Cruis'n Carmen

If you are having a bad day, all you need to do is spend five minutes with Carmen. Carmen is a Cuban American and was born in California. She moved to Florida when she was just two months old.

When Carmen was little she remembers watching the Love Boat and Fantasy Island wishing that was her.  Her mother introduced her to cruising at the age of fifteen.  What a great way to take a vacation - inexpensive, fun, and oh the places she has seen.

Not only does Carmen like to cruise but she loves life.  She is passionate about helping others, making a difference, and leading by example. One of the greatest pieces of advice her mom ever gave her was "get a large bottle of Vaseline and rub it on and just let all the bad stuff slide!"  Carmen has had her share of trials, but you wouldn't know it because she wants to make every moment count.

A few fun facts about Carmen:  1) She loves the singer Pink, 2) she would love to be an actress or performer on the Carol Burnett [Show] or Saturday Night Live and 3) she would love to become a keynote speaker and travel!  Yay! Travel and get paid for it! 

Carmen has a bucket list of destinations she would like to do, but adventures that require air, speed, or roller coasters are not for her - "nope, no thanks", she said.

When asked how she found Toastmasters she quipped, " I researched public speaking or becoming a keynote speaker and Toastmasters came up." Then, she found Early Bird Ocala on Facebook.  She further stated, "I wanted to regain my voice and polish my communication skills.  I was happy when I saw pictures of [the] club members and all the smiles.  She wanted to be part of that. What surprised her the most was that [the] club members were very friendly and super encouraging." 

Carmen all we can say is, WE ARE SO GLAD YOU FOUND US!  You are a bright spot in our morning and show us through your example how to live in every moment.  Thank you for your transparency and willingness to open up your heart and share your stories.  We truly are the ones blessed. 

Meet Colette 'Colly' Smith - Current EBOT President

When EBOT chartered, the club was mostly made up of married couples.  Over the last five years though, the club has morphed from married couples to an international flare with members from all over the world. Today, I would like to introduce to you our current club president, Colette Smith. 

Colette is originally from Calgary Alberto Canada.  She lived in Colorado and most recently, moved to Florida where she joined EBOT.  Colette is married to her husband Doug, aka Doodles, and they are celebrating their twentieth wedding anniversary this year in December.  When I asked Colette to share something about her main squeeze she said that "Doodles has more patience than [she has] ever seen in anyone else - lucky [her]!" 

Doodles and Colette moved to Florida because they wanted the opportunity to scuba dive more, which is one of her passions.  She is also passionate about her family and friends.  Moreover, Colette is a published author and hopes to finish writing the children's book she has been working on. 

Traveling to England, Scotland and Ireland is something she would like to do in the future with Doug. Perhaps this journey can become a reality within five years since she hopes to retire or go into semi-retirement.

When asked how she would describe herself Colette exclaimed, "I am high energy and like to keep busy.  [She] is a doer and [is] service-oriented by nature. [She] is also known to talk A LOT which can get [her] into a bit of trouble." She sounds like the perfect Toastmaster!

Speaking about Toastmasters, Colette originally joined Toastmasters because she found herself shy and tongue-tied, which made it difficult for her to meet new people. Toastmasters has given her the confidence she needed and has taught her about servant leadership.  She continues to be a member of Toastmasters because she likes the new educational track and she loves EBOT and watching new members learn and grow.  Her goal moving forward is to continue to serve and enjoy her club.  In addition, she would like the opportunity to continue competing in speech contests and to step up her ability in delivering great content in an impactful and memorable way.  If you have not seen Colette compete, then you need to make it a point to do so. She shares some of the most amazing Tall Tales, is a competent Evaluator and her true-life experiences take on a whole story of their own.