Hello, friends!

I have been exactly where you are now standing. I know what it feels like to know that the life you are living is not the one you dreamed of when you were young. You most likely love the elements of your life like your family, children, pets… but the stress of maintaining that life probably falls on your shoulders too much and too often.

I get it. I have been there.

Good news? I was there and now… I am not! There are so many ways out and I am here to encourage you that you don’t have to live this way for another moment. There IS a way to manage a family, home, relationships, and career that doesn’t drain you and leave you feeling as if running away might be a decent option. I have done it all. I had my two boys very young and was in a not-so-great marriage where neither of us were enjoying our lives.

In 2008, I got a divorce and became a single mother (truthfully, I was already a single mom). I also lost my mortgage business AND my house in the financial crash that ensued during the recession. I had to take a job checking groceries just to make ends meet, which was a far cry from my entrepreneur days. It was hard, but I made it work.

II began a career in banking that lasted over a decade and I put myself through college to earn a Bachelors in Business Administration. I raised my two boys by myself and took them to Boy Scout camp outs, school music concerts, and high school sports all on my own. Being a single parents was hard, but it was also so damned rewarding and I wouldn’t change that part of my life for anything.

During that time, I had to separate from my parents and other family due to toxic behavior on their part. I found myself having to rebuild a social safety net and community around me and the boys. It was truly an eye-opening experience. Terrifying, actually. I discovered so much about myself that I wouldn’t have learned any other way. I found out that I was stronger, more resilient, and more resourceful than my family made it seem. I learned about myself, boundaries, expressing needs, and creating new, healthier relationships.

Eventually, I met the man who would become my husband through work at the bank. He relocated from Wisconsin to Oregon to begin our life together. We handled creating a blended family with teenagers while adding kiddo #3 into the mix in 2015. It has been such a fun adventure parenting a third child with a loving, involved spouse! I truly never thought that I would that experience. I thought that time had long passed and I am so grateful for the second chance.

In July 2022, we sold our condo in Portland, Oregon and re-located to Wisconsin to raise our youngest near my husband’s family. It was hard to leave my two grown boys and my first grandchild, but I was ready for a new second half of life. This change allowed us to buy a house in a cute little neighborhood with better schools and more community resources. It’s a dream come true.

In November 2022, I completed my life coaching certification from Erickson International and will soon be certified by the ICF as a life coach. With all my life experience plus formal coach training, I can confidently create space for clients to figure out how they want to live a better, fuller, and richer life by changing the way they think about their decisions, relationships, and their own needs.

The life you dream of IS possible. My life is a testament to that. What began as hardship and heartache has evolved into an amazing and fulfilling second half of life! If you want more for yourself but don’t know where to begin, please know that there is help.