she traveled, she got married and had a family. Deep down, although Juliet still harbored that old dream to be a writer, she had three things on her mind that felt, at the time, like insurmountable obstacles: For one, she said, "Writing stories is hard, let alone a whole book." Second, she wasn't sure her imagination was up to the task of creating what she needed to create. And finally, she knew the publishing industry had fallen on hard times. "Nobody gets published," Juliet reminded herself over the years. How would she ever make it, Juliet wondered.<br />
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Still though, a voice in her mind kept telling her to go ahead and just <i>do</i> it: "Whenever I sat down and read a book…I'd feel the whisper and pull of all those beautiful words. And this insistent tap on my shoulder. This voice saying I want to do that. I want to <i>be</i> that." <br />
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One day, shortly after the birth of her first daughter, Juliet spoke by phone to her aunt Fleur Beale, one of New Zealand's most famous authors of children's literature.<br />
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"I'm bored," Juliet admitted to her aunt.<br />
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"Then it's time to start writing," Fleur told Juliet.<br />
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So that's just what Juliet did. She began writing. And she didn't exactly stop, either. Juliet's first daughter was born in April of 2010. By September, she'd begun writing. By October (yes, the <i>same</i> October), she'd entered her first children's novel into the annual Tom Fitzgibbon Award. The novel was called "The Keeper of Spirit Hill" and it was shortlisted for the 2011 award. In December of 2011, her second daughter was born, and once again, Juliet started writing. By that October, she'd submitted her new novel to the same contest. That novel is called "Night of the Perigee Moon" and it was the winning title for the 2013 Tom Fitzgibbon Award. And if that wasn't enough, her first novel was shortlisted once again too!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">"Dreams really do come true!" </td></tr>
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Juliet took advantage of 'stolen moments' to follow her dream to write and publish. She wrote in cars, on park benches, and in bed at night. Like Tilly, the main character in "Night of the Perigee Moon," Juliet said she had to figure out "that you have to push past the distractions and when you do, you can transform yourself into anything you want to be."<br />
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On Wednesday night, after four years of working toward her dream, Juliet Jacka launched "Night of the Perigee Moon" at The Children's Bookshop in Kilbirnie, Wellington, New Zealand. She was flanked by an "army of supporters" as she put it—her literati family, her incredibly talented illustrator, Scholastic who published her, representatives from Tom Fitzgibbon, and those of us who'd gathered, by this point in her speech, to hang on every word she spoke about following dreams.<br />
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"If you’re like me," Juliet said in closing, "and you’ve been feeling an itch or a tap on your shoulder to do or try something, but you’ve been ignoring it—try a Tilly on for size, and push past the distractions. Turn around and give that itch or nudge a good shove back. It’s amazing where it can lead."<br />
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"Night of the Perigee Moon," Juliet Jacka's first published book, was launched last night at The Children's Bookshop in Kilbirnie, Wellington. It's available for purchase at <a href="http://www.thechildrensbookshop.co.nz/">The Children's Bookshop</a>, <a href="http://www.fishpond.co.nz/Books/Night-of-Perigee-Moon-Juliet-Jacka/9781775432036">Fishpond</a>, and <a href="http://www.wheelers.co.nz/books/9781775432036-night-of-the-perigee-moon/?title=night+of+the+perigee+moon*">Wheelers</a>. For international delivery of the book, shop at <a href="http://www.mightyape.co.nz/product/Night-of-the-Perigee-Moon/21853665">Mighty Ape</a>.<br />
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<i>"<u>LIVE from Mongolia</u>" is the true story of what can happen when you pursue a lifelong dream. It's available on Amazon (<u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1395275254&sr=8-1">hardcover</a></u> and <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Mongolia-Street-Banker-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1395275254">Kindle</a></u>), <u><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/live-from-mongolia-patricia-sexton/1111881631?ean=9780825306976">Barnes & Noble</a></u>, and in international bookstores. Join us here at "LIVE from Mongolia" for our weekly series about people around the world who are following their wildest dreams. </i><br />
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-88276491725319625212014-03-10T20:56:00.000-04:002014-03-10T21:26:01.451-04:00LIVE with…Elizabeth Gilbert & Rayya Elias!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Authors, new books, and dreams being followed!</td></tr>
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WELLINGTON — Last night I met Elizabeth Gilbert, for the second time. The first time didn't go so well. That was about three years ago on the Upper West Side of New York. Back then, I embarrassed myself in front of a crowd of several thousand who'd gathered to hear Elizabeth speak about <i>Eat, Pray, Love</i>. Although I'd wrangled a general admission ticket to the sold-out event, I'd wanted to sit right up front, in the VIP section. So, I bet one of the security guards at the event that I could guess the number he'd written on a piece of paper. The number was between 1 and 100, and I had three chances to get it right. My odds were terrible, but on the second guess, unbelievably, I nailed it (98, in case you're looking for a lucky pair of digits). To the front-row VIP section I scampered.<br />
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After Elizabeth finished speaking that night, my errant hand shot up to ask a question, and my equally errant mouth opened. At the time, I was working on the manuscript which would eventually become the book that is <i>LIVE from Mongolia</i>. It's a story about what happens when you pursue a lifelong dream. At the time, I'd been losing a little bit of faith in that dream, and I was looking to Someone Who Has Made It Big to fix all that. I wanted Elizabeth Gilbert to tell me what to do next, to hold my hand, maybe do a little of it for me. So, I asked the question I'd been forming in my head, which went along the rough-shod lines of, "How do I get published?" The crowd laughed at me, and I fled the scene in tears.<br />
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Anyway, deep down, I already knew what I had to do next. I had to keep going with my dream to birth my book. Eventually, I would.<br />
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Fast forward to last night in Wellington, New Zealand, where I have just moved from New York. Elizabeth is here with her friend Rayya Elias as part of <u><a href="http://festival.co.nz/writers-week/">New Zealand Festival's Writers Week</a></u>. Elizabeth is promoting her latest book, <i><u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Signature-All-Things-Elizabeth-Gilbert-ebook/dp/B00BPDR3F6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394498875&sr=1-1&keywords=the+signature+of+all+things">The Signature of All Things</a></u></i> and Rayya is promoting her first book, <i><u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Harley-Loco-Memoir-Haircutting-Post-Punk-ebook/dp/B008EKOSDI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394498937&sr=1-1&keywords=harley+loco">Harley Loco</a></u></i>. In my backpack, I had a copy of my own book.<br />
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Rayya spoke first. She talked about Elizabeth, and she talked about addiction, sobriety, grit, and what it takes to actually <i>enjoy</i> pursuing a dream. She talked about the Lower East Side, about hairdressing and music, and about not giving up. She spoke with such passion that if you looked around the room, you could see the collective hairs stand on the collective necks of every single person in there. It was<i> that </i>sort of night. And then Elizabeth spoke.<br />
