For those who don’t know, years ago, I burned alive in a fire—trapped in a burning car. It was horrific. Somehow, I remember everything that happened inside that car. The recovery that followed—the debridement, the emotional pain—was almost as searing as the fire itself.
What astounds me to this day is that my journey to healing became one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life. After a long period of grieving and being consumed by the daily fight to recover, I finally came up for air. And in that moment, I realized: it was up to me to heal my life. It became clear that I had to take charge—to be in command of my thoughts, my decisions, and to make every moment count as I moved my life forward. What a gift.
That experience taught me an incredible lesson. What I learned in my healing journey later overflowed into every part of my life, shaping how I built my businesses and created success in my career.
One of my favorite revelations was how deeply suffering expanded my compassion for others—something I wouldn’t trade for anything. Whenever we go through hardship—whether it’s pain, betrayal, or loss—there’s potential for unexpected gifts. It’s definitely not something we want to hear in the middle of suffering, yet later, once we’ve made it to the other side, we can often see how the struggles shaped us, matured us, and made us better.
And yes, I had to fight hard to survive. I had to fight to heal. I had to fight to become stronger and more at peace than ever before. But I also noticed something else—I wanted my innocence back.
So, I began to fight for my softness to return. I fought for my gentleness to come back. And I got it back.
That, perhaps, was the most surprising part of my recovery. I never would have imagined it was possible.
This is why you will hear in my keynote, "The Fire Within" that you can be "tenderhearted AND fierce."
#resilience #mindset #healing #overcomingadversity #personalgrowth #keynotespeaker #leadership #compassion #workculture #motivation #inspiration #hope
Living with Bouyant Aliveness
Chasing happiness is tempting in our culture. Sure, it's fun! AND, there is an alternative that is equally fulfilling, if not more: It is connecting so deeply to your center, to a place of ease, and the knowing of, "I am enough, just as I am, today, and always." Resting in that is so healthy and life-giving. We can chase our ambitions from this place, and achieve so much more—from a place of bouyant aliveness.
