In this episode of the Compendium Podcast, host Joseph Baker interviews Verhonda Williams-Darrell.

Growing up, Verhonda only wanted be two things: An attorney or Oprah Winfrey. However, as she grew, both of those choices appeared less and less likely to occur. As a child she spent a few years in the Florida foster care system until eventually she went to live with her maternal grandmother. In the ninth grade, at the age of fourteen Verhonda was pregnant with her first child, Taless. At the age of sixteen she was pregnant again with her second daughter, Armani. As a result of becoming a teenage mother while in high school she was reassigned from her home school to a school designated for teen parents in her County, Seagull School. Verhonda was determined to avoid becoming a high school dropout, so she chose to take extra classes at a rapid pace and graduated high school one year early with a high grade point average and test scores.

Upon graduating from high school she was awarded a full scholarship to attend any community college or university in the State of Florida. Unfortunately, during her first year at Broward Community College she faced many challenges including being homeless. When she became pregnant with my second daughter my grandmother told her that when she turned 18 she had to move out. Her grandmother had been her only financial support and her primary babysitter so she really did not believe her. True to her word, on her 18th birthday Verhonda’s grandmother kicked her out and changed the locks.

Verhonda’s motto for life is to never let fear steal your opportunity for greatness... pursue happiness, overtake it, and enjoy it... Excuses kill dreams... Your dream is someone's reality which means it could be your reality too... If you don't know where you want to be in five years you are already there... and finally, life is like a camera, just focus on what's important, capture the good times, develop from the negatives, and if things don't turn out just right, take another shot. Live. Learn. Grow.

You can find Verhonda’s book online at LeadershipBooks.com