Natalie: Hi, everyone! This is Natalie Ledwell and we're here in the Inspiration Show. Today, I have a very special guest who's going to talk to us on how to use our voice to really step in to our light and to improve our life into our business. So can you please welcome to the show Raven Blair Davis. How are you Raven, the talk show maven. Raven: Yeah. Absolutely, hey Natalie, thanks for having me here, I'm excited.

N: Yeah. Raven and I have actually met several times in person. She's an amazing force of nature. Why don't we start first of all, Raven, when the, with your story which is actually an exceptionally inspiring story.

R: Well, yeah, you're absolutely right. I thank God every day for my journey because everything as you know, Natalie, that I want to share with your audience is, my journey started in a hospital unit and the ICU to be exact. My mother had went to the hospital to have a surgery done, and my goodness, we thought she would be out in 10 days and she ended up in the ICU for not one, not two but three weeks. And many of your listeners and viewers, I know have been in a situation where they watched their loved ones there and they just don't look the same, you can see fear in your eyes and worry, and you're worried because you don't know if they're going to make it. I felt like mother's going to make it but also felt inside that she's going to be different. And I knew that I had to make a quick decision of stepping up, you know, in life, for her, because what I really see, to be honest, Natalie, I didn't see so much fear about if she's going to pass away or not but I'm sure that was on her mind, but what I see more was, she was more worried about what's going to happen to my girls, meaning may be at 55 years old, my sister's 58, she's laying there worried about us because we've been back and forth to her between failed marriages, failed jobs and all that. And to be honest, at the age of 55 when this happened in 2006, I was only making $10 an hour, working 20 hours a week. So I was going back to mother to borrow money and it just breaks my heart now to say that, but that's the reality of it. And when I was in that situation in the hospital and I was in the chapel, praying that she'll pull through this, this is when I believe my gospel said to me, hey you know, you got to there for her despite whatever happened, the differences and stuff you might have all those years, you've got to push that aside, she's laying there helpless you've got to make sure things go right at the hospital and you've got to see her right away, when you can free up your time, you don't have to go to work, be with her and then she can also give you the financial support she's going to need. Because mother only had medicare, she didn't have medic aide and if you're broke and you don't have medicare and medic aide, you sure are in a lot of trouble. And all these are before the Obama care and all that stuff. And so, basically that's when I made the decision and this is what I want your listeners to get, sometimes, you know, when we're not willing to make decisions, we're not willing to move forward into our life, something stops. Life just completely flips over for us (snaps fingers) and it's a wake-up call. And you have to make snap decisions, but if they were decisions that are going to move you out of that dark hole into the brightness, and so, I tell people during that time, the darkest time of my life, I see a little light and I look at that light as hope and as a miracle that I need to follow, which led me to be there and create a radio show to help other people were like me, that was stuck in the rut, they were living day-to-day, they were sad, they were watching their life going by them. And me seeing my mother fight for her life, and me worried about her gave me a whole different value of my life and it was a wake-up call. And I heard Alex (4:12), you know Alex, saying in one of those calls, the quickest way to become an expert is to interview experts, and I said, hey, that's what I'll do, I'll use my gift of gab because I come from years of selling and it's history now, that's what I do, I interview people, amazing people like you and all the other amazing people (4:31), I could just go down the list. I've been, I barely started my radio show on a hospital and now, I'm on a red carpet interviewing celebrities like Sherry Shepherd. There's tons of folks out there, and so, my hope every time I'm interviewing is to pass on hope to people during interview, even though things look dark, even though you're facing adversities and challenges and setbacks, you don't have to settle for it. You can make a decision to change that, and just follow that little light, no matter how small it is, just focus on that, you know, and listen to the voices inside to guide you. Just push forward, no matter what.

N: Yeah. The thing about your story is that, there are so many components that so many people can relate to. And you don't have to wait for an event, like your mom getting really sick for you to spring into action. So what's really interesting too, you got to a point where you're like okay, I need to do something, I need to step up here and then you looked around your life of what you felt you were good at or you felt was your gift and then you were able to create a career of passion out of that. So, how do you go from, oh my god, I have to do something to step up here to having your own radio station?

