IT IS A TALE OF TWO WESS.

AT ONE POINT BOTH WERE LIVING WITHIN BLOCKS OF EACH OTHER BUT ONE WES WAS INVOLVED HE AND HIS BROTHER AND TWO GUYS WERE INVOLVED IN A HORRIFIC ROBBERY, JEWELRY STORE ROBBERY WHERE AN OFF DUTY POLICE OFFICER WAS KILLED.

RIGHT AROUND THE SAME TIME MY WES AT THAT MOMENT WAS ACTUALLY IN SOUTH AFRICA.

AND THOUGHT OF HAVING ALL KINDS OF POSTERS ABOUT WANTING WES MOORE AND I WAS GLAD HE WAS THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY.

WHEN HE GOT BACK AND -- WELL HE GOT BACK AND THEN HE FOUND OUT THAT HE WAS AWARDED THE RHODES SCHOLARSHIP.

YOU HAVE ONE WES THAT IS GOING TO PRISON FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE AND THE OTHER WES MOORE OFF TO ENGLAND.

SO WHEN WES CAME BACK, HE REACHED OUT TO THE OTHER WES BECAUSE HE WAS HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?

TWO GUYS SAME NAME SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES, BOTH FATHERLESS, WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE?

HE REACHED OUT TO WES AND THAT STARTED A RELATIONSHIP FIRST WRITING AND NOW THEY VISITS HIM.

STARTED A RELATIONSHIP THAT CONTINUES TO THIS DAY.

>> AND WE ARE GOING TO COME BACK TO YOUR WES MOORE IN A LITTLE BIT.

IN YOUR BOOK, YOUR STORY YOU CALL IT A LOVE LETTER TO SINGLE MOTHERS BECAUSE YOU ARE THE MOTHER OF THREE CHILDREN AND YOU WERE MADE A SINGLE MOM ONLY TWICE BY CHOICE AND ONCE BY TRAGEDY.

DO YOU FEEL THAT A SINGLE MOTHERS HAVE RECEIVED ENOUGH ATTENTION FOR WHAT THEY DO?

>> ABSOLUTELY NOT.

WHICH IS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I FELT IT SO IMPORTANT TO INCLUDE THE STORIES OF OTHER SINGLE MOMS BECAUSE I DID NOT WANT OUR FAMILY EXCEPTIONALLIZED.

BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY AND THE WORK THAT I'VE DONE AND THE TRAVELING THAT I HAVE AACCOMPLISHED OVER THE YEARS I'VE MET INCREDIBLE MOTHERS WHO MADE A WAY OUT OF NO WAY AND THEIR KIDS ARE AMAZING AND THEY DO NOT GET THE RECOGNITION AND THE SUPPORT THEY NEED TO CONTINUE THE WORK WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND THEMSELVES.

>> YOUR TITLE ELUDES TO BEING PRESENT AND IT CAN HAVE DIFFERENT MEANINGS.

ONE IS BEING PHYSICALLY PRESENT AND YOU POINT TO STATS IN YOUR BOOK ABOUT PARENTS BEING DISTRACTED, 54% OF KIDS SAY PARENTS CHECK DEVICES TOO OFTEN AND 32% OF KIDS SAY THEY FEEL UNIMPORTANT WHEN PARENTS ARE SIDETRACKS BY THE E-MAILS, ON-LINE SHOPPING AND TEXTS.

AND IN THE BOOK YOU GIVE LESSONS FROM A LIONESS AND ONE OF THEM IS FINDING A WAY TO TRANSITION BACK INTO THE HOME WHEN YOU ARE LEAVING YOUR WORKDAY.

WHAT IS THAT ADVICE?

>> WELL, THERE IS A NAME FOR THAT NOW IT'S CALL BOUNDARY WORK THAT WHEN YOU LEAVE YOUR WORK YOUR WORKPLACE, WHEN YOU GET TO THE DOOR, LEAVE THAT IF IT TAKES GOING TO THE STORE OR JUST TAKING A MOMENT BEFORE YOU GET TO THAT THRESHOLD TO YOUR DOOR.

TAKE THAT TIME TO RELEASE THE REST OF THE DAY AND FOCUS DIRECTLY ON YOUR KIDS WHEN YOU GET INTO THE DOOR.