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Elizabeth has a theory about creativity, which I'll have to paraphrase. (Alas, I'd banished pen and paper from my evening in order to simply soak it all up and enjoy myself.) Her theory is that ideas, creative ideas, are out there in the "ether" looking for a home, looking for a mother. "Are you my mother?" a film project asks of filmmakers in every nook and cranny on Earth. "Are you my mother?" a book idea asks until it finds its author. And so on. When an idea taps you on the shoulder, it's not just saying hello and introducing itself. It's informing you that you better pack your bags for a long journey ahead. This fresh, new idea will give you time to gestate it, but it won't give you forever. If you wait too long, it'll move on to the next filmmaker, author, painter. This idea, this little creative fetus; it just wants to be born. You are the mother, or maybe you are not.<br />
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Elizabeth finished speaking, and the room heaved. Everybody needed to take a deep breath. Finally, someone's hand shot up to ask a question, and I'm relieved to say that the hand wasn't mine.<br />
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After Elizabeth took questions, she and Rayya signed books. There's something exquisitely nostalgic about holding an actual physical book in your hand. For one, it smells good. It smells like those summer afternoons when you were a kid and you didn't have anything better to do in the whole world other than your chores to empty the trash and weed the garden — and read a novel.<br />
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I bought Elizabeth's latest book. My friend Lissa Carlino, an aspiring novelist who'd accompanied me last night, bought Rayya's book. While Elizabeth signed for me, I pulled out the copy of my own book and explained why I was giving it to her. Giving birth to my creative baby took a long time, and somehow Elizabeth Gilbert had gotten tangled up, all those years ago, in the midwifery of it all.<br />
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"You did it," Elizabeth said to me, author to author, idea-mother to idea-mother. It was a pretty special moment.<br />
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On the way out, a woman named Amanda stopped me. "Were you just now talking about <i>LIVE from Mongolia</i>?" she asked. She'd seen me holding the book, she explained, and wondered if I was talking to Elizabeth Gilbert about it. Yes, I told her. "Why?" she asked. "I wrote it!" I said. "I'm reading it!" she exclaimed.<br />
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And with that, a night that didn't seem like it could get any better got even better. <br />
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<i>'LIVE from Mongolia' is the true story of what can happen when you follow a lifelong dream. "This book is inspiring, and teaches all of us to put passion first, and happiness will follow," says 60 Minutes' Ira Rosen. 'LIVE from Mongolia' is available</i><i> on Amazon (<u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0">hardcover</a></u> and <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Mongolia-Street-Banker-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=">Kindle</a></u>), <u><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/live-from-mongolia-patricia-sexton/1111881631?ean=9780825306976">Barnes & Noble</a></u>, and in bookstores internationally. Join us here for our weekly blog series about people all over the world following unusual dreams. </i><br />
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-47064924808700119192014-03-09T22:16:00.003-04:002014-03-09T22:16:57.607-04:00LIVE from…The Ocean!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
CUBA, FLORIDA, & IN BETWEEN — At 64, she swam more than 100 miles from Cuba to Florida. Yes, she's Diana Nyad, and yes, her story has been all over the news. But it was just today that a reader emailed me a link to <u><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/diana_nyad_never_ever_give_up">an incredible TEDTalk</a></u> that Diana Nyad gave in December, and I'd like to share it with all of you. <div>
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For those of you unfamiliar with this story, Diana Nyad has done the impossible. For more than half a century, the greatest swimmers in the world have been trying to swim from Cuba to Florida. Men, women, all young. Certainly not near retirement age. But Diana, at 64, has become the first person to achieve this incredible feat. </div>
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Starting out in Cuba, Diana swam in the pitch black of the night with sharks and deadly jellyfish, singing John Lennon's <i>Imagine</i>, over and over and over again. She swam about 110 miles in the open sea with its unpredictable currents and tides. She swam with a team nearby for survival, but entirely alone in her pursuit and her will to finish. It was her fourth attempt at achieving this unusual dream, this dream to swim from one country to another, and her doctors, a neurological team, and even her own teammates told her this time, this fourth time, her dream would be impossible to achieve. Diana was, after all, 64. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zJKxZM_DQII/Ux0fFczNz0I/AAAAAAAAAtc/wBfXxxTFdsU/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zJKxZM_DQII/Ux0fFczNz0I/AAAAAAAAAtc/wBfXxxTFdsU/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diana Nyad, from The Huffington Post</td></tr>
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But here's what Diana has to say about all that, in her TEDTalk: "Find a way. You have a dream and you have obstacles in front of you as we all do… None of us ever gets through this life without turmoil and heartache… You find your way!" Later, she adds, "You can chase your dreams at any age! Sixty-four?! Find a way!" </div>
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On the last day of Diana's swim, the swim that would rocket her to fame and Oprah's couch and CNN, she saw lights off in the distance. She'd been swimming all night, and when she saw those lights in the distance, she was relieved that the sun was rising, that she'd made it through another day. That's when Diana realized it wasn't just daylight that was breaking; it was the shore of Key West off in the distance. She'd made it. (Well, almost. She had to swim another fifteen hours to get to the shore!)</div>
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If you're feeling flimsy today and relying on excuses, I urge you to spend your procrastination time (because we both know that's what you're doing reading this blog!) watching <u><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/diana_nyad_never_ever_give_up">Diana Nyad give her TED Talk</a></u>. And then write me about the dream you're following! I'd love to hear from you.</div>
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<i>'LIVE from Mongolia' is the true story of what can happen when you pursue a lifelong dream. It's available on Amazon (<u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0">hardcover</a></u> and <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Mongolia-Street-Banker-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=">Kindle</a></u>), <u><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/live-from-mongolia-patricia-sexton/1111881631?ean=9780825306976">Barnes & Noble</a></u>, and in bookstores internationally. Join us here for this weekly blog series about dream followers from all over the world. Who knows, you may be up next!</i></div>
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-31000488378330775902014-03-04T16:06:00.000-05:002014-03-04T16:06:20.586-05:00LIVE from…A Camper Van!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-URs76lpR4RI/UxY5rmOZ-sI/AAAAAAAAAtE/Q6gE3CDjx6g/s1600/photo+2-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-URs76lpR4RI/UxY5rmOZ-sI/AAAAAAAAAtE/Q6gE3CDjx6g/s1600/photo+2-3.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Australian Colin making his way around NZ</td></tr>
