N'GOLO KANTE - A Story Of An Orphan.

The Full Story of a Football Genius best known by the Nickname; The Rat. Our N'Golo Kante Childhood story plus untold biography facts bring to you full account of notable events from his childhood time till date. Analyses involve N’Golo Kante’s personal.  Lives story before fame, family life and many little-known facts about him.

Yes, everyone knows about his tackling abilities but only a few fans consider N’Golo Kante ’s biography story which is quite interesting. Now without further about him.

EARLY LIFE:

N’Golo Kante was born on March 29, 1991, Paris, France by relatively unknown parents known as Late Mr. and Mrs. Kante. His parents were migrants who migrated to France from Mali in 1980 to seek greener pasture in Europe. Due to their resilience nature, they thrived in doing the most complicated job that came their way. N’Golo Kante was their first child.

Kante grew up in a small flat in Rueil Malmaison, a small and densely populated suburban area to Paris. This was an area known to have the best of people going menial jobs for the big city.

Ideally,   Kante worked as a trash picker during his childhood. As a trash picker & grabber, he would walk for kilometers around the suburbs of eastern Paris looking for all sort of valuable waste to collect and deliver to small recycling firms for quick cash. Even while he juggled through this, Kante remained a lad with a troubled personal life before fame.

He knew his job will continually make his family circle in poverty. Kante had the ultimate dream.  A dream for any prestigious role or responsibility that would pave way for a poverty-free life for his family.

After the France 98 world cup, Kante saw a different France. A France of opportunities. He saw a country whose football glory came mostly from migrants. Back then as a 7 years old boy who got used to menial jobs around Paris around suburbs, Kante already used to seeing and hearing big names of the FIFA 1998 world cup.

The likes of Thierry Henry, Zinedane Zidane, Patrick Viera, Lilian Thuram and Nicolas Anelka were known to be household names to migrants who grazed the tournament. Their world cup victory brought about a turning point in terms of Migrant’s participation in French football.

Kante made more monies picking trashes dropped by the public. He covered ground used by the tournament in Paris. His parents, have to see their son progressed so much, assisted him financially to start his future plans.

Although Kante never watched a football match but aspired to take football as a career

 A NEW LIFE:

At age 8 Kante made the biggest decision of his life. The quest to start playing football from grassroots. He began his career at JS Suresnes in the western suburbs of Paris. Upon registration, Kante was immediately tagged by teammates as the smallest and most focused young star in the club. His small stature appearance kept many of his teammates wondering if he could last for 90minutes on the pitch.

Ideally, it was Kante’s humility and hard work learn in his troubled youth that helped the miniature midfielder achieve greatness.

His team starts winning trophies as soon as he entered the club. Kante would lead his team winning trophies but would celebrate because it meant nothing to him. He doesn’t allow celebration go to his head. As seen in the picture below, he distances himself from a trophy celebration which came to the team because he was their main man.

More so, even while his team grows in height, Kante remained stuck in height but remained the most powerful (small but mighty) midfield force who would cover every blade of grass in the field. When he poses for team photos, his size looks similar to the visiting little kid staring at him in the picture below.

N’Golo Kante began growing after spending about 4 years at the club. His personality and career path became obvious after spending such years. At some point in time, Kante’s popularity took him to be the club’s favorite and most faithful servant. He earned extra monies by joining a team of selected youth stars who took extra hours to train very young kids. All thanks to his then assistant manager Pierre Ville who to earn more after the death of his father (Mr. Kante).

According to Kante’s assistant manager Pierre Ville, “Kante remained outside the radar of big teams because of his small stature appearance. Back then, he would perform tackles all day, take the ball from one end of the pitch and would carry it to the other length of the field. That was his private training routine taught by no one.”

Another of his old pals, Fancois Lemoine, added: “We were Under-19s and was Under-15s and he was already playing with us. We were playing against a local team and he came on ten minutes from the end. He was smaller than everyone yet no one could get past him. At the end of the match we went into the changing room I looked at one of my teammates and I said’. It was a real lesson in humility.”

