Professional Journey and Core Expertise

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For well over two decades, I held tenured leadership roles within academic libraries at various universities, dedicating my professional life to the pursuit of knowledge and support of community, intellectual freedom, lobbying, and technology advancement. Skills utilized spanned the spectrum from strategic planning, time management, budgeting, and other high-level professional competencies. Parallel to this career, I was the proud business owner of a holistic healing and educational practice. This business was born from a deep desire to facilitate well-being of mind, body, and spirit, catering to both people and animals. My work involved energetic healing (including Reiki), intuitive communication techniques, meditation, and self-discovery practices, personal development coaching, guiding clients toward balance and clarity.

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The Crucible of Transformation

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My life, once filled with professional success and personal joy, was unexpectedly shattered by a series of devastating losses over a few years' time. I endured the traumatic and unexpected loss of my spouse and navigated the intense emotional and physical demands of caring for very sick elderly parents before and after his death (who also passed away or moved away). In a short period, I experienced a complete upheaval: the loss of my career, the death of loved ones, the death of beloved pets, and the distancing of key relationships. I was left to tend my horse farm, care for my dogs and chickens, run my business and household, solo.  I didn't mind living alone, not at all, but life overall was extraordinarily different now.  Pressures were still in place, but their origin had shifted. As an extremely independent and intellectual woman, I knew I could pivot but to where?  What was next?  I had assumed life as it was before all of this would remain status quo until I died (likely prematurely, due to stress).

 

There was a time when I felt truly adrift—like my life, as I knew it, was simply over.

 

This period of despondency forced me into solitude and deep reflection. Having dedicated my entire life to serving others and prioritizing their happiness, both personally and professionally, setting my own needs aside to create room for everyone else, the weight of years spent feeling used, neglected, ignored, and taken advantage of became undeniable. What began as a happy life had ended on a profoundly sour and sad note. Over thirty years in a marriage who's last 15 or so were extremely difficult for many reasons (many external factors due to other family members, and a spouse whose health is compromised, impacts even the best relationship, greatly, and in my case, negatively). I was left with the aftermath of the lives of several people (and all of their belongings). This period of profound sadness and despondency forced me into necessary solitude and deep reflection. My entire life had been dedicated to serving others and prioritizing their happiness, both personally and professionally, often setting my own needs aside. This led to an undeniable realization: the cumulative weight of years spent feeling used, neglected, ignored, and taken advantage of.

 

A life that began happily had ended on a profoundly sour note. After more than thirty years, my marriage concluded—the last fifteen or so were especially difficult. This was due to a complex array of factors, including external stressors from other family members and the profound, negative impact of a spouse's compromised health on what had been a loving relationship.

 

Ultimately, I was left to navigate the aftermath of several people's lives that were intertwined with mine, including the responsibility for all of their belongings, legal matters, and so forth.

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I became hyper focused on what was in front of me.  I lost weight (by accident). I started purging items out of my homes and barns, giving things away and throwing things out that in the past I was not allowed to even consider discarding.  I was starting to find some liberation in my new existence and in these exercises. 

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A New Dawn

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My journey through grief and loss was, paradoxically, the beginning of my true self-discovery. I learned that the immense energy I once channeled into others must first be rooted in self-care and self-respect. This realization fueled a powerful commitment to using my life experience—my professional healing expertise combined with my personal trials—to help others navigate their own dark nights of the soul. This radical shift led directly to what I call Chapter Two.

 

Exhausted but ready for change, I booked a two-week stay at a five-star resort in the Caribbean—a true, unapologetic vacation. That trip became the genesis of my new life. In that sun-drenched paradise, I rediscovered myself, remembering profoundly that it was not just okay, but necessary, to love who I am—mind, body, and soul. I knew that day that I was meant to be on this island, it was my next life.

 

There, the very next day, I met the most amazing man in the world, an undeniable connection, an energetic tie in the universe.  It was as if we had met in a former life. We would spend hours together every day for the rest of my stay.  We didn't speak the same language, so we used our phones to translate.  The necessity to communicate conscientiously and clearly was super important. I think it made us closer. He showed immediately that he was a person who loved me for who I was and wanted nothing in return but love back, absolutely nothing. When I had to leave it was as if I was experiencing grief all over again.  My heart ached, we cried on the beach until the late hours of the night, not knowing what was to come of this whirlwind romance. We lived thousands of miles apart in different countries. However, life changes and I was ready to start a new chapter as was he. 

 

I would return to paradise over and over (not at the resort), we texted and video chatted daily, we were increasingly unable to be apart. Soon after, we became engaged. I sold virtually everything I owned, packed a suitcase, and with my beloved dogs, boarded an international flight. I never looked back. Today, we are happily married, living a life defined by love, mutual respect, and kindness—a union between two souls, once broken, now healed because the universe put us together on the right day at the right time.

Never Giving Up

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It sounds like a fairy tale, but I am here to tell you, dreams do come true and life is not over until your death. Put the work in and you will be highly rewarded in whatever you seek. At one point my body was giving up due to stress (before his death). I was becoming burdened with an inflammatory response to stress, I literally thought I was dying. My life was killing me. I endured hardships, significant losses, and came out better in the end.

 

Now, I still have some aches and pains on occasion (I am in my fifties after all) but I look twenty years younger than I did, my heart is full, my mind is happy and clear. My mind, body, and soul are balanced. I took a chance at living again. I reconnected with myself, and I didn't give up, and then, my angel appeared, on a beach in paradise.

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Sharing My Knowledge and Empowering Others

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​I am always available to connect and engage with you. My deepest desire is to leverage my unique blend of personal transformation and professional expertise to help you live a happier, more fulfilled life, especially as you navigate your own challenges, goals, or even your personal Chapter Two. I would be honored to serve as your personal development coach, offering a safe, empathetic, and results-oriented partnership focused on self-reclamation, empowerment, and moving from a place of despair back to joy, clarity, and balance.