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The Road — Fall arrived abruptly here in New Zealand, and summer departed like the less interested half of a one-night stand. It's early March, but in northern hemisphere terms, it's the beginning of September. I should've been expecting fall's approach, but alas, I was not, not this quickly. And so it was last week, while walking down the steep and winding hill that leads from our house to the bays below at Oriental Parade, that I ruminated on all this. No, not just the changing of seasons, which always puts me in a pensive mood, but on the nature of journeying, and the expectations we cart along with us.<br />
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As I rounded the bend west toward the city center, drinking in what turns out to have been the last of summer's sunshine, something caught my eye. Painted on the top of a camper van, an "RV" we call 'em in America, was a sign that said, 'Livin' the Dream.' <br />
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I poked around the camper van long enough for someone to appear out of it. That's when I met Colin.<br />
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Colin is about sixty and from Australia and he's traveling with his adult son, who didn't seem particularly interested in talking to me. But Colin, who was wearing a New York t-shirt, was on a journey. Together with his son, they were traveling around New Zealand in their rented van. They would be on the road, well, as long as it took.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VhXBQCUGujQ/UxY75ah7lTI/AAAAAAAAAtM/u0W6BXlmOX8/s1600/photo+3-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VhXBQCUGujQ/UxY75ah7lTI/AAAAAAAAAtM/u0W6BXlmOX8/s1600/photo+3-3.jpg" height="400" width="297" /></a>I peeked inside and it looked just like a vehicle would look with two men traveling together for an extended period of time: cluttered, with a side of underpants.<br />
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"Are you living the dream?" I asked Colin as we stood outside his van, beneath the sign that suggested that's just what he was doing.<br />
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"Livin' the dream?" he repeated back to me in a healthy twang. "I'm livin' the dream every day."<br />
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I thanked Colin for more than he knew I was thanking him for, and went on my now-merrier way. As I approached downtown Wellington, something else caught my eye. On a pier that doubles as the city's public diving board, a dozen or so young boys were perched. One by one, they took turns jumping into the water, soaking up the last of the summer sun.<br />
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<i>'LIVE from Mongolia!', the true story of what can happen when you pursue a lifelong dream, is available on Amazon (<u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0">hardcover</a></u> and <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Mongolia-Street-Banker-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=">Kindle</a></u>), on <u><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/live-from-mongolia-patricia-sexton/1111881631?ean=9780825306976">Barnes & Noble</a></u>, and in bookstores internationally. Patricia Sexton also writes this weekly blog series about dream-followers around the world. If you're a dreamer, write us here! We'd love to include you in an upcoming feature! </i><br />
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-9002442114013085652014-02-24T16:04:00.000-05:002014-02-24T16:04:40.604-05:00LIVE from…An Interview with Sam Polk<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
LOS ANGELES — By now, everyone knows who Sam Polk is. He was the "wolf" who was angry that his $3.6 million Wall Street bonus wasn't big enough. So he wrote in that polarizing <u><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/opinion/sunday/for-the-love-of-money.html?_r=0" target="_blank"><i>New York Times </i>Op-Ed</a></u>, which was one of the most popular Opinion pieces so far this year. Just 30 years old when he got that last bonus, Sam was rich. So why on earth, at the height of his career, did he leave Wall Street behind?<br />
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This week, I talked to Sam Polk. I wanted to understand why this gifted derivatives trader, who had everything going for him, gave it all up to follow a dream.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U1A7MjhlNs0/UwurYr9S2lI/AAAAAAAAAsc/g0Qo-QVU84U/s1600/IMG_1437.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U1A7MjhlNs0/UwurYr9S2lI/AAAAAAAAAsc/g0Qo-QVU84U/s1600/IMG_1437.png" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam Polk on the trading floor (Pamela Van Reesema)</td></tr>
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"I wasn't proud of my life, or myself," Sam wrote to me in an email.<br />
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While on Wall Street, Sam had been reading Taylor Branch's series on Martin Luther King and it struck him that someone without money or position could achieve what Martin Luther King achieved. "Every bit of authority and power he had came from who he was on the inside," Sam said by way of explaining his admiration for Dr. King. Further, Sam realized that where the 1960s civil rights activists were sacrificing themselves for the good of the system, Sam was just using the system to accumulate money to benefit himself. That's when he realized he wanted to do something with his life. "It wasn't about happiness," Sam adds. "It was about humanity, about contributing something, about not wasting my life."<br />
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Then Sam attended a volunteer event. The speaker at the event was a woman who ran a charter school for foster children, and she was passionate about what she did. It was obvious to Sam that she was proud of her life, and once again Sam drew comparisons, or rather contrasts, with his own.<br />
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Growing up, Sam was overweight, and he was teased for it. Classmates called him 'Fat Boy' and he and his twin brother 'Pork Brothers.' Struggles with weight and obesity strike a nerve with Sam, and so it was while he and his doctor-wife watched the 2011 <i><u><a href="http://www.forksoverknives.com/about/synopsis/" target="_blank">Forks Over Knives</a></u></i> documentary about plant-based eating that something began to change in him. As Sam explains it, the "eureka" moment was, at the time, more his wife's than his own. As a doctor, she'd been taught that medication, not necessarily nutrition, was the cure.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-va_cq16rDnc/Uwur5LEz0kI/AAAAAAAAAsk/i_IB8F0rIj8/s1600/image3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-va_cq16rDnc/Uwur5LEz0kI/AAAAAAAAAsk/i_IB8F0rIj8/s1600/image3.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam talking to woman w/ baby (Angela Carrasco)</td></tr>
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But still, it got Sam to thinking. And it got both Sam and his wife to change their eating habits. Later, as they watched the 2012 <a href="http://www.magpictures.com/aplaceatthetable/" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">A Place at the Table</a> film, about how to end hunger for the 50 million Americans who don't know where their next meal is coming from, Sam experienced his own 'eureka.' In fact, he burst into tears.<br />
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"Five miles from our tony suburb, people were starving," Sam writes. "And those same people were struggling with obesity. That's what broke me."<br />
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Sam decided to do something about it.<br />
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With a friend, Sam brainstormed how he might provide healthy groceries for just one family for a few months. "In my new plant-based mind," he writes in another <u><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-polk/yuppies-watching-document_b_4551095.html" target="_blank">fascinating piece</a></u> in the <i>Huffington Post</i>, "I pictured bags of tomatoes and avocados, kale and yellow peaches." His friend, for his part, loved the idea. And as Sam put it, suddenly they were <i>doing</i> something; they weren't just talking about doing something.<br />
