When Kaytee Hoverson first heard of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami, she felt overwhelmed with sadness and the following day she boarded a flight to Indonesia with a team of eight individuals. Given that Hoverson had traveled very little outside of the United States, she had no idea what kind of impact this life adventure had in store for her.

Hoverson was transformed by her immersion in another culture. She absorbed the norms and practices of her host country, feeling touched and welcomed by natives who, upon meeting her, invited her to their homes for food and companionship. Although Hoverson had thought she had gone there to help, it was she who felt rescued. "I felt an overwhelming sense of unconditional love all around me and inside of me that allowed me to discover my calling in life. It was in these magical moments that I discovered my passion." It was this passion that led her to quit her job, sell her home, and set off on the adventure of her life. Hoverson traveled and explored in over 20 countries working with various organizations with the goal of clarifying her vision for her own nonprofit, Unexpected Moments of Magic Foundation.

Upon returning to the United States in December 2006, Hoverson enrolled in the newly created Masters in Nonprofit Studies at Arizona State University. Determined to finish in a year, Hoverson immersed herself in her studies and graduated in December 2007. “Now the real work begins,” she states with a little smile and gentle laugh. “I have done my research, clarified my vision, and now it is my time to make it all come together.”

Through The GEM Project, Hoverson has discovered a way to empower others and foster individuals' confidence to pursue the life they desire using Motivational Interviewing techniques and incorporating teachings of the universal Law of Attraction.

Unlike some social entrepreneurs, Hoverson does not see herself as rescuing the people she serves. "I'm there to ask questions, to help them discover in themselves the things they most want," she says. Her goal is to facilitate the success that already exists inside the people in her programs, rather than inspiring them to work toward pre-set goals. It is this value that helps her programs inspire true entrepreneurial spirit in her participants. "I help people find their passion and then encourage them to manifest it."

As you can see, Hoverson is not afraid to take risks in life. From an early age, Hoverson felt obligated to take risks in her life, pushing herself toward her limits in an effort to understand herself and the world around her. At age 16, she left her high school and her home and struck out on her own. By the age of 17, Hoverson had enrolled in Mesa Community College where she discovered her new classes encouraged her to learn in a way the structure and regiment of high school never did. Finally, she felt challenged and intrigued by school. Her education rounds out years of hands-on experience traveling across the world, working with local organizations & governments in countries in Asia, Latin America & Africa, and helping people change their own lives by showing them they are capable of everything they can dream.

Taking risks taught Hoverson to trust herself, to trust her instincts, and showed her that self-confidence and self-assurance can take you wherever you want to go in life.

Written by Charles Jensen