Back then, Kante was the one player who listens and does absolutely everything asked of him. Literally, everything. Vojtyna his youth coach once said “I once joked with Kante before a holiday. I told N’Golo, I’m giving you two month to juggles the ball 50times with your left foot, 50 with your foot and 50 with your head.” “Two months later, he did it! I was shocked. From this moment, I never told him what to do. I left him for nature to decide his case” Kante was given a free role. His reputation at some point got fans flocking to the park pitches just to watch him play.

This led to a move to Boulogne where he played between 2010-2012. His Boulogne Durand one said: “His anticipation was great, he played direct, box-to-box and the distance he covered was there for all to see.”

His dream to pursue his dream in English finally came. Kante was scouted for Premier League club Leicester City by Steve Walsh, who had previously facilitated the transfers of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez to the team. On 3 August 2015, he joined Leicester on a four-year contract, for an undisclosed fee reported to be 8 million pounds. The rest, as they say, is history.

FAMILY LIFE:

N’Golo Kante comes from a big family (late father, mother and 4 children). He is the first child of four brother and sisters. His dad died when N’Golo was 11 so from very early on there was a sense of responsibility.

He knew the value of working hard because that’s the only way he used to achieve something in life. He was able to take care of every member of his family. Fixing his younger sisters at the football youth system at Suresnes, western suburbs of Paris and providing financial assistance to his brother.

HIS ROLE MODEL:

After his first senior goal, French region newspaper La Voix du Nord likened Kante to Claude Makelele in his early days at Nantes, due to their similar playing style and role in midfield. After asking the player if he considered Makelele his role model, Kante response was negative.

N’Golo Kante picked Lassana Diarra instead of Makelele as a role model. Makelele responded that... “Kante should focus on striving more to become an exceptional player on leadership basis and not only on his energy and excellent ball-winning abilities.”

LIFESTYLE:

N'Golo Kante has never had a flashy car or expensive clothes. At the start of his professional career at Chelsea, he commuted to training by kick scooter. As of 2017/2018 season, he drove a Mini Cooper.

According to BBC Sport’s reporter, Paul Fetcher... “Kante is uninterested in displaying his wealth.” He just sticks to his car despite receiving 120,000 ounces per week.

-Be Inspired.

BUSINESSES YOU CAN DO WITH LOW CAPITAL

If you are thinking about starting your own business but have no capital, here is a list of small business ideas you can start with little or no money.

Once you are satisfied that you have the potentials to succeed as an entrepreneur, you must decide on which business is best for you.

However, starting the wrong kind of business is the most frequent mistake start-up entrepreneurs usually make.

If you have not yet decided on a business, we have put together this list of over 30 proven business ideas for you to consider as a starting point.

Obviously, some of these business ideas have relatively low capital intake and are flexible to work with.

Business Ideas You Can Start With Little or No Money

1. Graphic Design Business

While having a formal background in graphic design is absolutely going to be helpful, it’s also relatively easy to learn the foundation of graphic design on your own.

If you are a bit creative, motivated and with little computer skills, you can get paid to create or alter images using your personal laptop computers, installed with some necessary applications like Corel Draw, Photoshop,  AutoCAD or Adobe Illustrator. 

2. Web Design and Development

Web designing is all about mastering the art of creating a beautiful, value-driven websites or Mobile Applications.

There are always new demands for professional web designers. Designers are incredibly valuable for technology and construction companies.

3. Sales/Marketing Rep

 If you have the skill for connecting with people and the willingness to take on some personal selling activities, then a commission-based freelance sales role could be a great fit for you.

Many startups businesses are looking for part-time and commission-only salespeople. Which means you can always make this a home based business option.

If you are good, you could get a big-time profit or get hired if the startup succeeds.

4. Writing of Books

 If you are talented at researching and creating great content within a certain subject or field, you can quickly package your skills and knowledge into a downloadable eBooks or Printed Books.

You can take the time to deliver your values to those seeking to learn or find a solution in your relative projects.

