Terry Ann Biography: If Terry Ann Can, You Can Too
Your Age Doesn't Decide Your Future
It’s only fair that you should know a little more about me. After all, if we’re going to spend time together talking about life, dreams, relationships, money, confidence, purpose, faith, creativity, and what it means to make the rest of your life the best of your life, you should know something about the woman sitting on the other side of the conversation.
You might say my life journey is living proof of one simple belief: dreams don't have an expiration date. And it's never too late to pursue a new goal, discover a new gift, or begin again.
I have always felt a passion for discovering new gifts and sharing ideas with others, and I find inspiration for women like me in the lyric from one of my praise and worship songs, “Hallelujah, I Have Found My Love,” which says beautifully: “He lives in me deep in my heart. A gift is born in you as well, a story that we all must tell.” I wholeheartedly believe that.
There is something inside every one of us that deserves to be discovered, developed, and shared as part of our personal growth. Perhaps one of the greatest gifts of getting older is the perspective we gain; age can give us a kind of 20/20 vision—the ability to look back at where we've been, understand what we've learned, and decide more clearly where we want to go next.
My Career Started at Five
Super Model To Be ?
My life journey began in Miami when I was just five years old, and it has been a source of inspiration for women ever since as I transitioned into a professional model, fostering my personal growth along the way.
My father was an entrepreneur, and he had a tremendous influence on me. He believed in working hard, taking opportunities, and creating your own future.
In those days, Miami was a very different place. In 1943, it was a small town, with dirt roads where Interstate 95 would eventually cut through the city. My father learned about business the hard way, and his life journey became a source of inspiration for women who faced similar challenges. At thirteen, he took on a paper route to help support his single mother and his two younger brothers. Somewhere along the way, he discovered valuable lessons about hard work and resilience that contributed to his personal growth and stayed with him for the rest of his life.
Profits are better than wages.
Colon Dixon bought and sold businesses, including the used car venture he ran with his brother, Paul. He also flipped houses and became a contractor, showcasing his remarkable life journey filled with personal growth. Additionally, he served on the board of directors of the City Council during discussions about the proposed expressway that eventually became I-95. At that time, many people couldn't envision Miami ever having enough traffic to warrant such a highway, but my father could, serving as an inspiration for women and all those seeking to dream bigger.
Apparently, I inherited a little bit of that entrepreneurial spirit.
At five, I was modeling dresses for Burdines, which eventually became Macy's. From this early experience, I found inspiration for women in the world of fashion but also discovered something significant about my life journey: I didn't like being told what I was supposed to do. While modeling dresses was intriguing for a time, I eventually craved the opportunity for personal growth and wanted to return to school. And that's where another gift appeared.
At Ten, I Discovered Art
At ten years old, I began drawing, painting, and creating mosaic artwork. I can still remember that feeling of discovering inspiration for women inside myself that I didn't know was there. That feeling has never left me, and I suspect you may know exactly what I'm talking about. Maybe there was something you loved during your own life journey. Something you wanted to do and were naturally good at, but you stopped pursuing it because life got in the way. Perhaps that gift is still there, waiting for you to embrace it. Sometimes, the things we loved as children leave clues about our personal growth and who we were meant to become.
At Twenty, I Became a Songwriter
Life, of course, didn't follow a straight line on my journey of personal growth. I married my first husband when I was nineteen and dedicated ten years to that marriage. Then he ran off with an older woman. Yes, an older woman. Not some younger hot babe, but an older woman! There is a life lesson in that story, and we'll delve into it in another video. However, something good did emerge from those challenging years. My husband listened to a country music station, and those twangs and heartache songs from Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette became my inspiration for women like me. They inspired me to write my first song: 'It's Just That Little Bit of Something We Lost Along the Way.' Little did I know that the disc jockey playing those heartwarming country hits would eventually become my second husband.
Then Came Joe
Life has a funny way of taking unexpected turns on our life journey. Not long after my divorce, I met Joe, and today, Joe and I have been happily together for fifty-three years. When someone asks Joe how long we've been married, his answer is always, "Nowhere near long enough." That's quintessentially Joe. What an incredible ride it has been, full of inspiration for women like me who seek personal growth. Together, we've moved twenty-two times across the country—from Miami to Virginia, North Carolina, Chicago, Los Angeles, and many places in between. Three of those moves involved challenges nobody plans for: we found ourselves homeless and without jobs. Yet, Joe's remarkable resourcefulness always shone through. He would scout a city, find a job, and then somehow, we would figure out the rest. And we did.
The Greatest Joy—and the Greatest Loss
My first marriage granted me one of the greatest blessings of my life; a gift far more significant than any songs my ex-husband inspired. At just twenty years old, my son, John Le, was born. He became an incredible inspiration for women on their life journeys, and as a young teen, he embraced his personal growth by becoming a weightlifter.
But life can change in a moment.
As he got closer to achieving his next goal at only fourteen years old to bench press 325, God decided He needed John somewhere else. A car accident involving neighborhood boys took him from me when he was only fifteen. Some experiences in life journey that you never completely get over, and you simply learn how to carry them. I know there are mothers watching who have experienced a loss like that. Maybe you have lost a child, or someone you loved more than life itself. I can't pretend to have all the answers. But perhaps someday, through this channel, I can share some inspiration for women about what I've learned regarding grief, faith, personal growth, surviving heartbreak, and continuing to live when your heart has been broken. Because sometimes winning doesn't mean getting what you wanted; sometimes winning means finding the courage to keep going.
The Radio Dream
In 1987, Joe and I were living on the thirty-first floor of a condominium overlooking Palm Beach from the West Palm Beach side. Inspired by our own life journey, we followed that inspiration once again. We bought a radio station with a vision to create something different—a radio format devoted entirely to motivation for women. We called it the Winner's News Network — For Winners Only. Our goal was simple: Encourage people to believe they could do more with their lives and foster personal growth. We built a format around motivational programming, featuring materials from Nightingale-Conant. It wasn't just radio; it was a philosophy that laid the groundwork for what would eventually evolve into For Winning Women.
And Now I'm in My Eighties
Today, my radio career has reached its conclusion. The applause from seminar audiences has faded into silence, and the road trips from city to city have become less frequent. Yet, the creative fire within me continues to burn. I'm still writing, creating, producing music, making art, and dreaming. And amidst this journey of personal growth, I'm still asking one crucial question: What's Next?
After all these years, my path has narrowed down to one final exit. Picture yourself driving down I-95 and encountering a sign ahead that boldly asks: WHAT'S NEXT? This isn’t just any exit; it lacks gas stations, familiar diners like Cracker Barrel, and a reliable map to guide your way. Instead, the road diverges into a significant Y. One path states: FACE THE MUSIC. THIS IS THE END OF THE ROAD. The other path encourages: DREAMS AND VISIONS CAN STILL BE YOURS—JUST AROUND THE BEND.
Which road would you choose? I know the path I’m taking. I'm embracing the journey toward What's Next, and that's the essence of For Winning Women.
I invite you to join me on this path because the sign ahead doesn’t proclaim THE END; it resonates with possibility: WHAT'S NEXT? I have a strong feeling something incredibly inspiring awaits just around the corner. Remember, your age does not determine your future—you do. Welcome to FOR WINNING WOMEN, where inspiration for women thrives and new avenues for life journeys unfold.