About Me

I am an Arizona native, born in Phoenix. My husband Eric recently passed away. He, too, was a native of Mesa, Arizona. I live in the home where we raised our four children for thirty years in Gilbert, Arizona. We have four children, three girls and one boy, who are now parents of their own and have blessed our lives with ten beautiful grandchildren. They all live within miles of our home.

I faced abandonment and sexual, mental, spiritual, and physical abuse as a child. Because of my dysfunctional home, I have fought off depression, anxiety, body shaming, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts. Pinpointing each trauma I have endured I was determined to find a way to live happily and be free from shame, I took it upon myself to learn as much as possible about the brain and why we say or do things we do—training under the very best in brain mapping and the subconscious mind. Dr. Daniel Amen, and Amen University.

I’d say, “David Byrd, my transformational coach, has been the most influential person in transitioning to my new way of life.” He has taught me that our negative thoughts and emotions create chaos in our bodies and how we communicate with people every day without even saying a word. Surprisingly, most beliefs about ourselves have formed in our subconscious before age twelve. David Byrd taught me that divine stillness comes in very softly and sits to see what you will do with the information given. Thus, meditation leads to intuition and allows you to receive that divine intervention.

As a motivational speaker, I can teach about inner beauty, living joyfully, overcoming fear and shame, never giving up, and celebrating failures and successes. I am the author of the following books: I CANCER VIVE: Live Free, Be Happy. Pebbles in my Pocket: Letting go of the things we have no control over, and The Happiness Junkie #KindnessMatters.

I was on the cover and wrote an article for The Breast Cancer Wellness Magazine. I’m also featured in a chapter of Live Happy: Ten Practices for Choosing Joy by Deborah Heisz and a collaboration book called Unbreakable: Heroic Stories of Triumph Over Trauma.

I love the calm I feel sitting next to the ocean, but I’m also content relaxing at a cabin in the woods. My husband and I loved traveling and were able to finish almost everything on our bucket list before his passing.

I love the Olympics, with my favorite events being track and field, swimming, gymnastics, and volleyball.