Name: Alana Hanshaw
Age:35
Occupation: Executive Director at Absolute Law Group, Certified Dementia Practitioner and Professional Guardian
Business/workplace: Absolute Law Group
Grand goal in life: Make my small part of the world a better place. We all can do our part. If we all focus on our small part of the world, imagine what kind of impact we would have.
When not working, I… am spending time with my kids, most likely at a dance recital, track meet or lamb livestock show. Family is everything and I love life with my family every single day.
What I like about Ocala: This is HOME! Everywhere I go there is memory attached to it. It may be from my own high school journey or one of my kids or where I met my husband. This town has embraced my family and I cannot imagine living anywhere else.
Pet peeve: I would have to say that my biggest pet peeve is NOT putting your cart away in a parking lot. I don’t know what it is about it but let’s all take an extra minute and put it away.
Philosophy of life word: Trust. Whether this is in yourself, in others, or in the world. Trusting yourself means you have the confidence to push forward, try new things, and open yourself to new experiences and learning opportunities. Trusting others allows you to build meaningful connections and relationships that will help you grow and mature as a functional member of society. Trust in the world gives you a sense of faith and purpose that allows you to find fulfillment in what you choose to do.
Personal superpower: Gift of gab. I have always been able to speak easily and confidently in a way that makes people want to listen and feel empowered.
Superhuman power I’d want :Time travel. I mean how cool would it be to time travel back to the days of Abraham Lincoln or some of our family members that we never got the pleasure of meeting?.
Favorite cause : Alzheimer’s Organization. 5.8 million Americans are currently living with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. One in three seniors will die of Alzheimer’s or another dementia and it is the 6th leading cause of death in Florida. I truly believe that the first survivor of Alzheimer’s is out there, but we have work to do together to meet that person.
Guilty pleasure: Shopping for nice purses.
Historical dinner date: President George W. Bush. I was honored to be able to hear him speak at a recent conference I attended. I have always had so much respect for him. After hearing him speak that multiplied by a million. The choices that he had to make and hearing how hard that was for him made me admire him so much more and he is funny!
People who know me say I am . . . Outgoing. I never meet a stranger. I can thank my “Paw Paw” for that. He showed me at a very early age to love people and to love them well.
Biggest professional achievement: Obtaining my Alzheimer’s and Dementia Disease care trainer license (CADDCT). This allows me to educate our community about this horrible disease and how we can help the loved ones in our community.
Favorite part of profession: I feel so blessed to be able to be in part of the journey of the clients we service. Our clients a lot of times are in the worst time of their lives. I am honored to be able to walk beside them and make it a little bit easier.
I indulge too much in. . .Buying too much lipstick! I never leave home without it and in my opinion you can never have too much!
