One Sunday each month, I take a break from my Staying Power column to feature one of our delightful Rafters. This helps us get better acquainted and also be inspired by their story.
Today let me introduce Myrtle Russell from Jackson, Tennessee (USA). Myrtle is a wellness coach, teacher, and writer with a passion for helping improve health outcomes for marginalized women, one small change at a time.
After three decades in the public health arena, Myrtle recently retired from the Tennessee Department of Health. She has since created what she calls “The small change Toolkit,” a set of transformational tools designed to help women build and maintain a consciousness of health.
Myrtle has authored six books, two of them with her son Cameron, a trainer and coach, and two with her daughter, Mia, a nurse who suffered a massive stroke just over six years ago. Myrtle also writes a “small change” blog.
In what way(s) are you a "maker" in this world?
I love learning, writing, and teaching. But nothing gets my creative juices flowing like journaling, where I put pen to paper to clear my head, connect with my heart, and allow intuition to guide me. My journaling has been the prelude to creating six self-help books and developing wholistic workshops aimed at making a positive impact on the overall health and well-being of marginalized women in rural and underserved areas of the south.
How do your deepest values (or spirituality) inform your creativity?
I believe the divine energy that dwells within every living thing also dwells within me. Like the water in every wave of the ocean and the heat and energy in every ray of sunshine, this same energy keeps me creating and aligned with what I need to keep living my dreams. It has connected me to my wings. And now, feeling like a butterfly, I’m flapping my wings and answering my call to give rise to new butterflies, one small change at a time.
Who was one of the first people who inspired you, and in what way(s)?
Two people come to mind: my oldest brother, Johnny Mack, and my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Dorothy McKinney. I now call them my guardian angels.
I fell in love with print media at age eight when Johnny Mack gave me a copy of Jet Magazine, the first national magazine to cover Black news and entertainment. That same year Mrs. McKinney paid for a subscription to the Weekly Reader Magazine, a publication that introduced me to students and stories from around the world. I loved reading about students from other cultures, and the activities in that little publication made learning cool.
Reading Jet and the Weekly Reader sent me on a quest for learning and planted a seed of hope that I would see my name in print one day. I had no idea how that farfetched dream would materialize, but I held on to it for decades. It was a dream deferred but not forgotten.
Any other important sources of inspiration in your life?
Adverse childhood experiences that led to poor decision-making later in life have been both a curse and a blessing for me. It took me years to understand that there were hidden blessings in being born to a single mother and not having my father in my life; of growing up in poverty; of sexual molestation and emotional neglect. Journaling opened the door to learning to acknowledge those unfortunate and painful experiences, to look for what I call the hidden “blessons” (lessons and blessings) in each of them, and to use my creative energy to share those blessons with others of similar circumstances who are searching for ways to put wings on their dreams.
In what specific ways do literature and/or other arts impact you?
Books and music have been my biggest influencers in the arts. My books are my most sacred possessions. They’ve introduced me to myself and a world I never knew; they’ve helped me make sense of life when I was confused. I can't think of a single challenge I've had to face whose answers didn’t come from an artist who knew what to say in a book or a song.
What have been some of the most important benefits flowing from your creative practice(s)?
The most powerful spiritual tool in “The small change Toolkit” is "Gratitude," which bridges the gap between knowing better and doing better. It is its own magnetic force field that keeps attracting good. There isn't a person on earth who won't benefit from living a more grateful life. Even when you're humming along, feeling as if you're in total control, life has a way of inevitably throwing you curve balls and forcing you to change how you play the game.
That’s what happened to me and my daughter, Mia, on January 9, 2017, when she suffered a massive stroke that left her permanently disabled, and I became a full-time caregiver. It was Gratitude that kept us in the game. It taught me that giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin. It led Mia and me to share our story in The Stroke That Touched My Heart and its companion journal.
What have been some of your biggest creative challenges?
Sometimes my "monkey mind" sneaks in and sets the stage for self-doubt, especially when I’m writing. When that “not good enough” feeling shows up, I have to remind myself of three things, all of which I learned in my profession: 1) when dealing with the public, keep your written communication on the sixth grade reading level; 2) reach your students where they are; and 3) sometimes less is more.
What do you want to gain from The Raft?
I want to learn about and be inspired by others' stories and gifts. I also want to share my own stories and gifts, and inspire others.
I love how journaling is so meaningful to you. This comes up again and again - thank you for mentioning it.
Great Rafter Sneak Peak. Your story is definitely on the "should be told" list. Keep inspiring us all, and Thank You!