Changing your Perspective on Life, Inspiring you to Become the Best of You

And to literally top things off, I’ve discovered a tip-top high end men’s grooming establishment tucked away in South East London. They describe themselves as “Set within a time-honoured environment where men come to cut, groom and style. A cultural hub for guys to socialise, network, unwind or de-stress in a chilled relaxing space. The ultimate male grooming experience,” SmoddySharp is certainly the place to treat your father, son, uncle or grandfather for Father’s Day. There is also a section called Perspectives which will offer articles from people from different backgrounds, cultures and perspectives. Sometimes you maybe challenged in terms of your outlook and thinking which is a good thing.

In this issue Rebecca Weef Smith shares a beautiful perspective about men, suits and her relationship with her father.

The essence of TurningPoint is to show you that whatever you choose to do with your life, there is always a turning point where the decision you choose to make brings you into a better, stronger and hopefully and much happier place. Maybe then it will be time to leap into the unknown with a copy of this magazine as your motivational satnav. I thank YOU the readers for your support and constant encouragement.

I would also like to introduce Shirley-Ann Hunte, Editorial Executive for the magazine. An incredible woman who has supported the magazine tremendously. We can only go from strength to strength now as the team builds out.

A huge thank you also to my son Cameron, Graphic Designer for designing and creating many of the adverts in this magazine

ESTHER AUSTIN Publisher/Editor

We always like to receive your comments, suggestions or get feedback about TurningPoint email editorial@ estheraustinglobal.com

For advertising and graphic design services email: advertising@estheraustinglobal.com

SHIRLEY-ANN HUNTE Editorial Executive

6 | June 2018

TURNINGPOINT: YOUR LIFESTYLE, YOUR WELL-BEING

ENTERTAINMENT

INTERVIEW WITH ONE OF THE ‘LURV KINGS’ CHRIS JASPER

BY ESTHER AUSTIN

16 | June 2018

TURNINGPOINT: YOUR LIFESTYLE, YOUR WELL-BEING

INSPIRATIONAL SECTION

. . .taking this triumph to empower the youth, encouraging them to be as victorious and showing them to overcome in order to attain their own success.

MEN, SUCCESS AND CELEBRATING THEM

BY KWAME MCPHERSON

What do Aliko Dangote, Robert

Smith, Patrice Motsepe and

Mohammed Ibrahim, all have in common? How about Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Ken Chenault, Don Thompson, Jamal Edwards, Allan Okoh, Mac Attram or Pa Joof?

The answer: They are all successful men whether CEO’s, international speakers, businessmen or entrepreneurs.

But in today’s world, male and female dynamics are changing. Since the Suffragette’s inception and challenging of the inequality status quo in the late 19th Century, the movement towards equality between the sexes has never taken on a greater emphasis than it has now. And yet, rebalancing the imbalance that has existed for centuries did not mean demoting the role of positive males within that dynamic.

Instead, we should seek to elevate them together. Within this media-driven, image-focused environment in which we presently live, there has also been a rise in the negative perceptions of men, and this as a result of the behaviour of the few. The views and attack of sorts, sought to demean and place the responsibility of the minority onto the majority of the good many is totally unfair. And so, with these pressures and even whilst we celebrate the great feats and achievements by the phenomenal men listed above, how about we begin to herald those who may never have the light of success shone upon them or be recognised for the sterling work they do within their own home, community, city, society and nation. Those who go quietly about their business, working day-in, dayout providing for their families, raising their children, being great fathers, supportive partners or husbands.

Those men who focus on doing what is right. Those men who were not the sportsmen or entertainers we would see daily on our televisions, phones or laptops but were the ones who gave so much more, in their own little way. They may never have attended college or university, be literate or numerate, yet still they had the ability to manoeuvre and be a positive stalwart within their own realm and to those around them.

It could be said that in every sphere of everyday society, there was reason to celebrate men and adulate them in their success; taking this triumph to empower the youth, encouraging them to be as victorious and showing them to overcome in order to attain their own success.

Kwame MA McPherson Author, Content Organiser, Book and Publishing Mentor, and Trainer www.kwamemcpherson.com

© Kwame MA McPherson, April 2018

26 | June 2018

TURNINGPOINT: YOUR LIFESTYLE, YOUR WELL-BEING

INSPIRATIONAL SECTION

Can you share briefly two stories where an individual’s life was changed because of your campaign? (1) A Year 7 female student stopped me in the school reception and said “Sir, I thought about you and T4WP over the weekend.” I asked why and she stated that the family held a party and her cousin stole her handbag. Curiously I asked “What happened next?” The young lady responded that she recalled our conversation in the Exclusion Unit about making peace with others and she contacted her cousin at 4 o’clock to forgive her for what she had done and they were now both at peace.

(2) Overhearing a young man explaining to the shopkeeper that he had been seriously stabbed by six youths I had a brief conversation with him about my work leaving him a T4WP business card.