AND SUSAN TAYLOR ONE OF THE WOMEN THAT I INTERVIEWED TALKED ABOUT THAT.

HERE SHE IS BUILDING A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR ENTERPRISE.

>> ESSENCE MAGAZINE.

>> ESSENCE MAGAZINE AND SHE SAID SHE REALIZED THAT SHE WAS COMING IN THE DOOR AND TELLING HER DAUGHTER WHAT TO DO AND EVERYTHING AND IT WASN'T UNTIL SHE STARTED FOCUSING ON HER DAUGHTER AND IT TOOK A WHILE BECAUSE KIDS SORT OF DON'T TRUST IF YOU HAD NOT BEEN DOING IT THEY DON'T TRUST THE FACT THAT YOU REALLY CARE WHAT THEIR DAY WAS LIKE AND WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN DOING.

AND SHE SAID THAT ONCE SHE REALLY STARTED TRUSTING THAT AND KNOWING THAT HER MOM WAS REALLY INTERESTED IN THAT HER GRADES SOAR AND SHE ENDED UP BEING THE VALEDICTORIAN IN HER CLASS.

>> YOU STRUCTURED A BOOK AROUND SEVEN PILLARS OF PRESENCE, MIND, HEART, FACE, COURAGE, RESOURCES, CONNECTEDNESS AND VALUES.

HOW DO THESE PILLARS OF PRESENCE WORK TOGETHER?

>> WELL, I THINK THEY WORK BEST WHEN BRAIDED TOGETHER.

AND THEY WORKED FOR ME.

AND AS IT TURNS OUT WHEN I STARTED RESEARCHING AND WRITING ABOUT THE OTHER WOMEN IT SEEMED TO WORK THEIR STORIES SEEMED TO RESONATE WITH THE SEVEN PILLARS.

THAT IS HOW I WAS ABLE TO DIVIDE THEM UP INTO WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT.

MOST OF THEM HAD ELEMENTS OF FAITH IN ALL THE STORIES.

ELEMENTS OF MINDFULNESS IN ALL THE STORIES.

AND I THINK WHAT THEY DO IS YOU KNOW, WHEN -- ESPECIALLY MIND WHEN YOU CAN RELEASE THE REST OF THE DAY AND FOCUS ON YOUR CHILD OR ON YOUR FAMILY OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE THAT IS WHY I THINK THE BOOK GOES BEYOND JUST SINGLE MOMS IF YOU CAN FOCUS ON YOUR FAMILY AND LEAVE THE REST OF IT, FOR ANOTHER TIME WHEN THEY ARE IN BED OR WHATEVER, IT JUST MAKES EVERYTHING ELSE, YOU CAN FOCUS ON YOUR RESOURCES.

YOU CAN THINK ABOUT HOW CAN I MAKE WHAT I HAVE WORK FOR ME?

AS OPPOSED TO THE MONEY MAKING ME DO WHAT I THINK I NEED TO DO.

SO THESE ARE THE PILLARS REALLY HELP FOCUS ME AS I WENT THROUGH THE DAY AND ONCE I GOT PAST THE TRAGEDY OF MY HUSBAND DYING SO SUDDENLY THEY HELPED GROUND ME IN A PLACE WHERE I COULD START THINKING.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO GET MY KIDS TO THE NEXT LEVEL?

>> YOU USED METAPHOR OF A PRIDE OF LIONS AND YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR OWN PRIDE, THE PRIDE OF WOMEN AND FAMILY AND PEOPLE THAT YOU HAD TO CREATE TO HELP RAISE YOUR CHILDREN AND TO USE THESE PILLARS.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

WELL, I THINK SOMETIMES WE ARE FED THIS LINE THE BOOTSTRAP LINE DO IT YOURSELF AND ALL OF THAT.

AND WHEN IN FACT NO ONE CAN DO THIS ALONE.

MARRIED OR SINGLE.

YOU CANNOT RAISE A FAMILY IN A WAY THAT IS HEALTHY AND YOU REMAIN HEALTHY AND DO IT BY YOURSELF.

