food for the soul™
food for the soul™ is a unique online experience, a portal of inspiration that supports and empowers you to take 100% responsibility for your life. How? By serving up ideas to inspire personal responsibility and nurture your soul.
Whether it’s some daily Soul Food, timeless Dad Stories, seasonal Wellness Tonic, or how freedom can be experienced in The Freedom Zone, simply fill out the form to become a member and get your fill of ideas to chew on by joining our FFTS community. It’s free!
Inspiration
Today’s #SoulFood | Mattie Stepanek
“We always have to choose to live our lives to the fullest. No one is better or worse than anyone else. We are different and beautiful.” ~ Mattie Stepanek
Today’s #Key: Show up fully as yourself each day—live expansively, not comparatively.
Today’s #SoulFood | Amy Poehler
“Find a group of people who inspire and challenge you, spend a lot of time with them and it will change your life.” ~ Amy Poehler
Today’s #Key: Life change isn’t a moment—it’s the cumulative effect of days spent in the presence of those who mirror your highest self while encouraging your evolution.
Today’s #SoulFood | William Blake
“He who binds to himself a joy / Does the winged life destroy / But he who kisses the joy as it flies / Lives in eternity’s sun rise.” ~ William Blake
Today’s #Key: Freedom flourishes in experiencing as distinct from expecting or owning.
Dad Stories
A Dad Strikes Out
I took my twin ten-year-old sons to a couple of Angels games this week, and I was shocked-shocked!-to discover just how little they knew about baseball.
A Prince Among Men
My dad has always been there for all of us in many ways, someone everyone could count on. He has been the model for the kind of man my female cousins hoped to marry, and the uncle (and great-uncle) to whom all the young children were drawn. Now he’s a grandfather of four, generous with each grandchild in unique ways.
A Caring Disciplinarian
My Dad believed it was important that his children should be disciplined and always respectful to others particularly our elders and he never believed for example that an adult would ever say anything untrue about a child.
The Freedom Zone
When Life Happens … It’s Perfect!
How often have you looked back at a situation that didn’t go your way and, with the benefit of hindsight, breathed a sigh of relief that it didn’t go the way you wanted?
Jillian’s Journey from “Not Enough” to Empowered!
When Jillian’s close friend handed her The Freedom Zone: Your Gateway to Love, Liberty and Happiness, she had no idea she was about to unlock decades of self-imposed limitation. What happened next proves that you have more power than you know to transform your life—no matter how deeply rooted your patterns feel.
From Rejection to Revival | Sometimes Dreams Take Detours
I fulfilled my dream! I co-authored a book about Freedom, with Sharon Brick, called The Freedom Zone: Your Gateway to Love, Liberty and Happiness.
Wellness Tonic
Staying on Track Over the Holidays
The holidays are a time of over-indulgence and generosity. There are parties, desserts, and treats everywhere you look. We all let loose during the holidays and think, “This only happens once a year so it’s okay to eat anything I want.” But come January when you step on the scale, you regret the extra calories and vow it won’t happen again.
Leslie Sokol, Ph.D. | Action precedes Motivation
Dr. Leslie Sokol, is an internationally recognized leader in the field of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with more than 30 years of experience in practice, teaching and research.
Brené Brown | The Power of Vulnerability | TedX Houston, June 2010
Brené Brown studies human connection — our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share.
About Us
I’m Donna Marie, creator of Food For The Soul and passionate about gratitude, joy, and inspiration. Born and raised in Jamaica (the Caribbean—not Queens, New York!), I’ve called the United States home for over 30 years. I am blessed with work I love, extraordinary friendships and partnerships, and a life rich with mind-expanding adventures.
While my interests span nature, sports, film, theater, art, and beyond, I’m most fascinated by the journey of being human—approaching life as a practice of discovery fueled by curiosity. This has drawn me to attend transformative workshops, seminars, and retreats, all in service of expressing my authentic self and living in Soul Flow.
In the early 2000’s, I discovered Zig Ziglar’s quote, “People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing–that’s why we recommend it daily.” That moment sparked an epiphany: being inspired isn’t a one-tme event–it’s a practice requiring daily nurturing.
Through this journey of self-discovery, I learned that the key to living fully is surprisingly simple: staying aware, awake, and attuned to the magic and miracle of each moment. In essence, being present. Since this is ultimately an inside job, I needed ways to cultivate this awareness and find daily inspiration to bring this mindset to life.
I began a morning ritual of reviewing an inspirational quote and setting an intention for the day. This practice transformed me so deeply that I started sharing these insights with friends. Their enthusiasm gave birth to Food For The Soul™, an inspiretainment website dedicated to feeding the spirit.
In 2007, I officially launched Food For The Soul™ at a charming neighborhood cafe, The Broken Cup.