How It All Started
I’m from Akron, but my journey has taken me far beyond it. I’ve lived in three U.S. states and across the Atlantic in Luxembourg, Europe—experiences that shaped my perspective and deepened my understanding of connection across cultures and communities. I’m a wife, mother, grandmother, and lifelong learner with a deep passion for expanding access, creating opportunities, and elevating voices that might otherwise go unheard. I love shoes and books, and I invest in the community that invested in me.
But my life today looks very different from how it began.
I overcame a challenging childhood and broke the cycle of poverty and dysfunction. I’ve often been asked: How did I make it when so many others in similar circumstances didn’t? I’ve asked myself that same question, over and over.
I believe we are each born with unique gifts, perfectly suited for the path we are meant to walk. Some of mine revealed themselves early—a sharp mind, a deep curiosity, and the ability to see connections where others saw obstacles. In many ways, these gifts helped me navigate difficult circumstances.
But talent alone isn’t enough.
To survive, I learned to adapt creatively, making sense of a world that didn’t always make sense to me. Those adaptations served me—until they didn’t.
A New Understanding
Over time, I’ve come to believe something profound:
You might be where you are because someone else isn’t.
That doesn’t mean I didn’t contribute to my own success. I did. I made choices, sacrifices, and took action. But I didn’t do it alone.
I also came to realize something else: the very strategies that once helped me survive were still shaping how I moved through the world. The creative adjustments I made as a child—ways of thinking, responding, and adapting—became deeply ingrained patterns. And while they had once protected me, I had to ask myself: Were they still serving me? Or was I serving them?
With time and reflection, I learned to see these patterns with objectivity, not judgment. I became more aware of how and when I applied them in my adult life—when they empowered me and when they limited me. This awareness gave me something invaluable: choice.
Instead of unconsciously relying on the adaptations of my past, I could engage with them intentionally. I could choose when to lean on them and when to let them go.
I didn’t make this journey alone. I found inspiration in mentors, coaches, and role models—each one offering a lesson, a perspective, a data point. I extracted wisdom from many, and those insights shaped me.
Now, I feel compelled to give back.
Interconnected & Impactful
I believe we are part of something much bigger than ourselves—a deeply interconnected ecosystem, just like the trees and the oceans. Whether we realize it or not, our thoughts, words, and actions ripple outward, affecting the world around us.
I also believe in the power of presence—that when we show up fully, we can demonstrate the best of what it means to be human.
We can choose to be a positive influence on the lives around us. We can embrace each moment as energy, experiencing life in its fullness.
And as much as we celebrate our unique experiences and perspectives, let’s never lose sight of what unites us:
Before anything else, we are all human beings.