I've both dreaded and looked forward writing this for two years.

Dreaded because of the fear of what people will think when they find out this part of me.

Looked forward to because of the relief of people knowingallof me.

Two years ago I decided I was going to writeChasing the Bright Side; a book that helps us channel optimism when we need it the most. I knew that if I was going to talk about optimism, then I had to tell thefullstory of how I found it. 

It wasn't a story where I was skipping through the world looking for ways to give back. It wasn't a story where I just magically chased the bright side. It wasn't a story where I jumped out of bed one day and started a global give-back business. It's a story that I've tried to keep tucked away in a box in the back of my closet since it happened almost eleven years ago. 

It was one of those stories that you see in the headlines and you think to yourself:that will never happen to me.

But it did. And when we realize that anything can happen to us, we can choose to live in the fear of the unknown or the excitement of possibility. And optimism is about living in the excitement of possibility. 

I sat down with People Magazine for an exclusive interview about being related to Bernie Madoff and my family's experience throughout this scandal.

But as you'll read in this article and in Chasing the Bright Side, we may have had this traumatic experience, but this is far from our story.

We might not be able to control everything that happens to us, but we can always control how we internalize it and what we do next. In other words, we can always write our own story. And that's what I cover in Chasing the Bright Side.

Thank you to everyone who has expressed their compassion for myself and my family. Thanks to People Magazine for so delicately and beautifully sharing this sensitive part of my life.

I've discovered when we share our stories (especially the hard ones) to serve others, we give purpose to our past. So thank you all for giving me that privilege to do so.

If you haven't already, I hope you get the bookand join me in writing a good story. Also, check out the amazing Chasing the Bright Side apparel located on the Headbands of Hope site.  

xo- Jess