Daily Inspiration: Meet Diane Woodford

Today we’d like to introduce you to Diane Woodford.  

Diane, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
From the time I was a small child growing up in Detroit, Michigan my mom always told me that my gifts would make room for me, and my dad would chime in saying my gifts would take me around the world. My parents were correct in their predictions. 

Discovering my gifts was not as difficult as I thought it would be because serving others came to me as naturally as breathing and my gift of gab would soon translate into my love of writing. My love for writing was inspired back in Elementary School when I did a report on Phyllis Wheatley, the first African American woman to have a book of poetry published. As the eldest of three, community was a big deal in my life, making my gift of service second nature, to my journey. 

Back to writing, I started out writing letters, I even had pen pals in other countries. I evolved to writing poetry and short stories, eventually, I was comfortable with sharing my writings with those close to me and the feedback was very positive and inspiring. 

I always wanted to be a guest writer for a magazine and later considered submitting posts for a blog site. I wanted to share my writings with the world, so I began to seek out a platform to share my writings. Long story short I did not find a user-friendly way to submit my writings for a magazine or blog site, so I created an online platform. 

In 2014 Paths2transformation (P2T) was launched and to be honest, the initial website design did not reflect what I had envisioned. Something was loss in translation from my vision and the actual website design. The journey to bringing my vision to life was a gradual and tedious process that would take over six years of transformations. However, it was a beautiful journey of patience and perseverance that taught me many valuable lessons. 

Paths2transformation (P2T) was created as an online community-building platform to share journeys and build networks worldwide. Initially, the site was created to give writers and bloggers a place to easily share their stories and include ways readers could connect and network with them. The concept of building global networks started in California however it was in Nashville TN where the concept of expanding the networking into community outreach really happened. 

Transformation has been the common thread of my life. Daughter to Mother, Single to Married, Student to Educator, Writer to Author, Mom to Nana, the list goes on and on. I now realize that my transformations were preparations for where I am today. I am a world traveler using my gifts of service and writing towards fulfilling not only my dreams but the dreams of others; while building communities and networking on a global platform. 

In 2016 my husband and I arrived in Nashville TN with zero contacts or connections. Not fully understanding how Nashville TN was to fit into our journey, we stayed in an Airbnb for the first 8 months. 

Allowing our gifts to make room for us we connected with the Nashville Rescue Mission and began serving as volunteers. Once I started serving at Nashville Rescue Mission many other doors of opportunity began to open in Nashville. Within the first six months, I was building communities all around the city of Nashville which opened doors for P2T to expand. 

When we registered our car in Nashville, we noticed that Nashville is the Volunteer State!!! Wow, I love how God winks appear when you are fulfilling your purpose. 

In 2017 Paths2transformation was the recipient one of the volunteers of the year awards from the Nashville Rescue Mission and we had nearly twenty-five friends who came to support us during the luncheon ceremony. 

By this time, we realized that Nashville was more than just a quick stop on the journey, so we leased a place to live.” I have made organic connections with many organizations in Nashville which has allowed me to use my gifts of service in the capacity of volunteering, mentoring, and working on several committees. 

Nashville is a place that I’ve been able to realize many of my dreams, in 2019 I wrote my first book “Clearly Ready” and 50% of the profits are being donated to a local non-profit “From Your Father.” During the pandemic to reach out and support adult literacy P2T collaborated with From Your Father. We started a monthly book club via Zoom, based on my book “Clearly Ready.” This has allowed P2T to launch outreach ministries to give back to the communities, as well as being a conduit to connect local talent with the right people and organizations. 

Nashville is now the base from which we are continuing to launch the P2T Platform in order to globally connect and build communities around the world. Our goal is to be the change we want to see in the world, we are doing this by serving humanity and building communities of support for those who need it. 

I am a creative, using my gifts of service and writings as a means of inspiring others, one journey at a time. I hope that if there is a writer reading this article and is seeking a platform to share his or her writings to inspire others, they will find it easy to do so on P2T. 

As my story continues to unfold, I invite others to check out P2T and join the journey. 

~ One Love Diane 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The greatest obstacle I have had is finding ways to spread the word about our website Paths2transformation. Although social media is one way to get the word out I have found that word of mouth and having brand ambassadors has worked best. I have also incorporated links to the website in my book, podcast, and YouTube channel. Exposure is key for success and word of mouth is helping us to overcome that obstacle. 

My greatest challenges are the endless needs and vastness of opportunities to serve. It’s very challenging to consistently pour into people and communities with goods and services only to realize that it’s just a drop in the bucket. Saying “No” to a project, partnership, or opportunity is also challenging, I feel there’s a need left unmet! Often times when I can’t assist, I make referrals and connections with others that may be able to assist. 

Understanding that this is all a part of the journey of a world changer, I celebrate the wins and learn ways to improve on the things that slip through the cracks. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Paths2Transformation has allowed me to create an out-of-the-box way to service humanity. The first half of my professional life was serving as a Critical Care Nurse and Educator. About 7 years ago I took a leap of faith and began to literally follow my Paths2transformation on an incredible journey that opened many doors of opportunity for community outreach across the United States. 

I am most proud of our Random Acts of Kindness and Happy Feet Campaigns. Random Acts of Kindness was launched in Sept 2018 and ran until Dec 25th, 2018. It started with P2T giving away $25 gift cards (food, groceries, gas, etc…) randomly to people that crossed our path. The campaign quickly grew as family, friends, and other organizations begin to donate gift cards and merchandise to be given away randomly. The finale was a virtual live giveaway of a $100 gift card. The most amazing part of the campaign was the spin-offs, several people were inspired to start their own versions of random kindness. It was a beautiful thing to witness. 

Happy Feet Outreach Campaign was launched December 2018 – April 2019. P2T gave out small care packs which included (2) pairs of socks, foot lotion, wipes, greeting cards with handwritten inspiring messages, and $5 cash. It was amazing to witness the depth of appreciation for the socks and the $5 was tucked inside the card so that would be another surprise to be discovered long after we were on our way. In October of 2019 P2T collaborated with 1Mother2Another for their Socktober Event which is a huge outreach that has been going on for over a decade. Socktober provides the homeless of Michigan with sock and is a much larger version of our Happy Feet Campaign.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Since Paths2transformation is an online platform and the entire world is shifting to a more virtual approach, I see P2T’s global outreach expanding. We have created several spinoffs from the site to include the Love Drops Podcast, Clearly Ready YouTube Channel, and having the Go Where I Send You YouTube channel which is currently in production; launched.

With the continued support and growth of our sponsorships, P2T will be able to evolve from giving meals and other merchandise to providing housing, transportation, and scholarships for business and higher learning. 

In 5-10 years, I see P2T globally impacting the needs of humanity via partnerships with people and organizations worldwide. Providing resources and services supporting humanity as a whole. 

Contact Info:

• Email: Paths2transformation@gmail.com
• Website: https://www.paths2transformation.com

Image Credits
Parnell Chapman