For as long as I can remember, I felt called to write. Even as a little girl, I knew it was something God kept placing on my heart but I didn't understand it then, and honestly, I didn't listen. Life, fear, and timing got in the way. Everything changed in 2023 after attending a women's conference in Georgia. Something shifted in me. I knew without question that God was calling me to finally move. Not later. Not "when I was ready." But now. I felt led to start a blog, even though I didn't have a plan or a strategy. I simply began sharing what I had already been writing privately in my journal—real thoughts, real healing, real lessons. Writing became obedience before it became a platform. The following year, I felt God push me again, this time to take those journal entries and blog posts and turn them into something more. I created my blog website, and then I heard Him clearly: Turn it into a book. That's how it happened. No rush. No comparison. Just trust. What I once thought was procrastination or delay, I now understand was preparation. God had been developing my voice, my faith, and my perspective all along. I wasn't late. I was becoming. Trusting my timing changed my path because it taught me that purpose unfolds when you stop ignoring the call and start walking in it. Success didn't come from forcing things; it came from finally saying yes.

Leaving a discourteous relationship required courage, planning, and self-compassion. For me, honoring my healing meant trusting my own timing and not rushing the process. Moving at my own pace protected my family and allowed me to build an authentic, empowered life. True success is found in showing up for yourself with courage, not in how quickly you move.

I used to believe that if I did not follow a straight, linear path and hit certain milestones by a certain age, I was somehow behind. As a behavioral analyst in special education, my work was deeply meaningful. I supported students with complex needs, collaborated with families and multidisciplinary teams, and learned how to read behavior as communication. It was demanding, purpose driven work, and for a long time, I thought that staying on that path was the "right" definition of success. What I did not realize then was that timing is not about being early or late. It is about being ready. Trusting my timing meant giving myself permission to listen to the quiet nudge that said there is more you are meant to do with these skills. When I transitioned into business development and marketing in senior care, it was not a departure from my purpose. It was an expansion of it. I brought with me everything behavioral analysis taught me: how to truly listen, how to assess needs beneath the surface, how to communicate with clarity and compassion, and how to build trust in moments of vulnerability. In senior care, families are often navigating fear, urgency, and uncertainty. My background allows me to meet them where they are, advocate fiercely, and help create systems of support that are both practical and human. The shift did not happen on the timeline I once imagined. It happened exactly when my perspective, confidence, and lived experience could make the greatest impact. Trusting my timing changed my path by removing shame from change. It taught me that reinvention is not failure. It is wisdom. Success did not come from forcing myself to stay aligned with an old version of who I thought I should be. It came from honoring growth, trusting transition, and understanding that every chapter prepared me for the next. There is no expiration date on becoming who you are meant to be. Sometimes the bravest thing a woman can do is allow herself to evolve and trust that her timing is not late, but intentional.

I was teaching a young lady about script supervising, on her last visit I told her it was time for me to move in a new direction. She walked away with knowledge, skills and all my tools of the trade that I had built up for 50 years. We continue to stay in touch. Without hesitation I took the script I had written and made my first feature film as writer, director and producer. At the same time I wrote and directed 2 shorts. All excepted into the Fort Lauderdale international Film Festival. I am only beginning to hit my stride. I loved being a script supervisor yet it was time for me to tell my stories. Why? Cause I am Betty the Story Teller. I got lots of unusual interesting experiences to write about, cause I live life enthusiastically.

The last year has marked my milestones in my life on so many levels. Some of the highlights: Ohio Installers License, MLO for the state of OH @UMH Properties Inc, Ohio Manufactured Home Association Northwest Board Member, Board Member @FitChick's Inc. Working hard on self, career, and family development.

Trusting my timing began when I took full responsibility for my own growth. Instead of focusing on circumstances or feeling behind, I shifted my attention inward—choosing to work on myself rather than waiting for the 'right' moment. I learned that progress isn't about rushing or comparison, but about becoming more capable, more disciplined, and more aligned with who you're meant to be. Once I made that decision, clarity followed. Trusting my timing meant committing to steady growth, knowing that extraordinary outcomes come from consistent effort over time.

For years, I carried this quiet pressure—like success had an invisible deadline, and I was somehow running late. I started in the apartment industry, building a solid career, but deep down I felt a pull toward something more meaningful: serving people in a way that truly mattered. When I finally made the switch to healthcare, first as Executive Director of a memory care home, then Business Office Manager in skilled nursing, it wasn't on some perfect timeline. It was messy, uncertain, and honestly scary. I questioned if I had the "right" background or if I'd waited too long to chase what lit me up. But here's what changed everything: I learned to trust that my timing wasn't wrong—it was mine. I stopped comparing my path to everyone else's highlight reels and started believing the dots would connect when they were ready. That meant showing up fully in each role, investing in myself through learning and growth, giving myself grace on tough days (like navigating Medicaid backlogs or claim denials, and balancing daily heavy workflows), and fighting for opportunities without forcing them. In just six and a half years, that quiet trust led me from frontline leadership to my recent promotion as Regional Business Office Consultant at Tutera Senior Living & Health Care.

