1972

Watching my mom struggle with her 9-5 job throughout my childhood inspired me to start my first business when I was 15. 

This was pre-computer, pre-internet, pre-cell phone, pre-online marketing, and pre-everything available to entrepreneurs today. In my hometown of Chicago, I clearly remember wondering what I could do as a shy teenager with no skills. I knew I didn't want to babysit or mow lawns, and then I got a brainstorm: working as a photographic model might be fun! That meant driving all over the city in my mom’s small car because everything in those days had to be done in person. Although I was never a top model, I did learn a very valuable lesson: the importance of being on time. To this day, I’m crazy early for everything.

1980

I'm paid to write? If I'm dreaming - don't wake me!

Bored with modeling, my love of writing led me to pursue work as a self-taught advertising copywriter, determined to learn everything I could to open my own ad agency. Decades before AI was developed, everything an ad agency churned out had to come from organic human creativity. No longer self-employed, my greatest lessons were learning to work as part of a team and organizing and prioritizing my time to meet client deadlines.

1982

I moved to Texas, chasing warmer weather and new opportunities, and opened a small advertising agency.

My favorite work was writing and producing TV commercials and planning events like the gala honoring cartoonist Cathy Guisewite as Businesswoman of the Year for an entrepreneurial women’s group. Every day was a new adventure. At the time, I had major personal issues with flexibility and patience, so my hardest lessons revolved around dealing with the constant changes in my daily schedule. I had the opportunity to work on those new skills repeatedly every day!

1988

First, it’s the oooh and ahhh, and then the running and screaming. Owning an ad agency was fun and exciting until it wasn’t.

The bottom dropped out of the Houston economy, and my relationship with my business partner (who had become my husband) ended in a devastating divorce. I still worked with him every day while having to put on a happy face for clients, feeling worthless and miserable because I was clueless about what to do next. The most valuable lessons I learned were the forgiveness of my ex-husband and of myself for making the choices that got me into that situation. I had lots of practice learning how to surrender to the unpredictability of my ongoing healing process.

1989

A year later, I was still at the ad agency, feeling trapped, hugely stressed, and consumed with self-doubt. 

Then, unexpectedly, I experienced a true life miracle.

One night, after a particularly harrowing day at the office, a guardian angel materialized in my tiny living room and told me he was there in answer to my prayers. He explained that his name was John Reid, and his purpose was to help me transition into my destiny as a spiritual coach and author who would provide intuitive guidance to others. When I first saw him, I thought all the stress was causing me to hallucinate!

And, the irony was, at the time, I had never been more clueless about the direction of my own life. John Reid had come to help me so I could pay it forward and devote my life to helping others. He told me I had a choice: I could remain where I was or take the risk to step outside my comfort zone and launch into a new chapter of my life. I visualized what my future would look like if I stayed in a business I had outgrown (the ad agency) with a partner I had outgrown (my ex)…and it felt like getting a root canal with no anesthetic. I took the risk. Shy, introverted me was led out of the hellhole my life had become by a spirit no one else could see - except for small children - but that’s another story.

At a time when I had lost all faith in myself, I had to muster the courage to trust in a spirit (!) and believe that I somehow had the capacity to do something I had never considered in my wildest dreams. I didn't even know what “intuitive guidance” or "channeling" meant! The choices I made at that time to move forward in spite of my self-trust issues and overwhelming fear have served me all of my adult life. I had to surrender to the process of learning how to trust John, so I could learn to trust myself again. Not a simple process, even in baby steps.

1991

Is this really happening? I'm channeling on Radio and TV!

With guidance from John, I slowly learned how to channel. I began appearing on local TV and quickly became a regular on KRBE radio’s morning show, offering live intuitive guidance to callers. Soon, I was seeing clients five days a week in a new office that was all my own. After taking countless tiny baby steps, I had finally discovered my life’s purpose. Being a shy introvert didn't have to hold me back from stepping into the life I deserved.

1995

My first book, How to Talk With Your Angels, was published by HarperCollins.

I was a newly minted published author, which was a dream come true! The lesson I learned was that anything can happen if I combine intent, action, and perseverance.

1998

With John’s guidance, I created a national tour of in-person workshops.

I battled disabling shyness and dread of flying as I traveled all over the US to teach thousands of people how to recognize and develop their intuition. As John foretold years before, I was starting to pay it forward. My biggest lesson was self trust. I was faced with the challenge of venturing outside my comfort zone - in each new city with a completely different audience - without being swallowed by constant fear.

1999

My second book, Discover Your Spiritual Destiny, was published by HarperCollins.

I expected the process to be simpler than writing my first book. It wasn’t. It was harder. My friend, best-selling author Catherine Lanigan, gave me some tough love over lunch one day by explaining that each book starts with the same challenging empty page for an author, and it would never get easier. I always think of Catherine with appreciation as I begin each new writing project. My biggest lesson was to understand the value of being kind and patient with myself rather than relentlessly self-critical.

2009

Bond With Your Baby Before Birth was published by HCI.

This book was a passion project for me. However, the topic made it difficult back then to attract a publisher. I’ve often wondered if that was why my literary agent retired soon after working with me on this project to become a chiropractor! I was still struggling with the issue of patience, and the lesson I was learning was that a process of any kind can’t be rushed, and everything will unfold in the perfect timing of the Universe.

2010
to Present

The Edgar Cayce Association of Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) invited me to speak about angel communication, channeling, and intuitiveness across the US.

A.R.E. allowed me to create the content for all my workshops, and each city provided a unique audience. At first, before each event, I was shaking with anxiety, consumed with worry that I wasn’t enlightened enough or a good enough speaker to meet the high standards of their spiritually sophisticated audiences. John pointed out that the reason I became terrified before each event was that my ego was focused on me and how the audience would judge me; instead, I needed to shift the focus off me and focus entirely on the audience and how I could serve them. Shifting my focus provided a turnaround. From that point, I slowly began to enjoy sharing information in front of a group. The A.R.E. audiences were warm and welcoming in every city I appeared. I was moving forward - still in baby steps.

2011

The Calling: My Journey With the Angels was published by A.R.E.

My memoir went on to become a finalist in two book award contests. As a people-pleaser who craved approval, this project was especially challenging because it required that I share the true scope of my personal story. Later, I was shocked when so many people reached out because they related to my traumatic childhood.

2014

The Way of Knowingness was published by A.R.E.

I created workshops and events based on the material in the book, and it was a joy to host them. The lesson for me was very surprising: after decades of pushing myself to speak in public, which for many years I found terrifying, I had transitioned into a comfortable speaker. It was nothing short of a miracle for a shy, introverted girl like me!

The Present

After 35+ years of working as a spiritual coach providing intuitive guidance, I still love conducting private channeling sessions and teaching others how to develop and trust their intuition.

Every day, I’m amazed at how the Universe provides many valuable lessons to help us grow and tangible signs to guide us toward the next best step. I’ve learned that we’re never lost or alone if we have faith and trust in our intuition - our greatest natural inner gift!