In the hills of West Virginia I grew up in a household where love was the greatest asset, despite our family’s early material poverty there was always love. It was a mostly normal childhood filled with the simple pleasures of wv life: running through fields, fishing in a nearby river with friends, attending church and enjoying big family meals on Sunday. My parents divorced and both got married again when I was young. Both sets instilled strong values of hard work and resilience, provided a stable, loving environment that shielded me from most harsh realities of life. This solid foundation of love and support shaped my early years and would become vital later in my journey. As I entered my early teenage years I began a difficult battle with addiction that would last for 3 decades. This struggle consumed much of my young adulthood and all my life after until the age of 42, bringing immense hardship to both me and my family. The relative normalcy of my early life was replaced with the chaos of substance abuse, affecting my health, relationships, and opportunities. At 38, I made a pivotal decision to seek help, entering a recovery program. After 3 rehabs and many relapses I have now been successfully sober and recovering for over 13 years, having rebuilt my life and relationships. Recovery helped me finish a prior career and I have since been working directly in the addcitions recovery arena for over 4 years, serving as a vehicle of hope, speaking on the power of perseverance and the possibilities of profound change.
my personal path to success traveled through many failed attempts
Multiple rehab stays with many relapses and playing the "shell game" with my substances and behaviors resulted in never obtaining any long term recovery. I had to bring me to my knees before I truly became teachable.
Connecting
I feel my ability to connect directly with others is rooted in my eyes. When I speak with others about aspects of my journey, our similarities can't be denied and they can feel that I TRULY understand.
Learning
Quoting one of my many Appalachian grandparents, "You can't get anything in a full cup" I look back now and realized that the day I got humbled enough to be a student, a WORLD full of teachers appeared.
Application
I impress a basic understanding that if what you've previously tried hasn't worked, there's only 1 thing left to try, something different.
My profile, my passion and my mission
I worked in the cosmetics industry for over 29 years and took great care to ensure my jobs were completed to the best of my ability, because my name was on the work.
Never have I gained more fulfillment from working than in doing what I do today. For me, there's completely different work gratification when I see individuals begin to realize possibilities, opportunities and most significantly, find HOPE.
