Melinda CatesMy formative life experiences impacted me in that I hated who I was. However, I knew there was more to me, something that was precious inside me that I could not connect to-so how could anyone else? So, I spent most of my life studying myself and disovering the answers, tools, and processes within myself, so I could find and become me, the true me. I grew my ability to be self-reliant in making an internal difference to me. I spent years immersed in my own self-development and in developing my own way of self-facilitating and facilitating others to find our jewels within. I designed the I Make a Difference (IMAD) Personal Development Programme in 2000 with the I Make a Difference Onion Model lying at the foundation of the programme and of this book. For over fifteen years I have facilitated and walked beside thousands of individuals-people in the business community, people in the Department of Corrections, disengaged youth, individuals with disabilities and workplace injuries, migrants and refugees, traditional owners-the Aboriginal people of Australia, long-term unemployed people, and members of the general public who, as a result of the IMAD experience-have made a difference to themselves, their families, their workplaces, their communities, and their lives. During the years of delivering the, I Make a Difference programme, I experienced participants developing personal empowerment to facilitate their own process and change the outcomes they experienced in their interactions with others and themselves. I have seen and heard people standing in their personal power, sharing their love with themselves and others, and giving themselves permission to be who they truly are. And among the experiences that caught my breath included a man who shared with me that his young child told him, I have my daddy back. I was recently asked who inspired me and which personal development books do I read. I don't read others books, not because I do not value what they have to share, they are important because people deserve to options to find their pathway. I do not read them because for me to be in integrity with me I want to share what I discover, what I know and what I have experienced - otherwise, I cannot fully say to you - these approaches and tools work. I know they do. And who inspires me, there has only been one person - me. I am committed to me and being the true me and I love what I discover in me each day. Read More Read Less