My Story

Somewhere between their 20s and midlife, a lot of women quietly disappear from their own lives.

Not dramatically — just gradually, through a thousand small concessions. The kids needing something. The partner needing something. The job needing something. And somewhere in all that juggling, they put themselves down and forget to pick themselves back up.

I know this pattern because I lived it.

I grew up on a hobby farm in a small Midwestern town where the economy struggled but the community didn't. People looked out for each other. Animals needed feeding, things needed fixing, and if you said you'd do something, you did it. My Polish immigrant grandparents taught me what it looked like to work hard for what you wanted, and my grandmother was a good Catholic woman who believed a wife and mother showed her love through sacrifice. You put your family first. You held everything together. You didn't complain.

I absorbed all of it: Be capable. Be dependable. Handle things. Sacrifice for others.

That mindset served me well for a long time — and cost me a lot, too.

I thought I'd become a high school English teacher, until a student I failed threatened to kill me. That was the moment I realized the path I was on wasn't the one I really wanted, so I changed directions.

I fell into an admin role, got into an abusive relationship, eventually got out, and somewhere in the middle of all that decided I wanted to understand people better, which led to a master's in psychology and, eventually, a PhD in organizational psychology. Both were on my bucket list, and both were absolutely worth it. I am, if nothing else, a finisher. (I've also ridden 162 miles across Indiana in a single day and hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, so "stubborn" might be the more accurate word.)

I spent years helping companies with their people problems, then years teaching college psychology online — until I realized I didn’t want to spend my time trying to reach people who didn’t actually want to engage with their own lives. I wanted to work with people who were ready to be honest with themselves and do the work.

Somewhere along the way, I finally saw clearly what had happened in my own life, too.

I had spent years being capable. Dependable. Responsible. The person who handled things. But in the process, I had quietly stepped out of the center of my own life.

When I finally saw that clearly enough, I got angry.

That anger turned out to be the most useful thing that ever happened to me.

Here’s the part nobody says out loud: women are taught — often very subtly — that being a good woman means putting everyone else first. Kids. Partner. Work. Family. Household. We get very good at holding everything together.

But somewhere in the process, we disappear.

When a woman gives herself permission to come back to her own life, though, things start to change. Maybe she starts running again. Maybe she changes careers. Maybe she finally tries the thing she never had five free minutes to even think about (like hike the Inca Trail 😉). Good things happen when you stop being last on your own list.

Here's something you’re never supposed to be: selfish. For women especially. But wanting things for yourself — time, energy, a life that actually includes you — isn’t selfish. It's human.

These days I live in Homosassa, Florida with my husband. We moved here because of the manatees. Not the weather, not the cost of living — the manatees. There's something about a creature that enormous that just floats through the world on its own terms, unbothered and unhurried, not out to harm anyone. They live their own lives. I respect that.

If you've been a good daughter, a good mother, a good wife, a good employee — and you're tired of “good” meaning “invisible” — you're in the right place.

You did the first part for everyone else. This next part gets to be yours.

Three Fun Facts About Me

  • I love space launches – I even have an app on my phone that notifies me whenever a launch is about to happen.  Since I live straight west of Cape Canaveral, I can occasionally see them on a moment’s notice if I look up in the sky at the right time!

  • I’m obsessed with dream interpretation – My kids call me Josephine because of the Old Testament stories of Joseph interpreting Pharoah’s dreams. The cool thing is that invariably, my interpretation strikes a chord.

  • I lie to my kids about my age – and now even my Oura ring agrees with me!  It helps build the case that I’m only 20 years older than my oldest child. 😉

My Credentials

  • PhD in organizational psychology

  • Master’s degree in psychology

  • PN Level 2 Certified Master Coach

  • Over 25 years of experience coaching, teaching, and training adults in personal, professional, and academic settings

Now, I focus my passion on helping middle-aged women who have spent years taking care of everyone else and are ready to refocus on themselves. My work centers on helping women identify where they lost themselves along the way — and build a path back.

Book a free phone call.

If you’re ready to put yourself back into your own life again, let’s talk. Don’t worry, it’s a free 30-minute phone call with no pressure—just a real conversation about where you are now, what’s possible, and how someone supporting you and your efforts could help you get back to your confident, healthy self.

You’ll walk away with clarity, encouragement, and a personalized action step, whether or not you decide to work with me.

After all, you deserve to prioritize yourself, too. It’s been a long time coming.