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Dallas media personality Nikki Woods' book launch event celebrates women's empowerment

What happens when you bring together 20 women from all walks of life to share their stories of struggle, triumph and success? You create a best-seller on Amazon, and a trend that could potentially impact thousands of women worldwide.

Eager book fans filled the swanky Le Meridien Dallas Galleria hotel on Saturday ready to greet the 20 co-authors of the book Shift. Spearheaded by media personality Nikki Woods, the book contains stories of empowerment from writers, life coaches, CEOs and entrepreneurs.

Shawn Zanotti, one of 20 co-authors, signs a copy of Shift.
Shawn Zanotti, one of 20 co-authors, signs a copy of Shift.(Amanda Fitzpatrick)

Guests at the event snacked on shrimp and other hors d'oeuvres while listening to sassy, sexy DJ Nikki Nicole rock out on the turntables. Among the authors in the place were actress Carlease Burke of the NBC sitcom Crowded, along with Dee Marshall (founder of Christian ministry "Girlfriends Pray"), and  Dee Marshall, and Shawn Zanotti (CEO of Chicago PR firm Exact Publicity, and a personal friend of mine).

More than a hundred eager book fans came out to celebrate the new release and of course hear from some of the women about why they decided to participate in the collaborative effort.

The book's concept started with Woods, who is the senior producer of Dallas' own nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show. Woods invited the women to share their stories of how they shifted their minds to overcome negative situations to become successful. For some it meant quitting a six-figure job in corporate America to venture out and start their own business. For many it was also about exposing their inner struggles and fear.

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Most women, who traveled from all over the U.S., were first-time authors. That includes Zanotti, whom I met more than 10 years ago while we both TV reporters in Charleston, S.C. Zanotti wrote about overcoming the death of her husband and leaving television news to start her own PR company.

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"Writing in Shift, had everything to do with exposing my true self, the ups and downs that I've experienced in this journey in which we call life," Zanotti said. "My hope is that people connect to the energy of my words...the launch event in itself was surreal for me."

Amanda Fitzpatrick is a Dallas-based freelance society writer. Follow her blog at amandafitzpatrick.com.

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More photos from the event: