Leading With Gratitude

By Jodi O'Donnell Ames  

Jodi ODonnell Ames is a non profit founder, TEDx speaker, author and advocate.

"Leadership is my legacy." Now more than ever, my daily actions are less about my success and more about guiding young women to theirs."

After losing my husband Kevin O'Donnell to ALS in 2001, I founded the only nonprofit in the U.S. that supports children who love someone with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. More than 30,000 Americans live with ALS and most of them have children. ALS is a brutal, terminal illness; those who battle the disease lose the ability to walk, talk, eat and eventually, breathe. Children and young adults are part of the journey and many step in to help with caregiving tasks such as grooming, feeding and dressing.

I started Hope Loves Company because I was facing years of enormous grief. I knew that I had to make a choice, either to stay immobilized or to do something bigger than my grief in Kevin’s memory. I did not have the money, education, or bandwidth to start a nonprofit, but I did it anyway. I focused on accomplishing three things each day:

• Learning something new

• Making a connecting and meeting someone new

• Posting the outcome on social media so others could learn too

The result was a 501 c3 nonprofit that supports children and young adults around the United States. I now realize that my dedication to creating something wonderful helped me to move forward in life with the love, experiences, and memories I cherished. I married my current husband Warren Benton Ames, who was also widowed because of ALS, and gained two incredible bonus children. 

To lead with legacy in mind means that I am intentional about the lives I touch, the words I speak and the help I provide. My books, talks, advocacy, and nonprofit were all created to empower young adults to utilize their skills and follow their dreams. I am a proud Hope Giver!

Quoting the great Brene Brown, “Hope is a cognitive function.” It’s reserved for each of us. It may not look exactly how you planned, but happiness and success are achievable.

 No matter what I am doing, I am mentoring young leaders to embrace grit, strength, knowledge, and confidence, even during life’s challenges and my message remains consistent, “Know your strengths, work hard, find the resources you need, value your worth and be prepared for all of the things that can go wrong and right!”

And so much will go right; especially when you are grateful. 

Connect With Jodi

www.joaspeakson.com

IG: jodi_odonnellames

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Red dress- Kapu Patel