We recently connected with Gladys Martin and have shared our conversation below.

Gladys, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

The first time I truly knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally was during a deeply transformative period in my life. For years, I was involved in advocating for mental health, addiction, and homelessness causes that are very close to my heart. Through that work, I witnessed not only the struggles people endure but also their extraordinary resilience and capacity to rise from hardship.

It was in those moments, listening to stories of pain, survival, and triumph that I felt a strong pull to share my own journey. I realized that writing could become a powerful way to express myself and to inspire others who may be walking through their own challenges. This desire eventually gave birth to the vision for my book, I Am Phoenix Rising.

For me, I Am Phoenix Rising is more than just a title; it reflects my own path of overcoming adversity and choosing empowerment over despair. It represents the power of rising from the ashes, no matter how many times life has burned you down. I’ve always believed that our hardships don’t have to define us they can become the very reason we soar higher. Writing this book is my way of helping others see that their struggles can transform into strength, and that their stories, too, can spark healing and hope.

Gladys, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am Gladys Martin—author of I Am Phoenix Rising, entrepreneur, philanthropist, life coach, and motivational speaker. My journey into writing and entrepreneurship has been shaped by both personal experiences and my involvement in advocating for mental health, addiction recovery, and homelessness. These causes are deeply personal to me, and they’ve shown me the power of resilience, compassion, and creating spaces where people can heal and thrive.

As an entrepreneur, I have built businesses with the vision of not just generating success but creating opportunities for others to grow and rise with me. Entrepreneurship, for me, is about impact—helping people find solutions to their struggles, whether that’s through health, community, or empowerment-focused services.

As a philanthropist, my mission has always been to give back and uplift. I have dedicated time and energy to supporting communities that are often overlooked or underserved. I believe that when you empower one person, you create ripples of transformation that extend far beyond them.

As a life coach and motivational speaker, I have the privilege of walking alongside people as they discover their inner strength, shift their mindset, and create lasting change in their lives. Whether it’s speaking to a crowd, mentoring an individual, or guiding someone through difficult transitions, I use my voice and my story to spark hope and empower others to believe in what is possible.

Writing I Am Phoenix Rising is the creative extension of this same philosophy. The book is about rising from hardship—about transforming pain, trauma, and struggle into strength, healing, and empowerment. I wanted to put into words the message that no matter how many times life burns you down, you can always rise again, stronger and wiser. Writing became my way to express truth, connect with others, and provide hope to anyone battling mental health challenges or life’s toughest obstacles.

What sets me apart is the way I bring together my roles as author, entrepreneur, philanthropist, life coach, and motivational speaker. I don’t see them as separate identities—they all work together. My creative work inspires. My businesses solve problems and open doors. My philanthropy gives back and ensures others aren’t left behind. My coaching and speaking empower people to take bold steps toward their purpose. I am most proud of being able to live authentically in alignment with my mission—to rise, and to help others rise too.

What I want people to know about me and my work is this: everything I create, every business I build, every word I write, and every cause I champion is guided by one mission—to empower others to believe in their strength, rise above their struggles, and step into their fullest potential.

I am Phoenix Rising, and so are you.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

One of the most defining stories of my resilience comes from the time my family and I made the life-changing decision to migrate from the Philippines to Canada in 2009. At that time, my youngest son was diagnosed with craniofrontonasal dysplasia, a rare medical condition that required specialized care. As parents, my husband and I knew we had to make the difficult choice to leave behind everything familiar—our extended family, our careers, and the life we had built—in order to give him the best chance at treatment and a better quality of life.

Starting from scratch in a new country was overwhelming. We faced cultural adjustments, financial struggles, and the challenge of rebuilding our lives in an unfamiliar place. But what carried me through was the belief that resilience is born from love, sacrifice, and an unwavering determination to rise for the people who depend on you. That chapter of my life taught me that even in the face of uncertainty, strength comes when you hold on to your “why.” For me, my “why” was my son’s health and my family’s future.

Looking back, I see that journey not just as a struggle, but as the beginning of transformation. It planted the seeds of courage, faith, and grit that I continue to carry with me as an entrepreneur, author, philanthropist, life coach, and motivational speaker. Just like a phoenix rising from the ashes, I learned that even when life requires you to let go of everything you know, you can rebuild—and not just survive, but thrive.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes—there is a very clear mission driving my creative journey: to reach more people and inspire them to rise above their struggles. Everything I create, whether it’s my book I Am Phoenix Rising, my work as a life coach, or my role as a motivational speaker, is rooted in the belief that no one is defined by their hardships. We all have the power to transform pain into purpose and adversity into strength.

My goal is to share that message as widely as possible. I want people who feel broken, discouraged, or forgotten to see themselves in my story and realize that they, too, can rise. Creativity, for me, is not just about expression—it’s about impact. It’s about sparking hope, creating change, and reminding others that their voice, their story, and their life matter.

That is the heart of my creative mission: to be a light, to inspire resilience, and to empower people everywhere to believe that, like the phoenix, they can always rise again.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: facebook/ aligned by gladz martin
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gladys-martin
• Other: https://www.rochesterfirst.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/840470011/gladys-martin-inspires-transformation-with-new-book-i-am-phoenix-rising/

Image Credits

International Impact Book Awards