I had the pleasure of an interview with Joy Foster. While I was not able to sit down with her face to face her presence over the phone made you feel right at home. Karen Joy Foster is a motivational speaker, singer and more who runs her own business, Kimberlite Enterprises in Canada. She brings meaning to her work and into the lives of others.

Her focus on motivation is bringing hope to children and parents. Joy Foster addresses high school and college students and parents as well. I’ve read testimonies to her abilities to reach both adults and students. Educators and parents alike are impressed with how she affects students at an assembly. She speaks directly to the students and they pay attention, they cry and they change their lives.

To the benefit of her audience, Joy has added music to her program. She produced a quality music CD with inspirational songs, one of which is called “My Daughter My Friend.” You can’t help but listen to Joy’s music and be moved to tears. The songs are filled with love and respect. I personally thing this song would be appropriate for a wedding.

Joy tells me she is inspired by God and her husband. She is also very motivated and inspired by her audience. Every time she speaks she is overwhelmed by their presence. Their faces, tears, letters and words of wisdom touch her as much as she touches them.

She believes everybody has a gift. Hers is motivational speaking. She speaks to our daughters and sons about self esteem, the clothes they wear, the way they sit and talk. She shares the story of one high school senior living the “gothic” life. The girl was screaming out for help in her attempt to be different. After listening to Joy Foster’s program she was ready to make changes in her life and face her fears of becoming like everybody else before moving on to college. Her friends can’t believe how she’s changed.

Other students’ letters read similar.

From one female student, “I have learned some of the most simple, yet important values in your course when you came to visit our business class… It should be mandatory for a person to come into a high school environment and present a speech much like yours at least twice a year. I think that it would improve the education system a lot more.”

And from a male student with learning disabilities who was taking easy classes in his junior year. “In grade 11 … after I heard Karen’s speech I went the very next day and got my next semester changed to classes to make me get out of high school with a diploma not a certificate.” He is now in college and is looking forward to starting his own business.

One parent writes that Joy’s program, “made me as a parent take notice in the need for providing the positive input with our youth to ensure they have the proper and positive tools necessary for them to realize their dreams and be successful in their endeavors.”

It takes a special individual to speak to parents and children. To make them sit up and take notice. My short conversation with her was like that. You take notice when Joy Foster speaks. She reminds us that our daughters and sons “did not ask to come into this world.” We need to walk with them, learn from them and don’t relive our past through them.

She asks us to consider if we are following through and likens some parenting skills lacking in the sense that we would sooner take more care of our pets than our children. We feed and water them and keep them on a leash. Do we do as much for our children? Do we feed them, nourish them with love, keep them on the proverbial leash that they actually need and long for?

We need to talk and listen to them. Pay attention. Joy and I discussed the worrisome nature of rising suicide rates. They are looking for ways out and the nature of that way out has changed. Some children are attempting suicide younger. Some may even take family members with them.

Kids want to know “Why did you have me?” We need to answer that question with love and honesty. Joy says everyday we need to trust them and be there for them because it is hard to find good role models anymore.

Joy Foster is wrong about that. She is a great role model.

I encourage you to visit Joy Foster Music at MySpace to listen to music from One Step at a Time produced by Joy’s business Kimberlite Enterprises. You can also purchase her CD at CD Baby