Be Strong International
Builds Stronger Relationships, Families, and Communities
Be Strong International
Construye Relaciones, Familias y Comunidades Mas Fuertes
Healthy Relationships Start with
Practical Support
Las Relaciones Saludables Comienzan con
Apoyo Practico
At Be Strong International, we believe everyone deserves healthy relationships, but most people were never taught how to build them. En Be Strong International, creemos que todos merecemos relaciones saludables, pero a la mayoria de las personas nunca se les enseno como construirlas.
When conflict rises, many families, couples, and young people fall into the same painful patterns: arguing, shutting down, or walking on eggshells rather than approaching the issue head-on. Not because they don't care, but because they don't have the right tools. Cuando surge el conflicto, muchas familias, parejas y jovenes caen en los mismos patrones dolorosos: discutir, callarse o caminar sobre cascadas de huevo en lugar de abordar el problema de frente. No porque no les importe, sino porque no tienen las herramientas adecuadas.
That's why Be Strong International exists. Through relationship coaching services and practical Heart Skills® tools, we help people strengthen communication, repair bonds after conflict, and stay connected through life's real challenges. Our work supports stronger individuals, stronger families, and stronger communities through a trusted community support program approach. Por eso existe Be Strong International. A traves de servicios de coaching de relaciones y herramientas practicas de Heart Skills®, ayudamos a las personas a fortalecer la comunicacion, reparar vinculos despues de conflictos y mantenerse conectadas a traves de los desafios reales de la vida. Nuestro trabajo apoya a individuos mas fuertes, familias mas fuertes y comunidades mas fuertes a traves de un enfoque confiable de programa de apoyo comunitario.
30+ Years of Strengthening Communities
From a single classroom vision in 1992 to a nationally recognized organization.
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Founded
Founded by Mrs. Althea McMillan, a Miami-Dade County Public School teacher with a vision to help families build healthier relationships.
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American Values Award
Receives the American Values Award, established by the Green Family Foundation and United Way.
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First Federal Grant
Awarded the first Special Projects of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS) Federal Grant.
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Boys 2 Men Expansion
First Boys 2 Men Federal Grant award to expand services across Miami-Dade County.
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National Parenting Grant
First National Parenting Grant Award to expand parenting services nationally.
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New CEO
Michelle Shirley named new CEO, continuing the mission of strengthening families and communities.
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Be Strong Day
Launch of Be Strong Day, proclaimed by Miami-Dade County in recognition of BSI's community impact.
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Heart Skills® Framework
BSI creates the Heart Skills® Framework, a landmark achievement providing a structured approach to relationship coaching.
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New Headquarters
BSI purchases its headquarters in Palmetto Bay and receives an official street named Be Strong Way. BSI also mourns the passing of Founder Ms. Althea McMillan.
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Heart Skills® For Couples®
BSI launches the Heart Skills® For Couples® curriculum, bringing practical relationship tools directly to couples.
What Guides Everything We DoLo que Guia Todo lo que Hacemos
Heart-CenteredCentrado en el Corazon
Every person we serve is treated with dignity, care, and deep attention. We listen to understand because real change starts with feeling truly seen and valued.Cada persona a la que servimos es tratada con dignidad, cuidado y profunda atencion. Escuchamos para entender porque el cambio real comienza con sentirse verdaderamente visto y valorado.
JoyAlegria
We believe joy is both a choice and a practice. Healthy relationships should feel safe, connected, and full of hope, and we bring that belief into everything we do.Creemos que la alegria es tanto una eleccion como una practica. Las relaciones saludables deben sentirse seguras, conectadas y llenas de esperanza, y llevamos esa creencia a todo lo que hacemos.
TransformationTransformacion
We believe people can rebuild connections, repair what feels broken, and create bonds that last for generations. We pursue change that is deep, lasting, and real.Creemos que las personas pueden reconstruir conexiones, reparar lo que se siente roto y crear vinculos que duren por generaciones. Buscamos un cambio profundo, duradero y real.
TrustConfianza
Trust must always be earned. We listen with intention, communicate openly, and welcome discomfort as an invitation to grow for ourselves and those we serve.La confianza siempre debe ganarse. Escuchamos con intencion, comunicamos abiertamente y recibimos la incomodidad como una invitacion a crecer para nosotros y para quienes servimos.
