About Me
I am passionate about facilitating connections …. whether it’s working with an individual who is desiring to connect to themselves, individuals looking to connect with each other, and/or a business person or organization looking to create an environment in which there is more connection within the organization as well as with clients and customers.
To maximize the benefits of my professional background as well as my life experiences, I am particularly interested in working with people who have high visibility within the public. Whether that’s working one-on-one, working with teams, to inspire those working with and/or following them in creating and deepening connection within themselves as well as throughout their lives.
My upbringing combined with a significant change in direction in my life, has resulted in me accepting that I’m a lighthouse for others, as we all have the opportunity to be for others. All of this had led to my life today which is peaceful.
After spending most of the 1980s with a top ten advertising agency, in addition to receiving a Graduate Level certificate in Servant Leadership in 2010, I am working towards a graduate degree in Organizational Leadership. It got put on hold when I experienced a severe relapse of a health condition in late 2011 into 2013. I had also started work towards a second Graduate level certificate in Transformation of Conflict. Beginning in 2010, I started extensively studying Nonviolent Communication (NVC) including NVC-based Mediation. To complement my interest in creating more conscious and mindful environments, I have also studied Dynamic Self-Governance as well as Restorative Justice. I’ve deepened my relationship to myself after learning Trinity Energy Progression™ in 2014. Combined with the expansion of my formal studies and related training, I’ve found I’ve grown into my calling in life.
I easily integrate all aspects of my life, with what many might consider seemingly disparate interests … that is, “spirituality” / mindfulness / consciousness …. and business. Given we all interact with businesses on a regular basis, it’s natural we would want to become more conscious and connected. Most important, if as a collective (meaning, “humanity”), as we expand and change how we connect in business, we will have an exponential shift in how we connect in society.
The consulting and coaching I do is enhanced by my strong intuitive traits (i.e., instinct, gut feeling, etc.), something I believe everyone has. Combined with my aforementioned education, experience, and training, this supports the various short-term needs individuals and businesses may have to create a more conscious way of being and a more conscious environment.
My long-term goal with each client is to put myself out of business with clients reaching a level of self-work which supports continual self-growth (perhaps with occasional tweaks) and in the case of businesses, work with them to develop an in-house program, or one run by a dedicated person. My best contributions in life are project-based, as I have a unique skill set and comfort level in creating new projects, and moving on to the next project.
A lifelong seeker, with a wealth and breadth of life and business experiences and training, I see being connected and conscious as the “practical” choice. With the ongoing discoveries (or is it really acknowledgment) and explorations in the scientific field, particularly in quantum physics, I see believing in what we think of as “extra-sensory” as obvious as believing the earth is round.
I enjoy working with clients who are looking to integrate their “spirituality” (that is, their commitment to being conscious, making mindful choices in life) as a way of being, versus as just some activity they do and beyond as a “way of life”. To me, it really is as simple as awakening the remembrance that we are all connected. The fun comes in doing so in a way that fits the lifestyle of the individual and/or organization.
I’m likely not so different than many others in this wonderful country of ours … I was born in 1960, and thanks to the hard work of my parents who both grew up through the Great Depression and came from humble beginnings of farmers and ranchers, I grew up in Northern California with many privileges. My dad was a 24-year Naval officer and spent the following twenty years as a Trust Officer with Crocker Bank. Oh yea, and then when dad retired, he worked at “Orchard Hardware Supply” which he referred to as his toy shop. That’s exactly how I feel about hardware stores. My mom was and still is a real estate broker; she developed a vast part of my hometown in Saratoga, California. In its early days, my parents also owned part of J. Lohr Winery while my sister ran the tasting room.
My mom was a Brownie leader, and I continued on to be a Girl Scout. I had an untrained three-octave voice in grammar school; and sang in the choir. During that time, I was also a cheerleader, in theatre, and tutored other children, of all ages. I was doing high school level work in grammar school, graduating with a 3.8+ in both grammar and high school. I took ballet, tap, piano, swimming, and horseback riding lessons; none of which I’m proficient at. I’ve never been very good at team sports; I was in a bowling league when younger (and while I lived in Chicago), body-surfed, snow skied, and did some water skiing. I LIVED on my roller skates. We visited Navy friends in Southern California a fair amount, which meant I went to Disneyland a lot as a child. Occasionally, we’d go over the border into Tijuana and would periodically go to Vancouver, British Columbia to visit my mom’s family. We would visit the “family ranch” my dad’s brother and his family lived on, in the “valley” (aka San Joaquin Valley). I’d hang out with the cows and horses; and some years would take a bus to spend a couple of weeks there, spending most of my time with the animals and my aunt as she had 5 boys and always wanted a daughter. I babysat, dogsat, and housesat for friends and neighbors from the time I was ten or so as well as cleaned houses for family friends and helped out at my mom’s real estate firm. I took 3 years of both Spanish and French in high school, neither of which I can speak. I took auto shop in high school, played the flute in the school band after a year of being a cheerleader, spent some time in the airplane club, and was active in student government. I took modeling lessons when a junior in high school, and regularly did luncheon modeling as well as local runway shows and mannequin modeling, both for JCPenneys. I took a year of Italian in college; and when traveling to Europe, I’m most likely to default to a little bit of Italian combined with some Spanish, maybe French, and a LOT of hand signals. I have a terrible ear but great pronunciation so I can say “guten tag” and natives start to rattle off in German (or whichever language I used my few words to greet them with), and I lost them way back when. I spent two months after college traveling Europe with my best friend and meeting up in Italy with my boyfriend and his brother; plus, I’ve been to Europe few other times. I’ve visited all states in the United States except Montana and South Dakota; most of this has been since college. In spite of all this, I was terribly shy until well after college. Put me in front of a crowd, and I shine as well as manage the “room”.
