“Its not about what you do, its why you do it.” This one of the many powerful messages that Stacy Monk, the founder of Epic Change, stated in the workshop, Telling Your Story. Stacy Monk started the workshop by telling a deep and profound story about the passing of her brother. While on a flight home to her brother’s funeral, she looked over at the Rocky Mountains while in the plane and realized that her brother was never able to witness such a beautiful sight. From that moment Stacy Monk decided that she would travel through the continent of Africa, specifically from Tanzania to Morocco to travel and redefine the things that she considered to be important and beautiful in her life.

Through Stacy Monk’s travels, she befriended a woman named Mama Lousacantoni which became a resonant reminder for Ms. Monk that there is a lot of value in people’s personal stories. Mama Lousacantoni’s story inspired Stacy Monk to quit her job at a consulting firm and start a website called “To Mama With Love” which through Twitter allows members to dedicate a page to a mother while donating to sustainable projects such as building schools.

As young people in a world that is becoming more competitive, Stacy Monk reflected about her determination not to appear weak or vulnerable in her 20′s. Yet Stacy Monk pointed out that seeming invulnerable is not the answer to success, instead she stated, ” Vulnerability is the root of human connection.” In addition, Stacy Monk showed a youtube clip about how easy movements can start if one person does something and convinces others around them that it is safe to join in. One of Stacy Monk’s final points was that it is important that people cultivate connections that are powerful enough to exist without the leader. To learn more about Stacy Monk’s website visit: http://www.tomamawithlove.org/