One of my most beloved people on the planet is a guy named Ray Perez, whom I affectionately refer to as Mr. Rosita Perez.

Ray is one of these guys who over married. As my old high school football coach, J. W. Ingram, used to say, "he out ran his punt coverage."

Ray is married to another one of my favorite people on the globe- the lovely Rosita Perez, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame. Rosita is a former social worker and mental health administrator turned professional speaker. In an industry that is rarely as kind to the female gender of the species, Rosita climbed to fame and stardom by debunking stereotypes and is truly a legend on the platform.

This queen of the healthcare industry fashioned programs that traditional- thinking people would have laughed at. How could a middle-aged woman of minority descent with a flower in her hair dare to stand in front of a group of stuffy-shirt bankers or the elite sales people of the Million Dollar Round Table and deliver a speech? Not only could she tackle the tough subjects of change, but she would have her audiences in tears of anguish and sorrow in one moment and cries of laughter the next.

Her client list reads like a Fortune 500 all-star roster. I followed her several times on the platform and while her audience members would sometimes have trouble recalling her name, they never forgot two things: she was the speaker with the flower in her hair and her powerful message. Talk about branding!

For decades, Rosita gave of herself in so many ways in her first career as a healthcare professional and in her second as a keynote speaker. Her humility and kindness were as much a hallmark of her brand as the lovely flowers she always wore in her hair when she took the stage with her guitar.

Business audiences would immediately be neutralized from their crossed-arms and "what's-this-woman-going-to-teach-me?" attitude to belly laughter and tears of emotion in her powerful messages on challenges, choices and change.

Some of her most popular messages were for health care professionals on Nurturance for the Nurturers. Who gives care to the care giver? There is a place in heaven for the caregivers here on earth. Rosita's messages to her thousands of audiences over the years were not lost on her loving husband Ray.

Ray has been Rosita's caregiver for a number of years now. If there was ever a model built for what a loving husband should be-- Mr. Rosita Perez would be the mold they would use. I used to love to hang with Ray at the National Speakers Association meetings or at the Veteran Speakers Retreat get-togethers. He never sought the fame that came Rosita's way and was content to sit quietly in the back of the room.

I'm a back of the room kind of a guy too. It's where all the rebel-rousers sit. Ray actually upgraded our group when he joined us. His quick wit and clever humor made him one of the cool guys to hang with.

Now Ray is the pillar of strength in Rosita's life. Always dedicated and loving, he has been not only source of Rosita's best humor when she was on the platform but also her most precious moments off of it.

Every speaker that ever communicated with Rosita Perez has a war story about how this wonderful woman touched their lives. I have my share as well, but I was just as touched by Mr. Rosita Perez as I was by his wife. My admiration for him is matched only by his love for his bride.

Would that we all be so blessed as to have someone that loves us as deeply as Ray Perez loves Rosita. What a love story!