I am grateful and fortunate for all of these experiences and privileges. They have contributed to who I am today as well as how I can contribute to others. I grew up in a new home in a safe neighborhood (well, mostly), never having to worry as a child when I would next get food or would my family members be killed or injured. Short of kindergarten, I was fortunate to attend 18 years of Catholic education. Following my undergraduate studies, it surprised me when I was hired for a position with a top ten ad agency in Chicago, as this was a very coveted position in high profile Midwest and Eastern colleges.
None of this meant that I felt good about myself; far from it. To start with, I had been adopted at the age of 2 months; and there’s plenty of research of how this impacts the child, and then the adult in core bonding traits. My sister who is 8 years older, and my brother who was 4 years younger were both “natural born”. In short, that combined with other life experiences, I had no sense of self-confidence, emotional safety, or belonging. So I know what that feels like at a core level … I felt like a fake and a failure for much of my life. Thankfully, I have evolved beyond that and am comfortable, at a core level, with who I am and trust what my life experiences have been.
At the age of 29, my life changed direction. While working on one of the top five brands in the world at the ad agency, and training for the Chicago marathon, I got ill with what is identified as likely the most prevalent auto-immune disease, known as CFS/CFIDS/ME. Looking back, there may have been signs ever since I was in a car accident in July 1988, and it took me almost 2 years to recover. Yet, the final crash of my body came on quickly; and I went from working and working out plus an active social life to being so ill I needed help carrying a single bag of groceries.
Thankfully, for the short-term I had the net of private disability through my employer and a solid support network. Yet, I was ill and we didn’t know why. There was no treatment short of symptom management; and certainly we had no idea of the prognosis. Eventually my European-trained physician figured out what was going on; but it didn’t change anything, especially as within the medical community this was a recently identified illness (just five years earlier in 1985). So, I know what it feels like to really feel powerless, and hopeless.
Over time, Met Life cancelled my private disability claiming that my disability was due to mental illness. It wasn’t, except I had depression related to having my entire life fall apart; but this is a common tactic of insurers. I had another net of Social Security disability which my private insurer required be applied for. I attempted to fight Met Life’s decision but who has the energy for that in the first years when you’re trying to survive, and often struggle just to get through the day.
I’m fortunate in that I am part of the 30% diagnosed with this disease who got somewhat better. Since 1990, I’ve had ups and downs related to my health; I’ve volunteered in many situations, helped people to bring their dreams to life. What I’ve found, so far, is that I can do only so much before my body crashes, to varying degrees. Nonetheless, my goal is to live as much of a regular life as possible, which is made possible by my becoming married in 1995 as often people who have long-term illnesses become isolated from others. This has provided me with some financial stability.
People have asked why I have pushed myself to work or contribute to others, instead of just staying on the couch. That’s simple …. read on.
I think it’s basic human nature that we want to help others. Plus, my growing up in the 60s and 70s combined with a Catholic upbringing, I was a walking billboard for “sacrifice” and helping others.
There’s also when you’re ill and feel powerless, it’s gratifying and hopeful to be able to help someone else. Additionally, as much as possible, it can be very important to stay connected to a network of people outside of the health issue you are experiencing so that not everything is about that, which is made easier by the internet. We barely had computers when I first got ill.
Those motivations of “helping others” and generating external validations are issues I’ve shifted beyond and now what I do for others is really just about two things: 1 ) a calling I’ve felt my entire life; and 2 ) following my inner guidance. If I am guided to do something, I do it.
On my 50th birthday in July 2010, I reconnected with myself and began this phase of my personal awakening. Ultimately, a series of events led to my being introduced to Trinity Energy Progression™, which has changed my life in a significant way. After training to become a Practitioner, I also trained to become a Facilitator/Instructor.
~grins~ Perhaps you’ve noticed that I love the ocean. The Pacific is where my soul lives. I was fortunate to grow up living “over the hill” from the Santa Cruz area, with a beach home on the ocean at Rio Del Mar. It was such a great part of my childhood.
Nowadays, I live about 8 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, where this photo was taken. In the photo at the top of the page, this is Celt, my Border Collie, who came from Louisiana, following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Missy (Miss America) is in my arms; she came from a puppy mill seizure I was involved in at Goldsboro, NC in 2009. I was there related to the field team I managed for a disaster response program I co-created for PetSmart Charities. I have three other Dachshunds as well. Well, four; Emmett is now living happily and healthily spoiled by my mom.
I’ve been a lifelong animal person; most animals just think that I am another animal.
I have a good visual eye and love photography, creating websites for myself (and at times, others), decorating, and now, gardening. My sense of humor has once been described as “so dry some confuse it with no sense of humor” at all. I have a light-handed and light-hearted approach to life, unless I get too tired or hungry. 🙂
I’ve created a life for myself filled with internal peace, acceptance, bliss, joy, and lots of fun and laughter. As a dear Trinity Energy Progression Facilitator friend, David Parent, phrased a concept of mine so wonderfully, “The grace and ease is in the perception, not the situation.”
