I stopped measuring my life against everyone else's timeline and started trusting God's timing. The delays didn't define me. They prepared me for the success I have today.

Pressure to hit a milestone by a certain time means you're comparing yourself to someone else's journey. Put your blinders on and run your own race.

Success isn't defined by when you arrive; it's defined by the courage to keep moving forward. Every season, even the delayed ones, is preparing you for what's next.

Setting your own path to achieve your goals is very important and allows for you to be ready when the moment arises. I went back to get my Masters in Education in my early 40's while my older two kids were in college and my youngest was just starting high school. Clearly, my plate was full with working full time in higher education and busy with my three children all at different stages in their lives, but the opportunity to go for it was there and I jumped in with both feet excited about how finally tackling this goal of an advanced degree was mine for the taking. I was in classes with folks of all ages and coming from very diverse backgrounds, but we all worked together on this unified goal of furthering our knowledge base and being able to bring that back to enhance our careers. Personally, I'm glad I waited to go for the degree because I was in a time and place in my life that I could fully embrace and take advantage of the education I was receiving.

The best part about later-stage success is realizing you're not done becoming who you're meant to be. Starting a podcast and writing a book reminded me that new dreams can flourish no matter where you are in your career journey.

You gotta go through it to get through it.

For years, I believed I was behind, when in reality, I was being prepared. One of the most important lessons I share in my book, Your Time to Shine, is that success is not determined by age or timeline, it is determined by alignment, readiness, and the courage to keep going long after others would have quit. Delayed success is not failure; sometimes it's the very process that makes your success sustainable. I am living proof.

I've been the single mom working full-time, going to school full-time, and trying to hold it all together while quietly wondering if I was falling apart underneath. And what I've learned is this: having the right support system, personally and professionally, makes all the difference. But just as important is your own strength to keep moving forward, even when it feels hard. Not every day will be great. Not every day will feel like progress. And not every step will feel like it's moving you in the right direction. But if you keep going, you will get there. So take it from someone who has walked that path: You've got this. And yes, you WILL get there too.

I went from being undervalued to standing on stages teaching audiences about a species that's just as overlooked as I once was. My success didn't come late, it came right on time, carried on the wings of an animal that taught me how to be seen.

Success didn't arrive on the timeline I imagined, but it arrived with more purpose than I ever expected. The years I thought I was falling behind were actually preparing me to lead, to serve, and to tell a story that might help someone else keep going.

One thing I've learned is that careers are rarely linear. They're often more like a lattice than a ladder. Some of the most meaningful growth in my career came from paths I never planned to take. Looking back, every pivot, challenge, and new experience built skills and perspectives that prepared me for the opportunities that made me into who I am today.

There is no right time to do something there is only "your time". Life throws us curve balls all the time and the roads are not always paved in gold, but we still must climb, you can reach your goals at 25 or 55. As Miley Cyrus said, "Ain't about how fast you get there, it's the climb"

Success did not come on the timeline I thought it should, but it still came, shaped by every setback, lesson, and season I thought I was behind. I've learned that delayed success is not failure; sometimes it is life making sure you are strong enough to carry what you prayed for.

Your time will come, just be patient and continue to persevere.

I've stopped measuring my life against someone else's timeline. Some of the opportunities I wanted didn't happen when I thought they would, but instead created room for experiences that led to relationships and growth that became far more important. To me, success isn't a title… it's the leadership skills and character you've gained along the way.

The most meaningful leadership growth often occurs during periods of challenge and change. These seasons provide an opportunity to strengthen our resilience, refine our judgment, and deepen our self-awareness. What may appear to be a delay in progress can, in reality, be a valuable time for growth.

The timeline you were given was never designed for the life you were called to live. Delayed success isn't falling behind. It's being redirected toward something truer than what you originally planned for.

Life is tough enough without us judging ourselves for not following the "timeline". Write down micro goals and work towards them.

Growth happens when you are forced to look within yourself to find purpose. Success started for me later in life during my 2nd chapter and I had to sit in solitude and be one with God. Experiencing a tremendous loss, "Solitude became my mentor" and I turned my pain into power. I also learned that my plan is not God's plan and that success comes with divine timing and you have to learn to trust and believe.

Every milestone in my career arrived precisely when it was meant to, teaching me that while success may be delayed by the world's standards, it is never denied by God's provision. I've learned to completely let go of artificial timelines and instead stand firm in the truth that what is genuinely meant for me will never pass me by.

I once believed, as a scientist my success depended on a million-dollar NIH grant and feared every grant rejection. Looking back, every setback, betrayal, and disappointment became the training ground where I found the courage that no Nobel prize or NIH funding could ever give me.

Positive + Perseverance = Pays. You must trust in yourself and God, have true faith and it will happen.

After years of working in the corporate world, I've witnessed (and experienced) firsthand how cut throat some of these companies can be. It was during this time that I came across a quote by Jim Rohn that really resonated with me: "If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much." I will never forget this quote because it's not only motivational, it's painfully true.

Never would I have thought that after a 35-year marketing career in the semiconductor industry I would become a children's book author. Yet here I am. Retirement can be a new beginning, and I'm thriving!

Women live longer than men so we have more time to achieve all of our dreams. Delayed doesn't mean denied.

Life doesn't reward perfect timing. It rewards the women who refuse to stop becoming.

I didn't peak in my 30s or 40s. I found my greatest purpose in my 80s. Society may put an expiration date on women, but purpose never does, and neither should we.

Success is never based on timelines. If you are feeling behind or delayed success or failure to succeed, then it's a well divine and defined moment that takes time to become your best at anything you do. You are just perfecting your highest goals that last.

No matter how long it takes, keep your dreams alive! While it took 20 years for one of my children's stories to get published, "Dancing With Tex: The Remarkable Friendship To Save The Whooping Cranes" became an award-winning, best-selling book.

Your next life chapter may not be the one you planned, but it can become the one that reveals your greatest gift.