Imagine a speaker with a fresh take on life. Imagine a speaker who makes you laugh at your foibles and inspires you to confront your challenges with exuberance and a plan. That's Iris Ruth Pastor, a coping guru who advocates for us all.

Orlando Hadassah invites the community to lunch with nationally heralded Huffington Post columnist, author, and motivational speaker, Iris Pastor on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at Ohev Shalom at 11:30 a.m.

This 5'2' dynamo has mesmerized audiences from coast to coast with her insight, understanding and knowledge. Her core mission and message foster connections, encourages coping, cultivates greatness and preserves her followers' bloom (aka "being the best you can be"). She hates speaking on the same subject twice and custom designs programs for each group she appears before.

Ask most people about the "3 Rs" and their response will most likely be reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic. But when it comes to author, blogger, speaker and podcaster Pastor-a self-admitted "book collector, coffee lover, and sunshine seeker"-those three cornerstones are real, relevant and relatable.

Drawn to writing as a child when she first scribbled stories in her journal, Pastor continued to hone her craft while at college. Shortly after receiving a bachelor's degree in mass communications and sociology from the University of South Florida, she started a family, and writing continued to provide her with a much-needed creative outlet as the mother of five active boys. But it wasn't until she began writing "Incidentally, Iris"-a weekly column in Cincinnati Kids, a parenting magazine that she founded in the mid-1980s-that she was able to share her reflections on everyday life with a much larger audience.

Written in an authentic and approachable style, Pastor's slice-of-life newspaper column shared her daily musings as a busy wife and mother. Her thoughts, challenges and victories resonated profoundly with young mothers, bringing up topics that they had thought about themselves and discussing them in a warm, relatable and transparent manner.

Pastor's unique ability to engage and connect with her readers caused "Incidentally, Iris" to be picked up by The American Israelite and the Jewish Press (both of which continue to run her columns) as well as other newspapers across the country. In 1996, she published a book of her early columns, "Slices, Bites and Other Facts of Life," and launched a motivational speaking career.

In 2013, Pastor founded Ladies, Ink, utilizing her writing, public speaking and podcasting to empower mid-life women to be their very best selves by "Preserving Their Bloom." Two years later, Pastor decided to share her musings in an interactive format that lent itself ideally to her easy, breezy style: a weekly blog. The self-professed "aging Baby Boomer" gained entrée into Huffington Post's much-coveted stable of writers, and six months after her first story aired was recognized as one of their "Must-Read Bloggers of 2015." She also publishes a weekly newsletter that encourages her readers to take control of their lives, with empathy.

To "Preserve Your Bloom," make a reservation today. RSVP to Nancyg357@yahoo.com or call 407-333-0204. Couvert is $12.