World renowned novelists and writers are creating very lucrative career for themselves – by writing inspiring literature books.

5. Computer and GSM Businesses

With the number of personal computers, tablets and smart phones out there today, you can actually startup these kind businesses and earn good money if you have the technical skills as a computer or GSM hardware/software engineer or service personnel.

There is a huge growing market for mobile phone technology and its accessories, including selling of recharge and SIM cards in retail and wholesale basis.

6. Catering Business

 Eatery is a great way to test a chef!

If you have enough experience in this aspect, you can turn your knife skills into a full-time business.

However, this doesn’t happen overnight because you may have to learn the business by working for someone else first.

Though food stuff businesses are quite moving well in different countries of the world, however, it’s important to note that most people don’t just play with their stomachs.

7. Travel and Tour Agency or Consultant

If you love to travel and find yourself randomly searching for flight tickets sales or browsing places across the globe, why not carve out a niche for yourself as a travel agent for any of the leading companies?

You can start with word of mouth recommendations from friends who can count on you for the cheapest flights and other travel information like hotels or pickup arrangements.

8. Social Media Expert

 Nowadays, we’re all guilty of spending too much time on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat or Instagram, so why not get paid to put your expertise to work?

Lots of companies, especially those in retail or travel businesses are constantly in need of people to help build their brands online and through social media presentations.

You can start a course in this area and before you know it, you become an expert.

9. Blogging Business

Blogging is now a viable source of income.

Thousands of bloggers are creating content on diverse topics like travel, lifestyle, sports, entertainment, fashion and more.

Launching a self-employed career, with a combination of blog subscribers, adverts placements on your website, can be a way to start.

Since the business will always need high quality content to bring in new customers, your skills will always remain an asset to invest in other revenue sources.

 10. Car Renting Services

 If you own a car but barely use it, you can make some extra cash by renting it out on app-centric taxi services like Uber .

Yes! This can be a very lucrative way to earn money on nights and weekends – working only at your own time.

But before you start out, please know that there is comprehensive insurance policy on all cars, franchise agreements and drivers are trained and screened.

 11. Product Distributor

 Licensing a foreign or well known domestic product like Coca-cola or Chivita drinks for wholesale can lead to a big payoff down the road.

When starting this kind of business, always invest intelligently and choose a well-accepted product you believe in so you can reap the rewards in years to come.

 12. Fitness Training Business

 Most people love moving their bodies and this is fun.

If you are a fitness professional, with the right combination of charisma and business sense, working as a fitness trainer can be both physically and financially rewarding.

All you need is the passion for the business.

 13. Auto Repairs and Vulcanizing Business

 If you have developed valuable skill sets and experience within this industry over the years, you can turn this vocational skills based business ideas into a lucrative money-maker.

You can start by building up a strong network of customers and finding a good location, getting up everything you need to launch.

 14. Song Writing and Music DJ

 You can take the time and develop your skills at either making your own music, or becoming a professional sound mixer.

Starting your performance in local events or clubs could turn this business idea into a much bigger music career.

 15. Clothing and Tailoring Business

 Fashion and style continued to be a lucrative business across the world.

If you know how to sow and design clothes, then you have a growing market of continued customers.

There is no harm in learning and starting small here, as long as you can make magic with needles and threads.

 16. Bakery Business

 It’s always funny how baking can relate to making money.

But by kneading flour, mastering the oven, and sweetening everyone’s mouth, you can start making your cool money just like that.

Don’t be surprise; some people have already turned baking into their “sole bread and butter”.

Find out how they are doing this!

 17. Modeling Business

 If you’ve got the attitude, there are product and service companies out there looking for the right model to promote their brands.

All you have to do is to sign up with the right agency and get mentored through some of the early challenges before establishing your own.

Depending on your preference, you can specialize in a single media format such as videos or images.

 18. Real Estate Business

 The real estate market is on the heights today, and people are buying and selling properties in many locations across the globe.

That means there are a lot of opportunities for professionals who know how to navigate the legal, financial, and commercial aspect of this kind of business.

