After providing community education and outreach for 3.5 years for an agency, I decided I wanted to offer education on a larger platform. I was passionate about the cause as a survivor and felt my education allowed me to do just that! I realized that domestic abuse was not just my career but my calling! I knew this feeling was the motivation I needed to start EmpowerED. My voice, my platform, my trainings….all for survivors! 💜

For years, my resume had a gap that was anything but empty. While a stay-at-home mom, I was leading, serving as PTO President for a charter school and running other nonprofits. I wasn't just volunteering; I was creating value-driven, revenue-generating programs. When my kids started driving, I was ready to return to the workforce. I worried that my non-linear path wouldn't count compared to peers on traditional corporate ladders. But I soon realized that leadership is leadership, regardless of the setting. My journey didn't need to look like anyone else's to be powerful. I leaned into my experience and started where I could. I moved from a volunteer to a temp Volunteer Manager at Love, Hope, Strength, which quickly became a permanent role. Later, I joined the Dear Jack Foundation as a part-time Office Manager. I wasn't starting over. I was building. In under ten years, I transitioned to full-time and climbed from LifeList Coordinator to Manager, Program Manager, Senior Manager, and finally, Senior Director of Operations. I still keep all my name tags in my office; they are a physical timeline of how far I've come by simply trusting my own pace. Don't let a non-traditional path make you feel behind. Whether you're running a PTO or a boardroom, the skills you're honing are transferable and valuable. Own your detour, take the foot-in-the-door opportunity, and then let your work ethic do the talking.

When I started my doctoral journey, I often thought there was a correct way to move through it: publish by this year, defend by a certain year and so on. But there came a quiet, almost unremarkable moment when I realized I was exhausted from chasing a version of success that wasn't mine. I started to realize that my path should be valid simply because it's mine. That shift changed everything. I gave myself permission to move at a pace that honored my capacity, not my anxiety. I stopped treating detours as failures and started seeing them as part of the intellectual and personal growth I came here for. I let go of the idea that rigor has to look like struggle all the time. After that realization, my journey suddenly became easier more honest, more sustainable and better aligned.

My journey has been anything but conventional. I've faced mental health challenges, struggled with substance use, carried trauma, and left school as a teenager. For a long time, it was easy to measure my life against others and feel like I was falling behind. But there came a turning point when I realized my path didn't have to mirror anyone else's to be meaningful. I began to understand that my experiences, as difficult as they were, didn't disqualify me; they shaped me. They gave me depth, resilience, and a perspective that no one else could replicate. What changed everything was recognizing my own worth. I stopped chasing someone else's definition of success and started building a life rooted in purpose. Today, I move forward with the belief that I can influence change even if it's just in one person's life. That's enough. That's powerful. And that's mine.

Coming into consulting, I had very different educational background, experience, and credentials from everyone on my team. It was really hard to figure out how my career path and trajectory would work when I couldn't see myself in anyone above me or around me. At that point I had to decide to define my own path, and years later became the leader of that group. I'm still redefining my path now and find that life becomes much easier when you don't try to fit into someone else's definition of your life, but rather define it on your own.

For a long time, I thought success had to follow a certain formula: a straight line, a polished story, a traditional path. But life has a way of teaching you that growth rarely happens that way. There came a point where I realized some of my greatest strengths were actually born from the moments that didn't go according to plan; the pivots, the setbacks, the reinventions, and the experiences that shaped me personally and professionally. I've always stood on my own, learning from mentors along the way while also working hard to self-educate and continuously refine my craft. Once I stopped comparing my journey to everyone else's, I became more confident in owning my voice, trusting my instincts, and building a path that felt authentic to who I am. That realization changed everything. I stopped chasing what looked successful and started focusing on what felt purposeful. Now, as an author, I have the opportunity to share those lessons, experiences, and knowledge with others and that has become one of the most rewarding parts of my journey. Ironically, the moment I stopped trying to fit the mold was the moment things really started falling into place.

My journey is full of compassion, empathy, and understanding. Not everyone can withstand being a beacon of hope for others. You have to be mentally strong and judgement free.

When I let go of comparison, I discovered something more powerful than progress: purpose.

I quit trying to fit a mold that was never built for me. The moment I started forging my own path, I stopped following noise and started leading with conviction & alignment

Focus on the outcome, and the income will take care of itself.

Letting go of comparison wasn't a single moment for me. It was a decision I had to keep making. The more I chose alignment over approval and honored what felt true to me, the clearer and more confident my path became.

I realized my journey didn't have to look like everyone else's when I stopped seeing my nontraditional path as a disadvantage and started seeing it as my superpower. From insurance to real estate, every pivot taught me that success isn't about following the expected route. It's about having the courage to build your own.

I realized my path was never supposed to mirror someone else's success story. Once I stopped measuring myself against others, I started moving toward the things that actually made me feel purposeful and alive.

I had to follow the exact same path as the women before me, even when it didn't feel right for me. Then one day, I realized something: I would never want my daughter to have to struggle simply because I did. That shift changed everything for me. I stopped measuring my journey against anyone else's, and instead focused on building my own path.

I went to school to be a teacher, following in the footsteps of my mother. When I moved to another state and there were no openings, I went into the benefits administration business. As time passed, I became a licensed instructor for the State of Florida Department of Insurance, and I write and teach my own Continuing Education classes for life and health insurance agents. I was explaining this to my grandson (who works in our family company part time) and told him that none of your education is ever wasted and that at some point it all congeals in a way that makes you happy.

I've always known that success wouldn't look the same for me as it does for anyone else. My journey (shaped by my background, values, education, and aspirations) was never meant to follow a template.

After being let go from a job I loved because I was told I "wasn't a good fit," I spent a lot of time reflecting on what truly made me happy. I didn't know exactly what title or organization would be right for me, but after nine months of searching, I found my role as Director of Programs and Events at a chamber of commerce and it's everything I wanted and more. It reminded me that the right path doesn't have to look like anyone else's; sometimes the detours lead you exactly where you belong.