Practical SupportApoyo Practico
Through Heart Skills® and our coaching services, we give people real, actionable tools they can use in the moments that matter most in their relationships.A traves de Heart Skills® y nuestros servicios de coaching, damos a las personas herramientas reales y accionables que pueden usar en los momentos que mas importan en sus relaciones.
Community ImpactImpacto Comunitario
Stronger relationships build stronger families, and stronger families build stronger communities. Our work ripples outward in ways that outlast any single program.Las relaciones mas fuertes construyen familias mas fuertes, y las familias mas fuertes construyen comunidades mas fuertes. Nuestro trabajo se extiende de maneras que perduran mas alla de cualquier programa individual.
Think Big & InnovatePensar en Grande e Innovar
We are bold, curious learners who never settle for what is visible today. We ask the tough questions and pursue new ways to help people find the connection they deserve.Somos aprendices audaces y curiosos que nunca nos conformamos con lo que es visible hoy. Hacemos las preguntas dificiles y buscamos nuevas formas de ayudar a las personas a encontrar la conexion que merecen.
Meeting Relationship Challenges in Our CommunitiesAbordando los Desafios de Relaciones en Nuestras Comunidades
Real change takes more than good intentions. It takes practical tools, caring support, and a clear path forward.El cambio real requiere mas que buenas intenciones. Requiere herramientas practicas, apoyo compasivo y un camino claro hacia adelante.
Start with the Real ChallengeComenzar con el Reto Real
We begin by recognizing the real struggles people face: tension at home, relationship conflicts, emotional distance, and uncertainty about how to reconnect.Comenzamos reconociendo las luchas reales que enfrentan las personas: tension en casa, conflictos de relaciones, distancia emocional e incertidumbre sobre como reconectarse.
Teach Heart Skills®Ensenar Heart Skills®
We equip people with practical Heart Skills®, tools that help them listen differently, communicate clearly, and navigate conflict in healthier ways.Equipamos a las personas con Heart Skills® practicas, herramientas que les ayudan a escuchar de manera diferente, comunicarse con claridad y navegar conflictos de manera mas saludable.
Create Lasting ChangeCrear un Cambio Duradero
As people practice these skills, relationships begin to feel calmer, safer, more trusting, and more joyful. That change strengthens families, supports young people, and creates lasting impact through our broader community support program work.A medida que las personas practican estas habilidades, las relaciones comienzan a sentirse mas tranquilas, seguras, confiables y alegres. Ese cambio fortalece a las familias, apoya a los jovenes y crea un impacto duradero a traves de nuestro trabajo mas amplio de programas de apoyo comunitario.
About Our FounderSobre Nuestra Fundadora
The Vision That Started It AllLa Vision Que Lo Inicio Todo
Althea McMillan founded Be Strong International in 1992 with a simple hope: that families and communities could learn skills that make hard conversations safer, clearer, and more caring. A Miami-Dade County Public School teacher and a teen mother herself, Althea understood how stress, disconnection, and lack of support can shape both family life and a child's future. Althea McMillan fundo Be Strong International en 1992 con una esperanza simple: que las familias y las comunidades pudieran aprender habilidades que hicieran que las conversaciones dificiles fueran mas seguras, claras y compasivas. Maestra de una escuela publica del condado de Miami-Dade y madre adolescente ella misma, Althea entendio como el estres, la desconexion y la falta de apoyo pueden moldear tanto la vida familiar como el futuro de un nino.
The People Behind the Be Strong International MissionLas Personas Detras de la Mision de Be Strong International
The leadership team at Be Strong International is committed to helping people build healthier relationships through practical tools, compassionate support, and real-life application. El equipo de liderazgo de Be Strong International esta comprometido a ayudar a las personas a construir relaciones mas saludables a traves de herramientas practicas, apoyo compasivo y aplicacion en la vida real.
Franccesca Cesti-Browne
Chief Operating OfficerDirectora de Operaciones
Barbara Jean
Senior Program ManagerGerente de Programas Senior
Raikza Bueno
Human Resource ManagerGerente de Recursos Humanos
- A deep commitment to healthy relationships and stronger familiesUn compromiso profundo con relaciones saludables y familias mas fuertes
- Knowledge of practical tools that support real-life relationship changeConocimiento de herramientas practicas que apoyan el cambio real de relaciones
- Community-rooted leadership shaped by the people we serveLiderazgo arraigado en la comunidad moldeado por las personas a las que servimos
- A shared belief that stronger relationships can strengthen entire communitiesUna creencia compartida de que las relaciones mas fuertes pueden fortalecer comunidades enteras