Photo by Michaelle Chapman.
When you meet Joyce E. Brooks, you’d think she didn’t have a care in the world. Her smile is broad and her demeanor is bright and welcoming.
You wouldn’t guess that she has faced tremendous challenges in recent years and continues to persevere in circumstances that would daunt many less determined people.
Brooks tells readers how they can do the same in her new motivational book, It Ain’t Over: Three Little Words that Lead to Personal and Professional Fulfillment (Davis Direct, $15). The book will be released Nov. 15.
“Those three little words can also bring a ray of sunshine when you have been hit by a tsunami,” says Brooks, 48.
Her tsunami came May 28, when her husband of 14 years, Birmingham Fire Chief Ivor Brooks, died suddenly. She helped him pick out the right tie to wear that morning and expected to see him that night. But that evening found her shocked and grieving instead.
Brooks has come a long way in less than six months. “Although I am saddened, I still feel a state of peace that everything is going to be okay,” she says.
The author says she and her two sons, 12 and 9, are all in grief counseling. She is learning about how to be a strong single parent and says one issue has been not having a partner to back her up. “I am good cop and bad cop,” she says with a chuckle. “I found out I am Superwoman without superpowers.”
Brooks often tells herself “It ain’t over.” She says, “You can easily say ‘I quit.’ But it ain’t over.”
In the book, she writes that she knows the title is a grammatical error, one that she and her husband discussed at length before she decided that no other way of saying the same thing packed the same strength. In fact, It Ain’t Over had already been submitted to the publisher before her husband’s death. She revised the book to include his death and the aftermath.
She was saddened again in October when her father died.
Brooks has relied on her faith to help her through the past few months and says she cannot imagine experiencing such a loss without faith. “The difficult days ahead will be met with my love, faith and trust in God to provide sustaining power. The power is for me, my family, loved ones and enemies as everyone who knew Chief Brooks is introduced to a new normal in the days ahead. The future isn’t just about me,” she writes.
It Ain’t Over is Brooks’ second book. The first, Self-Inflicted Overload: Five Steps to Achieving Work-Life Balance and Becoming Your Very Best, was written after she took a step back and examined her life.
“In 2008, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. That’s what started this,” she says.
Brooks, an executive with Alabama Power Co. at the time, was so dedicated to her career that she scheduled cancer treatments before work. “I am a fighter,” she explains.
But the cancer diagnosis made her reevaluate her life, and she decided to move from an existence of overload to one of peace. In 2012, she took a big step and left her job. “I took half of our family income out of our household,” she says. Yet her family did not suffer.
She laughs when she talks about a restaurant whose employees knew her voice because she called in carryout orders so often. “I was paying everybody else for the things I wanted to do,” she says.
Most recently, Brooks has left the Birmingham-Jefferson Transit Authority board, of which she was chairwoman. “I’m in a new season,” she says.
It Ain’t Over focuses on how to recognize opportunities, which may not look promising at the time. “It’s all about your perspective,” she says.
Brooks writes, “There are times in life that a golden opportunity comes knocking at your door with clear, welcomed possibilities. What a pleasant surprise to have a golden opportunity seek you out for a job, promotion, relationship, investment or a new venture! There is much to be gained when a golden opportunity comes knocking.
“Conversely, it can be very disappointing and frustrating to wait for an opportunity to knock at your door. You may wonder: Did opportunity lose my address? You may begin to doubt yourself, your abilities and even the future. Opportunity seems nonexistent. What do you do when opportunity is knocking, but it just isn’t knocking at your door? What do you do when opportunity is knocking, but when you look out the window it is undoubtedly your worst nightmare?”
Brooks sees opportunity in her troubles. “I have such a peace of mind,” she says. “I’ll have peace any day over happiness because peace is inside me.”
She believes her losses have given her more to offer as a motivational speaker. She is the managing member of Brooks Consulting LLC, which specializes in assisting businesses and organizations succeed by focusing on the well-being and development of leadership and staff. She is excited about a presentation she will make Nov. 20 at the National League of Cities conference in Austin, Texas.
Although she no longer has a corporate job, Brooks says, “I’m a worker. I can’t just sit back. … I’ve already got in my mind the third book. I already have my title.”
She says she is going to hit the ball out of the park in her writing and speaking career. “I’m excited about what the future holds,” she says. “I’m here for a reason.”
Brooks will release It Ain’t Over at a celebration from 3-5 p.m. Nov. 15 at Vulcan Park and Museum. The event is open to the public.
For more information, visit Brooks’ website.