Then one day whilst in the waiting area at Lewisham Hospital, London, my phone alarmed at 4 o’clock as usual. I raised my head to the skies and wondered if others were thinking about peace at that moment. Seconds later a figure walked past the waiting area then reappeared in front of me. The young man said “You don’t remember me do you?” then quickly raised four fingers to which I responded “Peace young man.” We had met eighteen months earlier at the Catford store. He had kept my business card on his bedside cabinet which reminded him about making peace at 4 o’clock. Very excitedly he said that my short conversation had saved his life as he was fully intent on seeking revenge on the six youths who stabbed him. He explained that he now had a four month baby girl and had started a job 4 months ago.

Who have been some of the heroes or sheros who have motivated you to do what you do? My heroes are Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi and the Obama family.

What do you do when the going gets tough and the tough get going? I ask God and the Universe for guidance and simply focus on the great many good things that have occurred on my journey.

How do you stay motivated? I stay motivated because my work is for our children and I truly believe that it can make a difference.

How do the younger generation react to your campaign, especially in light of what has been happening in the UK over the past months? Initially I felt that the message wasn’t getting through, then I realised that they were making peace with their peers, teachers, families and members of the community. The students encouraged me to share my workshops and programmes further afield as I have made a profound impact in their lives.

What is it that you love about what you do? I love the feeling of being connected with others at 4 o’clock each day which is our “PEACE TIME”

Contact Details: tim@time4worldpeace.org

32 | June 2018

TURNINGPOINT: YOUR LIFESTYLE, YOUR WELL-BEING

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

IF NOT YOU, WHO?

BY KENNETH BARRETT

QUESTION: IF YOU’RE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR HEALTH, WHO IS?

In recent weeks a particular health crisis in the UK National Health Service has illustrated to me some of the reasons for the continued rise in poor health, chronic diseases and early deaths in the UK particularly but holds for most other industrialised nations.

Back in 2009 there was an upgrade to an NHS computer system responsible for patient records, a software bug resulted in invitations for breast screening appointments not being sent out to hundreds of women between the ages of 68 and 71. Press headlines screamed “Up to 270 women may have died after England breast cancer screening failures.” Understandably there was a big furore with politicians and the medical profession falling over themselves to avoid blame and fix the problem.

I feel for the loved ones who may have lost someone due to this error, but my take on this is that emphasis has been only on early detection as if the cancer has been caused by the absence of screening. Whereas in truth the risks of getting cancer can be reduced greatly by some simple life style changes. I know that is a controversial thing to say but there are a few things that back up my theory. The WHO states that 30% - 50% of Cancers are preventable .

48 | June 2018

Thousands of years ago Chronic diseases such as Cancer, Heart Disease and Diabetes were rare. Okay there were plagues, famine and disease but most have been eradicated in Western societies. Chronic disease rates are increasing year on year and the World Health Organisation and the Centre For Disease Control predict that by the year 2020 3 out of 4 Britons will die from heart disease, cancer or diabetes.

Our bodies, which have evolved over millions of years haven’t changed much. We were created to exist in harmony with nature, drawing from nature optimal nutrition from our food and drink, and physical activities to maintain the body in a heathy state, healing and repairing renewing as may be required. So what has changed? Almost everything come to think of it! Our internal and external environments have changed. We are having to exist with lower levels of nutrients in our foods, higher level of toxins in our food, air, water and water, lower levels of activities to help the body assimilate nutrients and eliminate waste and toxins. In addition higher levels of stress contribute to our toxic load.

What I’m saying that it is highly possible that the 270 women who may have perished may still be with us if they had the knowledge and encouragement to reduce their risk factors. Encouragement and support

TURNINGPOINT: YOUR LIFESTYLE, YOUR WELL-BEING

STAY STRONG - AFRICAN BROTHER

My Dearest Brother, I admire you for your strength as a strong Black Man for facing challenging tasks which can often surpass

You stand tall in your power and powerful in your stride maintaining your position as an African Man with pride

I know you’ve had to wear your armour often standing in warrior mode contending with numerous battles and sometimes going it alone

I’ve seen you in your sadness seen you in your pain you sometimes struggle in silence but never in vain

You love with sincerity, nurture with clarity and stand for conviction of community and family

Your goals have been far and often never in sight but you, as a Brother, carry on regardless to achieve what is right

With these words I say STAY STRONG STAY TRUE AFRICAN BROTHER

Written by Eureka Aba-Nourbese ©2018

50 | June 2018

TURNINGPOINT: YOUR LIFESTYLE, YOUR WELL-BEING

FASHION

58 | June 2018FASHION

I

love this quote by Yves Saint Laurent because for me, this helps to restore faith in the magic of creativity, expression and individuality.

