Q: How did you become The Gold Boot Guy?

As an African-American “child” amongst violence, juvenile delinquency, academic underachievement, domestic abuse – I knew at a very young age that I wanted more out of life. I wanted a life greater than the one that I had inherited. I didn't want to be held down by my unstable environment and background. I was too aware of what a dead end this could be. (For this I gotta thank my mother ) So I worked hard, got an education, and a couple of graduate degrees, thinking, knowing that this was what I needed – for the most part. And in so many ways this was right. But as I climbed the mountain of education and attainment, I began to realize an incredibly important fact: one's Gold Boot's isn't out there, ahead, in the next accomplishment. One's true gold boots was right here, immediate.

This is how The Gold Boot Guy® got born. Before creating visions, goals and game plans – demand this moment that you're already there. Praise, enthusiasm and gratitude are the tools to fulfill one's destiny in an instant! Then go on and decide what you want to accomplish, how much money you want to make, what kind of car you want to drive, what kind of mansion you want, the color of your yacht, etc. If you do it in the reverse order, you may get to your goals, but you won't have fulfilled your life Got Boots! (Folks, there are lot of unfulfilled, truly unhappy millionaires out there!)

Thus, I've been branded the The Gold Boot Guy ™ to remind everyone — including myself — that we can all have a doctorate in life the minute we choose the power and magnificence of this exact moment!!!

Q: While growing up surrounded by poverty and violence – what was the significant “turning point” in your life?

Surviving a very painful childhood and overcoming the enormous odds that were up against me, I was determined to escape. In my mind, I figured like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, who sang, if itty-bitty birds can fly high over the rainbow – then why can't I? Somehow, I just needed to develop my wings.

You might wonder how I managed to move upward. Mylai, how did you go from the obstacles? Looking back, I can see that the odds were against me. However, when I saw about my mother's grit and doggitt attitude, I realized that I had to keep on going – that I could not enjoy the great life I wanted so badly with a small dream. My basic goal was to make my mama proud of me. I just wanted to make her smile.

Today, whenever I think of my mother, the first thing that comes to my mind is her work ethic. Her hard work and never ending love for her children and extended family.

What can we do to make our life an awesome life? but we want to experience the best life possible – right? Right! The best thing we can do is to reduce our problems, prepare ourselves for the unforeseen, enjoy the good times, endure the bad times, and then handle whatever is expected.

Q: What does it mean to get my “Gold Boots”?

Mylai Tenner, MA, Ed.s — The Gold Boot Guy ™ states unequivocally that it is the Destiny of the human being to have a truly amazing life. A life filled with abundance, love, success, health and well-being. He also quickly adds that achieving one's Gold Boot's  is not a casual undertaking. You have to "demand" it — first of yourself, then of your supporting cast.

Human beings are creatures of habit, and unless one's habits are truly pointed to the top of the mountain — Destiny — you will not get there. You may make it part way, you may attain a "comfortable" life, but you won't fulfill your Destiny.

It's as simple as that.

"Gold Boot's”® helps you discover where you want to go and the Gold Boot's to get there.” – Mylai Tenner, MA, Ed.s 

Q: Who inspired you to get your Gold Boots?

As a working farm girl from Lambert, Mississippi, my mother was only able to finish the 12th grade. And a couple of years of community college. Not because she wasn't bright – in fact she was one of the smartest pupils in all of her classes. Mama and her eleven brothers and sisters all had to lend their hands to labor Grand daddy's Love farm. She thought wisely to place an emphasis on the value of education for my life.

In retrospect, this event has become the most important defining moment of my life. I often ask myself where would I have been without my mothers wisdom and her belief in me becoming a major success?

Surviving the poverty and violence within concrete-block walls of Watts Nickerson Gardens Housing Projects - earning a BS in sports Management with a Minor Business Administration; becoming the first African-American male to be hired as an administrator in some Minnesota school districts; an MA. Educational administration from Saint Mary's University with my prinicipal licensure and entering the PHD program of policy studies at Iowa State University in Ames IA.and enjoying a quality life - turned out to be the easiest things I'd ever accomplished. The hardest thing was - believing that I could. My grandmother knew it and surely believed it. That's why we must always thank God for those who believe in us when we sometimes don't believe in ourselves.

