In 2026, we will celebrate 30 years of sustaining an effective, vibrant program serving kids, and it is my joy to continue being involved. 

One year from today, I hope I am living more mindfully in the moment and worrying less about the future (as I’ve learned, it isn’t in my hands anyway).

I hope in a year I am further down that road and that I have created a new passion for people dealing with addiction.

Attitude is everything. I’ve found that when I focus on the positive, even truly difficult things become so much easier.

I was told by my best friend’s mom, “When you get to a place in life where you can help someone else, keep the circle going and help them.” She told me this after I expressed gratitude for helping me after my adoptive mom and dad passed my senior year in high school. God provided her at a very hard time in my life. 

Above all, I am beyond proud of myself for taking back my power and my life in 2018 when I chose my life over my addiction to substances and poor life choices.

I want to worry less and live in the moment more. I want to stop saying “life will slow down next week/next month/next year” and instead enjoy the journey in whatever season of life I’m in.

I am the type of person who sees things through to the end and strives to do everything to the best of my abilities, even if it’s not something I particularly enjoy or it doesn’t turn out how I envisioned. 

I’m kept up at night by things I don’t talk about, but most of them boil down to a lifelong knock-down, drag-out fight with a mainstream cultural norm of selfish apathy masquerading as empathy.

Caring for and supporting my mother while she had cancer and having two babies was a challenging season in life, especially when I want to be there 100 percent for the most important people in my life. 

Ultimately, I aim to be more resilient, more compassionate, and more empowered to inspire and uplift those around me, continuing to educate, empower and encourage individuals to become the best versions of themselves. 

So many good things in my life have come just from having an open, giving hand. Open to give, open to receive. 

Amid brokenness, I found myself and developed a deep relationship with God. Although it was my biggest obstacle, I can now look back and be thankful for how it has shaped me into the strong woman I am today. 

Using the tools I teach today (brain retraining, mindset, and nervous system regulation), I have learned to see the faults in this story and rebuild my self-worth. 

Don’t let anything rule over you — whatever you choose, make sure you’re intentionally choosing it.

I would like to help bring awareness and understanding to the overwhelming discrepancies and inconsistencies between stereotypes, media portrayal, and the actual reality of the currently and formerly incarcerated. 

I feel proud each day when I pull up in the driveway, knowing I left my best efforts in the field.

I am proud for saying yes when presented with opportunities that felt daunting and rising to the occasion of serving my organizations boldly and with compassion.

Being courageous and being afraid are two sides to the same coin. Someone who is being brave can still be scared, but they’re doing the hard thing anyway. 

Every day you wake up, the only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.