🌟 From Personal Challenges to Empowering Change 🌟

In 1993, I stood on the brink of an exciting new chapter in Washington, D.C., with dreams as vast as the horizon. My life appeared meticulously planned—a Master's Degree, a debut at Carnegie Hall, thrilling travels, leading roles, and even founding a Young Singer's Summer Intensive. The next natural step, I believed, was to chase the spotlight in NYC.

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But life had its script. Instead of the Big Apple, I temporarily separated in Oklahoma, by my sister's side as she battled breast cancer. Her valiant fight stretched over three agonizing years, with round after round of chemotherapy, but in the end, the disease prevailed.

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Six months later, her husband's swift remarriage and the painful eviction of my nephew from the family home shattered our world. I embraced this young man, akin to my brother, as he grappled with the turmoil within. The anguish I witnessed ultimately led him down the treacherous path of drugs and alcohol.

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A few years down the road, life presented another curveball - divorce and the role of a single mom to two remarkable children who became my guiding lights. Being a single parent is a formidable challenge; if you know one, offer them a heartfelt hug because they need it!

It's essential to share that our journey wasn't without its share of hurdles. After the divorce, we found ourselves homeless and relying on food stamps for a brief period. The stigma and shame still lingers, but it has shaped me into a more compassionate and generous person both financially and spiritually.

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Only a few years later, with unwavering determination, I had earned a Doctoral Degree, turning our lives around completely. During this transformation, I embarked on a journey to obtain my Doctorate in Vocal Performance at the University of Oklahoma. Juggling full-time studies, raising my children, and working two jobs teaching voice and singing at a local church, I was in constant motion.

Life seemed to have one speed: full speed ahead. In my second year of graduate school, I received a phone call that shattered my world once more. My brilliant, vivacious nephew, battling demons of addiction and depression, lost his battle. In the middle of the night, he stepped onto a highway, colliding with a van traveling over 70 MPH. The pain is unfathomable, and even time can't heal the wounds. I'll never truly "get over it."

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My family unit was forever changed between my sister's and nephew's tragic losses. Vacations and holidays became painful reminders. Amidst this emotional maelstrom, I longed for the solace of a family connection.

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In 2011, I seized a full-time teaching role and embarked on a tenure-track position as the head of the Voice and Opera department at a prominent institution. Unbeknownst to me, I sought a new family, a sense of belonging, and a fresh start in the background of my subconscious.

 

This job was highly stressful, and the faculty was a dysfunctional group of colleagues. In fact, using “colleagues” as a description of them is an oxymoron.  I worked my fingers to the bone to build the voice program and the opera program. I had a summer Art Song Festival that quickly grew to over 25 students and 18 faculty, staff, and volunteers. In a few short years, the voice program went from a few performance majors to needing to hire four adjuncts. I was in High Schools, Middle Schools, Conferences, teaching for summer programs, and running a major festival, all for the sole purpose of recruiting students into the program. 

 

To say I was running on fumes is a HUGE understatement because I also was performing, writing articles, taking my students to competitions, NATS, trying to be a wife ( I remarried in 2007), a mom, a sister, a daughter, and a friend. It was getting harder every year to sustain the race and the energy needed to continue. In 2017, I went to a retreat that, in all honesty, I didn’t want to attend. It was one of the best things that happened to me. I had to sit with my exhaustion, feelings, grief, and anger. It was uncomfortable, and I remember doing nothing but crying on one of those days – and I am not a crier. It was then that I realized I needed to do something different. I was losing the battle with burnout and stress. But I was still my obstacle. I thought I would fare better if I just recruited a few more people and graduate students to take on some of the little details.

 

It's funny the lies we tell ourselves to keep the status quo.  So, I started on the down-low looking at jobs in other places. My husband had a stroke that following December, and we were stunned! He is in good shape, and an avid golfer, not the kind that rides a cart, but the guy walking the golf course and carrying his clubs. He is not what I would have said is a prime candidate for a stroke. He is a non-smoker, very seldom drinks alcohol (I can barely get him to finish his beer, which is why he was appealing in the first place), and eats salad! I then began reading books on stroke, heart disease, and foods that heal.