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One thing led to another, and although Sam wasn't always sure where ultimately the next steps would lead, he continued to take them anyway. He wrote down his ideas, and made contact with non-profits, doctors, chefs, filmmakers, a priest, and even a former gang member. Now, this didn't all go smoothly at first. As Sam tells it, "That first year: the self-doubt, the cold calls to people, the vulnerability in sharing an idea — it was so hard." Inside Sam's head was the voice of his father, and that wasn't a good thing. The voice kept saying things like, "Who are you to try this?" and "What makes you so smart?"<br />
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At one point, Sam went to a party thrown in honor of a banker being promoted to junior partner at a firm Sam used to work for. "It felt like I got punched in the gut," Sam said. He didn't elaborate, but he didn't have to. It was clear that Sam was questioning his new belief system. He was worried he was being left behind. But Sam did have this to say: "The tough thing about defining a new idea of success that's different from the culture's is that it takes constant vigilance. If I'm not careful, my mind still runs to jealousy and the belief that success equals money, power, and prestige, instead of what I believe now — that success is about meaning and purpose and love."<br />
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Unlike me (at first anyway), Sam doesn't miss the banking world. "I don't miss it. I don't miss the people, or how I felt sitting at my desk. I don't miss hearing about people's net worth, or how big their bonus was. I don't miss a culture where the institution and bosses have all the power because they control the very thing — money — that everyone is after."<br />
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A month after Sam broke down in tears watching <i>A Place at the Table</i>, his non-profit Groceryships was born. Groceryships is what it sounds like: groceries meet scholarships. Groceryships' aim is to select a group of families and award them grocery scholarships, "groceryships," which will include not only money to buy healthful food, but will also provide nutrition education, support groups, and resources.<br />
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This week, Groceryships will debut their pilot program. As part of the pilot, each family they sponsor will receive $100 a week to buy healthy groceries. Are you interested in donating to Groceryships? If so, (Groceryships is a 501c3 registered charity) please visit their website <u><a href="http://www.groceryships.org/">www.groceryships.org</a></u> or contact Sam Polk directly at sam@groceryships.com.<br />
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…And if you're following a dream too, write me! Let's tell your story and inspire others to do the same!<br />
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<i>'LIVE from Mongolia,' the true story of what can happen when you pursue a lifelong dream, is available on Amazon (<u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0">hardcover</a></u> and <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Mongolia-Street-Banker-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=">Kindle</a></u>), <u><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/live-from-mongolia-patricia-sexton/1111881631?ean=9780825306976">Barnes & Noble</a></u>, and in bookstores internationally. "This book is inspiring, and teaches all of us to put passion first, and happiness will follow." -60 Minutes' Ira Rosen. Join us here on this weekly blog series for features about people around the world following unusual dreams. </i><br />
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-40162558300815471632014-02-18T19:07:00.000-05:002014-02-18T19:07:59.491-05:00LIVE from…A Dream Come True! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
WELLINGTON — <a href="http://trishsexton.blogspot.co.nz/2014/02/live-fromthe-environment.html" target="_blank">Remember Emma</a>? The Kiwi dreamer with a passion for both writing and the environment? Well, as it turns out, Emma has some terrific news for us.<br />
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Emma has just begun writing a series for <i>The Dominion Post</i>, one of New Zealand's major daily newspapers. Her series is called "<a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/capital-life/the-greenist" target="_blank">The Greenist</a>" and in its debut, she talks about who she is: "A 34-year-old city chick with an office job and an [apartment in town]," which is to say, Emma isn't your usual beatnik environmentalist.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LAXHF_AljZM/UwPpzn76NiI/AAAAAAAAAsM/QwWPl0OlHgg/s1600/DSCF2089+-+Copy-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LAXHF_AljZM/UwPpzn76NiI/AAAAAAAAAsM/QwWPl0OlHgg/s1600/DSCF2089+-+Copy-2.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma Gilkison, who writes <i>The Greenist</i> for Stuff</td></tr>
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In her <i>The Greenist</i> series, which will appear several times weekly, Emma will research the things we've all heard about but know nothing concrete about (species extinction, rising temperatures, and, as she writes, "Arctic glaciers melting like ice creams"). Helpfully, she'll put this stuff in the vernacular. But that's not all. For 2014, Emma has created a schedule of monthly challenges, beginning well, <i>right now</i>, of things that we can all do to make a real difference to the environment. Her challenges hit home because they are personal and accessible. For instance, in May, she'll try her best to go paperless, and then find a way to plant 100 trees. In July, she'll go plastic-free, and will somehow (I'm looking forward to seeing just how) avoid purchasing anything wrapped in plastic for the entire month. I bet Emma wishes she'd chosen a shorter month for that particular challenge!<br />
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So, who's up for joining Emma on this monthly adventure? You can join from anywhere in the world. How about you, my hometown Cincinnatians? And New Yorkers? And what about you, Mongolians and Mongol-philes? Chinese 朋友? English and Aussie and Kiwi mates? My e-pal in Bhutan? The more the merrier! Just don't toast your efforts with disposable champagne glasses! (Or disposable airag mugs, either.)<br />
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Click here to read <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/capital-life/the-greenist/9708802/The-Greenist-challenge-schedule" target="_blank">The Greenist's Challenge Schedule</a>, and make sure to read the very unusual challenge for March, as well as this month's challenge, which will be very interesting for those of you who live in the suburbs. Come one, come all! See you there!<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/capital-life/the-greenist" target="_blank">The Greenist</a> </i>will appear several times weekly. Click the link to read and follow Emma Gilkison's series.<br />
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<i>'LIVE from Mongolia,' the true story of what can happen when you follow a lifelong dream, is available on Amazon (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1392339443&sr=8-1" target="_blank">hardcover</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Mongolia-Street-Banker-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1392339443" target="_blank">Kindle</a>), <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/live-from-mongolia-patricia-sexton/1111881631?ean=9780825306976" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a>, and in bookstores internationally. "This book is inspiring, and teaches all of us to put passion first, and happiness will follow…" </i><br />
<i>-60 Minutes' Ira Rosen</i><br />
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-53316862520404632392014-02-13T20:03:00.002-05:002014-02-13T20:03:30.469-05:00LIVE from Park Slope, Brooklyn! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
BROOKLYN, NY — Andrea Reese has spent a
lifetime realizing not just one dream, but several. It all started with the
family car. She was just a kid when she drew all over it, as well as her