R: Well, you know, when I was in the hospital, that's a very good question, I was in the chapel, what came to me instantly, after being in Alex (6:02) call and to become an expert, interview experts and I think he interviewed, if I'm not mistaken, Rick Freshmen and his dad. He was going to do pod cast but he decided, I mean he was going to do a tele-seminar but instead he decided to do a pod cast. I immediately came (6:21) that at the time I was 55, he was looking more out of life and was determined to get it. And this is going to be my answer to changing my financial situation, and not just for me but for myself, and I was so excited then Natalie, (6:38) computers, at night while staying and sleeping with your mom, you use computers at night when nobody's here and come behind the desk and use it, to research, and that was February 6 of 2006. April 23rd of 2006, I launched my first show, women power from the kitchen table which has been going on on multiple podcast and award. So I think what really led me there is at 13 years old, I used to sleep at a radio station not too far from our house and the DJs used to call my mom, then we had some chains of restaurants, and say your daughter is up here again, come and get her. And one time, my mother was in one of the restaurants and serving one of our customers said, ain't that your daughter on the phone, on air? And I was like, hey, I'm Raven Blair and I'm on the air and I was only 13 years old. So see, that passion had died somewhere along my adult journey. I think it was because I was scared to take that SCC test and when I heard Alex interview Rick, Rick said, you didn't have to have the SCC license, I'm like, what?! I can be on the radio? You know, but I would think what it was, they always say, it's not your plan, it's God's plan. And my plan as a child was already on spin record, but you see, God had a bigger plan. He looked at me, have 25 years of doing cold calling in sales, so I can get the gift of gab, and the gift to listen and you know, the gift to communicate. And all that came to surface right there in that chapel. He put pieces of the puzzle, and he said, now you need to go out there and interview the greats, so that they can help people like you that are stuck in their pain and they're fighting, they're searching, they're wanting to get pass their pain but they don't know how. And that's all it could have been.

N: Absolutely, and the other part that I love about your story too is that you had that intuitive hit, whether, you call it message from God or your intuition or whatever that is, and you couldn't, you've been denied. Actually, not only did you deny it, you've followed your passions and dreams, but you're actually empowering other people to do the same.

R: Well, you know what, Les Brown, nobody says it like Les Brown but I'm going to try. I was hungry for success! (laughs)

N: (laughs)

R: Not for me. See, all those years I kept trying little things ' network marketing, different stuff for me, but you know, what turned it around was it wasn't for me, it was for my momma. Mom needed me, you know, and that became my Why. And you know what they say, if your why is not big enough, you won't get through your mess, you won't reach your dreams. Being on the radio was always there, you know. I do believe I wasn't meant to spend (9:32) now. I know that. I was meant to interview people. The topics were for master teachers like yourself and because there's so much value in that than music, I love music, I wear my hat like Michael Jackson and all that stuff, but there is nothing like getting to the heart as you know now because you do it every day, as I do, and really, really asking the questions and sharing your time with these great master people (10:01), I could go on and on, and to know that I could spend time with them and to bring something of value to my audience like you do, that way surpasses any record, so you know, I just think that we all, when we're little we dream of being things and most likely than not, we are supposed to be there, we just got to figure out the journey to get there.

N: Yeah, absolutely. I know you've interviewed some incredibly amazing people. Can you share with us one of your favourite interviews or one of your favourite messages you've got from one of the interviews that you've done?

R: Ooh, that's a tough one. I've spent a lot, I would have to say, the one that, I've got some great ones, I mean, Napoleon Hill, spending time with Doctor JB (11:01) was amazing and we're free but I say for one that I cried on was after I interviewed (11:03) Williams, and because she spoke about a near-death experience and I watched (11:21) Williams for years on tv and here I am speaking to him and interviewing him at my kitchen table. My kitchen table radio, you know, and I remember afterwards, I hang up, I rarely cry because I was like, wow, this is really happening. And then I remember, sitting straight and like, Oprah, I'm on my way. (laughs)

N: (laughs)

R: And it was just an amazing interview, and anybody wanting to listen to it they can go to womenpower-radio.com, womenpower-radio.com, you'll see (11:59) on there. It was just a heartfelt interview and he was such a real person. I would say that. Here I want to share, because many people do not ask me this and it's important for me to get this message out, sometimes I forget it, and I'm very sad afterwards, out of all the interviews that I've got, the one interview that I miss is the one from my mom. And I would trade any of those interviews, any of those experiences to have had that interview we've talked about a lot. And so, I want to encourage any of your listeners and viewers, that if your mom or your grandparents or your children, take the time to interview them. You'll be so glad you did. You don't want to find yourself one day, like me, wishing that you had that interview. There is no getting it back. There is absolutely no getting it back but she lives on because she's in my book. (13:11) a published poet, my very first book (13:14), in the back there's a picture of me and her together, she looked beautiful and I put her poem in there and I speak but I don't have the book with me now, but generally, when I'm speaking to an audience, I always include that poem. And her story is all over, so mother lives on, and I'm proud to say this past February, we had our red carpet interview secrets and when we were awarded, one of the talk show host and the host of the year and we for the first time presented the prestigious Italy Awards, which is my mother's name. And so the whole audience turned and watched the curtain as it opened up and it had her name and pictures, and it went on to show her all the way to raven internet media. So I took a show that was created in a hospital, and now it was turned into a raven international media production and of course, (14:12) but mother had she not had that moment who knows even I (14:18). I know I got a little deep. Sorry guys.

