Removing the Shackles

After a long career as a public school teacher, Denise Watts-Wilson retired. “I knew life after retirement would include something productive, but at the time my vision was very small.” Intent on uncovering a new purpose, she began investing in her personal growth.

After devotedly watching John Maxwell’s free Minute With Maxwell videos, she immediately became interested in joining the John Maxwell Team. She loved the thought of growing while at the same time joining a community of leaders determined to make an impact on the lives of others. Denise joined the team and attended the first International Maxwell Certification event in August of 2011.

Right away, she began to identify her areas for growth. “My challenges in personal growth and development all hinge around the voice that always speaks down to me and leads to a lack of consistency in the effort I put in.” She began to learn how to work with the voice and to overcome her self-doubt. Soon enough, Denise believed she was ready to make a difference, but she didn’t know where to start.

One day Denise attended a sermon that John Maxwell delivered. In it, he talked about how people can make a difference by building off of the legacies others have created. “I really connected with that message,” Denise says.

Soon after, a man spoke to her rotary club and presented her with an opportunity to add value to those who are incarcerated. Together, they began to build a ministry to help inmates to uncover their purpose, tap into their potential, and to add value to the world.

Today, Denise continues to build the ministry and she plans to bring her message of servant leadership to those who need it the most. “Get those shackles off and release yourself from the guilt of not doing enough,” Denise teaches. “If you can only put in five minutes today, that’s better than nothing. So make that commitment: five minutes today.”