Hello It’s Me.

It’s been forever since I’ve written a new blog.

I stopped writing for a reason.

My life changed.

I lost my passion for my work and career. My decades long marriage ended. I suffered a reversal of fortunes on all fronts. Spiritual. Mental. Physical. Financial. The wheels on my bus started to come off around 2016. An overwhelming sense of, “Is this all there is?” set in. Major changes had to happen but I kept ignoring the signals… until they couldn’t be ignored any longer. Karma, if stubbornly ignored, has a way of taking care of itself.

In January of 2019, I found myself living alone for the first time in my life. Tucked away in a tiny corner of the universe, I’ve had time to truly think about the things which matter most to me. And though the trip hasn’t been easy, it’s been an amazing two years. One that, despite the setbacks, has filled my heart with love, a sense of wonder, and hope.

During my few years away, I never stopped writing. I just stopped sharing. But the reality is, my strong suit is the written word. The ability to convey ideas well… with a decided bent to make our lives better. And even if I can only make the difference in one person’s life, it will have made my life worth living.

My background has provided a wellspring of experiences and lessons I feel may help. I spent 35 years of my life teaching and coaching. Primarily network marketing. The skill sets required to make a great living and create an exciting and rewarding life. Ultimately, I ended up leaning my ladder against the wrong wall. That was one hard pill to swallow. It took me years to sort through the mess I’d made. But that was then.

In my time away, I stood face-to-face with a group of people who demanded I find my purpose. It was the winter of 2018. I couldn’t leave the room until I came up with my plan. More on that transformational experience another day, but not today.

What came out of my mouth, after years of brooding on the subject, changed every single molecule in my body:

My life work has everything to do with helping battered, abused, molested girls become capable, competent, strong women.

In that moment of revelation, the next journey of my life began to roll out in front of me. The name of my mission came as an overwhelming sense of duty, magnified by love:

UnbreakableGirls.

I’ve since registered the name and am working to establish UnbreakableGirls as a 501c3. An entity devoted to making our world better by helping girls know their lives will get better.

I won’t belabor this point today but in my late 20’s I felt I needed to do something to help girls like me who, as a child, suffered all the attendant shame that comes from being molested. But, I definitely wasn’t equipped to help back then. I would have only enabled others to remain victims. I needed a whole lot more healing.

In my 30’s, I was too busy working hard to get well, mentally, and emotionally, well. It took years.

In my 40’s, I was too busy leading a productive and happy life as a married woman raising two children I loved and building a career I believed was my greatest professional accomplishment. No regrets.

In my 50’s, I came face to face with the struggles of being an empty nester who wasn’t prepared for the change. And finding my work was no longer fulfilling. Hard reality.

In my 60’s, I had to face the fact my marriage to a man I’d adored and loved madly, had been over for a decade. Pure heartbreak.

It’s been one helluva ride. But it’s far from over.

Today marks the end of my 64th time around the sun. I’m grateful for all the experiences that got me here. My birthday present to myself is re-launching my blog. I can tell you it feels unfamiliar but it also beckons and feels strangely comfortable. The ennui has lifted. I’m experiencing a sense of purpose and peace as I set out to do what I’m certain I was designed to do:

Write. Something I should have been doing as my vocation for the last twenty years.

I am a writer, a teacher, a coach, a woman who loves people and thrives on being kind. No longer as a business coach, but as a woman, girlfriend, mother-figure, mentor, confidante. A touchstone for young women who have been broken by a society who has done more harm to them than they’ve ever done to others.

With no desire to preach or unnecessarily coddle, I want to hold up a mirror to girls and women everywhere. I want them to see their beauty, innate wisdom, and true value despite finding themselves in a world where they’ve been beaten down, tormented, sexualized, and discarded. To let them know, as difficult as it is to be young and victimized, we can, with guidance and mentoring, encouragement and role models, live happy, productive, outrageously fulfilling, Unbreakable Lives.

So… for all of you who’ve spent many years encouraging me to write, this first blog is for you. I’ll do my best to continually strive to have something to say and that my words can bring healing and happiness to you and the women you love.

Thank you for your love. You helped me give birth to UnbreakableGirls.