Growing up as a black child in America, my mother had one goal in mind: “keep my son, alive!” The primary way she understood the means to accomplishing this goal was by controlling my behavior with strict discipline so that I would become a respectable, outstanding citizen. Anyone that grew up in the Deep South also knows that “strict discipline” means whipping a child with the nearest object, at any moment, if their behavior was unfavorable. However, the truth is, that method has never actually achieved that goal, and it has actually caused more problems than it has solved (just ask my therapist). Equally as true, my mother undoubtedly loved me, and she did the best she could with the best tools she had because she, simply, wanted the best for me. Fast forwarding to years later, I am a parent, too, that wants the best for my children, but I am also aware of just how hard it is. In other words, I understand my mother, now, more than ever. It is difficult and frustrating, with so many complexities, to raise respectable, outstanding citizens without putting your foot down, snatching a child up, or whipping them with the nearest object. But believe it or not, I have found the secret to raising children that become world-changers: it requires employing the gift of CONNECTION NOT CONTROL. With this discovery, it is my commitment as a keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and parenting coach to now empower parents to connect more deeply with their children so that they may nurture the next-generation of world-changers.