Welcome to My Story
“You get one shot at life, and you can’t live it for somebody else. There is no reason to be miserable if you can have more happiness and success.”
When I wrote those words in my book, Anything Is Possible, I was living the life I had always dreamed of – a life of freedom and success, where I felt fulfilled and empowered to help others reach for their dreams. But it wasn’t always like that.
I was your stereotypical “troubled kid” – tough and defiant on the outside to hide the sadness and lack of control I felt on the inside. No one looked behind the mask to see who I really was, or why I was acting out. I was lost in a system that ignores and expels and incarcerates kids instead of trying to understand their circumstances and pull them up toward something better.
My Mom had left me and my three siblings when I was seven. We were shuttled around until we ended up with my Dad, who had Alport’s Syndrome and needed to be dialyzed three times a week. Our family survived on food stamps and welfare until he was eligible for Social Security. Even worse than the poverty, though, were the days Mom was supposed to come to see us, and didn’t show up. We’d wait, watching for her car, well into the night, still hoping she’d come for us.
As a young adult, life wasn’t much easier. In 2008 I hit rock bottom when, within the space of a year, I lost my Dad to a stroke at 56, went through a separation, lost my home to foreclosure, and had my car repossessed right out of my driveway.
A single mom with a 2-year-old daughter, I moved to a small home in Belleville, IL and got a job at a Cancer Treatment Center making $35K a year. It was good enough, I told myself. Eventually, I upgraded to a job at a hospital that paid $44K.
In 2011 I met my husband, and we married in 2014. While I was finally happy in my relationship, I was miserable in my job. Not only did I not enjoy what I was doing – or being cooped up in a small office all day – but it was keeping me from really living. I was grinding out an existence from 9-5, day in and day out, for just enough to live on, and two weeks of vacation that got taken up throughout the year anyway as I took days off when my daughter was sick.
I was excited on Fridays, happy on Saturdays, and despondent on Sundays as the prospect of another soul-sucking week in corporate America loomed in front of me.
And then I was done.
Like, really done.
I couldn’t take another day of moody bosses telling me I couldn’t grab a cup of coffee. I couldn’t get excited about the prospect of a 3% raise a year – if I was lucky. I was drowning in that dingy office trying to fit myself into someone else’s mold, living by their standards and their calendars. I wanted freedom. And, for the first time, I felt like I could have it. Like I was made for it.
That was the turning point for me. The belief that I was made for more, that I could do something else, that I did not have to be defined by the world’s expectations for me as a woman, mother, employee, or anything – that belief propelled me into action.
In 2015 I left my corporate job and went out on my own, finding my sweet spot with entrepreneurship. Being a solopreneur takes time, sweat, lots of tears, and grit, but I kept my eyes on the prize, working non-stop on networking, making a name for myself, and providing value to clients and customers. I wanted to develop not only my business but myself as well, so I completed my first marathon and my first bodybuilding competition, all while growing a successful, seven-figure business.
In 2020 I wrote my book, Anything Is Possible, and also started my podcast. My second book, Anything Is Possible: The Companion Journal, followed shortly after.
My life now is a far cry from the poverty, abandonment, feelings of powerlessness, and going through the motions to just exist that defined my earlier years. My husband, a retired Air Force Veteran, and I enjoy our life together with our pets. My oldest daughter is preparing for college, and my youngest, at 13, is loving the volleyball court.
My story may be an inspiring one, but it’s not about luck. Success isn’t a lottery only a fortunate few win. It’s a birthright we can all claim if we want it badly enough and work hard enough for it. Success is what’s on the other side of belief, when we finally see that anything is possible.
The details of our stories may be different, but I bet you can see yourself in something I’ve said. Maybe it’s the challenging upbringing. Maybe it’s coping with drummed-in messages about what you are – and aren’t – good enough for. Maybe it’s the soul-numbing job that leeches the joy out of your life. You may even see pieces of my story in the lives of those you care about – a student, a friend, a relative.
Whatever the connection, the message is the same, and the potential for positive change is the same. What do you say? Have you had enough? Are you done? Are you ready to see how much more you’re made for? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, I’m so excited for you, and can’t wait to chat!