homework assignments and tests and—the rather more obvious—art paper she’d been
given. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind, certainly not in young Andrea’s,
that one day she’d become an artist.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0s6c4Xa-bjM/Uv1niWBkLlI/AAAAAAAAArs/2i8LuyDpX9g/s1600/andrea12a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0s6c4Xa-bjM/Uv1niWBkLlI/AAAAAAAAArs/2i8LuyDpX9g/s1600/andrea12a.jpg" height="161" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrea Reese in action (Photo by Daniela Reinsch)</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“I want to make the invisible
visible,” Andrea, a Brooklyn resident, told me by email. “Growing up, for a
number of reasons, I often felt unappreciated and invisible.”</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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At first, this desire for
visibility was a personal quest. As a teenager, Andrea studied singing and
acting, and she spent nearly two decades onstage, singing opera and performing
as a stage and film actress. She even wrote her own critically acclaimed
one-woman show, <i>Cirque Jacqueline</i>, a play
about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But, over time, as Andrea and
her art evolved, she began to realize that performance art was no longer her
dream. “Looking back,” she explained, “I think the performing bug had to do
with a sadness I had inside, and a desire to have people notice me and cheer me
on.” When Andrea reached her forties, her original passion returned, her
passion for the visual arts. But the passion wasn’t just professional; it was also
deeply personal. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XhDYH2pZFb0/Uv1oIoo93GI/AAAAAAAAAr0/d7OoZKgbBwI/s1600/DSC_0409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XhDYH2pZFb0/Uv1oIoo93GI/AAAAAAAAAr0/d7OoZKgbBwI/s1600/DSC_0409.JPG" height="320" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Capturing the moment (Photo Andrea Reese)</td></tr>
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While Andrea began to
explore the newest iteration of her dream in the visual world, she also began
to realize something about herself: she wanted her intimate relationships to be
with women instead of men.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I met Andrea around the
time she was experiencing this duality of awakenings. At the time, I was on a
journey of my own, the one that would take me out of banking to follow my dream
into news anchoring in Mongolia. One day, not long after I’d quit Wall Street
and booked my ticket to Ulaanbaatar, Andrea told me to make a wish, that
“something good might happen.” Well, something did, for both of us. </div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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The next time I saw Andrea,
she was getting married to Alice at a beautiful and soulful ceremony in Park
Slope. And, she had also discovered that every time she lifted a camera and
looked through it, she “went into an altered place of pure inspiration and deep
happiness she’d never felt before.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Andrea had fallen in love
all over again. She’d rediscovered her dream through photography, and developed
it through stunning and emotionally raw portraiture. Walking up to twenty miles
a day through the streets of New York City, she could be seen snapping photos
of the subjects she’s most passion about: the otherwise invisible. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Andrea was lucky in a way
that makes her unique amongst absolutely everyone I’ve ever interviewed about
dreams. From North Korea to New York, I don’t think I’ve yet met anyone who
hasn’t struggled with the idea of giving up financial security to pursue their
dreams. I haven’t met anyone who willingly accepted, at such a young age,
having ‘less.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mq0yAp5WKRg/Uv1otr1JiHI/AAAAAAAAAr8/1rxHAbqOj5w/s1600/MeWithPeacock2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mq0yAp5WKRg/Uv1otr1JiHI/AAAAAAAAAr8/1rxHAbqOj5w/s1600/MeWithPeacock2.JPG" height="176" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrea "shooting" a peacock (Photo by Missy Cohen)</td></tr>
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Until now.</div>
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When I asked Andrea about
what she had to give up in order to pursue her passion, her dream, her art, she
told me that she knew even as a kid she wanted to be an artist, that she never
wanted to grow up to be rich, or even live in a house. What she wanted was to
be an artist. For Andrea, she was always on the path of her dream. <span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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For more of Andrea's art, or to book her for a shoot, visit her at <a href="http://www.andreareesephotography.com/">www.andreareesephotography.com</a></div>
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<i>Patricia Sexton is the author of 'LIVE from Mongolia,' the true story of what happens when you follow a lifelong dream. It's available on Amazon (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1392339443&sr=8-1" target="_blank">hardcover</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Mongolia-Street-Banker-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392339443&sr=8-1&keywords=live+from+mongolia" target="_blank">Kindle</a>), <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/live-from-mongolia-patricia-sexton/1111881631?ean=9780825306976" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a>, and in bookstores internationally. </i></div>
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-20712079308387659532014-02-04T22:41:00.001-05:002014-02-10T17:17:12.720-05:00LIVE from…The Environment! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
WELLINGTON — Emma's dream is to be a writer. Typically, someone who dreams of being a writer embarks upon a journey to get a book published. Emma, a 35-year-old New Zealander, has indeed been down that road. But there's something else: Emma's dream has taken a sharp turn from what she expected.<br />
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When Emma was 16, she was invited to represent her school at an environmental conference in Hawaii. She'd been hearing about big issues, things like "deforestation" and "losing the Amazon" and, most worrisome for Kiwis like Emma, "ozone depletion." Ozone depletion is a particularly pressing issue in New Zealand, because there's an actual hole where the protective ozone layer ought to to be. Trust me, if you lived beneath a gap in the ozone layer, you'd care too. <br />
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Well, Emma returned from the environmental conference thinking that, "It just all seemed stupid. It's not just about 'saving the planet.' It's about saving the human species!" She felt like these issues should be important to everyone, that they should be front page news. So Emma started a youth group of like-minded students who cared about the future of our planet. But, she was just 16 and as she put it, "It all fizzled fast." Life got in the way. Emma got distracted. In fact, Emma got distracted for nearly 20 years.<br />
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And that's familiar, isn't it? Don't we all get distracted? Isn't it a lot easier to pursue your dream tomorrow than it is to take even a single step in its direction today?<br />
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Recently, Emma began to do some thinking about all this. Not about the environment, not at first anyway. At first, she began to think about her original dream to become a career writer. Her dream had begun to feel like it was fading, and she'd had some dark times with it. But then Emma began to wonder if her dream wasn't tangled up in ego, if maybe she was pursuing it just to prove something to the world. As a teenager, Emma had even gone so far as to fantasize prizes she would win in writing competitions she would enter. "Dreams and ambitions driven by those kinds of aims aren't going to make you happy," she said to me today as we sat in a Wellington cafe.<br />