If you consider yourself an expert in the aspect, it won’t be a bad idea venturing into real estate businesses.

 19. Furniture Making Business

 With more and more people demanding a higher degree of personalized furniture in their homes and offices, count yourself lucky if your craft happens to be the creating a custom furniture.

Depending on your experience and location, you can easily turn your skills into a revenue-generating business.

 20. Laundry Service Business

 We all wear clothes at least some of the time – Which of course makes the laundry cleaning business a lucrative one.

If you have the right skills, experience and finance to back it up, you can include new technology into this business.

Like using modern washing and ironing machines, a website to handle online customers’ orders; home, school, and hotel laundry pickups and delivery services, depending on your location.

 21. Wedding and Event Planning Businesses

 Seminars, corporate events, birthday parties, and marriages happen all the time.

Today, wedding is a recurring fountain of business opportunities.

Wedding cakes, dresses, jewelers, food caterers, ushering job, event rentals (chairs, canopies, venue, etc.), photographers, videographers, printing souvenirs, and a host of other ventures would earn big money every weekend.

Imagine if you can form networks of these service providers and then can offer engaged couples a range of hassle-free wedding packages.

 22. Public and Vehicle Advertising 

 You can turn your car or bus into a money-maker by driving across the streets of Lagos, but be careful about LASMA.

One way to start your vehicle advertising business is to get the vehicle branding, get a power generating set and some public addressing systems or song mixers, and you are ready to start looking for clients.

 23. Public Speaking Business

 If you have the gift of speech, public speaking is a great business to pursue.

Many authors, medical practitioners, scientists, politicians, and other subject matter experts and professionals will earn extra income by delivering seminars and presentations to different groups and associations.

Motivational speakers can also earn good money with this part of their businesses.

 24. Music Instructor

 Do you play a musical instrument well enough to teach others? This business is certainly fun and so is the pay.

Private music instructors are making cool money. You can start by getting family, group or church customers and works also.

Once you build up a reputation for yourself, you could easily turn this into a full-time endeavor.

 25. Makeup Services

Looking good is a good business really!

If you have talents for helping people look their best through hair dressing and barbing services; and you know how to play with eyeliners and lipsticks; then consider using your beauty skills to create a profitable business for yourself.

You can start your own make-up artist, hair salon business by first attend the necessary classes to learn the arts.

 26. Financial Investments

 If you have been keeping your money including your retirement benefits hidden in a savings account, you might want to consider putting it to better use through smart investing.

However, with the current economic recessions, there are risks to look out for when buying shares or planning to start a Forex Business.

Most finance experts like brokers will advise you to start learning about the stock market if you want to grow your wealth.

But we think you can become an 'angel investor' to small businesses within your communities.

 27. Professional Services

 Many companies and startups now outsource jobs that are not part of their core businesses (such as admin, HR, logistic, and accounting).

Because companies always need to track their cash flow, you can really benefit by offering them part-time accounting and bookkeeping services.

We have a platform to help support some of your freelance services if that is your thing.

 28. Buying and Selling Cars

 You can turn your love for cars into a quick profit if you have the capital.

Buying and selling of cars are similar to other “buy low, and sell high” business models – with a high-profit potential and inherent investment risks.

You can learn how to start a car dealing business by investing some time in learning the trade though.

 29. Waste Management Services

 As the saying goes, one man’s food is another man’s poison.

Without cleaning up our environments, the world would be a mess than it already is.

This business might not be glamorous, but you get to make the world a better place while earning your income.

To start this kind of job, you will need a second-hand truck and standard equipment like shovels, wheelbarrows, rakes, and garbage cans.

 30. Car Washing Business

 A lot of car owners don’t have time to personally care for their vehicles.

With simple equipment such as car shampoo, polishing wax, and water supply, you can start earning a decent income by taking good care of your customers’ vehicles.

 31. Coaching Sports Teams

Nothing beats playing your favorite game.

And coaching a sport team or officiating community sports events can be an exciting way to earn extra income on weekends.

Not only will you learn new skills, you will make money for getting your team into shape.

