“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I was born and raised in an Italian neighborhood, to parents who had emigrated from Sicily.  My father was a tenacious man, who with a few dollars in his pocket came to New York City seeking the American Dream. From him I learned the true value, and the associated rewards, of determination, perseverance, and taking risks, and have tried to emulate those lessons in my own life.

At that age of twenty, I was married and held firmly to the “forever” dream. After two children and fifteen years, the marriage ended. Forever didn’t happen, but financial instability and the responsibility of raising two children did. Quickly, I was thrown into the job world, without a college education.

May the possibilities of today excite us all!

After my separation, I spent a number of years bouncing from one low paying, dead-end job to another.  I worked as a secretary, a reservationist for the airlines, cleaning private homes, and in the catering business, not as a glorified chef, but serving food and cleaning dishes.  I was fed up and sometimes would leave a job without having another job, acting simply on grit and faith alone. My intuition and confidence would always tell me that another job, a better job, was around the corner.  I never feared that I would not be able to support myself and my children!  I also knew that being happy was far more important to me than having money.  I began to live in possibilities!

My “big break” came while I was working as a receptionist for a chiropractic office, and I met my “angel”, who was one of the practice’s clients.  He offered me an incredible job working for him as a salesperson with no pay, and no benefits!  I had grown miserable in my current job so I leapt at the opportunity.  Most people thought I was insane to leave a salaried job that included benefits, but I never questioned whether I would be successful. In 1997 I began a career of selling commercial playgrounds, and site amenities such as park benches, trash cans and bicycle racks.  Nothing was handed to me, and I started by cold calling on potential customers, and then meeting with them face to face. The first six months were spent with no income, and me being forced to live on my credit cards. I kept plugging away with persistence, being like a dog with a shoe, and used the traits learned from my Father to forge relationships and build my customer base, which allowed me to enjoy a moderate level of success. My customers trusted in, and became loyal to me, not in the specific product or company that I represented.  Business grew on the strength of repeat customers and high quality referrals.  I was proud that I had built a business from nothing, and that it was based on trust and in always doing what I said I would do, which is being true to my “impeccable word.” My customers knew with absolute conviction that my primary focus was not in making more money, but in doing whatever was necessary to make them happy.  I always knew that if I remained focused on that basic principal, then the money would come, and it did!

It didn’t happen overnight.  I worked assiduously on my own until 2003 when circumstances had me move to Florida.  At that time, I asked the man I worked for if I could live in Florida and continue to sell in North Carolina. His words to me were – “there is no way you can live in Florida and sell in North Carolina!”  Well, the greatest joy in life is doing something someone says you cannot do.  I took all my customers, went out on my own, more than tripled my income within two years, and watched my former company get completely out of the playground business.

On the personal side, I have always been interested in personal growth.  One of my son’s favorite quotes, which is from Socrates is “the unexamined life is not worth living”.  I firmly believe that everyone in life can attain tremendous internal growth through self examination, especially women.  I have always “been there”, not only for friends, but for complete strangers, when they have faced issues – mainly to listen, and also to offer advice if they asked for it.  Compassion and love have been my guiding light, and I feel that is what has allowed me to connect with so many people on a personal level.

I realized in February 2010 that social networking websites, as a way for men and women to connect, had become mainstream and acceptable.  I also realized that a certain niche was being ignored.  In our transient, online, and mobile culture, it has become increasingly more difficult for women to meet one another and build the type of friendships that we used to take for granted.  I was out with my girlfriend Debbie, and stated – “why not create a website where women can meet other women, and find inspirational content that is focused specifically on women?”  Thus the conception of this site.

I am a woman with a passion and a vision of inspiring and empowering others to be better people for themselves and in turn for the world!  I encourage others to grow in their daily lives; to be open to change.  I am here to listen to your thoughts and in turn be your collective voice.  I don’t proclaim to know all the answers, but do possess the ability to lift other women up through a sincere desire to see them succeed.  I have compassion for all of our plights, and it’s my humble wish that I can encourage you with words of wisdom.

Remember, may the possibilities of today excite us all!