People want to work with me because I make them feel like they can overcome anything. I give them hope and a vision for their future. It’s who I am and always have been.

If there was a role for Chief Encourager, I would have it on lock! I would easily have at least 50 people from my current organization endorse and recommend me for that role. Heck, they probably won’t even need me to ask because they will instinctively know that that is the perfect gig for me.

Sadly, no such role exists…yet. But maybe it should and maybe it can. The fact is that so many people are always second guessing themselves and not sure how to move forward. So many things hold people back from what their heart desires. It could be something a family member said during childhood like “You’ll never amount to anything” or “Girls should be seen and not heard” or “Pretty girls don’t have to be smart” or something a manager/supervisor said to you like calling you dumb or stupid or whatever lie somebody somewhere told you that you still believe. Often times, people that discount their abilities just need one person to encourage them, to believe in them and cheer them on…to give them permission to go for it unapologetically and authentically. That’s me all day long and it can be exhausting!

So, I decided to start my own company, No Limits, LLC, to reach more people with my coaching and my teaching.

• Each morning, I made the conscious decision to persevere in spite of whatever would happen that day and there was so much happening all of the time that I could not predict nor prepare for in advance.
• I wore a jogging suit every day to the hospital. I had only one at the time and washed it nightly. It took the guesswork out of what I was going to wear and it was comfortable…a two-fer!
• I made a playlist of all up beat mostly Christian songs to help me stay faithful and positive throughout the day. I never knew what I would find when I arrived at the hospital after dropping the boys at school and daycare. A positive frame of mind was a necessity to build up my endurance. I would listen to this playlist as I drove the boys each morning and then I’d crank it up on my iPhone earbuds as I parked in the deck and walked what seemed like miles underground to Duke University Hospital.
• I asked for help which was challenging. More often than not, I did not know what to ask for and was grateful when someone just showed up with cash or food or sent a card. When I did ask for help, I did not always receive help. Some people did not know how to help but others knew instinctively what I would need and were there before I could ask. Let’s just say, in times like this you find out who your true friends are.
• I took one moment at a time. I could not afford to worry about tomorrow or even later in the day. I dealt with each moment as it happened in real time. The only decisions I made in advance dealt with the boys and how they would get home from school or what they ate and wore.

During our meeting, she listened as I shared my stories…some of which made me cry but I pressed on. She took copious notes and asked pointed questions. At the end, when she began to share her observations…I was completely caught off guard. As a type A personality and someone who views themselves as acutely self-aware…I could not believe that I was speechless. She picked up on something I never noticed…that I had felt alone as a child and worked overtime as an adult to ensure that others in my world did not experience the same feeling of aloneness. It’s the reason I worked so hard to help her be successful. Wow! What a revelation!

My Why – I value people for who they are while inspiring and supporting them as they grow.