My fashion range which was launched last year and endorsed by the legendary band Sister Sledge and is aptly called Funky Butterfly with a girls toddler range called “Funky Tots.” Both ranges are for the woman and the girl child

YVES SAINT LAURENT who seek freedom in everything they do. The ranges are for those who already understand and know their uniqueness and individuality and who have learned to dance, literally with life. For the woman who does not conform and never will, for the universal soul who experiences everything, who is not afraid to embraces it all whilst still remaining grounded in who she is. Hmm. DEMOCRACY.

I’ve loved putting this range together as much as I have loved wearing my own creativity and where I keep expanding on it, along with my customary Dr Martens. I love to explore and express through what I wear and how I wear it. Never one to follow trends of social dictates, my soul literally draws to me what I need to wear and then my body breathes life into that expression of form. From a teenager I have always been stopped for how I dress, that innate knowing of wearing me has always been strong. The times when I have worked in a 9-5 and enslaved my soul with suits and the like, I always felt a discord of sorts as I craved freedom within the confines of many spaces. Everyday, to this day I get stopped and asked or complimented for what I wear. So therefore it seemed the right thing to create my own fashion range. I am also a Personal Stylist and it is always a joy to design something for a client specifically around their own character and lifestyle. INDIVIDUALITY.

Fashions fade, style is eternal.

My grand-daughter too is a free spirit, of which I have modelled some of the designs from the adult range. She has a lightness of spirit and an unsated curiosity. I love her in the below harem pants and waistcoat which can be worn both ways, as she stands strong, and cute. TODDLER SUFFRAGETE??

Her expression in the pink dress is that of wonder and amazement, yet there is a hint of cheekiness, as if to say “you can’t really see me can you.”

It was a pleasure to take an image with her, two souls apart in physical years but held together by the threads of a deep soul connection, which we therefore have expressed through our clothing.

The brown harem pants and long waistcoat from the adult range is bold and strong, embracing the body’s contours and form, whilst still keeping things hidden, if you get what I mean. Sexy is not always about exposing it all – short, tight fitted with heels – lets get creative with sexy. One can create a potpourri of imagination into the mind of oneself and others which certainly can bring about that WOW factor and add accessories in ways maybe where they should not be worn, and yes you certainly can create that WOW factor.

If you notice the dresses are wide and long yet they create a curiosity within the mind and a subtle playful sassynes. Colours are bright and bold, statements of the happiness of the soul, and then a touch of humour and boldness is added by wearing Dr Martens. Statement Wearing Peeps, Statement Wearing.

A new website is being created for this range, however in the meantime, do visit:

http://estheraustinglobal.com/fashionrange/

Tiny Tots model: Mia Bella Austin-Buah, Funky Butterfly Adult Range: Esther Austin

TURNINGPOINT: YOUR LIFESTYLE, YOUR WELL-BEING

FASHION

64 | June 2018

TURNINGPOINT: YOUR LIFESTYLE, YOUR WELL-BEING

ART AND SOUL

ART AND SOUL

ANDRE PARCHMENT –

AUTHENTIC WISDOM OF SELF THROUGH ART

By Andre Parchment

TURNINGPOINT: YOUR LIFESTYLE, YOUR WELL-BEING June 2018 | 65

76 | June 2018

TURNINGPOINT: YOUR LIFESTYLE, YOUR WELL-BEING

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PERSPECTIVE

During my twenties I worked for a menswear label in London. I was the youngest girl on a team of traditional men. Men who felt that I was unsuitable for a managerial role which meant I told them what to do. I was not liked. I didn’t much care. My bossy five year old self came in to full force. Although I wasn’t on the shop floor, the suit-department soon realised that if they had a wavering customer I could talk them into buying many more clothes than they ever intended to purchase. My father taught me well.

Now I am no longer angry with him, I can wear his cardigan with fondness and I can acknowledge the influence he has had on my love for a man in a suit. But that’s another story…

As I am writing this I am wearing my father’s Johnsons Cashmere scarf and his grey cashmere sleeveless cardigan. I acquired them after his death, along with a few shirts and a pair of cufflinks. I was quite angry with my father for years; he was a complicated man, cross, as was many of his generation who fought in the Second World War. His fondness for Whisky didn’t help his temper or mental health. My father loved women, often inappropriately. I once overheard two women from his workplace discussing the fact that you would never get in a lift with him on your own. He was always attentive to how my mother dressed; he was full of compliments, always ready to flatter any female in a pretty frock. He loved Christmas with the chance to dress up even more than usual, and saw girls in party frocks much like a box of Quality Street from which he could take his pick. When he lost his sight towards the end of his life I felt there was some sort of retribution for his improperly focused gaze in his younger days.

rebecca@goldiemediagroup.co.ukwww.goldiemediagroup.co.uk

Daddy was quite a Dandy in his suburban-boymade-good way, a working class lad from east London who dragged himself into a middlemanagement-white-collar position. With a mortgage, a beautiful wife, holidays abroad and an extensive wardrobe he was able to act out all the roles he had aspired to as a boy.