Forty-five years of listening. Forty-five years of learning that women deserve more.

The beginning

I was born into an environment that was toxic both physically and emotionally. My mother was prescribed fertility drugs that were later banned, and my father used pesticides that suffered the same fate. Their toxic marriage left me as an only child, believing it was my job to "fix it"! Decades later, those environmental (known carcinogens) and emotional toxins manifested as cancer.

My body sounded the alarm early:

• At age 15: I underwent major surgery for severe hormonal issues.
• At age 17: All ten of my fingernails fell off, leaving my hands cracked, bloody, and raw. No nail polish for me - it was bandaids!
• In adulthood: I faced the heartbreak of infertility and a devastating late-term miscarriage with twins.

The emotional trials

The emotional trials were just as fierce. I navigated the heavy waters of a husband struggling with bipolar disorder, psychosis and suicidality. I lived for years with the keys in one hand and the phone in the other in case I needed to flee with my daughter.

Later, that same generational trauma impacted my younger daughter, leading to multiple hospitalizations and, eventually, a heartbreaking severing of ties where she joined a cult. I pray every day that is alive, well and knows how much she is loved.

By the time I hit my 50s, my body hit a wall. I was diagnosed with a rare leukemia, chronic Lyme disease, and systemic staph infections, near death and resulting in multiple hospitalizations.