This book by former clinical instructor in psychiatric and mental health nursing and author Holly Fox Vellekoop, MSN, is a collection of true life stories of successful people who have been inspired by the Encouragers in their lives. Through personal interviews with successful people, Mrs. Vellekoop highlights the similarities among the Encouragers in their lives - lives that could have been much different had an Encourager not been part of their journey. Read the personal stories of Former Congressman Allen West, Lt. Col. USA Ret.; Astronaut Winston Scott, Capt. USN Ret.; Near Death Experience Researcher Dr. P.M.H Atwater; Actor, Producer, Singer John Martino of Godfather fame; Percussionist Christian Tamburr; and many others. During her career of working and teaching in the medical field, Mrs. Vellekoop noticed that Encouragers are everywhere--in groups, families, and on the job. Read how they can influence your life and well-being. On the flip side, Defeaters lurk on the fringes, ready to put up roadblocks to your success. This book also examines how you can be an Encourager to people in your life. From the book: Captain Winston Scott is a high achiever by anyone's standards and was encouraged throughout his life first and foremost by his parents. "All I've accomplished has been an evolutionary process over my whole life. My earliest encouragement came from myparents. I come from an old fashioned home with both parents in the home. They instilled in my siblings and me the value of an education." Captain Scott went on to have a successful career as a Navy aviator and was chosen by NASA for the Astronaut program. He served as a mission specialist on two Space Station missions, where he accomplished three spacewalks. In Mrs. Vellekoop's book, he gives credit to the many Encouragers in his life. Mrs. Vellekoop is the author of seven books, including How to Help When Parents Grieve."