We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Terri Howard-Hughes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Terri, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Help Or Motivate Everybody exists to raise the self-esteem and confidence of children with special needs or differences by having “hero” characters sharing their situation showing they can do more than they think; and to teach other children inclusion and acceptance of those with differences and disabilities and showing that all people have feelings and can be great friends.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I love to produce and edit videos. I have made several short documentaries and short movies. I love the creative process of editing – taking raw footage and creating a story that impacts people. I also love writing to open the imagination – poems, short stories and scripts. . I have won several awards for both my writing and video production. The short movie, New Kansas, that I produced was made in 1999 was and was in contention for the Best Live Action Short film in 2000. It won the highest award at the Houston International Film Festival as well as eight other festival awards across the United States. I received my Bachelor degree from SMU in Journalism, my Masters degree from SMU in Radio/TV and my Ph.D. from UTD in Arts, Technology and Emerging Communications. It takes determination, tenacity, and self discipline to start a company and become successful. Obstacles will arise but you have to find a way around them or try a different approach to get to your end goal. A positive attitude is important. Even when it seems like an impossible goal, if you believe in yourself and your product I believe doors will open. Listen to your intuition. When something is meant to be you will find a way and know in your gut you are on the right path. Allow the universe to bring all of it abundance to you. Don’t put limits on yourself.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The Bush Library The Cowboy Offices The JFK Museum Rock N Brews Arboretum Att Stadium Ruths Chris Steak House The Gaylord Globe Life Park Don Pepe’s Rancho Mexican Grill The Chocolate Angel

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The concept for The H.O.M.E. Team started 20 years. Our good friends, The Watermans, have two children. A daughter with Downs Syndrome and a son who learned compassion for others through the lessons he learned from his parents and sister. The children went to the Rise School which provides early education services to children ages six months to six years with and without disabilities in an inclusive environment. For several years I videotaped the Rise School graduations and intuitively knew that children needed to be taught at an early age that we are are the same on the inside no matter what we look like on the outside. At this time, we had a one-eyed cat named Popeye along with four more cats. The four cats would want to drink out of the bathroom sink at night and Popeye would sit on the floor looking up at them. He had no depth perception so it would be difficult for his to gauge the distance to jump up on the bathroom counter. One night Popeye just jumped up onto the counter. We realized that no one had ever told him he could not jump up on the counter and he figured it out himself. These two experiences led to the concept of The H.O.M.E. Team – a series of stories using animals as the characters to help children with disabilities realize that sometimes they can do more than they thought and to teach compassion and empathy to children without disabilities.

Website: www.helpormotivateeverybody.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.owlkin2020/?hl=en
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mediaforceproductions/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHOMETeamHel1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrOwlkin
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfApoD1ro2o

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.