About Della
Della is currently working on her first book, . . . Almost Della: From Sexual Abuse to Survivor, due to be published November 2017. She has a passion for environmental education and owns her company Earth Voice which provides EE programs to any audience. She enjoys traveling and has visited 26 countries ... and counting. Barbato is mother to a dog and two cats. Her hobbies include bike riding and photographing nature.
Barbato has more than 15 years of experience in formal and informal education and professional communication, including development and/or facilitation in environmental education curriculum and programs, training and professional development workshops, public events, conferences and newsletters.
She established her own environmental education company in 2011. It delivers tailored, interactive Earth programs to youth and adult audiences. She has served as education director for two local environmental nonprofits and has served on the board of a third since 2013. Barbato was employed as a Montessori middle school science teacher for five years and in 2014 was awarded a travel grant to Cambodia, where she co-facilitated several zero-waste and recycling workshops to youth and adults in a community-based ecotourism village called Chi Phat. A Forbes online article was written about her and the work she did there. Most recently, she traveled to Africa to go on safari and visit an elephant orphanage. Barbato holds Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Horticulture from Texas A&M University. Barbato considers rape one of the most important yet under-addressed social issues on Earth, which is "unbelievable, considering that almost 50 percent of women are sexually assaulted at some point in their lives, and the crime goes back to the beginning of our species. Twenty-five percent of girls will be sexually abused before they turn 18," she said. By sharing her journey from utter devastation through healing, she aims to help other abuse victims to pull themselves out of their own toxic sludge. "That," Barbato said, "is my hope, and my prayer." |
In Her Own Words ...I have been told that not everyone can make it through the recovery and healing that I have been so determined to achieve since I began my long journey in 2013. I was recently asked the questions, How did I face my demons? What made me think that I could succeed? What were my guiding principles? Although the road was extremely difficult, I saw myself on the other side from day one.
I have to start with one of my favorite quotes, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience.” This sums up how I was able to know that I would achieve my transformation from victim to survivor, beginning with sobriety.
Sometime late 2011, I met a woman at an event whom I felt I knew, but had never met before.
“Have we met?” I asked. “No, I don’t think so.” “Hmm, must have been a former life.” These words exited my mouth before I even thought about them, and they kind of surprised me. Her name was Sara, and we exchanged phone numbers and began hanging out. I was over her house for dinner one evening, and she brought out two books. She held them to her heart and said, “I don’t know how I know this, but I am supposed to give you these two books.” They were Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss and Journey of Souls by Michael Newton. “Start with the Weiss, the other one is kind of technical.”
I believed that some divine being had sent her this message. Whether it was my angel, hers, or a discussion between the two, we will never know. But I believed her. I knew they were important. So I dove into the Weiss book. I could not put it down. I think I have always believed in reincarnation, even as a child, but this book to me was proof. And the Newton book solidified this belief even more. I was reading about heaven. And I had no doubt. Those two books laid the foundation for my belief in a most awesome Higher Power and Her billions of angels that help Her do Her work. A psychic had told me a few years before that I had 69 of them. I began talking to them from that moment, and I have never stopped. We are working together. I call it faith.
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