The moral of the story is this, as Mama would put it, “With education, you'll gain the knowledge and power to effectively communicate and use words constructively. You'll be able to enhance your life, change your game, add letters to your name, change your address and more importantly, change your bank account. Baby, with a good education - your life's work will be as light as a pen; without it your life's work will be as heavy as that spade.”

Q: What is one simple piece of advice would you offer to anyone who has had enough of feeling shoeless and looking for the will to go on!?

Living well cannot be an accident. Your life must be on purpose; you must intend to do what you do. For instance, you must intent to be happy. If you don't intend to be happy, happiness will escape you. Happiness requires work. You have to work at it. You have to try to be happy.

Sometimes you need to reorganize your priorities in order to be happy. And certain things that make you unhappy should not be thought about. We must think ourselves into happiness.

Yes, living well will never happen by accident. A good marriage doesn't happen by accident. Good kids do not happen by accident. A good day doesn't happen by accident. You choose to make it a good day. It is totally up to you!

John Mason once said, “Your DESTINY is not a matter of chance – it is a matter of choice. Many people have the right aims in life – they just never get around to pulling the trigger.”

Q: What was the incentive to write your first book I am Just Like YOU, Young, poor, single-family Home Labeled ADHD; But I MADE IT!

As an African American child, I was born to a single mom caring for two teenage kids. She raised us amid the poverty and violence domestic abuse. Facing these harsh conditions, what would the future hold for Mylai Tenner? My mother told me that I might've been born into poverty, but poverty was not born in me. She said that I was her son, a child of God, and that I was made out of some very special ingredients. My mom told me that I was special – that I was bold, beautiful, black and brilliant. At an early age, she convinced me that it was possible to obtain anything my eyes could see. She said, “Son, all it takes is hope and a good plan.” All I ever wanted was a better life than the one I had inherited.

One might wonder how I managed to move upward. “Mylai, how did you go from the poverty, welfare, food stamps, domestic violence to one day become an educator and a business owner?”

Looking back, I can see that the odds were against me. However, when I learned about my father's death, I realized that I had to keep on going – that I could not enjoy the great life I wanted so badly with a small dream. I would need to learn the 12 Gold Boot-Essentials that would make my dream possible.

Q: What are the 12 Gold Boot-Essentials?

Use the 12 Gold Boot-Essentials to grow your dreams to match the life you want.

Q: As an author, what is your advice to those who feel they have a book “Waiting to come out of them”?

Never be afraid to go out and get your BOOT's – ‘cause that's where the success lies! Everyone has an award-winning story to tell. And thousands upon thousands of others are indeed interested. Someone once asked, Mylai how did you write your book and make it seem so easy? I responded kindly, by saying… “One page at a time – with a well thought-out outline that I followed!”

People should embrace their creativity! I thought like Alan Alda who said… “Be brave enough to live life creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can't get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and not quite knowing what you're doing. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover will be yourself.” So start writing your best-seller today – one page at a time!

Q: What personal characteristics are essential for getting your thoughts organized for a publication?

Networking with other successful authors and book manufacturers is key. The key to “networking” is – it's not what you know, or really whom you know that is so important – it's who knows you! When important folk know who you are it makes everything much easier to accomplish. “Getting Good” at communicating with your audience is another. In putting my first book together – I practiced the three Cs to Effective Communication:

· Content – Make sure I have something of value to say…

· Comfort – Make sure that I am comfortable saying it

· Communion – This is what occurs when my readers are feeling what it is that they are experiencing.

Creating an Effectiveness -“Dream Team” is the other. In my first book, I Was Just LIKE YOU!– The 12 Gold Boot Essential No.11 states that it takes a Team to fulfill a Dream. Your life-fulfilling project should be filled with diverse people who are committed to a common goal. You can't rise above mediocrity without learning how to use the minds of other people.

Q: I want to become a professional speaker. What's the biggest tip you can offer to a beginner?

There are several different steps one can take to becoming a professional speaker. However, the biggest key factor that will determine the ultimate success or failure is this: Your success as a professional speaker or consultant will be determined more by your ability to have program that has content or presentation and connect with your audience than the ability to market yourself.

Q: How can I hire The Gold Boot Guy to speak to my organization or better yet – become my life coach?