Today I want to introduce you to someone I greatly admire: Miranda Paul.

She’s awesome for a hundred reasons, but especially because:

- Her life’s mission (aka Amazing Work) is helping disadvantaged people living in extreme poverty create a better life.

- She’s a young mom who still finds time to make the world a better place.

- She lives in my city (woo!).

As I’ve been feeling overwhelmed by Christmas obligations, this interview made me realize: There is so much to celebrate. Through Miranda’s trips to The Gambia, West Africa, she has seen things most of us only hear about on the news. She has shared a cab with a 6 year-old delirious from malaria. She has met women who cannot afford cement bricks for their homes, resorting to mud bricks that often collapse in the rainy season. A place where a summer rain can leave you homeless. She knows first-hand: the plight of many world people is harsh.

But even in one of the poorest countries in the world, Miranda discovered amazing talent, resilience and hope. This is where her business – A Better Footprint – comes in. Through her retail and online store, she is able to give disadvantaged artisans and farmers a chance to help themselves.

That is the number one reason she inspires me: she creates opportunity.

Her mission goes beyond raising charity money. It gives the poorest people a chance to share their amazing work. She gives them a way to change their lives. Her gift is priceless.

As the holiday season begins, let Miranda’s story be a light of inspiration. Remember:

- Be thankful for blessings. There is more suffering than you know.

- In the end, presents, parties and punch recipes don’t matter. People matter.

- Live passionately.

- Leave a better footprint and others will follow your trail.

Miranda on motivation:

“During my last visit to The Gambia, the women of Njau lined up to tell me how my efforts had impacted their lives. A young mother, Jay Njie Touray, stepped forward to say she was able to afford medical treatment for her sick baby boy, who was near death. Today, her baby is healthy and my project is the reason he is alive.”

(Below, Jay Njie Touray and son.)

Find out more about Miranda’s work at A Better Footprint.