along the way. I always say my Superpower is Connecting. I have always been the go-to person when someone needs a lawyer, a doctor, a plumber, advice, or just to vent. I LOVE people, and learning about them continues to be a great passion of mine. How wonderful it is now that with technology, I can meet people everywhere. I regret nothing about my “work” journey. My journey hasn’t followed a straight line. It has looped through love, loss, reinvention, and resilience. And through it all, I have held onto two guiding beliefs: that balance is essential, and that relationships and experiences matter more than anything else. If my childhood inspired me to believe this, then I am forever grateful. In an earlier career, I was fired from a corporate job, not for poor performance, in fact, I had just been promoted, but because of who I was dating. I was a single mother at the time. It would’ve been easy to crumble, but instead, I stood up. I took my case to federal court and fought for five years. I was a single parent at the time. It was an emotional journey, but I saw it through. When the trial ended, the judge offered me a meager settlement and told me that because I’d “bounced back,” I should move on. I hadn’t been ruined financially, so what was the harm? The strange thing is, all I really wanted was a formal apology from the company; I never got that. That experience showed me how strong I could be. That my dignity mattered more than a financial settlement, even though I could have certainly used more money. It was also a startling example of a double standard. I knew that had I been a man, none of it would have happened. And then to add insult to injury, I was treated negatively for getting my life back together. There is power in standing up for what you believe is right. Over the years, I’ve held many titles: financial planner, corporate trainer, entrepreneur, hypnotist, franchisee. I’ve supported others in building their dreams, including my then-husband’s gourmet food and catering business, where I left my corporate role to work beside him. I loved it there connecting with
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