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So how does someone force the evolution of a dream that isn't quite working out as planned? How does someone move forward when the dream is dragging its feet? Well, for Emma, she would reignite an old passion, which would give her old dream to write a very timely purpose. This process, this slight shift, would create an entirely new dream.<br />
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Emma asked herself this: "What do I want to write about that I <i>care</i> about?" And with that, she began to tap once again into her passion for the environment. Motivated by curiosity, Emma did some digging. She uncovered some things she simply could not overlook, like the fact that a very critical rung on our food chain is being killed off by warmer waters. Or the fact that our planet may lose <i>a quarter of its animal species</i> by the year 2050. This scares her the most. Once again, Emma discovered her old passion for the environment. And suddenly, she realized that it was <i>this </i>she would write about.<br />
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But where? And who will care about it? The issues Emma hopes to tackle are enormous and theoretical. They feel un-tackle-able. The environment feels like somebody else's problem. How can she inspire other people about an issue that isn't necessarily important to them? Not only that, Emma will be facing tough opponents: industry, government, ambivalence.<br />
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Emma knows she's facing an uphill battle. In fact, she seems to be quite looking forward to it and to the challenge of writing about it. She told me that if she gets just five people around the world to change their environmentally-unfriendly habits…that that would be enough for her. (Yeah, I asked the same question: 'Just five?' And Emma smiled as if she knew, or maybe hoped, her impact will be far greater. Something tells me it will.)<br />
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"In thirty years' time," Emma explained to me, "I imagined myself having a conversation with my granddaughter. I didn't want to her to ask me what I'd done about global warming and tell her that I'd been too distracted to care."<br />
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*Disclosure: I happen to know that something very big is brewing for Emma and her new dream. So, what you just read in this week's dream-following episode will be followed up soon by a dream-come-true story. Fingers crossed for Emma and her new dream. See you next week! (And if you're following a dream, write me! I'd love to hear from you!)<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>LIVE from Mongolia, the book, is the true story of what can happen when you follow your wildest dream. It's available on Amazon (both <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0" target="_blank">hardcover</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top" target="_blank">Kindle</a>), in <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/live-from-mongolia-patricia-sexton/1111881631?ean=9780825306976" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a>, and in bookstores internationally. </i><span style="font-style: italic;">"Light, humorous, and relentlessly optimistic." -Publishers Weekly review of LIVE from Mongolia </span></div>
Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-81239489020883646582014-01-28T21:54:00.000-05:002014-01-28T21:54:00.326-05:00LIVE from…A Dream Come True!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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NEW YORK — LIVE from Mongolia, this weekly blog series, has just hit a milestone: 30,000 readers!</div>
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Seven or so years ago, when the London chief dealer at Credit Suisse said to me, "You should start a blog before you go to Mongolia," I responded, "A what?" </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hurray! Thirty thousand readers!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Back then, I'd just quit my sensible job to pursue a dream. Back then, the dream was to become a foreign correspondent, to go to war, to cover conflicts. Back then, I had no idea what would <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjYpgG2iHu8" target="_blank">happen next</a>. And that was pretty exciting. It still is.</div>
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All these years later, this blog has turned into a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973" target="_blank">book</a>. It's collaborated with a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJjGSz4yFJY" target="_blank">TV show</a>. And it's been to some pretty cool places: North Korea is still my favorite. And Mongolia was my longest stint, the place that changed me the most. New Zealand, for its part, has by far, coughed up the most dreamers of all forty-seven countries I've visited - <i>combined</i>.</div>
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So where will "LIVE from Mongolia" go next? I have an inkling, a real dream. It's going to take some planning, and it's going to take an enormous leap of faith, but I look forward to telling you, all thirty thousand of you, all about it. Thanks for joining me on this journey. You readers make it all worthwhile.</div>
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- <i>"Light, humorous, and relentlessly optimistic." -Publishers Weekly's review of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian/dp/0825306973" target="_blank">LIVE from Mongolia</a>, the book. Published by Beaufort Books, October 2013. Available on Amazon, bn.com, and in bookstores internationally. </i></div>
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-10473157187836875382014-01-21T17:35:00.000-05:002014-01-21T17:35:48.984-05:00LIVE from…Wall Street!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Wall Street — Sam Polk made much, much more money than I ever did. But he and I both worked at Credit Suisse, and both he and I came to Wall Street, inspired and excited, after reading Michael Lewis's <i>Liar's Poker</i>. And like Sam's parents, my parents raised us kids paycheck-to-paycheck. And also like Sam, it didn't take long for me working on Wall Street to earn in just a couple of years what my parents had spent a lifetime earning.<br />
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Earlier this week, Sam Polk <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/opinion/sunday/for-the-love-of-money.html?_r=0" target="_blank">wrote an Opinion piece</a> in the <i>New York Times</i> about his experience being, as he described, "addicted" to the money on Wall Street. He then goes on to talk about how he finally, one day, walked out of Wall Street. Unlike me, Sam didn't have a plan for what he wanted to do with his life after banking, and I think it takes an awful lot more guts to leave without a plan than to leave with one. At least I knew where I was going — or thought I knew, until for a time I didn't.<br />
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But Sam's piece in the <i>Times</i> has pushed a lot of buttons, and not just bankers' buttons. There was this in the <i>Times' </i>Comments section from Matt R in Brooklyn:<br />
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<i>"I know I'm supposed to feel pleased at the author's epiphany. But I don't. I feel angry. It's nice that after making more money than I've made in my life the author was willing to walk away. It's nice that he was able to come sober, though I doubt there would have been many repercussions if he hadn't. It's nice that he went on to perform charity work. But he still seems to be an over-priveleged person."</i><br />
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A banker friend commented, referring to the comment itself, that had Matt R been given the chance to make that kind of money, Matt R would've jumped at the chance to do so, just like every other 22-year-old kid getting his or her first shot at making it big on Wall Street, or anywhere where money is growing on trees.<br />
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But all of this misses the point. The point here is the exit, the courage it took Sam to realize something in his life was very wrong, at least from his perspective, and change it. Even when he wasn't sure what the change would be.<br />
