Those Sandals: A Memoir of Portia Shipman

(Paperback)

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Those Sandals is a deeply personal story about a woman and the loving, yet discouraging relationship shared between her mother, Gladys Shipman. Portia courageously explores the mother-daughter wound and her yearning for love and guidance from the woman she looked up to the most. Additionally, the memoir recounts Portia's personal disappointments and achievements and how she finally found her voice and strength to live life on her own terms.

Author Bio

Portia Shipman is the Founder and former Executive Director of the Sherri Denese Jackson Foundation for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, Inc., founded on June 26, 2008, after the death of her dear friend. Portia has spent thirteen years fighting for domestic violence victims through the nonprofit. Through her dedication and commitment to saving the lives of women, one life at a time, the story of Sherri has been featured on TV One (Fatal Attraction, 2018, S7E7), Oxygen (Buried in the Backyard, 2019, S2E3), and Investigation Discovery (Dead Reckoning, 2020, S2E2).

August 2018, Portia Shipman became ordained as a Yoruba priestess, Queen Mother Aji'bifa, meaning she who wakes and speaks. Upon returning from Nigeria and feeling unfilled in her career of thirty years working in the home health care profession, she closed the doors of her home care agency, Reliable Home Care Services.

She is now sharing her story. Those Sandals is a deeply personal story about a woman and the loving, yet discouraging relationship shared between her mother, Gladys Shipman. Portia courageously explores the mother-daughter wound and her yearning for love and guidance from the woman she looked up to the most. Additionally, the memoir recounts her personal disappointments and achievements and how she finally found her voice and strength to live life on her own terms. Odell Bizzell is a nationally known blogger, speaker, author, and entrepreneur. While in high school Odell started a small candy retail distribution center that earned him over $75,000 while earning an academic scholarship to college.

As a successful keynote speaker Odell has been featured in the USA Today, Yahoo Finance, CNBC.com, and over 200 media outlets. Odell has partnered with over 200 colleges, youth organizations, and the military to reach tens of thousands of students.

His engaging and interactive presentations help students learn about the intersection of leadership and diversity and how to become more effective leaders in a diverse world. Odell has presented on the same stages as Super Bowl winning coaches, national politicians, and celebrities like Stephen A. Smith, Dave Letterman, & Oprah Winfrey.