Entertaining Inspirational Speaker

My passion for what I do shines through as I blend entertainment, engagement, enthusiasm, and inspiration to encourage youth and adults to embrace their uniqueness and enjoy their journey. Regardless of location, I'm always willing to travel to inspire humans (while also making them laugh) at career expos, colleges, companies, and conferences.

I've had the pleasure of inspiring youth for years, starting in a full-time Career Services role at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Through engaging coaching and guest speaking engagements at fraternities, sororities, classes, and clubs, I educated students on a variety of career management topics. My dedication to making a difference was recognized when I received a nomination as a Student Affairs Outstanding Service Award Finalist. As a guest inspirational speaker and continuing education class instructor, I've impacted lives at Duke University, North Carolina State University, and Wake Tech Community College.

For over 20 years, I served as a workshop facilitator at globally recognized career transition (outplacement) firm, Right Management. I traveled through ten states to conduct career transition workshops for professionals in a range of industries who'd lost their jobs due to downsizing. In this role, I worked on a 30-month project with 18 career coaches to service 3,000 job candidates. I've also given talks at events sponsored by Wake County Lifelong Learning, YMCA, Capital Area Workforce Development Board, and the Raleigh Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, among many others.

Adversity is a cornerstone of inspirational speaking, and I embrace this philosophy wholeheartedly. I share my own story about overcoming adversity, including being the sole witness to my adoptive dad's death at the age of six and enduring various challenges in college, job searching, as an employee, and as an entrepreneur. I also live with ADHD, making my journey feel like a rollercoaster at times. Despite all of this, my enthusiasm and sense of humor are alive and well.

Prior to speaking and coaching, I worked in employee recruitment roles at SeaWorld, Hilton (Disney Resort), and Universal Studios. I earned my Bachelor of Arts at Western Illinois University and am certified in the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) through CPP, Inc., which I often incorporate into my workshops on personal and professional development topics.

Leadership / professional development, Community / team building, Health / lifestyle, Customer service / sales, Empowerment / positivity, School (bullying, drug prevention, etc.)