Look and Listen

Biography

Raising three children and running a household was my main focus for almost twenty years before I re-entered the workforce. When I did, I was in my early forties and worked as an executive assistant in a manufacturers rep office in the automotive industry. Within five years I had moved to a couple of different companies and finally found myself in a position held mainly by men at the time. I was an account manager responsible for $60 million dollars of sales for a company that supplied parts to the automobile manufacturers. I worked with wonderful people, had a great salary and plenty of flexibility however something was missing. That is when I found coaching and realized it was something I did naturally and wanted to learn to do it the best way possible. I then trained and received my certification with the Coaches Training Institute as well as the ADD Coach Academy. I started a private practice and conducted workshops. While in the process of designing a series of workshops with Lynn Hull (who later became my coauthor) I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My recuperation from the surgery was extremely lengthy and left me unable to continue with the previous projects. It was then that the idea of coauthoring the book came about. I had always dreamed of writing a book and had plans and notes to write a book about my experiences with breast cancer however this book, Your Life Your Way: The Essential Guide for Women is where my passion took me.

Inspiration

As I coached many people from different walks of life one common theme was always present: Everyone was stuck in the "shoulds" and lost track of what they really wanted and desired. The lists of unfulfilled desires and dreams was endless. On average, clients believed they could not achieve their desires because "it was too late", they were "too old", they had other "more important" responsibilities, their current job "wouldn't allow" it, their finances "held them back", etc. Sadly, it was simply old worn-out belief systems that held these people back--not reality. I know that the possibilities are endless! We are the ones who limit ourselves--no one and nothing else does. I also know it is never too late and we are never too old. In my own way I proved that I could make changes even when others were telling me I was too old or didn't have the proper education or background. I did what I set out to do in spite of the so-called drawbacks others perceived. I want to see more people follow their dreams and do what makes them sing, especially women in their mature years. Nothing is impossible--there's always a way!