I'm no longer who I was and that's a good thing. I've learned, I've grown, and I'm moving forward with clarity. I'm aligning my life with who I've become.

As an Assistant Professor in academia, I found meaning in mentoring undergraduate students. They have been some of the great joys during my time in my position. They are passionate, intelligent, capable, and ready to learn new things. Watching them develop their laboratory and critical think skills has been what has kept me going even on the toughest days.

Working in education taught me that resilience isn't about staying quiet - it's about speaking up. I found meaning when I embraced leadership as advocacy, using my voice to protect students, support educators, and challenge systems that ask people to endure instead of grow.

What helped redefine myself after the loss of my late husband in 2019, changing jobs, and at the start of COVID was writing. It was the beginning of my newest identity as a children's book author.

Re-engaging those thoughts, confidence, diligence, resilience and dedication that propelled me to present.

This quote by Maya Angelou is my motivation. "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude"

My job title matters for less to me than the impact that I have. I find meaning in helping people feel supported, seen, and capable – whether that's a patient, a colleague, or a team navigating change.

I don't think redefinition is the right description for my career, actually. I'm going to go with 'realization' instead. I realized I could reach a much larger audience by writing stories (stories with ideas/lessons for anyone across the internet, as opposed to the 30 kids per hour I got to see in the classroom. One can only hope…

Once I stopped chasing a title and started focusing on serving people who valued what I offered, my work became more meaningful, and better opportunities followed.

I did it by refusing to let my past define me. From GED to Ed.D., I walked by faith, not titles.

How She Did It: I redefined myself when I realized that my job title was someone else's vision that I was fulfilling. I decided to work with Purpose and that could only be done by me writing my own job description and allowing myself to own my redefined title as Founder & CEO.

I redefined myself by shifting from simply chasing opportunities to intentionally building vision, discipline, and faith-driven leadership that could sustain real impact. By embracing growth, resilience, and innovation, I transformed challenges into clarity—leading me to where I stand today.

I always knew to intentionally take every moment as a gift to impact others. To encourage peers and friends, to cheer the ones whom I have the privilege to do life with. Make myself available to serve, listen and lift others up.

I realized my worth was never tied to a role; it was rooted in my values, vision, and impact. When I aligned my work with my truth, everything changed.

For me, meaning didn't come from a title - it came from impact. My work has always been about service, trust, and helping people understand difficult moments. Once I separated who I am from what I do, I found purpose in the values I bring to any role: leadership, integrity, and making space for clarity when things feel chaotic.

My testimony began with my husband, and I waited years to have a child. I believed that as a woman who was seeking to push my career to a level that far superseded the norm, a child could inhibit me. When my daughter was born, and I held her gentle body in my hands, I realized my job, the titles, and none of that mattered more than life and this precious being that God blessed us with. My lens added the importance of intentional love for me, still a queen, but a queen with priorities and boundaries. My mission is to fight for justice, equality for all, and fairness. I knew I had to make the world better for my precious child and all children. I knew that I did not need titles to mark my greatness. My footprints in the sand are with my God, carrying me and leading me to walk as a queen unapologetically.