#30 Terri Tomoff: Capturing Hope and Inspiration Through Adversity

Creative Spirits Unleashed

Sometimes, you read a book and the lessons stay with you long after you’ve finished the book. That’s what happened for me after I read Terri Tomoff’s book The Focused Fight-A Childhood Cancer Journey: From Mayhem to Miracles. I had the honor of watching this book unfold last year. Terri and I were in the writing in community group through Akimbo where we wrote daily and shared blurbs, plus offered each other encouragement. No one offered more hope and encouragement than Terri, which will not surprise you after you listen to this conversation.

We started with her history of going behind the iron curtain as a teenager to win two races in the Polish Olympics. Terri has continued to be an athlete through her life – and her “all things are possible” mindset helped carry her through the battles of her son Ryan’s 5 battles with cancer, including 3 occurrences of leukemia.

When you listen to the conversation, you will quickly realize that this is a story of leadership at its very essence. Terri not only understands how to receive help, which is my definition of leadership, she also knows how to give it. And boy, does she know how to rally resources. Terri’s shares many of her philosophies in this conversation. Creating a team is number one. She also shares some of the finer points of delegation and how she manages to be optimistic and find the blessings in the most dire of circumstances.

Her stories inspired me and I think you will be inspired as well. The book is a gift to anyone who has been handed more than they think they can handle – and it’s a gift to those who want to be better able to recognize their blessings. I will tell you this – Terri Tomoff is the kind of person you want on your team, and she’s allowed us the chance to experience her hope and inspiration through this book. And stay tuned, she is blogging regularly and writing another book about Manufacturing Sunshine.