Well, hello, my friends, and welcome to the live-inspired podcast Monday and Morning Moments with John O'Leary.

We record these each week so that you and I and our community can begin these days and these weeks in awe and on fire with a burst of inspiration.

Let's get after today with a quote from my buddy, David Viscots, who says the meaning of life is to find your

gift. The purpose of life, though, is to give it away. So in our busy lives, we often overlook

the gifts that we possess, assuming they're too ordinary to share with others. Many times,

however, these gifts are the very essence of

what were meant to give to the world. For me, it was in embracing my story that my life felt

transformed and my purpose revealed. For Maria A. Ellis, it was her passion for music that not only changed her life,

but the lives of countless others around the world. Let me tell you more about it. Growing up,

Maria was surrounded by music. Her dad sang in a group and her mother led the church choir.

By the age of five, she had already taught herself

the different parts of choral arrangements and can recognize when an individual singer happened to be

hitting the wrong notes at the wrong time. These were skills she assumed everyone had,

not yet realizing how unique her gift really was. By age 12, she advanced from directing an imaginary choir in her bedroom mirror

to directing her very first choir on stage.

Though she had few examples of women of color to aspire to,

and others encouraged her not to pursue a career in music.

As she grew older, Maria felt

anointed for the work, gifted with a talent, and unwilling to waste it. After obtaining a

business degree and then a stint in corporate America, Maria took the leap and applied to a

university music program where she was rejected because she lacked the formal

training of the other applicants. She was heartbroken, and she was undeterred. She spent the summer

...