Mother, wife, business owner, mentor and self proclaimed master of spreading love. As a child I was confused, hurt & afraid. I was taken away from my mother when I was 8 due to the horrible villain known as addiction. I went to live with my aunt and later lived in the Bronx with my father. I remember the day, at 16, when I decided I wasn't going to take mental abuse from him anymore. He threw my things in trash bags along with $40 (which I threw back!) and told me that if I thought I could make it back in Massachusetts - then go! Little did he know that terrible day turned into one of the best things to ever happen to me. A woman I didn't know lived inside of me emerged. I refused to live a life where I was made to feel small. That day I decided I'd never let another person, man or woman, bully me again. I've dropped the anger, hate and resentment and accepted Jusus Christ into my heart. Doing so began my true journey to the happiness I live today. I graduated from college, married my soulmate, built a home filled with love, have 2 babies (and one on the way!) and a business I've built from the ground up. I'd tell a 12 year old me to trust her instincts, not to be afraid to use her voice, and remind her she is beautiful, smart and worthy of all the blessings coming her way. I have felt not good enough at times and still have those thoughts creep in but I no longer allow that negative talk to camp out in my space too long. I wish there was more of an emphasis on building each other up and less desire to want to be better than. Success is when you can sit back in gratitude and pour into others. Happiness comes from thankfulness, self awareness & love. Beauty is when the inside qualities radiate to the outside to be seen as beautiful. In 10 years I hope for my family and me to be healthy. I hope to have a thriving business and to be involved with organizations that are changing humanity. I am proud of my ability to get through all that happened as a child and walk into an adulthood where I can still recognize blessings and live happily. I am Ariel. I am empowered, unapologetic and loving. I am strong and I love to love.