Shout out to folks who love, love, love this time of the year.

Some folks radiate goodness and kindness (now we all have our ups and downs). They are intent on lifting others and living positive lives. They know it's not about how many church services they attend, it's about having a personal relationship with their God. My Christ filled Facebook Friends range from bible toting, scripture quoting ministry leaders to folks who are quietly talking to their God on a daily, weekly, monthly and / or annual basis.

I am a Christian all of the time. I am not concerned with whether you think I am Christian enough or religious enough. I am enough; destined for greatness and unapologetic.

Real Talk: Christmas Day is in a few days.

Many people are putting a lot stuff and things on their credit cards. They are trying to impress, influence, or persuade someone that they care or that they have more dollars than they really do.

Don't get me wrong, I will purchase a few gifts, however I will not...

The Ultimate Cost Of Inaction

As the former Governor of California said, "Inaction may be the biggest form of action."  The choice to not take action or to delay action will cost you at some point.  

Inaction can cost you a fortune; figuratively and literally.  You could miss an opportunity to get paid what you are worth. 

Your Health: a person who is not living their passion and earning a healthy living often finds themselves out of exchange with themselves. Often times, their energy suffers, their well-being, and sometimes they have physical issues.

Your Life Purpose: What's the cost of not living a life of purpose? Knowing that you got to the end of your life and didn't do the thing you are destined to do. To me, that could be one of life's biggest failures.

Impact: How many people in the world would suffer and not be impacted because you decide to not make the full difference you are capable of? I believe it's our responsibility to make a difference.

Role...

Thanksgiving Day is billed as a day of giving, sharing, and fellowship. How is that working for you?

On Thanksgiving day, I am accustomed to large gatherings of folks who eat too much, laugh really loud, lie about their athletic prowess, watch football, and play board games. We simply enjoy being in one another's presence.  At least for a few hours......until someone sucks the fun out of the room.  I am curious about your Thanksgiving tradition.  What do you do?

The Thanksgiving holiday was my late mother's and mine favorite time of the year. She would have turkey, ham, duck, collard greens, Mac n cheese, potato salad, corn bread stuffing, and all types of deserts in the dining room and kitchen.  I enjoyed watching her prepare plates for people to eat.  People all over my hometown knew that they could get a good meal at my mother's house.

Sometimes I close my eyes and listen closely to my memories of her laughter filling every space in the house with...

The Bronco Strong book was featured in The New Tri-State Defender.  Phyllis R. Dixon submitted a positive review titled, 'Army veteran’s memoir tells story of Army life in a combat zone.'

Click on the link to read the article 

Veterans Day Article about the Bronco Strong book

The Bronco Strong Book was released on Veterans Day 2016.  Hoo-hah!

It's time to write a solid book reviews

The response from readers of the book, “Bronco Strong: A Memoir of the Last Deployed Personnel Services Battalion is overwhelmingly positive.  The author shares the nuances of her support troops engaged in their routine daily duties while serving an extended 15 month combat tour to Iraq.  There is not another book about military human resources soldiers serving on the battlefield.  If it is, I am certainly not aware.  The book is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other places books are sold.  After reading the Bronco Strong book, the next step is to write a solid book review on Amazon.com, Goodreads.com, and on the Bronco Strong Book Facebook Page.  

I took the liberty of curating a way to write a solid book review.  I listed some things for you to take into consideration as you prepare to write you book review of the...

THE OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE IS FINALLY HERE!

'Bronco Strong: A Memoir of the Last Deployed Personnel Services Battalion' is officially released on Veterans Day (November 11, 2016) after 8 years of contemplating, over 21 months of writing, packaging, and praying.

Brought to you by Angela M. Odom, a retired Army colonel turned solopreneur

After retiring from the greatest Army on the planet, getting my son settled in our new, more stable environment, and starting a personal development training company, I felt compelled to share my Soldiers’ stories.  ‘BRONCO STRONG: A Memoir of the Last Deployed Personnel Services Battalion’ depicts support Soldiers grinding out a 15 month extended deployment in Iraq amidst the chaotic backdrop of the complexity of change.

I attempt to answer the longing questions of daily life in Iraq during the Iraqi Surge……..

 It’s a fact that an overwhelming majority of Americans killed or physically...

Read the first chapter of the BRONCO STRONG book for free. 

Retired US Army Colonel Angela M. Odom shares the story of her time in Iraq and the brave men and women she led as a battalion commander.

In her stirring memoir, Bronco Strong, Angela M. Odom, a personnel services battalion commander, recounts daily life as a Soldier in an active war zone during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Odom came into command of the 15th Personnel Services Battalion in 2006, and immediately they were deployed to Baghdad via Kuwait. The Soldiers under her command had proved themselves before in the same theater of war. But things had changed in their time at home, and now they found themselves walking into a living nightmare.

The Soldiers of Task Force Bronco bravely endured, fulfilling their monumentally difficult support tasks throughout a grueling fifteen-month extended deployment. But things didn’t always go according to plan.

Angela M. Odom was given a huge challenge and...

Diabetes is a word I have heard all of my life.  As a young child I thought a big blog of sugar was coming to get us all.  As an adult I realize that my childhood understanding was not too far off beat.  My mother, father and one of my brothers were diagnosed with diabetes.

I am not a medical doctor and do not know all of the technical jargon.  I do, however, understand how the prevalence of this chronic and incurable disease.  According to the Centers of Disease Control, diabetes is a disease where the blood glucose levels are above normal.   A person with prediabetes has a blood sugar level higher than normal, but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. He or she is at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems, including heart disease, and stroke. Without lifestyle changes to improve their health, 15% to 30% of people with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within five years.

 Take the Center for...

“Success is to live life openly, authentically, and lovingly in a way that is aligned with the highest good of self and others.” Joyce Marter

However we define success, we intuitively know that any level of success comes from action which comes directly from a set of specific skills.  The term,  Life Skills is defined in the oxford online dictionary as a skill that is necessary or desirable for full participation in everyday life. I am utterly amazed at how many skills I have to teach my son.  I mistakenly thought he would just wake up and have all of the tools he needed to be successful in life. (Joking)

 I grew up in a financially poor yet loving, supportive home environment, served honorably in the US Army for over 26 years, retired in the military rank of colonel and earned two Masters Degrees and still I lack some life skills.  After achieving a measure of success in...