Women Who Hope is a blog created by two close friends to inspire women to live the life of their dreams. We came up with a name that would remind everyone about the power of hope. Hope is not a passive word. To us, it is more of a divine force, a courage that is summoned from within; an idea that has come to time.

We write our hopes down on these pages to inspire others, and to show how much we all can learn from one another, and see how much we have in common. We all hope for happiness. We all hope to bring our dreams into reality. We all hope for bright futures for our selves and our children. We all hope to give love and to get it in return. We hope in silence. We hope in small circles, and whenever we get the opportunity, we hope out loud. We hope for others, near and far, friends and strangers, in this world, and into the next. We will never stop hoping. And we hope you won’t either.

We invite you to follow us on this journey, and to share your messages of hope, inspiration and action with our readers. Through this community, we hope to all live a passionate and boundless life built from our hopes and dreams.

DAWN ONLEY | WASHINGTON, D.C.

I am a native of Frederick, MD. and come from a very close-knit family who believes in celebrating life and sharing our love. I started my career as a journalist and editor before moving into the field of public relations.

I am a goal-oriented person who believes in the power of intention. I create vision boards each year and will many of those visions to fruition, through hard work, discipline, focus and drive. One such vision realized was when I ran the New York Marathon in 2011. I’m also an avid theater-goer; one who devours sublime food and a good book; a baker, a writer, and poet. I have traveled to roughly 20 countries, including France, Italy, South Africa, Germany, China, Egypt, and Brazil, and 37 states, and I have made some amazing memories. I’m a true believer that the traveling experience is the best classroom.

I’m also a big believer in the power of intention. That steadfast belief led me to my babies — husband, Calvin, Sr. and sons, Calvin, Jr. and DeAngelo.

These days, I look for every opportunity possible to feed my soul — through books, new adventures, yoga, launching my business and writing this blog. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy co-writing it.

Cheers!

SAMANTHA McKENZIE | RALEIGH, N.C.

My passion is people. I believe in the power within and am inspired by everyday people who take on extraordinary challenges and overcome life’s unsuspecting obstacles. To me, nothing is impossible. This is how I choose to live my life.

I work in the field of marketing and communications and have the awesome task of getting others interested and involved in higher education. Prior to my work in public relations, I worked as a journalist for daily and weekly newspapers in Washington, D.C., Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Fort Worth, Texas and Winston-Salem, N.C.

I earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Norfolk State University and a master’s degree in strategic public relations from The George Washington University. I enjoy writing, helping people tap into their divine purpose, and about the nuances of  culture – the very thing that makes us all so unique, yet so much the same.

In my spare time I like to hang out with my children, take spontaneous trips to the beach or enjoy  a good book that makes me feel like I’m living a new adventure and even a new possibility.

Born in Nassau, Bahamas, to immigrant parents from Georgetown, Guyana, I moved with my family to Brooklyn, N.Y. when I was three years old, where I lived until I went off to college. I currently live in Raleigh, N.C., with goals of starting my own business and writing my very first book. I have three beautiful children — Shakeel, Tahirah and Samiyah and a five-year-old dog named Oreo.