It seems like everywhere in society people are wearing masks, being someone that they are not. Norma studied this for over 30 years and concluded that the masks are because people lose sight of who they are. It often starts when young children are discouraged from making the noise that comes from expressing natural gifts such as singing, talking and playing instruments. Or told to be still when all they want to do is dance, run or play with a ball. Over time, these young children let go of their natural tendencies and replace them with behaviors that they feel will gain approval. And because these new behaviors are not necessarily natural to them, they create masks to be the person they feel society wants them to be, rather than the person that they are, authentically.

For several decades Norma wrote programs for human development. The first one was an early intervention program for preschool children. This was during Her first career directing preschool programs. She directed multiple Head Start programs, a government funded opportuity to help low-income children gain the social and cognitive skills to get a ‘head start’ in life. It was during this time that she realized, mostly intuitively, that one of the reasons people do not know themselves is because many young children had temperaments, behaviors or intelligence that did not fit the norm. To fill this gap, she created an early intervention program to identify the potential challenges these children would encounter and offered activities parents could perform before their children entered kindergarten. The program was offered in three cities in two states in the Midwest. This, along with her degree in Child and Family Life Sciences gave her a foundation to understand people.

The second program that she developed was the R.A.P.I.D.S. Speaking System. This was done when she owned a speaker bureau. Norma was the first black woman to own a speaker bureau for black speakers and through this 14-year journey she learned that there are many rungs to the ladder of becoming a successful professional speaker. She created a program to help speakers learn the process to become a speaker so that they could channel their development funding more effectively.

Her third program is the Authentic Voice System. This is the program that’s getting all the accolades now. It’s a program that helps you gain self-awareness in a way that seldom takes place in our society. Where do people learn what it means to be human, the components of themselves, and what drives them? It’s not taught in schools whose focus seems to be to educate people so that they are employable. The churches don’t teach people who they are. Their focus is to teach the religious doctrines that they advocate.

Recognizing this gap in society, Norma seeks to fill it by teaching people more about themselves. She learned this over a 30-year journey that started when she fled from her first marriage after realizing that in spite of following all the advice of her parents, she was miserable. She began to focus on ‘listening’ to herself from multiple perspectives and feeling the energies within. In a future book she will write about this, but for now, suffice it to say, she has a creative intelligence. She sees things differently than others largely because she has had to overcome multiple obstacles in her life. Her obstacles include:

1. At age eight she developed a perforated eardrum that caused traumatic pain for two solid years, 55 years of recurring ear infections and oral antibiotics for 40 years.
2. A total of 11 surgeries.
3. The murder and decapitation of her husband.

The work that she has done with authenticity sometimes amazes her as much as it amazes others. People leave her presentations with great enthusiasm and focus. Sometimes people come to her, decades after hearing her speak, and tell her how their lives have been impacted because of her. It’s because she works with energy in a creative intellectual way, through her books, poetry, classes, videos and especially, when she coaches or speaks on stage.

Her number one goal is to share this phenomenal system with as many segments of society as possible while certifying others to do the same.

Videos

Self-Awareness with Les Brown

Authenticity and Self-Awareness with Dawn Z. Montofuso

Authenticity Program Overview

The Gifts Game

Meet Norma Hollis of Authenticity Movement in Inglewood

Testimonials

This valuable program was developed by a thought leader in the personal development industry who is committed to making the world a better place. The Evolutionary Business Council, representing members worldwide, is proud to endorse Norma’s Authenticity Programs for anyone who values authenticity and wants to use their voice to touch the world.

Teresa de Grosbois
Founder/President, Evolutionary Business Council

What Norma addresses is what every leader needs to pay attention to. You can’t lead if you don’t know yourself.

M.A., FIRE MARSHALL, VENTURA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT

Self-awareness is important to me. The older I get the more I want to understand why I do the things I do. Having a guideline like this will help me to continuously evaluate any joy status.

Vernon Solomon, Mechanical Engineer, Northrup Grumman Corporation

Norma’s eloquence in delivery, her respect for diversity of her audience, and her use of her own experience to tell a story that is linked to the key learning of her messages was so well received. The time spend this morning in self-reflection and exploration of our authenticity has created a “buzz” within our County team. We all walked away more aware of ourselves and focused on how to leverage our individual gifts to strengthen our inner, outer, and expressive voice! Very powerful and moving morning!

M.L., CHIEF DEPUTY DIRECTOR, COUNTY OF VENTURA, CA

Norma is an incredibly bold and kind woman who somehow knows how to always ask the most perfect question at exactly the right time. She’s good for laughs and has this magical way of making people feel comfortable stepping outside their comfort zone. She is full of heart and soul, charisma and joy. She’s makes us smile.

Jenn Mansell: – World Business and Executive Coaches Summit (WBECS) Team

Awards/Recognition