 32. Child Care

 Many families with kids have very limited time due to work schedules.

If you love kids and have some spare time, you can start earning income by looking after children while their parents are away.

This can be in the form of operating a nursery or daycare center.

Just be sure to identify the particular age group you’re comfortable caring for, with the necessary training in home-based daycare services and first aid.

 33. Customer Service Center

Some firms like Airtel, MTN, and most banks outsource their customer service operations today.

If you’re already a CSR specialist with management skills, then you can form and lead a virtual team and engage clients as a bona fide customer service company.

You may need more information on this, including service training for your team.

 34. Personal Chef

Busy schedules can stress people out.

It can also disrupt family life to the point that busy parents barely have time to prepare decent dinners and weekend meals for the family.

Hence, the surprising demands for part-time family chefs.

If cooking healthy and delicious meals is your thing, then this business idea can supplement your regular income.

 35. Subject Teacher/Tutor

Teaching and tutoring English language, Mathematics and other subjects is a great way to make a solid income.

If you have the technical know-how, you can start by offering home lessons and tutorials within your neighborhood.

 36. Interior Designing

Some families out there would like to remodel their house and needs to pay you for giving them the shade, wall portraits, landscaping, etc that will match best with tile flooring.

If arts and decoration is your line then this is going to be a good source of finance.

 37. Online Business

If you’re an expert at something, there’s likely an audience of people online who would be willing to pay to get your products or service.

For example, developing the Best E-commerce Website is another strategy for creating and launching your successful online retail businesses like many others such as Jumia, eBay, Amazon, Flipkart, etc.

 38. Dance Instructor

Most people love moving their bodies and this is fun too.

If at some point in your life, you had to hang your dancing shoes for a more sensible office job, there’s nothing stopping you from earning money on the side with this passion project.

You can start a weekend dance instructing job and enjoy some thousands of Naira each month.

 39. Property Manager

A property manager is essential for most real estate investors who rent out property to others.

You can make a decent amount of money from getting tenants, connecting buyers, providing building caretaking and maintenance, etc.

 40. General Cleaning Business

House and office cleaning services cover carpets, floors, lawns, garages, windows, walls, and roofs, requiring a whole range of cleaning tools.

A lot of people also include fumigation services.

You can hire people to do the actual cleaning while you handle administrative and customer service tasks.

Or, you can start small by actually getting your hands dirty by learning on the job before launching your own cleaning company.

Conclusion

There are many more businesses out there to discover and this is just a starting point.

More businesses such as food packaging, poultry raising, art and sign making, blocks and concrete molding industry, fish farming, soap production, coco production, bricklaying, plumbing, electric welding, etc.

All we were trying to do here is to inspire your brain about innovating the business concept you want.

This list will continue as you embark on your new side of business and life hustle.

Remember that you are only limited by your own imagination and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t succeed.

However, you must not fear to hear the negative aspects of the business; it is much better to be aware of them and face them early on. Courtesy:  Abbakin

-      Be Inspired.

JOHN O'LEARY { There is always a light at the end of the tunnel }

In January 1987, nine-year-old John O’Leary caught fire. He was in his garage, playing with matches and gasoline when he sparked an explosion. Flames leaped onto his body, melting off his clothes and his skin, as he ran through the house screaming for help. His older brother Jim, then 17, ran up from the basement, extinguishing the flames with a rug, ultimately saving the little boy's life.

O’Leary suffered third-degree burns on 100 percent of his body and was given the grim prognosis of a one-percent chance at survival. Yet somehow, he beat the odds. Today he's a happily married, 38-year-old father of four and a professional speaker. 

But as he writes in his first book, On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life, which was released by Simon & Schuster on March 15, this story isn’t about him. It’s about you. O'Leary has focused his story on the many St. Louisans—and some local celebrities—who helped him through his five months in the hospital, his many surgeries, including an amputation of his fingers, and the 29 years that followed the fire.

“This is not an ego trip, it’s not about someone else overcoming; it is their journey,” O'Leary says of his readers. “It is their invitation to wake up to the great possibility of their lives.” 

