I am thrilled to be bringing a new installment of one of my favorite blog series, Women in Business, that has been gone for far too long. I am always so proud to support fellow women in their business endeavors and the next person I am going to introduce is someone you should know.
Meet Brittany Scott. She is a teacher, entrepreneur, speaker, and author of the children’s book: Limitless Me. Limitless Me is the encouraging story of Faye, a young girl bound with fear and the powerful lesson she learns to overcome it.
A wife and mother of two children: Landon, age 9, and Kaylan, age 6, Brittany was born and raised in Chicago, IL. We met growing up in Chicago where my family attended the church where her parents pastored.
Prior to becoming an author, Brittany found fulfillment in teaching because she loves to “inspire and challenge people to reach for the stars”. After teaching first and fourth grade for seven years, she went on to teach college students who were earning their bachelor’s degree in elementary education but adding to her family changed her path.
“When I had my second child, I wanted to work part-time so I could have more flexibility in my schedule to raise my kids”, Brittany says. “After about a year, I came up with an idea to start a children’s accessory store. I knew I wanted to do something that involved children and I always had a desire to start my own business.”
Inspired by experiences of wanting to add some “pizzazz” to her children’s outfits, Brittany launched a children’s accessories store with her sister called My Berry Bow. “I thought, why not come up with an accessory store where we would find accessories that add to a child’s everyday look, and make them look and feel good”, Brittany states.
After three successful years in business, Brittany felt that it was time to change her path again and become a children’s author. “The funny thing is, I never thought I would write children’s books until one day I woke up with the words “Limitless Me” playing over and over in my head. I had this idea to write about a girl named Faye and her journey through fear versus faith.”
Once she had the idea, Brittany began writing her story and would wake up at 4:00 am to write until she was done. Since then, she hasn’t looked back. She drew heavily on her own childhood experience, struggling with fear and self-doubt particularly when it came to taking tests.
“Whenever I had to take a test, I would panic and be consumed with negative thoughts, like ‘you can’t’, ‘you’re not,’ and ‘what if you fail?’ As a result, even if I knew and understood the content, I would freeze up and do poorly.”
She recalls having to take a test that determined whether or not she would be allowed into the 8th grade and she froze.
“Fortunately my parents believed in me and knew that my results did not reflect what I knew”, Brittany recalls. “My parents knew that if my results were going to be any different, my mindset needed to change. My capability wasn’t enough, I had to believe that I was capable.”
Her parents petitioned the school district to allow her to retake the test and she was able to do so. Before retaking the test, her dad had her reiterate the Bible verse Philippians 4:13.
“Every day I would repeat, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me because greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.” The power in that scripture helped me to believe in myself and conquer obstacles I never thought I could. I learned to replace my negative thoughts and words with positive ones. That made all the difference for me. I thought positive. I spoke positively. Eventually, I believed in myself. I retook that test with a new boldness, and as a result, I scored above grade level in every subject area. From that moment my motto is, and has always been to say it, think it, and believe it.”
In the book Limitless Me, the main character Faye is creative, talented, and unique but deals with self-doubt, fear of rejection, and fear of failure. Through an interesting circumstance, she learns valuable lessons on how to overcome her fear and the numerous possibilities that await her. The book is geared toward ages 7-12 but will warm the hearts of all ages.
I purchased the book Limitless Me for my children last year. My older kiddos ages, 4 and 6, were curious about what would happen next in Faye’s story and loved the illustrations. Although they are a little younger than the intended audience, it gave us a chance to talk about times they may have been afraid or nervous and how they could handle those situations, comparing what Faye did in the story and applying it to their own experiences.
Brittany hopes Limitless Me will inspire young readers. “My goal for this book is to help children believe in themselves despite any obstacles and to not let fear stop them from reaching their highest potential.”, she says.
For anyone wanting to write a book, Brittany encourages aspiring authors to share their experiences to help motivate readers. “I believe the hardships we endure throughout life are for a purpose and can inspire and challenge others.”
Brittany is currently working on her second book called Running in the Rain – a story about persevering in difficult times. Her current book Limitless Me can be purchased on Amazon or online at www.brittanyscottauthor.com.