Ready To Be Inspired? Then You Must Read This!
It was March 26, 2010 when I first met Anne Marie Schlekeway. Anne Marie is a fellow coach that I actually connected with on Facebook. We had communicated a couple of times via e-mail, and had set up a time to meet to see if we might be able to help each other. I found myself knocking on the door of her Gold Coast office, not knowing what to expect. You see, Anne Marie isn’t your normal, everyday, garden variety coach. She happens to be a coach fighting ALS. As I knocked on her door, she buzzed me in, and as I stepped into her office, little did I know I was about to be inspired!
As I walked in, Anne Marie was sitting behind her desk. The first thing that I noticed was the smile on her face. As I sat down, I noticed a pile of yellow notepads, along with a bunch of markers on top of her desk. When Anne Marie spoke, I immediately noticed how hard it was to understand her. Her voice was significantly slurred by her ALS. She smiled and reached for her yellow notepad, and used the markers and the pad to clarify what she was telling me. Even though I was having a hard time understanding her, I was inspired by her positive attitude and her passion, which was clearly evident, even though her communication was hampered by her disease.
We spoke for about thirty minutes, talking about her dream and the vision for her businesses, Master Plan Programs and KISSmyALS.com. Anne Marie is a reformed corporate workaholic, and her keynote program, The Master Plan, is a seminar dedicated to teach corporate executives how to live a balanced life while still being successful at work. She started KISSmyALS after she was diagnosed with ALS, as a way to raise awareness, funding, and also as an outlet to share what she is going through fighting this awful disease. Anne Marie and I talked about how we might be able to work together, as she knew that sometime in the near future, she wasn’t going to be able to carry on her work. I was touched by how open, honest, and inspirational she was. I could sense her courage and willingness to fight, not only her disease, but to fight for her dream as well.
Over the next couple of months, Anne Marie and I continued to talk from time to time online, as it was easier for her to type than to talk. Through her courage, she continued her seminars, even though she couldn’t talk, by marketing her seminar as, “The Speechless Speech”, and would simply sit in front of her audience while they would read her PowerPoint slides. She continued to attract attention and inspire people, and was even featured on a number of Chicago news programs. I, and many others, was touched by her courage and the fact that she didn’t allow her inability to speak get in the way of her impacting the lives of other people. How amazing is that?
I also got to know another side of Anne Marie by reading her blog on www.kissmyals.com. There she shared the intimate details of her life with ALS, and how she was coping and managing the disease. I found myself even more inspired as I read about what she was going through, and how she was handling it. I couldn’t help but think that this woman was so strong and courageous that a little thing like a terminal illness wasn’t going to get in her way. It gave me a different perspective on what it means to fight for your dream, while inspiring others in the process.
I’m sad to say that Anne Marie passed away on Thursday, December 9th, 2010. Although I only knew Anne Marie through my one face-to-face meeting and numerous e-mail conversations, I’m touched by how much she inspired me and many others in such a short time. If you knew Anne Marie, I’m sure you were touched by her as well. If you didn’t know her, I encourage you to get to know her through her website, www.kissmyals.com, as well as her story in the Chicago Tribune, which you can find here.
One thing that I will take away from the short time that I knew Anne Marie was to be bigger than your challenges, follow your dreams with passion and persistence, and to live your life with passion - inspiring others along the way. Little did I know what I was in store for when I knocked on her office door that day months ago. What a great legacy! Thanks for the life lessons Anne Marie!
You can learn more about Anne Marie at:
