We recently connected with Beverly Armento and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Beverly, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

As a child, I sought refuge from an abusive, dysfunctional home in school and church. There I was Strong Beverly, for I was encouraged and empowered by the many teachers who believed me to be capable and creative even though I was a poor kid from the projects who sported bruises and worn clothing. I’ve told that story in my memoir: Seeing Eye Girl: A Memoir of Madness, Resilience, and Hope. It is not an uncommon story of childhood trauma, the need for mental health resources, and the importance of trusted adult mentors in the lives of children, especially the most vulnerable.

These themes undergird my work today as a writer, speaker, and advocate for children and adults living with untreated trauma, for public schools, and for the many angel teachers who believe every child is a genius and every child should be treated as your own. Armento Consulting is a one-woman company devoted to spreading the word on these topics by speaking with groups ranging from book clubs to larger audiences at gatherings such as conferences and to writing about these topics.

My teachers nurtured my confidence to apply to college, to believe I could “be anyone” I wanted to be, and they stirred my curiosity and love for learning. As an educator and college professor, my mission was to “pass on those gifts” to my own students whether they were children or prospective teachers. Today in my retirement, I am simply extending that mission to new audiences.

Beverly, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

After a long and meaningful career as an educator (working with children in New Jersey, Florida, and Maryland) and adults (as Professor at Georgia State University and Oglethorpe University in Atlanta), now in my retirement I’m recreating myself as a writer, speaker, and advocate for children and teachers. When the Surgeon General says that mental health is the defining health issue of our times, when childhood depression and suicide are serious problems, and when teachers leave the profession in droves–it’s time for concern and action. My life is simply a “case study” that helps readers reflect on these issues in their communities, our country, and the world.

To stimulate such discussions, I’ve written a memoir as well as Life’s Turning Points: A Personal Reflection Journal. Two more books are currently on my desk. These books are the “products” I offer to readers as well as the possibility of speaking with relevant groups. My role is to stimulate you to think, to expand your awareness, to consider viable options for addressing childhood trauma, for treating all children as full of potential, and for respecting and honoring the many outstanding educators in our schools.

As a kid, I loved being a student. As an adult, I loved teaching. I started teaching in 1963. One of the most important gifts an educator can receive is to receive feedback from a student. I’m so happy to have so many of my “old” students still in my life, including about a dozen from my first class. Now in their 70’s, their memories of our classroom lives together give me knowledge that my efforts were not in vain. What a gift!

You can find out more by checking out my website (www.beverlyarmentoauthor.com), by friending me on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, by checking out my YouTube channel (coming by end of July).

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Seeing Eye Girl: A Memoir of Madness, Resilience, and Hope has spread among readers mainly by the good old-fashioned “word of mouth” technique. The story is well-written and so unique and engaging that I’ve had readers say they can’t put the book down. The story has important current-day lessons and often resonates with the reader’s own life. Thus, many readers eagerly tell their friends about the book they’ve just read. I’ve spoken with an unusually high number of book clubs this last year, all of whom have read the book and most all have discovered the book in this manner.

This is a terrific way for any product to spread: however, it is a relatively slow method if you want your product to spread across the country. My “product,” this book, was published by a small press and my marketing efforts were limited. Thus, I’m currently re-booting my marketing efforts to supplement the word-of-mouth efforts. Stay in touch with me on my social media sites to see how successful I will be as I pivot to spread the word to new audiences.

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

Being resilient is an important way humans survive abusive, traumatic situations. I was quite resilient as a kid, bouncing back from serious beatings or emotional blows. I learned to invent strategies that helped me minimize the pain, at least in the short term. When I was about eight years old, I had the bright idea that I should adapt some folk tales into short plays and teach my younger sister and brother how to help me act out stories, such as Little Red Riding Hood. We’d present these plays to our mother and stepfather in the early evenings as they played cards at the kitchen table. My goal was to “put my mother in a good mood” so that she’d be less likely to fly into a rage. Most times it worked. Little did I know I was being “resilient” but in retrospect, indeed I was and was also helping my siblings be the same.

Likewise, as an adult, I learned fast how to react to my own failings or to times when things just didn’t go as expected. Now, as an author, I have to learn how to navigate new waters, how to market myself and my products, and have to learn how to invent new approaches I’ve never employed before. Now, readers are not “required to take my class”–they are in an open market where there are many competing books to read, ideas to consider. So, I essentially have to invent new resilience techniques. How exciting is that! I’m currently in the process of invention.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beverlyarmentoauthor.com
• Instagram: beverlyarmento
• Facebook: Beverly Jeanne Armento
• Linkedin: Beverly Armento
• Youtube: Dr. Beverly Armento

Image Credits

Selected photos by:

Kai Smith of Eikonik Images