— Adversity is an opportunity to grow, to heal, to become and to discover, and most certainly, to build. Charles Swindoll said, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it,” AYA is most interested the power of the response to life’s happenings. It is through the conviction of “So What Now?” that AYA was founded.
Valeria Teles interviews Mia Dunlap — the Founder Of AYA (Adversity Yields Audacity), School Culture Consultant, The Audacity Talk Show Host, Coach, And Writer.
Mia Dunlap grew up in Housing Projects of Chicago from age six through adulthood. Proudly graduating salutatorian of her eighth-grade class and in the top twenty-five percent from Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep Academy, she left Chicago in 2006, at age 18, to attend Spelman College in Atlanta, GA knowing she could not afford the tuition. Dunlap received institutional scholarships, donations, and loans to matriculate.
During her journey at Spelman, she spent her eight-ten-week summers doing internships in East Palo Alto, California–teaching at Bayshore Christian Ministries; in Washington, DC as a youth advocate with the Children’s Defense Fund; and in Atlanta, Georgia with Forever Family, an organization for children of imprisoned parents. In winter 2010, Mia toured Ghana, West Africa for twelve days with Spelman College’s Sister Chapel.
As a first-generation college graduate, in spring 2010, Mia earned a Bachelors of Arts Degree in English and went on to teach at a boys charter school in Brooklyn, New York while simultaneously earning her Master’s of Science Degree in Childhood Education.
She followed her calling to work with underserved communities of people. A teacher, dean of students, and later a principal, Mia has discovered that writing, speaking, coaching, and educating are all interconnected as her calling.
Dunlap’s favorite quote is, “So tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
To learn more about Mia Dunlap and her work, please visit: https://www.miadunlap.com/
— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.
