Here’s where it all started…

I believe there is a strong connection between understanding our purpose and successfully reaching goals, and that connection is what makes a meaningful difference in our lives and in the world. For me, it took a long time to understand my own purpose. When I was a child, I played the “good girl” role—I worked hard to get good grades and I did everything I could to live up to my parents' expectations. That drive to achieve carried me through high school and college and ultimately led to my success in the banking world where I spent 25 years working my ass off and climbing the ladder. At the time, the success was exciting and addicting, but underneath all of it was a lack of purpose. I was playing it safe and followed the path I thought I should be on, worked the jobs I thought I should do, and married a man I thought I should be with. I was stuck in a perpetual loop of people-pleasing and perfectionism with no boundaries.

One day, one of my leaders at JP Morgan told me that my ability to connect with people is a gift that would carry me further in my career and in my life than my analytical banking skills would ever. If I’m being honest, his comment caught me off guard, and it also shook me AWAKE. I knew in my heart he was right. I love to connect with people, hear their stories, and laugh over shared experiences. That is my superpower! It was that realization that inspired me to make some major changes in my life. With grit, hard work, and humor in my pocket, I took a leap of faith and left my big-time job, got divorced, and started prioritizing my own needs and desires. For the first time in my life, I felt genuinely happy and fulfilled, knowing that I was pursuing MY purpose and living the life that I wanted, not the life that others wanted for me.