Testimonials
Voices of impact from our global community
Real voices. Real impact.
Hear directly from the women, educators, partners, and volunteers whose lives and communities have been strengthened through empowerment and mental-health support.
Voices of the Women We Empower
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Silvia
“I wake up wanting to live, I am a completely new person”
Today, I feel great, I feel like another person. I no longer feel bad like I used to feel every day. The mental health support helped me find meaning in life. I wake up wanting to live, I am a completely new person. I can face difficulties in life and can now focus on learning new skills like sewing and pursuing my dreams of running my business. RTE help change my life and I am extremely grateful for that. -
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Teresa
“I feel confident now that I can make my own money to provide for my family”
I am now stitching blouses daily and making about 1000 rupees per week. I am finally able to help support my family, and I feel confident now that I can make my own money to provide for my family. By having access to sewing classes and my very own sewing machine, my life is changing. I am so thankful for RTE for helping me. -
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Sayda
“I am now motivated in life and don't want to give up”
I was struggling with health issues for a long time and needed support and resources to help support my mental health and physical health. When I joined RTE’s Empowerment Program I was able to improve my mental health by going regularly to therapy and getting nutritional support from a nutritionist. Little by little, I became more and more empowered and began to feel healthier and overall happier in life. I now know how to help myself, and I am so grateful for the support RTE has provided to me because I am now motivated in life and don’t want to give up.
Reflections from Ready EmpowerED™ Participants
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Legg Mason,. Stamford, CT
“I have to say you BLEW ME AWAY! Something about the title obviously attracted me to sign up, but I honestly didn’t expect to really be so absorbed… like you said, there are so many meetings that are a waste of our time. This was absolutely not one of them. I think I am a fairly intuitive person that can figure out and control “emotions” on my own, but I felt like you were in my apartment talking directly to me. Every single picture spoke to me. I feel so vulnerable and exposed, ha ahaa!”
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Pace University, Pleasantville, NY
“Amanda is truly inspiring and evokes a true sense of “I CAN make a difference” in the world in big and small ways! Amanda has the “It Factor” that draws people to listen"
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![Logo of the Central School District Galway featuring a bald eagle's head in the center with the words 'Galway Central School District' encircling it in yellow on a blue background.]()
Galway School District, Galway, NY
“Your visit was overwhelmingly positively received by our Faculty & Staff! I have been getting thank you's left and right for having you in, as well as requests for you to come back and speak with our adults again but also our students!”
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![Sacred Heart University logo featuring a circular emblem with a red cross, iconography, and the university name in black text.]()
Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT
“I want to first and foremost thank you for such a thought-provoking presentation today. I can't remember the last time I listened to a PD that I so thoroughly enjoyed.” Port Chester High School , Port Chester, NY
“We were told afterward that Amanda was the best presenter we’ve had in the past two years—and that we need to have her back.”v
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![Logo of LEAP, featuring a silhouette of a child holding a book, with a prominent orange circle and blue text encircling the image, emphasizing leadership, education, and entrepreneurship among young learners.]()
LEAP, New Haven CT
“I want to thank you so much for presenting at two of our PD sessions this component. The counselors really enjoyed each presentation and can’t wait to have you back!”
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![Logo for the Willow Sirius Blues Days festival featuring a cartoon blue-and-white bird wearing a baseball jersey with the number one, standing next to large orange and yellow text that reads 'WS' and 'Blues Days', with colorful artistic elements.]()
Willow Springs Elementary School, Killeen, TX
“I’ve never had a guest speaker impact so many students. Amanda’s connection with them was unbelievable—she is a rare treasure.”
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Bell County Community, Bell County, TX
“As a survivor myself of domestic violence, I wish someone had spoken to me the way Amanda spoke to these women. Her compassion and empowerment were truly impactful.”
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![Seattle city skyline with the Space Needle and Mount Rainier in the background, encircled by a blue ring with semi-circular text, and a red ribbon with the word 'SEATTLE' at the bottom.]()
ESSAA , Westchester NY
“Thank you for the outstanding professional development presentation, Empower Yourself: Understanding and Managing Anxiety, for our ESSAA organization. We especially appreciated the opportunity for meaningful self-reflection guided by your thoughtful questions and perspective.”
Perspectives from Partners and Leaders
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Karen Jara
“I am a more effective leader now”
Ready to Empower’s guidance has helped our organization Árbol de Esperanza to empower more than 1,000 women and their families in our community. Ready to Empower helped equip me with appropriate resources to personally become a stronger and more effective leader in my work with helping at-risk women in my community. -
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Gracy Yesudass
“Overwhelmed to see the smiles on the faces of the women”
We were overwhelmed to see the smiles on the faces of the women when we placed the machines in their hands. Now they are free to generate their own income and support their families. -
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Mariam Rodríguez
“RTE has strengthened my leadership skills”
Ready To Empower has allowed me to explore my personal and professional skills. RTE has strengthened my leadership skills and helped me to recognize areas needed to improve the quality of my life and the life of many women in Costa Rica. It has allowed me to accompany them, encouraging more women to take a step forward, stimulating their economic, social, and personal development, autonomy, and their life project. Working with Ready to Empower is an experience that makes you grow, with a sensitive and human eye to understand the complex dynamics that many women face.
Volunteer testimonials
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Cristiana Villani
“I loved being able to explore my love for helping others”
Ready to Empower provided me the opportunity to expand my knowledge of not-for-profits and the business world, along with discovering other areas of such work that I excel in. I loved being able to explore my love for helping others and learning from Amanda and her team of how to do so. I genuinely believe that my experience with RTE has not only changed my career path, but also my appreciation for all the organizations working to change the world for the better. -
![Professional woman with shoulder-length dark hair, smiling, wearing a blazer with an emblem and a white blouse in a studio portrait.]()
Tanya Shankar
“Strengthen my skills such as analytical thinking, creativity, and leadership”
Ready To Empower has given me the opportunity to learn more about the nonprofit world as well as the hard work that goes into it. RTE has allowed me to develop and strengthen my skills such as analytical thinking, creativity, and leadership. It has provided me the opportunity to work with others who share the same passion of helping others and as well as coming together to find innovative ways to spread awareness of who RTE is, fundraising, as well as what more can we do to help empower the women who are in need of our help. I thank you Amanda Ready for having the strength and determination for creating such a powerful organization that has already changed the lives of so many people and for allowing me to be a part of this change. -
![Black and white portrait of a smiling woman with long hair, wearing earrings and a sleeveless top, sitting in front of a padded headboard.]()
Catherine Aprile
“A unique opportunity to give back and meet other people committed to making the world a better place”
Volunteering with Ready to Empower has given me a unique opportunity to give back and meet other people committed to making the world a better place. It has been so rewarding working with the other volunteers and the staff in Costa Rica to empower them to build Árbol de Esperanza into a strong non profit. I believe in the empowerment model and Ready to Empower’s theory of change, and hope to continue to help them expand their work.
