Welcome to my home page! I’m so glad you’ve come!
If you’d like to know more about:
- MentalHelp.global, click here. Ukrainian mental health and information technology professionals are using ChatGPT-type artificial intelligence to provide free 24/7 support for individuals in Ukraine who are enduring mental health issues such as sleeplessness, panic attacks, or depression.
- I’ve written 286 articles, which you can find here. These are stories from my experiences on trips to Ukraine, with several written while sheltering in bomb shelters in cities under active attack.
- The 222 Podcasts I’ve been on, click here. Again, these are based on my recent trips to Ukraine.
- Lastly, if you’d like to know more about me, click here for the Meet Mitzi section.The link will take you to a clever mixture of tedium and irrelevance.
Articles Written
Books Written
Awards Won
Mitzi’s Podcasts
Books by Mitzi Perdue
Rich Widows of Savannah Valley
Mark Victor Hansen Relentless
How to Make Your Family Business Last
The I Want to EggScape Book
I Didn’t Bargain for This
How to Keep your Family Connected
Meet Mitzi
Award winning author Mitzi Perdue has had a lifelong fascination with what it takes to lead the best life. She got to watch up close and personal how her father co-founded and was President of the Sheraton Hotel chain, and she also got to watch how her late husband, Frank Perdue, built his father-and-son chicken company into a company that today employees 21,000 people.
Both men had tremendous focus, they had a penchant for action, and they had wide-ranging interests which led them to see opportunities that others missed. They were also men who developed tremendous talent stacks, and when they needed to learn a new skill, they made the time and took the effort to learn the new skill.
In addition, they were also both to the core family men and they loved and served their communities.
When three years ago, Mitzi became friends with Mark Victor Hansen (famous for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series) and his wife Crystal, she wondered how many of the same success traits she had observed in her husband and father would be found in Mark. In this book, she draws on a lifetime of experience as a writer and as a student of what it takes to lead a full life to create a book that she hopes will encourage and inspire everyone who reads it.
Mitzi’s professional career includes being a former rice grower, past presidency of the 40,000 member American Agri-Women, and as a writer, in the 1990s, her nationally syndicated column, “The Environment and You,” was the most widely syndicated environmental column in the US.
Mitzi’s purpose in life is to encourage people to be all they can be. She believes that inspiration is the best gift one person can give another because inspiration provides people with energy and direction. She wrote Relentless with the goal of sharing Mark Victor Hansen’s astonishingly wise tips for growth and happiness, tips that can help people live fuller, more satisfying lives.
Photo Gallery
Mitzi receives the The Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society for AI
– Photo by Sasha
Mitzi introduces Mayor Eric Adams at New York’s Freedom Gala for Ukraine
Mitzi and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson discuss support for Ukraine
– Photo by Sasha
Mitzi was the moderator for former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov’s talk on supporting Ukraine
Clients Reviews
“Mitzi was a wonderful choice as speaker for the Nantucket Atheneum’s Geschke Lecture Series. It was quite easy to see why she has won multiple awards for her work. Not only highly knowledgeable, she was delightful to work with and a mesmerizing speaker.”
Ann Scott
Executive Director and Head Librarian, Nantucket Atheneum
“I knew as soon as I’d finished interviewing Mitzi that it was one of my favorite interviews of all time. Apparently my listeners agreed, mKing hers the top listened to 5 Core Life Podcast of 2020. Thanks Mitzi for dropping your infinite wisdom on some eager to learn ears.”
Will Moore
MooreMomentum.com | Founder of Doordash
“Mitzi has a large personality and you cannot but help to be mesmerized by her tales. They capture attention and bring across a wholesome and pure message. Above all she achieves this in a subtle and unassuming manner which results in a great affinity to her. Mitzi is impactful.”
Mohan Datwani
The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries
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Testimonials
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Youtube Shorts
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News
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Articles Written by Mitzi Perdue
Scars of War: Dealing with the Alarming Rate of Unnecessary Amputations in Ukraine
Ukraine is at war, so seeing amputees isn’t entirely surprising. What was surprising to Arnold was that most of the amputations were close to the shoulder or close to the crotch.
"Peace" That Includes Occupation: A Guarantee of Additional Suffering
It seems self-evident that peace has to be preferable to war. However, after three visits to Ukraine, and after arranging with the Kyiv Region Police to talk with dozens of war crime victims, I no longer believe this.
Ukraine Needs Western Support Now More than Ever: A Ukrainian Doctor’s Perspective
I knew there would be people who have suffered captivity and torture, and I was afraid of receiving such a patient,” says Dr. Oleh Berezyuk, Chief of Psychiatric Help at the Saint Pantaleon Hospital.
Frequently Asked Questions
Born into the Henderson family, married into the Perdue family—that’s a fair amount of luck, isn’t it?
I can’t believe my good luck.
How do you define a successful family?
I’ll instead define a high-functioning family. You enjoy each other. You don’t engage in public family quarrels. You believe you’re a part of something bigger than yourself—namely, the family. Selfishness is discouraged, because you’re stewards, and your job is to hand it over in better shape to the next generation. One value both the Hendersons and Perdues have is that we’re frugal. We just came back from a family vacation, and every member traveled economy class.
How would you compare the two family offices you’re a client of?
Each grew to meet the needs of the respective families. I like to compare it to the way the British versus the Americans handle things. The British don’t have everything spelled out in a constitution, but they somehow manage to make decisions and move forward based on precedent. That’s how the Hendersons do it. Just, after 182 years, we have ways of doing things. We’ve been around so long, that culture works for us. The Perdues are 102 years old, so not new at this. But since it has an operating company, it has got to be a whole lot more formal. (Note: The Hendersons sold Sheraton Hotels in the late 1960s, while Perdue remains a family business.)
What’s the latest purposeful investment you’ve made?
The Hendersons tend to be quite high-tech. My nephew Eric [who runs the office] is quite comfortable with all the FAANGs [Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google]. He operates out of Cambridge, Massachusetts; and I don’t know how he did this, but he’s surrounded by the FAANGs, and he hangs out with them. I know that when he gives a report at the next Henderson family reunion next Saturday, he will keep us on the edge of our seats, telling us about the things going on in ultrahigh-tech. The Perdues, on the other hand, are completely different. We get excited about investing in a new grain facility.
Want Those Who Come After You to Be Happy?
Write an Ethical Will!
Lack of values can make children vulnerable to destructive behaviors, can turn heirs into playboys and can accelerate the arc of “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.”
An ethical will can play a role in helping your children and those who come after them to have happy, productive lives.