I don't want to overemphasize this, but not a day goes by when I don't think about my mother and what she would think about what I just did. I often adjust my approach.

My mother was pragmatic, focused and extremely, exceedingly practical, and she was the ultimate self-determining person.

My mother was amazing. I guess, in our community, if you wanted to get by you had to work hard. So she cleaned offices. She did everything that you could imagine. We were really poor. But she would say, 'Where you are is not who you are.'

My mother raised us to think that if we worked hard, and if we put our end of the bargain in, it would work out OK for us.

I want to stop transforming and just start being.

I've had many mentors, but the one that has the most impact was my mother.