The book is already striking a chord. It's risen as high as No. 4 on Amazon and is a No. 1 new release in the Happiness and Self-Help category, a result O’Leary calls “stunning.” 

Along with O’Leary’s own experience, the book recounts the many St. Louisans who changed his life through simple actions that would have extraordinary consequences. There’s the janitor who taught him how to walk again; Gino Cavallini, formerly of the St. Louis Blues, who became a fixture at the hospital as O’Leary recovered; and O’Leary’s own mother, who was brave enough to tell him that surviving wasn’t a given—living was a choice he would have to make.

And then there's the late Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck, who O'Leary credits for making him who he is today. On the second day in the hospital, O’Leary lay strapped down to the bed, his eyes swollen shut, a tracheotomy in his throat, rendering him unable to speak—all he could do was listen. 

Then something extraordinary happened. 

“Now the broadcaster for the Cardinals, the voice I grew up listening to and loving, walks into my room,” he recalls, “and encourages me with the words, ‘Kid, wake up! You are going to live. You are going to survive, keep fighting. When you get out of here we’re going to celebrate with John O’Leary Day at the ballpark.'” As O’Leary tells it, he lowers his voice, adding some Jack Buck grit in imitation. 

For most young boys growing up in St. Louis—heck, for anyone living in this city – one visit from Buck would have been enough. It was for O’Leary. But the story didn’t end there. As Buck was leaving that day, he was told the boy was going to die, with just a one percent chance at survival. 

The story moved Buck. So he came back. 

“The following day, I’m lying in the hospital bed, dying and my door opens up: I hear footsteps, I hear a chair, and I hear Jack Buck’s voice say, ‘Hey, kid, I’m back. Wake up. You are going to live. You are going to survive, keep fighting,’” O’Leary recalls.

For the next five months, the visits from Buck continued. When Buck's duties with the Cardinals took him away, he would send someone else in his place. “That man made a profound difference during the five months that I was in the hospital,” O'Leary says. And “he continues to serve me afterward,” he adds. 

In July of 1987, Buck lived up to his promise: O’Leary celebrated ‘John O’Leary Day’ at the old Busch Memorial Stadium. By that point, O’Leary was velcroed into a wheelchair, his fingers were gone and his skin was just starting to grow back. 

“The following day in my mailbox is a baseball from Jack Buck, signed by Ozzie Smith, and a note from Jack that reads: ‘Kid, if you want the second baseball, all you have to do is sign a thank you letter to the man who sent the first one,’” O’Leary remembers. “The guy knew I could not write, but I think he also knew the power of inspiration and the power of connectivity.”

With a little help from his parents, O’Leary was able to write the Cardinals shortstop a thank you note. A few days later, another baseball arrived with another note that began ‘Kid, if you want a third baseball.’ By the end of 1987, Buck had sent O’Leary 60 signed baseballs from players all around Major League Baseball, with 60 painstaking notes sent in return. “Sixty baseballs from a very busy guy teaching a little nobody in St. Louis how to write,” O’Leary says, shaking his head. 

Yet there was one more baseball to come. On the night that O'Leary graduated from Saint Louis University, Buck presented him with the crystal baseball the broadcaster had received when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. “It is priceless. It’s made out of crystal, there’s only one like it in the whole world,” O’Leary says, still in disbelief. “He shows up and he gives me this baseball, to a kid who has no clue what he’s going to do in his life other than going to Humphrey’s later on that night, that was the extent of my vision at that point. One more time, making a difference from one St. Louisan to another, and he did it all quietly.” 

With a little help from his parents, O’Leary was able to write the Cardinals shortstop a thank you note. A few days later, another baseball arrived with another note that began ‘Kid, if you want a third baseball.’ By the end of 1987, Buck had sent O’Leary 60 signed baseballs from players all around Major League Baseball, with 60 painstaking notes sent in return. “Sixty baseballs from a very busy guy teaching a little nobody in St. Louis how to write,” O’Leary says, shaking his head. 