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And I do know what it feels like to have your very powerful and very persuasive Wall Street boss trying to encourage you to stay for 'just one more bonus.' I know how hard it is to walk away from a good job, a job you've worked, as Sam put it, "like a maniac" for, a career that makes you feel important. And I know how disillusioned you feel after leaving that career behind.<br />
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It's been several years since I left Wall Street, and still every morning I wake up missing having to be somewhere at 6:30am. I miss the banter, the friendships, the eccentricities. But nothing can replace what it feels like to follow a dream. Nothing, not even the fantastic adrenaline of Wall Street, can replace what it feels like to discover your truest self.<br />
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<i>"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0825306973" target="_blank">LIVE from Mongolia</a>" is Patricia Sexton's true story of leaving Wall Street to pursue her dream…which ultimately led her into the news anchor chair in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Patricia has hosted Sinovision's WE Talk, a talk show about people pursuing their dreams, and she authors this weekly blog about dream-followers and adventure. LIVE from Mongolia was published in October by Beaufort, and is available on Amazon, bn.com, and in bookstores from New York to New Zealand. </i></div>
Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-30741273091891693462014-01-14T17:01:00.001-05:002014-01-14T17:01:48.993-05:00LIVE from the Deck of Jacques Cousteau's Boat!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
PORT TARAKOHE, NEW ZEALAND — I screeched to a halt. There, on the side of the road, tucked into a cave descending into the Abel Tasman sea, was a small wooden book shelf. Above the shelf was a cardboard sign that read "Pirate Book Club Exchange." <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Discovering a book club in a New Zealand cave</td></tr>
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I know it's early in this story, but I think a recap is in order: Driving along a coastal road in a semi-remote area of New Zealand, I stumbled upon a pirate's book club tucked into a cave. </div>
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But wait, the story gets impossibly more unusual.</div>
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After cogitating on the nature of New Zealanders who put bookshelves in caves and label them "Pirate Book Club Exchange," I drove on to my destination. I was headed to dinner in Tata Beach with my little girl and my sister-in-law. As it happens, the list of interesting people my sister-in-law knows is shorter than the list of people she doesn't know, and the dinner party would once again prove just that. At the dinner, I met a couple who cycled across China because they could, a couple who met trekking in a frigid part of Australia, and an American-Kiwi couple who met on a boating research expedition in Alaska. But that wasn't the best part. The best part was when I remarked on that Pirate Book Club Exchange in the cave.</div>
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"Can you believe it?" I'd said. "A pirate's book club?!"</div>
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"Oh, the pirate?" one of the dinner party adventurer guests said. "He's having a party tomorrow night. You should come. We're going." </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An old Jacques Coustea vessel turned into a cafe in New Zealand</td></tr>
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Well of course.</div>
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Turns out, the "pirate" owns an old French sailing vessel and he's an otherwise normal New Zealander man whose name is Ollie. A few years ago, after turning a profit on the sale of a property, Ollie bought a boat. The boat, according to local fishermen who informed Ollie of his good fortune, turned out to be none other than one of Jacques Cousteau's old fleet. Ollie didn't make a big deal of his find, but he did move in. For seven years, he lived on his boat. He started up a now-renowned cafe with a sign that simply reads, "Espresso." People come from miles around (and countries, too) to see this Cousteau-boat-turned-cafe and to drink his terrific coffee.</div>
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The following night, I met Ollie at his party. Seven of us packed into the car (my sister-in-law in the trunk) and drove to Port Tarakohe, where Ollie and his boat are moored. It had been raining that day, but the sky was now clear and the sea was calm. The party, however, was not calm. A D.J. was spinning from the cockpit, churning out a thumping beat. On deck, a crowd of mostly women danced under the starry skies. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ollie making iced mochas on his "Espresso" boat cafe</td></tr>
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Someone (possibly me) was so inspired by the whole scene that she dropped to the floor and did push-ups.</div>
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And then my sister-in-law introduced me and my husband to Ollie, the "pirate." At first, it was awkward. Despite the raging party he was hosting, Ollie is polite and shy. </div>
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"Are you a pirate?" my husband gamely asked.</div>
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"No," Ollie responded, clearly confused. "But this is my boat."</div>
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As my husband exited stage left (after that opening line, he kinda had to), Ollie told me his story. He explained how he'd stumbled upon his boat, why he'd opened up the coffee shop (to make a little money), and he told me about that odd little Pirate Book Club in the cave.</div>
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"A friend on a nearby boat was getting rid of a bookshelf," he said simply. "So I rescued the shelf and put it in cave on the side of the road," he went on, shrugging as if it were nothing to create a book club in a cave. "And I made a sign that said Pirate Book Exchange." And that was that.</div>
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"What's your dream?" I asked him, already knowing the answer.</div>
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"I'm living it," Ollie said, and I nodded. </div>
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<i>Patricia Sexton is the author of "LIVE from Mongolia," a true story about what can happen when you follow your life's wildest dream. The book is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-From-Mongolia-Street-Mongolian-ebook/dp/B00FZ4QY60/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top" target="_blank">available on Amazon.com</a>, BN.com, and in various bookstores from New York to New Zealand. She's the host of a TV show about people following dreams, and writes this weekly blog about the same. </i></div>
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-44188759346392056622014-01-07T14:18:00.000-05:002014-01-07T14:18:35.082-05:00LIVE from The Abel Tasman in New Zealand!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Vol. III, No. 11<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8MZdiOr0pGM/UsxPjQv3KYI/AAAAAAAAAp4/Vca1KUlNZJc/s1600/photo_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_485249="null" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8MZdiOr0pGM/UsxPjQv3KYI/AAAAAAAAAp4/Vca1KUlNZJc/s1600/photo_2.JPG" height="320" hua="true" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna in her "House Bus" in Golden Bay, NZ</td></tr>
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GOLDEN BAY, ABEL TASMAN - She lives in a bus. And believe it or not, that was her dream. Twelve years ago, New Zealander Anna wanted to own her own home, but she didn't have enough money. Her then-boyfriend suggested the somewhat unthinkable: buy a bus, and convert it into a home. This suggestion from anyone else might've been ridiculous, but Anna's boyfriend had grown up a "gypsy" she told me, in converted house trucks. He knew how to make it happen, and she had the determination.
