A Woman of Passion and Purpose

“I saw people who were broken begin to rise up and be all that God called them out to be. I began to encourage them and allow them to know there  is greatness on the inside of you and we have to forgive, get up and move forward.”-Carolyn Robinson

Mrs. Carolyn Robinson was awarded the HerStory Award by the Indiana Chapter of the Global Women's Peace Network on July 21, 2021, for continuously embodying in her life our organization's motto, "Living by the Logic of Love."

Carolyn, for over 30 years, has lived her passion to provide guidance and encouragement as a Certified Life Coach, Motivational Speaker, Certified Addiction Counselor, and recently as Certified Anger Management Counselor. She counsels and educates both individuals and families, in private, in classrooms and in workshops via her own non-profit Empowering You Now, at churches, at the local Adult School and the Probation Department.

Hence, on July 21, 2021, WFWP celebrated Mrs. Robinson’s remarkable accomplishments with the HerStory Award during a Zoom program attended by 26 participants. After a thorough introduction (Read Carolyn’s Full Bio here) President Angelika Selle explained the mission of WFWP and presented Robinson with the actual certificate; Myrna Lapres of the San Francisco Bay Area Global Women's Peace Network (GWPN) offered her warm recognition.

Next we all listened to Carolyn’s testimony. She shared how she was taught  by her father three great principles: 

1. Treat others the way you want to be treated. 

2. Never judge a person until you walk a mile in their shoes. 

3. Everyone deserves understanding and respect.

Carolyn said that these values instilled in her in childhood allowed her to do the work she does today. 

“We all want to be loved and accepted. Society looks at individuals in corrections totally differently than I do. I have the best job in the world. I have the ability to help people with broken lives get back on track.”  -Mrs. Carolyn Robinson

What was really beautiful about Carolyn's talk was how she felt so blessed by the people she helped; “I have been truly blessed with the people I have helped. They say I bless them, but they have blessed me." 

Carolyn explained how the students were instrumental to writing the book, The Complete Toolkit for Personal and Professional Success. They kept telling her that if they had had the information she had shared with them earlier; they would have made better choices in their past.  

When Carolyn was asked by her husband, Dave, to help in the church ministry for people suffering from addiction; she was unsure how she could contribute since she did not have any personal experience to draw from. She decided to pray about it and realized that there were people who needed love. She started by calling the people she was there to help: “men and women of honor,” and began to see them believe her words and live up to that distinction.

Next, former students and clients of Robinson related how they were able to achieve their never-thought possible personal and/or professional goals thanks to the help of Ms. Carolyn, as they affectionately call her. They testified that Carolyn gave them tools for overcoming emotional barriers and becoming whole. 

“Mrs. Carolyn helped me to stop self-sabotaging myself. I was able to heal my childhood trauma... I can see people for who they are and not judge others... I learned that from Mrs. Carolyn and she has always helped me during my hardest times. I still have tragedies and because of my relationship with Mrs. Carolyn, I can move on and not go into self-sabotage... I tell people I met an angel in jail and it was Mrs. Carolyn” -A former student from corrections

Another client sent a tear jerking letter, which I read to the participants. She wrote:

“As I write this letter with tears in my eyes and the feeling of a golf ball in my throat (smile), I have been home almost 11 years [after parole], I have remained off drugs for 15 ½ years, I never returned to the life that caused so much damage. I have a beautiful relationship with my 28-year-old daughter, I have the most beautiful relationship with my two grandchildren Maya and Giovanni. I am married and a homeowner. I recently passed the California LCSW Law & Ethics Exam and am on my way to becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I have an awesome job! Most importantly, I still have Ms. Carolyn.”

Dave, Carolyn’s husband, spoke next. He honored his wife's work and told the story about how it all started. Dave was helping at a ministry for addicts at his church and asked Carolyn to help. “ I remember the first time she ventured out of her comfort zone to start working with other people… and I haven’t been able to stop her yet..I have seen the love of God come out of her..I have seen a passion and a purpose.”

The program ended with a final blessing for the continuous work of Carolyn and her husband and even more success in their remarkable journey to make healing and happiness expand in this world. A big thank you for the honest sharing and congratulations on the accomplishments of Carolyn’s students. And a reminder that the stories we heard today were a process of peace that we can all follow. Learning to see the divine value in others and helping each other to overcome hurt and pain.

To watch the full video and see other HerStory awardees click here.