The Road Ahead: Inspirational Stories of Open Hearts & Minds

As seen on TODAY

How we handle life's challenges--from medical crises to broken hearts to career failures--defines us as we face the road ahead.

Each of us knows the absolute joy that a new relationship, or the birth of a child, or fulfilling your heart's desire can bring. But it's the life events that aren't so euphoric that test how we weather those storms.

Jane Seymour learned from her mother that, when your life is tough, the road becomes easier when you help others. In The Road Ahead, she shares inspirational stories from readers around the world who've overcome when the "happily ever after"--isn't. Using a three-step process of

Acceptance

Unconditional forgiveness

Selfless acts of kindness

you can take heart as you face your road ahead.

A multiple Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R) winner, recipient of the Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in the year 2000, which was bestowed upon her by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, Jane Seymour has proven her talents in virtually all media, the Broadway stage, motion pictures and television. Her love of art and color has led to her great success as a painter in watercolors and oils, as a sculptor and as a designer.

Seymour’s past films include the James Bond movie Live and Let Die, the cult classic Somewhere in Time, and the comedy smash Wedding Crashers. Her television credits include the Emmy(R) Award winning performance in Onassis: The Richest Man in the World as Maria Callas, East of Eden for which she was awarded a Golden Globe(R), the mini-series War and Remembrance and her Golden Globe(R) winning role as ＂Dr. Quinn＂ on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman which ran for six seasons.

In addition to acting, Seymour has written over a dozen books, including The Wave, Open Hearts Family, Among Angels, Open Hearts, Making Yourself At Home, and Remarkable Changes.

When she is not acting or writing Seymour can be found in her painting studio. An accomplished fine artist, her art serves as inspiration for Open Hearts by Jane Seymour(R), a jewelry line she designs for KAY(R) Jewelers in the U.S., Peoples in Canada and H. Samuel in the UK. Seymour’s Open Heart philosophy reflects her mother’s philosophy that only when you keep your heart open can you best give and receive love. She has also launched Jane Seymour Designs, a national lifestyle brand inspired by her homes, fine art and family-centered life.

In 2010, Seymour founded the Open Hearts Foundation. The Foundation, based on selfless giving even in the face of adversity, is a social impact accelerator that is committed to empowering emerging and growing nonprofit organizations, whose origins and mission are consistent with the precepts of the Open Hearts philosophy. By providing expertise, resources and tools, the Foundation enables these nonprofits to not only raise their profile but also further their mission and objectives.