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So Anna found an old school bus, bought it, and began making it into what it is. And what it is is a two-story, two-bedroom cottage on wheels, painted in deep reds and forest greens, outfitted in thick tree-trunk wood planks with a kitchen, bathroom, and shower. There is no television; there are only books. Her 12-year-old daughter lives on the top floor, with french doors opening to her own private deck.<br />
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Yes, I said 'her daughter' - Anna, now 35, has a little girl, who has spent her entire life growing up in the "House Bus," as they call it. Dutifully, I asked all the obvious questions: Where did her daughter go to school? (At first, she was home-schooled, now she's at a traditional school.) Did they stay in one place all the time, or did they roam the country? (Off and on, depending on the season.) How do they bathe and use the toilet? (Normally, but they have to dump waste and they refer to the container that dumps as "the briefcase.")<br />
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But, really, what I wanted to know was, now that Anna has led such an unusual life, bringing up a daughter on her own and in such an extraordinary way, what is her dream now? What does a woman dream of doing, after leading a decade-long existence in a bus, home-schooling her daughter, all on her own? And so Anna told me.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kv5lcWAfKfs/UsxQxaR-mmI/AAAAAAAAAqE/vGamH1H2w8o/s1600/photo_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_485249="null" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kv5lcWAfKfs/UsxQxaR-mmI/AAAAAAAAAqE/vGamH1H2w8o/s1600/photo_1.JPG" height="320" hua="true" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Anna's House Bus, Golden Bay NZ</td></tr>
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For five years, Anna has been a student, and she's just about to graduate to become a counselor. She'd like to turn the house bus into a counseling destination for patients, a kind of sanctuary for people to come and talk and feel safe. That would likely mean Anna and her daughter moving into an actual house, and giving up life in the bus. This didn't seem to faze Anna. Nor did my requests for photos. <br />
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"Do you mind if I tweet this?" I asked.<br />
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"What's a 'tweet'?" Anna responded.<br />
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Even better, Anna then told me she needed to get on the road. She was headed to a "fire bath," she said. <br />
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"What's a fire bath?" I asked, incredulous. <br />
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Patiently, Anna explained. <br />
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"It's a bathtub, with a fire beneath it. The fire heats the water."<br />
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"You mean, you're going to sit in a cauldron. To bathe. Right?" I persisted, still incredulous.<br />
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"Yes," Anna said. <br />
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Well of course.<br />
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<em>Patricia Sexton is the author of LIVE from Mongolia, the true story of what can happen when you follow your life's wildest dream. LIVE from Mongolia is available on Amazon.com, bn.com, and in bookstores from New York to New Zealand. </em></div>
Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28991047.post-6365341583056209442014-01-04T23:15:00.000-05:002014-01-04T23:15:00.484-05:00A New Year's Giveaway from Goodreads!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" target="_new">Goodreads</a> Book Giveaway
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17848121"><img alt="Live From Mongolia by Patricia Sexton" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1378101738l/17848121.jpg" title="Live From Mongolia by Patricia Sexton" width="100" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17848121">Live From Mongolia</a>
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by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6484221.Patricia_Sexton" style="text-decoration: none;">Patricia Sexton</a>
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Giveaway ends January 15, 2014.
<br />
See the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/76969" style="text-decoration: none;">giveaway details</a>
at Goodreads.
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<a class="goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink" href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_choose_address/76969">Enter to win</a>
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Happy New Year's everyone! Goodreads is offering a chance to win one signed copy of LIVE from Mongolia to any reader (yes, anywhere in the world!) who may or may not be gnawing on a pesky New Year's resolution. Come on, so am I, and I'd be willing to be you are too. Sign up to win a copy of the true story of what can happen…what can truly happen…when you follow your life's wildest dream.<br />
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Or, you can make it easy on yourself, and buy LIVE from Mongolia on Amazon.com, BN.com, on Kindle or Nook, or in independent bookstores from America to New Zealand. Enjoy! And…Happy Resolut-ing.<br />
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<i>Patricia Sexton is the author of LIVE from Mongolia. She's hosted WE Talk, a talk show exploring how people overcome obstacles to follow their wildest dreams. She's worked for CBS News and written for Britain's International Life. Patricia travels to remote parts of the world, even North Korea, to uncover stories about people pursuing their passion. </i></div>
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Patricia Sexton: Author, TV Host, Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05249417833117104156noreply@blogger.com0