The first time I met my mother, I was probably seven years old. 

She came to visit one day, years after she had dropped me off at my grandmother’s house. It was a quick visit; she did not stay.  This was the story script that I had been given at birth– a young girl abandoned by her mother and trying to make her way in the world.

Talk about a rotten script! I did not like it. 

And though for many years I struggled with the thought that perhaps it would define me, ultimately I chose to write the storyline that I had imagined–to create my own life story brand and live it well!

Now, here I am, a professor of leadership studies, an author, a wife and a GREAT mom to two wonderful daughters. I research, write, and teach habits and strategies for leading a flourishing life. I have written, taught, and presented in many venues nationally and internationally. My published work crosses genres and appears in literary journals like Callaloo (2008), peer-review journals such as the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (2014, and church related publications like Adventist Review (2012, 2013), and PRISM (2013). I have also authored several book chapters and I am the co-author of the book Collaborative Autoethnography (2013). I have mentored and coached men and women on the path to achieving major life goals including earning a doctoral degree. I have received awards for excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. 

Here is the thing though. For most of my professional career, I have NOT owned much of my content. I was working for others. 

In this next chapter of my life story I am writing a different plot line as the owner and founder of Value What Matters– a life leadership brand focused on intentional living through the relationships we cultivate with self, others, and our God. I started Value What Matters one night when my husband and I were up late thinking about an optimal present and future for ourselves. I have always been fiercely committed to living life on my own terms, but as they say, life can take you down different paths. However, I believe in the capacity each of us has to self-correct and to listen to the promptings of our heart at different stages in life–to continue to pull ourselves back to the things that make our lives meaningful, rich and sweet and to propel ourselves forward to the next level.

That belief prompted one simple question: 

“What if?”

 What if I challenged myself and others to lead a life of our own choosing by making intentional choices every single day to value the things that really matter? 

And so I began…

I am passionately obsessed with continuing to write and rewrite my own life story and to teach others to do the same.

 I am committed to using my skills as an author, communicator and life strategist to create content that inspires and teaches strategies for creating space and developing habits for leading a flourishing life.

When was the last time you asked yourself: “What if?”

Friend, are you ready to pivot?