SO THE PRIDE I USE THE METAPHOR OF THE LIONESS BECAUSE LIONESSES WORK TOGETHER THEY TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER'S CUBS THEY ARE THE HUNTERS THEY ARE THE ONES WHO KEEP THE FAMILY GOING.

SO THAT IS WHY I USE LESSONS FROM A LIONESS.

SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE KNEW THAT IT WAS OK TO HAVE A GROUP OF FRIENDS.

MY GIRLFRIENDS I MET WHEN WE WERE 18 YEARS OLD AND WE ARE BEST FRIENDS TO THIS DAY WE CELEBRATED OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF KNOWING EACH OTHER.

WHEN YOU WERE 18 YOU TALKED ABOUT BOYS AND PARTIES AND NOW WE TALK ABOUT GRANDKIDS.

BUT WE ARE THERE FOR EACH OTHER.

AND NO MATTER WHAT WAS GOING ON IN OUR LIVES WE ALWAYS KNEW WE HAD EACH OTHER.

>> WHEN YOUR SON WAS HERE IN 2015 HE WAS DISCUSSING ONE OF HIS OTHER BOOKS THE WORK AND HE TALKED ABOUT A MOMENT WHEN TRYING TO RUN AWAY FROM MILITARY SCHOOL LET'S LISTEN TO THAT.

>> THEY SAW ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WOODS AT 1:00 A.M.

AND BROUGHT ME BACK TO CAMPUS AND THERE WAS NO OUTSIDE COMMUNICATION, NO PHONE CALLS, RADIOS OR TELEVISION YOU ARE GOING TO SUCCEED AS A TEEN OR YOU WILL FAIL.

AND IF WE DON'T MAKE AN EXCEPTION WE WILL LOSE HIM.

MOORE YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO MAKE A PHONE CALL AND I CALLED THE ONLY NUMBER THAT I MEMORIZED WAS MY MOM'S AND I CALLED HER AT 1:00 A.M.

AND STARTED TELLING HER I WILL DO BETTER I WILL WORK HARDER COME GET ME TOMORROW MORNING AND STOPPED ME AND SAID TOO MANY PEOPLE SACRIFICED FOR YOU TO BE THERE AND TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE ROOTING FOR YOU.

>> WES WROTE THE FORWARD TO YOUR BOOK AND TALKS ABOUT HOW SOCIETY DOES NOT DO ENOUGH TO LIFT UP SINGLE MOTHERS AND DADS AND THEY SHOULD NOT BE THE BUTT OF A JOKE.

WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT SINGLE MOTHERS AND WHAT THEY NEED?

>> AS HE SAID IN THE FORWARD SINGLE MOMS ARE NOT AMERICA'S BURDEN THEY ARE IN FACT AMERICA'S BACKBONE.

ROSIE THE RIVOTTER AND ALL THE THINGS THAT WOMEN HAVE DONE YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A SINGLE MOM INDEFINITELY.

BUT A LOT OF TIMES YOU ARE A SINGLE MOM BECAUSE YOUR SPOUSE IS OFF TO WAR.

OR WORKS A LOT.

OR SO WE HAVE TO, I THINK, THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE INCLUDE THE VOICES OF SINGLE MOMS IN EVERYTHING THAT ALL THE LEGISLATURE THAT WE DO.

I'M ENCOURAGED BY THE FACT THERE ARE SINGLE MOMS WHO ARE NOW IN CONGRESS.

AND SO I THINK THERE WILL BE A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT IS NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN AND KEEP A FAMILY WHOLE.

BUT WE JUST NEED TO INCLUDE THEM IN THE CONVERSATION AS OPPOSED TO THEM BEING A PART OF THE CONVERSATION OR THE BUTT OF A CONVERSATION.

SO YOU KNOW I'M HOPING THAT THE WHOLE NARRATIVE AROUND SINGLE MOMS WILL CHANGE.

IF YOU HEAR THE WORD SINGLE MOM IT IS A NEGATIVE.

WE WANT IT TO BE A POSITIVE.

>> JOY MOORE THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> AGAIN, THE BOOK IS CALLED THE POWER OF PRESENCE BE A VOICE IN YOUR CHILD'S EAR EVEN WHEN YOU ARE NOT WITH THEM.