When her marriage ended, Irene Brennick was left with two small children and little capacity to support her family. She received no child support, had no college education and no job skills in particular.

She received little family support and didn't even own a car. She took on three part-time jobs, yet many bills remained unpaid, which became a stressful situation.

In desperation, Brennick dropped her pride and became a ‘welfare mom.’ She sought out the aid of non-profit groups and took classes at California State University , Northridge. Through perseverance, she graduated in 1994 with honors.

Within a few short years, Irene Brennick went from welfare mom to featured speaker for the United Way of Los Angeles and the Jewish Federation (Click HERE for LA TIMES story). She has addressed tens of thousands of people and her story has been featured in the L.A. Times, Daily News, and on television and radio.

Irene has shared her story of overcoming adversity with tens of thousands of people, bringing audiences to tears and cheers. She has inspired corporate CEOs and millionaires as well as politicians, blue collar workers, high school students, and even gang members. In addition to sharing her life story, Ms. Brennick has been invited to speak on topics that include finding one’s purpose in life, welfare reform, and the importance of giving back. A few of her many awards include:

“Employee of the Year” from The Jewish Federation of LA	“Outstanding Alumni” from Pierce College	“Mother of the Year” from the Sertoma Club

Ms. Brennick founded the GOALmodels speaking program for at risk teens – a program that links students with the likes of Brenda Hampton (creator of the show 7th Heaven), Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn, and Catherine Ryan Hyde (author of Pay It Forward). This weekly, interactive speaking program is meant to motivate youth to set and achieve positive goals in their lives. Through the program, students meet corporate executives, political figures, entrepreneurs, and media and entertainment figures who share personal secrets for success as well as mistakes they’ve made and lessons learned. The two-way discussion is done in a non-threatening way and encourages students to learn from, rather than envy, highly successful people. The speakers come from diverse cultures and have all overcome obstacles in their lives.

After being approached by Kushner Locke Productions for her life story, Irene was inspired to write her memoirs and is in the process of writing two other books as well. She currently manages over 600 volunteers at Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks , California and puts on health and education events as their Director of Community Services.

Irene also teaches a course on public speaking called “Anyone Can Do It” at Ventura College. Her classes follow the steps from Bring Your Audience to Their Feet.

Irene is an accomplished singer and songwriter and also involved in charity work. Click here for Irene's featured article, Giving Back Goodwill.

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