N: (laughs) it's all good, it's all good. I actually wanted you to talk about the summer that you've got coming up. (14:33) amazing people that you've got coming on this summer, tell us more about that.

R: Oh my goodness, I've got to get my list because I can't, it keeps getting gooder and gooder. Obviously you're on it, so, okay this is the part where Raven is not looking cute because I've got to have my glasses on.

N: (laughs)

R: Okay. So, first of all, don't wait to be great, global radio summit. It's amazing. We're even tagging it as a mega summit. There's going to be about 52 speakers on, in 1 week. That's 7 days, 7 experts plus, okay. And of course, Natalie, beautiful Natalie is going to be there, Ariel Ford, Glenn Rose, David Fagen, Napoleon Hill's grandson ' Dr. JB Hill, Earl Nightingale's widow, she was 30 years when she married 30 years younger, she's going to be there ' Dinah Nightingale, Bob Doyle, Bob Daniel, Tom Antianne, oh my goodness, I got Derick Anderson, he talks about stamina, he's an NBA champion. Fran Harris, who was a champion for the women's basketball league, and we have Glenn (15:58) who's an actor, if you guys have gone to write the transformers right east, our Colonel Mooreshower, and he played in 24. And oh my goodness, I could go on and on, there's just so many people I could not even get, Rick Freshmen, oh lord, we've got so many different people, I can't even, Michelle Patterson is on, (16:02), Judy Williamson who is a director over the Napoleon Hill Foundation. Antoinette Robinson, Smokey Robinson's ex and also she was the very first lady of motown, and that's just not even the beginning of the list. (laughs) so tons and tons of amazing people and what they can get from it is they will be able to hear insider secrets on how they can truly, truly push pass adversities, of challenges, of setbacks, the fear of moving forward, the fear of success, the fear of failure. It's all to encourage people, you know, to be a living legacy. Don't you dare die with your dreams inside. Be a living legacy, you know, we want to encourage you to do not wait. Don't, don't wait to be great. Do it now. You've been waiting for when the right time is, the right time is NOW. I got to share this. This morning, I was on my way to work and I do hardly ever drive, so, I was driving to the studio and you know, thinking about the summit and all I had to do, and I wasn't in the now, I was all over thinking about things that I shouldn't be thinking about other than being on the road, all of a sudden this car comes out from nowhere (makes a sound), and I barely hit my brakes in time, it would have been a terrible, terrible accident. He was going so fast. I'm sure it would have spinned me around, but when I got here and I did my Power P morning show, I shared that with my audience, Natalie, because I wanted them to realize that even if we have all these stuff going on, going for our dreams and stuff, we have to be in the now. We have to be present in the moment. Because here I'm planning this great thing and I almost missed it. (laughs) and as I said, that's because I wasn't paying attention. I feel like somebody needs to hear that message because I know as business owners, even as we go on with our lives, we elevate ourselves all kind of ways, we're like scanners, we (18:11) so much, I want to just say, take a moment, breathe, inhale and exhale all the anxiety, all the overwhelmness, all the fear, all the self-doubt and just let it go and stay in the moment. Stay in the present. Whatever you do, it's just really the way to go from good to great. You just got to be there in the moment, and it's all about the now.

N: Absolutely, and what I love about your summit is not only is run like a regular summit, it also (18:42), some incredibly amazing people in there from TV, from radio, from sports, you know, positive people from all these industries. So where can we send them to find out more about the summit and the amazing guests that you have?

R: Oh yeah, absolutely. If you want to go there and it's free. You get to listen to it free. Every interview will be aired twice that day, and then you have the choice if you want to upgrade and get the whole package of all the 50+ speakers for only $97. (19:15) volume 1 and volume 2, so you can elect not to get volume 2 after volume 1 and just get the master series, whatever you want to do. Then you can go to dontwaittobegreatsummit.com. We'll give you everything that you need. As soon as you get there you can go ahead enrol and register, get your ticket and you'll be able to get awesome audio from one of my favourite mentors and I know one of your mentors, Lisa (19:41) the queen of sales conversion and she's going to share to getting others to step up and say yes to go to the greatness, so you could step up and say yes into greatness.

N: Awesome. Thank you so much, Raven. It's been an absolute pleasure having you here and thank you so much for joining me.

R: Alright everyone, bye, bye.

N: Now guys, I encourage you to share this video. You could do that by clicking the Facebook and Twitter share buttons on this page. Also, download the app if you haven't done so already. So you can watch the shows on the go, you don't necessarily have to be in front of your computer to do that. And make sure that you leave your email on the box on this page because I would love to send you the Manifesting with the Master's video e-course. It's valued at $87 and I would love to send it to you for free. So until next time, remember live large, choose courageously and love without limits. We'll see you soon.