Yet there was one more baseball to come. On the night that O'Leary graduated from Saint Louis University, Buck presented him with the crystal baseball the broadcaster had received when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. “It is priceless. It’s made out of crystal, there’s only one like it in the whole world,” O’Leary says, still in disbelief. “He shows up and he gives me this baseball, to a kid who has no clue what he’s going to do in his life other than going to Humphrey’s later on that night, that was the extent of my vision at that point. One more time, making a difference from one St. Louisan to another, and he did it all quietly.” 

While this story couldn’t be told without Buck, O’Leary believes it also reflects on St. Louis as a community. How else, he asks, could Buck find out about his accident? 

As it turns out, it really does take a village – or at least a string of phone calls, beginning with O’Leary’s next-door neighbor and ending with Colleen Schoendienst, daughter of Cardinal great Red Schoendienst. Shoendienst told her father the story and, as he sat next to Buck at a charity auction, in passing Schoendienst told him that a little boy had been burned and asked him to keep the lad in his prayers. 

“So yeah, we can celebrate how great Jack is, and oh my lord, what an impact he made, but the reality is what allowed that impact to take root and to take place in the first place was Red and Colleen, and three other St. Louisans doing their part and making sure that the story had a happy ending,” O’Leary says.

Today, O’Leary has achieved his happy ending. He lives with his wife and kids in Webster Groves; he's made more than 1,500 speeches in the past seven years. He launched his career as a professional speaker after his parents wrote their own book about his life, "Overwhelming Odds."

In passing, you might not see O'Leary's scars right away. First, you'd probably notice his warm smile and wit. In fact, it might not be until O'Leary extends an arm to greet you that you might begin to wonder what exactly happened.

He says, “I don’t consider myself a burn victim. If you ask me what happened, it frees me to tell you a little bit more and then if I’m really listening, I realize that you’re probably asking for a reason. Something probably happened in your life that you’re connecting your scars with mine.” 

He adds, “Your scars might not be physical but everybody’s got scars they bear, and I think being able to embrace yours, it allows you to meet others where they are in their story.” 

In his book, O'Leary calls for a change in mindset for how people think how people think of themselves – and he hopes it will be a wakeup call for his beloved hometown, too. 

“In St. Louis we have such a victim mentality. We are the worst city in the world—just ask us. We’ll tell you all about how horrible we are. And yet, that’s just not the case. There is no wall around St. Louis. We could all move somewhere else, so why do we choose to be here? I think we realize when we are reflective of it that this is an amazing city. We are full of vibrancy, of resiliency and full of grit.”   Courtesy: Riverfronttimes


Be Inspired.

ZAIN EJIOFOR (CNN business correspondent in New York)

ZAIN EJIOFOR

Zain Ejiofor Asher. Popularly as Zain Asher is an Igbo Nigeria Lady from Anambra State of Nigeria, born in London’s Forest Gate on August 27, 1983, to Nigeria parents of Igbo origin. Her father’s name is Arinze Ejiofor, who when he was alive was a medical doctor, while her mother’s name is Obiajulu (Okafor) who was a pharmacist.

Education:

Between 2001 and 2005, Asher studied and obtained BA in French and Spanish Language from Oxford University. She made a distinction in Oral Spanish Language. She furthered her education obtained MS from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism between 2005 and 2006.

Career:

Zain Asher started her career at News 12 in the greater New York Area where she worked as a general assignment reporter. From News 12, she moved to money magazine, from where she went to CNN.

Zain Ejiofor Asher is Currently a British news anchor at CNN International based in Atlanta. She currently co-anchors CNN Newsroom, weekdays from 12-2am on CNN International, and at 1am ET on CNN America.

Asher previously worked as CNN business correspondent in New York covering economic news from New York Stock Exchange, U.S Federal Reserve Monetary Policy, and high profile IPOs.

Asher speaks English, Fresh, Spanish Language and Igbo, her native language fluently. She has skills in Broadcast Journalism. News Writing, Story-Telling. Journalism ENPS, Online Journalism, News Reporting e.t.c.

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