I was raised by entrepreneurial parents, so I have known that I wanted my own business for a long time. I couldn’t see myself working a 9-5 job sitting at a desk, instead I felt I wanted to be creative.

I started dance at a young age, which was and still is one of my favorite ways to express myself. Along with dance I found I shine best when using different forms of art, such as dance and art classes in school (it was my favorite subject!) It was there, I used my hands to mold and shape, this helped me discover some of my God given talents. Then I became a massage therapist so I continued to express myself through the art of touch. And now I am passionate about sharing my messages through the power of my voice; through the art of public speaking.

I became a Licensed Massage Therapist in 2004, worked at a spa to gain experience. Then in July of 2007, I started my own traveling massage biz. That was a huge leap for me, but somehow I felt confident in my choice. I now have two associates working under me.

I learned so much from running my biz that I wanted to continue growing. That’s when I kept hearing about personal and professional development. And I knew that public speaking was a part of that, so I looked into joining groups that support speakers.

Let me tell you, public speaking did not come natural for me. Actually, it freaked me out! I, like most introverts, feared speaking in front of large groups. But then I found Toastmasters, and that was the best thing I did to help myself gain confidence in public speaking. Now, I absolutely love speaking to groups of individuals, in-person is best but virtual works well for me too.

I have various topics I speak on and self-care is one of them. It has drawn me to not only practice it but share how well it works. Practicing self-care has actually saved me in my biz. The statistics of burnout in massage therapist is only 3-5 years. That’s it… I’ve made it 20 years!

I also love and can relate well to introverts, so I have been speaking to introverts for nearly 3 years. I also have a virtual group called ‘Networking for Introverts’.

My newest project is designed to empower middle school age students, teaching them how to stand in their quiet power to use their voice when they feel lost, embarrassed or have an important thought to share.

God gifted me with some struggles in my youth so that today, I am able to use my experience to support others in their journey. If I can help shorten the struggle for young people, I believe their future will be to pass the torch of empowerment beyond me to help others thrive. Let’s create a movement!

I was held back in first grade. Once that happened, I decided I was stupid. Sounds harsh, but it was the truth. I became shy and pulled into myself. (became an anxious introvert) I stopped asking questions therefore I fell behind. I was afraid to speak to people in any situation.

I struggled for most of my school career. Especially in middle school… that is when I became self conscious because horrible acne took over my face. (Kids called me pizza face) 

High school improved a bit for me as I was placed in the proper level classes and started to better understand the materials being taught. I still struggled to speak up and ask questions for fear of sounding stupid.

After high school, thankfully I chose to live at home, work and go to massage school. That seemed like it would be a better fit for someone shy like me. This was the time I started to finally gain some confidence with learning because there was hands-on learning instead of just listening to a lecture, studying and taking a test.

After several years in my business, I was looking to grow personally and professionally. I kept hearing of public speaking as a way of increasing business and attraction. Toastmasters was on my radar, but again I was fearful of speaking up, so the thought of going to a meeting freaked me out. About a year later, I went to my first meeting and LOVED it! I became a member right away and started diving into speeches to get the experience and feedback in order to improve.

Toastmasters was the best decision I made to help myself get outside my comfort zone and to grow.

The whole journey of hasn’t been all rainbows, but this definitely defines resilience for me.

I recently decided to following my calling of wanting to help young people in similar situations. I want to use my voice (the voice I didn’t have as a child) to give them tools they can use to pull them out of the dark scary places of shyness, hurt, shame, and even embarrassment.

If you know any young people, in the age range of middle school, (around the ages of 11-15) who are quiet, internal thinkers and/or scared to speak up, I’d love an opportunity to share my story of resilience with them.

For now I will refer to them as introverted tweens. These are the young people I have a big heart for… they are the ones I want to speak with to share my message of hope! 

I’m looking to connect with adults first, to share my story in the hops of connecting to their heartstrings.

Are you a:
Parent of an introverted tween?
Leader of a Girls/Boys club?
Affiliated with the PTO at school? (or other parent groups)
Teacher, principle or superintendent at a middle school?

Let’s talk!

Networking and word of mouth referrals has been the best way I have grown my business. When I started my business in 2007 I joined a leads/networking group. This not only helped me to start overcoming speaking in front of others but also gave me confidence in promoting my own business.

Once the ‘know, like, and trust factor’ was established, I started getting referrals and from the group. I kept it going by providing an exceptional service and therefore the clients were eager to rebook for their next appointment.

I also had a super wonderful client who was very gracious and generous. She loved the services I provided and started referring ALL her friends and family to me. And it grew from there, their friends started referring me… and so on.

I am honored to have been blessed with a few key clients that helped my business grow without paying for advertising.