As a teenager, I wore a thick mask. You know the one (nope, not that one).

In my head, I was an average student and athlete, a people-pleaser who loved to write story poems and create weird things in shop class and the darkroom of photography. On report cards, things were better than I perceived. I tried harder than anyone I knew for grades that my friends achieved in their sleep (or so I believed).

Grade 11 was consumed with pain and faking smiles to survive. Holding back tears daily, a lump in my throat the size of an apple. Teens smell fear like rabid dogs, and they pounce. Though I was never shoved in a locker, I was ostracized by nearly my entire grade in a rural school. A few key "influencers" led the way, and my yearbook showcased the word "loser" on multiple occasions. I lived a victim existence for far too long following high school.

My first significant relationship lasted 4 years with a kind but troubled severe drug addict. My experience was my own, and perhaps I let that happen for reasons unrealized until 2 decades later.

You may have unexplained challenges in your life that make zero sense. Let me say that God always has a way and a reason. One of the critical ecological needs of life is belonging.

Every human needs these three components for survival: love, safety, and belonging. They make up your and my ecology. Sadly, these can be overshadowed by our need for external validation (cue social media likes, hearts, and comments). We don’t want to admit it, but we are grossly addicted to our devices because of the reactions we receive.

I share this photo because I finally authentically showed up as me, smiling unmasked, and genuinely proud of committing to a 12-week fitness challenge that transformed me in 2019. This experience was my springboard into transformation during a global pandemic that rattled us all.

Today, I am Certified in Mastery Transformation Coaching and help Mompreneurs with ADHD rewrite their story, moving from scattered and stressed, to confident, unstoppable leaders in their business and home.

I am convicted in the principles of leadership for my clients. I help them understand their emotional triggers, choose what is possible, and unshackle from the shame that used to halt their progress. I connect them to who they authentically stand to be. I give them permission to use courage to realize true joy and create a vibrant ripple effect that only God could understand.