Slidell, Louisiana • October 2008 The aftermath of Katrina in Slidell, Louisiana. I used to have a map of the country and I would put pins in the places I have been doing booksignings, workshops, and keynote speeches. After a while, there were pins almost everywhere. I'd been to New Orleans twice, but that was before Katrina struck. This past October I spent some time in the city of Slidell (45 minutes from New Orleans) and of all the places I've put pins in my map, this one was the most inspirational. I was there to help the people of Slidell, but in many ways they made a bigger impact on me.