For much of my life, I believed success had a schedule. I thought certain milestones were supposed to happen by a particular age: career stability, recognition, and the sense that you had finally "arrived." When those things did not happen in the order or timing I expected, I often felt as though I had fallen behind. What I did not realize then was that timing is not something we control. It is something we learn to trust. I spent nearly three decades working in the legal field, often in difficult and emotionally demanding areas involving families and vulnerable populations. The work taught me resilience, patience, and the importance of advocating for people who did not always have a voice. At the time, I thought my purpose was simply to do the work in front of me. I did not yet understand how those experiences were shaping the direction of my future. Later in life, I returned to school to pursue graduate studies in public service and criminal justice. Going back to school after many years was both exciting and intimidating. I sat in classrooms with students much younger than myself and wondered if I had waited too long to begin again. But over time I realized that the years I once thought had set me back had actually prepared me in ways that traditional paths could not. Those experiences gave me perspective. They gave me stories worth telling. They gave me the courage to speak about injustice, resilience, and the quiet strength of people who keep going even when no one is watching. That perspective eventually led me back to writing, something I had always loved but never fully pursued. Recently, one of my pieces of literary fiction, The Danger Within, was selected for publication in the 101st edition of Ivy Leaves, Anderson University's literary journal. For me, that moment was not just about publication. It was proof that creativity, growth, and opportunity do not expire simply because time has passed. If anything, time deepens them. Trusting my timing has taught me that life rarely unfolds according to the plans we make in our twenties. Sometimes the path winds through unexpected careers, personal challenges, and reinvention. But those detours often give us the depth and understanding that make our work more meaningful when we finally arrive at it. Success does not have a deadline. Growth does not have an expiration date. And sometimes the life you are meant to build is waiting for you to trust that your timing is exactly where it should be.

Even when the world turned away and fear tried to silence me, I chose growth over comfort. As a woman navigating the intersections of gender, class, and faith, I walked paths alone, embracing each challenge as a chance to rise stronger, lead with courage, and open doors for others.

Starting over in a new country meant adapting to a new language, a new culture, and unfamiliar professional norms. There were moments of uncertainty, exhaustion, and doubt, but never a moment when I considered giving up. Reinvention has never been a single event in my life; it has become a pattern.

I had to un-become the woman shaped by deadlines, perfectionism, and relentless productivity. For years, I measured myself by output, never by the rhythm of my own body or the whispers of my intuition. Transitioning into energy work, yoga, and sacred retreat spaces, I discovered that rest, reflection, and listening to my inner guidance were not indulgences; they were essential. I learned to move when my energy moved, to pause when my body needed it, and to let patience replace pressure. Trusting this rhythm didn't slow me down; it gave me sustainable momentum, clarity, and the freedom to build something far beyond what I could have imagined. My journey showed me that success isn't a deadline. It's alignment with your own flow.

For Emily Delp, success has never followed a straight line—it has been a journey defined by resilience, compassion, and learning to trust her own timing. In the midst of a thriving career as a medical sales representative, Emily faced a life-altering spinal surgery. The procedure required inpatient rehabilitation, forcing her to relearn how to walk and confront uncertainty about her future. It was a humbling moment that taught her the power of patience, perseverance, and trusting the process—even when life does not go according to plan. Later, Emily made another unconventional choice. In her late thirties, she returned to college to complete her degree—years after stepping away from school to become a foster parent to two siblings in need. Guiding and caring for these children was the priority, and she embraced that role fully, knowing her academic and professional goals would wait. Returning to college later in life taught her that timing is personal, that it is not about keeping pace with others, but about honoring one's path and responsibilities. Through these experiences, Emily has learned that success is not measured by calendars or milestones but by presence, resilience, and intentional action. She has discovered that growth comes from facing hardship, embracing responsibility, and allowing life's unexpected timing to shape you. Trusting her timing has taught her to move with patience and purpose, to honor her own journey, and to create meaning in every step—showing that true fulfillment arises when we align our choices with our values and the lives we are called to impact.

For a long time, I felt like I was behind. I spent ten years working as a custodian while trying to figure out what direction my life and career were supposed to take. I changed my major more than once and even stepped away from school for a while because I needed time to really think about what I wanted for my future. Looking back, that time was necessary. It allowed me to grow, reflect, and realize that I wanted to work in human resources and help people navigate their careers. When the opportunity to move into recruiting came along, I was ready to take it because of everything I had experienced along the way. Trusting my timing taught me that success doesn't have to follow a traditional timeline. Everyone's path looks different, and sometimes the experiences that feel like delays are actually preparing you for the opportunities that come later. Today, I'm finishing my bachelor's degree and continuing to build a career I'm proud of, and I've learned that the journey matters just as much as the destination.