When I was 16, I imagined turning 30 in a glamorous corner office in downtown Dallas as the CEO of my own company.
I would hop on a Concorde bound for Paris at a moment’s notice with Jake Ryan by my side.
Oh, the freedom I would have. Someday.
In the meantime, I did what any teenage girl would do. I joined the French club, became Flag Corps captain, and played a twin courtesan wearing silver spandex in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
I had my first love and first loss at the hands of a handsome boy who told me he didn’t love me anymore in a dingy school hallway.
I traveled to Paris on a school trip. It was my first trip to Europe and first glass of wine.
Those weren’t the only life-defining moments from the trip. The group left me behind at Montmartre and a stranger stalked me on the Metro. (That’s a doozy of a story, and Mom didn’t know about it until recently. Hear about it on the first episode of my podcast.)
Growing up is hard, but adulthood will be a breeze, right?
Attending The University of Texas at Austin was an amazing but an emotional trial by fire. I lived away from home for the first time. Joined a business fraternity. Met new friends and a handsome boyfriend from Germany named Olaf (no, not the snowman).
I tried not to look at the circle of naked students dancing by The Union. Relished exquisite meals of Ramen and Taco Bell burritos.
And nothing says “I’m just a cog in a wheel” like a professor asking for my grandfather’s death certificate to miss class for a funeral.
Adulthood is not the sweet, lighthearted comedy promised on A Full House.
College morphed into internships and 90+ hour weeks. Into marketing and event planning. Then training to become a programmer. Over a decade of using tech and marketing skills to design web-based tools and manage tech projects.
Marriage and a painful divorce sent me into a shame spiral, and “Workaholic” became my title.
I excelled at work. Everything became second to my job. The doctor warned that the stress on my body had taken a toll.
The stress almost killed me. Not a hyperbole.
When I turned 40, I knew I had to exit my self-imposed exile in the wilderness and follow the dream of that sixteen-year-old girl. Stop being a wantrepreneur.
In 2013, I left corporate America. I moved out of my penthouse apartment in downtown Dallas into a friend’s extra bedroom. Most of what I own packed into a storage unit.
Back to Taco Bell burritos and Torchy’s tacos. Can’t bring myself to eat Ramen again.
Then training, conferences, more training, and certifications to arrive here. Poised to help you in your journey.
You don’t have to live with drama in the workplace. You started this business to get your freedom back. Don’t be a slave to employee drama.
You don’t have to stare at that blank white Word doc that needs to magically turn itself into your bio or About page. Or stare in agony at that resume that drones on and on and goes into the email blackhole. Or worse, sits at the bottom of someone’s trashcan. Find and articulate your superpowers.
You have an ally.
You have a cheerleader.
You belong here.
I’m here to help you:
- Use the study of human behaviors, driving forces, soft skills and emotional intelligence to build a happy, productive team.
- Build a strong corporate culture that attracts more great people and keeps those people you have already poured so much into.
- Brand yourself. Articulate your strengths. Address areas for improvement. Stand out from the crowd.
So you meet your goals. You make more money. You help more people.
We can’t keep hiring ourselves for every job. We have to support each other in this crazy, exhilarating, tumultuous world of self-employment.
Let’s get real, let’s get to work and let’s take over the world.