 

We stopped eating all things white and cut our red meat consumption in half.  Even though we were trying to be more “healthy,” during the fall of 2018, I was in pain and trouble physically, emotionally, and mentally. I had been ignoring some lower back pain and some spasms in my back. I chalked it up to being at a piano or on my feet most of the time. But one day, it seemed I was suddenly in much pain. The kind that puts you on your knees. In hindsight, I can see that it was not sudden.

 

My body had been giving me warning signs for over a year. I took some Ibuprofen, and I was in less pain and could manage to get through the day, but I was merely masking the symptoms. The next day, it was three ibuprofen, the next four. Until I was in my doctor’s office, and I could barely stand, my hair fell out by the handfuls. Turns out Ibuprofen has a little-known side-effect of causing hair loss and leaky gut when taken too much. Who knew?  ​ I’ll spare you all of the details, but at first, they thought it was bursitis in my hip.

 

A week later, I am telling an Orthopedic Doctor that I will NOT be having back surgery and allowing him to fuse four of my vertebrae. I asked him to order six weeks of physical therapy and that I would only consider surgery IF I was still in excruciating pain after entirely giving physical therapy a chance. Sure enough, the physical therapy was a Godsend, and within two weeks, I was upright and back to doing some walking. I wasn’t pain-free, but I wasn’t sitting in my car crying at the thought of getting out of it and walking to my office. This gave me great HOPE! The funny thing about hope is that when you have it you can see past the obstacles you are creating for yourself.

 

I bought a book called “The Plant Paradox” by Dr. Gundry. It rocked my world. I promptly changed my diet even more and started taking supplements to deal with the inflammation in my body, and BOOM I am pain-free! If this changed my body, what else was I missing? Humans are a trip. When we feel stuck, depressed, and negative, we can NOT see the simple changes we could make. After all, I am tough, everyone says so…and for this reason, I did little to seek help or talk about what I was dealing with inwardly to anyone. Instead, it took Don’s stroke, my radical pain, unhappiness, and a loss of purpose to get me to start caring about my mental health, physical health, and emotional health enough to start questioning everything I believed. Maybe I am not so tough.  

 

S0, I thought, “I wonder what I could be doing to “fix” my mindset, my health, my situation?”  The answer, at first, was podcasts and books, books, and more books. I read 60 books over a year and a half. Some of them are not in their entirety, but the majority from cover to cover.  Inevitably, I became deeply passionate about health and mental wellness! 

 

My parents are 95 years old. Together, they are a whole person; mom is mentally sharp as a tack but stuck on the couch or behind a walker because of the hip, back, and knee pain. (Sound familiar?). Dad has vascular dementia, like his two sisters and his dad before him. You can bet my genes – cancer, bone and joint issues, and dementia is a big concern for me.

 

Now, I am in better health and living in Virginia. I found a new place of work, and I am in a place of peace and happiness. I have discovered the miracle of breathwork. After a couple of years of keeping a food diary to see what causes me digestive issues, headaches, or inflammation, I rarely suffer physically. I walk 4-6 miles every day. I do yoga, play golf, tap dance, and hike. I am a happy, lifelong learner and naturally curious person.  I am finishing a master's degree in clinical psychotherapy. I am also a transformative coach in the mind-body-spirit modalities.

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🌠 The Healthy Voice Initiative: A Journey of Resilience and Transformation 🌠

Today, I stand before you, a testament to the human spirit's strength, adaptability, and the power of the voice. My life's story is one of tenacity, empathy, and resilience. And now, I invite you to join me on a journey of empowerment.

🌈 The Healthy Voice Initiative: It's not just about discovering your vocal potential; it's a holistic approach to embracing your true self. We've curated this program from the depths of our experiences, turning life's trials into a thriving community of support.

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For a limited time, this transformative journey is available at a special price of $250 (originally $500) until December. Seats are limited. Don't miss your chance to be part of a community that believes in the strength of the human spirit.

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Enroll today and embark on your own journey of transformation. Together, we'll explore the boundless possibilities of your voice and spirit. 💪🎤🌟

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