Post by Cheryl O’Donoghue, MS
I like to tell others that Josette Veltri, MS is an extraordinary human potential strategist and catalyst for personal growth. Her wisdom is great, and her gifts are many.
Josette founded Next Step New Start, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to providing life skill programs and coaching to develop the mind, body, and spirit. She is particularly talented in helping those experiencing periods of change, transition, and upheaval—a subject she knows well through navigating her own personal tragedies and triumphs.
Josette is a certified mentor, grief, and transition coach, MBTI practitioner, NLP practitioner, chaplain, interfaith ordained minister, and Florida State mediator. In all, she holds eleven professional certifications, and received a Master of Science degree in grief counseling from Breyer State University and a Bachelor of Arts in marketing from Hofstra University. She also serves as a court-appointed mediator for the Supreme Court of Florida.
Josette has the credentials, experience, and passion to inspire others to take a next step to a new start by creating their unique footprint in life. She encourages others to look for a rainbow after every storm and shows them how to turn their “I can’t” to “I can.” She’s created several personal development workshops and is a published author of several works, including the books Next Step New Start—Awaken What’s Possible One Day at a Time and Next Step New Start—It’s Inevitable! which she co-wrote with her business partner, Wallace F. Dale. Her newest work, Next Step New Start—A Fundamental Life Skills Program, is a workbook that helps individuals develop a full complement of life skills including, conflict resolution; focus and dedication; self-confidence; self-reflection; and practical skills such as completing a job application, communicating effectively, studying to maximize learning, and more. Her books are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noel, and Xlibris.
Josette shares her own heartbreaking yet inspiring story of transition in Chapter 5 of my book How to Be a Woman in Business.
Prepare to be inspired by this short excerpt from Josette’s chapter…
On the day that Josette was interviewed for this chapter, she had one of her own published books on her desk, a book with a daily thought and an opportunity to journal so the reader can put their own intention into it. The daily thought included a picture of a detour graphic and next to it a short paragraph that read: “When expected or unexpected events happen altering your direction, remain calm. The next step will be revealed. Listen and watch.”
Wise words from someone who has had her fair share of unexpected events.
“I was married at nineteen. It was a Cinderella dream,” says Josette. “And then a nightmare woke me up.”
The nightmare began when, over an eleven-day period, Josette went from being happily married to being a young widow at the age of twenty-six. She was financial strapped and responsible for raising her six-year-old son and four-year-old daughter. While her family and friends were supportive, she still felt very alone.
After three years, the sting of death was experience again with the sudden death of her father. In Josette’s words, “These back-to-back, unexpected events made me stronger and more determined than ever to show my children we were going to make it, that no matter what happens in life, everything will be all right in the end.”
Awakened after her father’s death, Josette began her journey and pursued what she has come to know as her life’s purpose and passion. She received a BA degree from Hofstra University at the age of thirty-four, demonstrating to her children all things are possible if one believes them to be so. Her good example paved the way for her children’s success. Today, her son is a pharmacist and college professor, and her daughter, a wife, mom of two beautiful girls, and a financial analyst.
But life would deal another unexpected blow.
Josette remembers, “I never thought I would love again, but after twelve years, I did. We married a year after we met and after seventeen years relocated to Florida. I felt I was living my happily-ever-after dream. After three months of relocating to Florida, I believed I found paradise. But my happily-ever-after dream turned into another nightmare when in three short weeks the love of my life died. It was difficult and unimaginable. I could not shake off the dread of experiencing grief all over again.”
A few months later… (continued)
To read Josette’s complete chapter and learn a few of her best tips for handling loss and thriving once again, How to Be a Woman in Business is available on Amazon. All royalties earned from book sales are donated to Aspire2STEAM.org to help fund the nonprofit’s scholarships for hard working, underserved, and underrepresented young women and girls pursuing STEAM-related training, certification, and college education. Be a part of these extraordinary students’ future by helping Aspire2STEAM fund their dreams. Learn more about the nonprofits’ annual scholarship campaign “21 in ‘21” today.
Cheryl O’Donoghue, MS is an executive, author, and emotional intelligence leadership champion. She has written three books featuring emotional intelligence leadership—How to Be an Emotionally Intelligent Leader (While Crushing Your Goals); How to Be a Woman in Technology (While Focusing on What Matters Most); and How to Be a Woman in Business (While Being True to Yourself). Cheryl is committed to the advancement of women in the workplace through professional development and education. In 2018 she co-founded the 501(c)(3) humanitarian organization Mission Sisters Who Work, which has recently been renamed Aspire2STEAM. The nonprofit is in its fourth year of operation and provides scholarships and mentoring to underserved and often overlooked young women and girls pursuing STEAM-related careers. Cheryl also founded Emotional Intelligence Leadership Resources—a training, communications, and coaching company that transforms organizations and the results they achieve through proven emotional intelligence leadership practices. Philanthropy has played a prominent role throughout Cheryl’s life. All royalties earned from her book sales go to women served by Aspire2STEAM.org, in addition to a portion of all earnings from her work through Emotional Intelligence Leadership Resources.