Janet Colbert left business to become a neonatal nurse, where she saw drug-addicted infants and discovered 150 pill mills operating in Broward County, Florida. She founded STOP NOW to expose the opioid epidemic and wrote a book detailing corporate greed fueling the crisis.
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Welcome to the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Janet Colbert with us. Her organization is called STOP NOW. STOP has two Ps, and she's trying to stop the opioid epidemic. So welcome to the show, Janet.
Thank you very much, Tyler.
Of course, thanks for joining us, and we'll dive in. The first question I have for you, Janet, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Well, I think that you are the author of your life. I was working in the business sector and I wanted to do something else. And I went back to school and became a neonatal nurse, which led me to work at a children's hospital. And I was caring for drug-addicted babies. And that's what got me started on finding an organization called STOP NOW, and it stands for Stop the Organized Pill Pushers Now.
And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
I found out a lot about the drug companies, and there was 150 pill mills just in Broward County, Florida. Broward County, Florida is the epicenter of the opioid epidemic, and I've recently authored a book also called STOP NOW. Just to let everyone know about the corruption and the greed that continues to fuel this epidemic that is killing so many.
And what is your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry-specific.
Be a people person, draw people to yourself, have passion about what you're doing.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
Don't let anything stop you. Don't let anybody tell you, oh, you'll never be able to do that. Just go for it.
And in your opinion, what's the key to happiness?
To have inner peace, to have an inner strength. No one's, you know, life is going to be smooth sailing all the time, but have integrity and be happy with yourself.
And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
It was called— I should have read this years ago. It was called I Should Have Seen It Coming When the Rabbit Died, and it's by Teresa Bloomingdale. This woman has about 9 kids or something, and it's just so funny. I mean, you're reading the book and you just laugh out loud like, oh, that's so true. And it's just a very enjoyable piece of literature.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
Well, I actually have two, and one of them I have on my business card, and it's by Edmund Burke, and it's, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." I have that in my book, and then I also have in the last line of my book is by Dr. Seuss, The Lorax, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better." It's not.
I love it. Thank you so much for coming on. I love what you're doing. Thank you. The last question I have for you— Oh, very nice. You got the dog in there.
Yes.
The last question I have for you before we let you go is, where's the best place for people to find you online?
My website is stopnow.com, and that's S-T-O-P-P now dot com. Now is taking an awfully long time, but I am trying to end the opioid epidemic. If people get involved, it would really help. They need to be aware of what's going on.
Yes, totally. Thank you for everything you do, and we will talk with you soon.
Thank you, Tyler Wagner.
Bye.
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