The Alumni Spotlight is a periodic feature on the official Mom’s Choice Awards® blog. It is part of our ongoing effort to “shine the spotlight” on you and your award-winning, family-friendly products, services, and media.

When Mary T. Ficalora looked back on the world she had captured on film, visited, and talked about with family and friends, she saw continued erosion of trust and a need to raise her voice to speak to the true meaning and value of courage. The result of that journey is Choosing Honor: An American Woman’s Search for God, Family and Country in an Age of Corruption.

A self-described “hippie-minded, ex-party girl who is now a soccer mom,” she says her biggest challenge has been to become a published author. Whens she’s not promoting her book, Mary wears many hats: teacher, event coordinator, television producer, volunteer, Cub Scout leader, and preschool administrator. Mary resides with her mate and three children in Agoura Hills, California.

MCA: Can you please tell us about the inspiration for your book, Choosing Honor?

Mary: I wrote Choosing Honor because I realized that there was no one public figure alive whom I could trust to act for the good of the people. This may sound naive and odd, but I had subconsciously counted on people like Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy, Jr. to stand up and protect the good of ordinary people. With their deaths and then 9/11 and the War on Terror, it became obvious to me that the only one who could save our population from the Corruption of Corporations and what I call the “Money Power” in the United States and the World was us: you and me.

For more than 20 years, I have been a student of psychology and religion. My personal interest in freedom from oppression, and the realization of personal power has been part of me my whole life. I was an “IBM baby,” traveling and living overseas around the world beacue of my father’s job as an IBM production engineer. My husband likes to joke that he thinks I must have been burned at the stake as a witch in a previous lifetime. He says my inner righteousness and deep awareness of injustice in play around the world goes so far beyond my comfortable existence as a US citizen.

My studies in spiritual power and psychology have given me the understanding that power is in every voice that is raised, every prayer that is prayed, and every act we take. What we say, think, and do makes a difference. We the People have the power to “get our money back” as I say in Choosing Honor. We the People have the power to return the United States to the rule of law enshrined in our founding documents. To realize our power, we have to pay attention to the game. In Choosing Honor, I reveal what I think we must pay attention to. You will see correlations in your own life that you can pay attention too. We all can act to reverse the corruption that is destroying our personal power, our families, and our freedom. Corruption is destroying the very fabric of our nation, the rule of law that ensures our freedom. The rule of law Abraham Lincoln is quoted as calling our national political religion. We the people have the power to restore the rule of law and reweave the fabric of our freedom. The steps to power are in Choosing Honor.

MCA: What are your goals for your book, Choosing Honor in the next year?
Mary: I am hoping that Choosing Honor becomes the “brain food” on hand at family dinner tables across the United States. When extended family and friends gather and start heated discussions regarding the state of the economy, religion, and social issues, I want my book to be THE gift they share with each other.

MCA: If someone gave you air time for a 15-second commercial, how would you entice people to read Choosing Honor?
Mary: I would ask people if they feel overwhelmed and powerless regarding the state of our communities, economy, and family lives. The answer, I already know, is a resounding “yes.” I would tell them they don’t have to feel that way. In Choosing Honor, I have recovered the ancient steps to power that are the basis for all religions and psychological healing. They are steps you can use to regain your power. Read Choosing Honor and recover these steps to power for yourself. Use your power to create the community, family, and nation you need and want.

MCA: You started with an idea and now have a successful, award-winning book, Choosing Honor. Looking back on your journey, what was the easiest part? The hardest? What surprised you the most?
Mary: The easiest part in the journey was the idea. Ideas, brilliant or not, are the spark. Sparks are easy, the realization of the idea is the hard part. The work of researching, writing, and editing was fun. Not easy, definitely hard, but fun. The hardest part is publicizing the finished book. Publicity has its fun moments, but overall, it is overwhelmingly hard. On the positive side, what surprised me the most was how in sync I am with the times. I felt, when I started working on Choosing Honor that I was alone in the understanding of what I was sharing. But as my research and work progressed, more and more people emerged in the public arena with complimentary messages to mine. I am deeply aware of how connected we, humanity, are. Yet, I am still surprised by the synchronicity of the human spirit that is rising to counter, what I call “all that is upside down in the world.”

MCA: Since launching Choosing Honor, what has been your most rewarding experience in promoting or sharing it with the public? Do you have a favorite memory?
Mary: I love that moment when the light of recognition and identification ignite in the eyes of someone I am talking to. My favorite example of this was when I was prepping for an interview in a restroom at a book fair. While I was washing my hands, I complimented a woman at the sink next to me. She was pleased by the compliment and curious about what I was doing. We struck up a conversation about my book. The next thing I knew, there were two and then three more women in our conversation. Everyone had a story to share. I was late for my interview, but energized and empowered by the identification and support I had received from these women.

MCA: Could you please tell us why you chose the Mom’s Choice Awards® program in seeking recognition for your book, Choosing Honor.
Mary: The Mom’s Choice Awards® are a symbol of quality. As a consumer, I have come to recognize the MCA logo as a mark that stands outside of corporate oversight. The products I have seen awarded by the Mom’s Choice program have always been products that empower, enlighten, and support positive, healthy thinking and living. I wanted to be identified with that work.

MCA: What does it mean to you to be a Mom’s Choice Awards® alumnus?
Mary: I am very proud to be a Mom’s Choice Awards® alumnus. When I talk about Choosing Honor, the fact that it is an MCA winner is one of the first things I include to recommend it. Mom’s Choice is a seal of approval that is intelligent. Smart Mom’s know about Mom’s Choice Awards® products.

MCA: What did you learn about yourself in the process of creating your award-winning book, Choosing Honor?
Mary: Ultimately, I learned that I’m still learning. In fact, my editor sent me a bracelet as a gift when we finished work on Choosing Honor. It is a silver band with the words “Ancora Imparo,” Italian for I’m still learning, engraved on it. It is said that these were Leonardo DaVinci’s last words. They are words that are doubly appropriate to me and my work, as I refer to DaVinci’s work in mine. Choosing Honor is full of great information about the world, how it works and personal power. Choosing Honor is also just a beginning there is so much more that I do not know.

MCA: Would you recommend the Mom’s Choice Awards® to other entrepreneurs? If so, why?
Mary: I highly recommend the Mom’s Choice Awards® to other entrepreneurs. The ladies who run this program are top professionals. They know their jobs and exceed industry standards. The moms and dads I know, all trust the Mom’s Choice Award symbol when they are shopping. An MCA seal can tip a consumer’s purchase decision in your favor.

MCA: How have you/your company benefited by being a Mom’s Choice Awards® honoree? Do you have any tangible examples?
Mary: At book fairs and signings the Mom’s Choice Awards® seal attracts interest. Recently, I was introduced to a book buyer in Santa Barbara, California. She was cordial, but passing my book by without a second glance, until I mentioned it was a Mom’s Choice Award® winner. She stopped, picked up a copy and took my card. I can’t ask for more than that from award recognition.

Choosing Honor: An American Woman’s Search for God, Family and Country in an Age of Corruption

written by Mary T. Ficalora
published by Avail Press, 2008
2009 Silver Medal, Inspirational/Motivational

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