My protective bubble of childhood was pierced when I left the comfort of home at 19.  Beyond excited, I ventured out into the world, participating in a youth volunteer program.  For the next eight months, I teamed up with youth across Indonesia and Canada. Half our time was spent in Hazelton, a small community in British Columbia with a strong native culture.  We later explored life in a small impoverished riverside village in remote Kalimantan, Indonesia.  A kind local family provided an experience of family, culture and surviving the elements – including the annual flooding of their village!

I was smitten with adventure and went on to study International Development in university.  At 23, I worked in Ethiopia, during a challenging time of severe drought.  I planned relief programs for populations in isolated mountainous terrain.  Many malnourished people had no choice but to walk 1-2 days to receive food and basic health care.  I fell in love with Africa and her people.

Over the next few decades I spent seven fascinating years living and working in Ethiopia, Malawi and later Nepal.  I honored the tenacity of these people as they were faced with the constant challenges of war, drought, refugee movements, human rights abuses, economic insecurity, political uprising and governments being overthrown.  Their sense of community and ability to find joy in simplicity was inspiring.  Their struggles to achieve the most basic of human needs motivated me to find ways to help make a difference in the world.

Newly married at 24, we set off as a couple for Malawi in Central Africa.  Over the next four years, as the Foundational Director, I established CPAR Malawi from the ground up – planning and implementing programs, raising funds and ensuring accountability to donors.  We provided impoverished communities with clean water, improved health care and agro-forestry practices.  Our small team of four quickly grew to 120 when a severe regional drought threatened the country and our program population. We raised $5 million to support 250,000 people, in one of the poorest countries of the world.

Back in Canada, I worked with CARE Canada managing programs that supported refugees fleeing from the Rwandan genocide.  Working in a large organization, it was a challenge to influence the overall vision and direction of our work.  Feeling it was time to formalize my management experiences, I left a year and a half later to complete a Masters in Public Administration.

For the next 15 years, I chose and was honored to be a stay-at-home mom raising my two children.  During this time I started a home day care – with weekly educational themes and organic home cooked meals – so my daughter had friends to play with.  I went to bed exhausted each night but thrilled with my daily interactions.  As my kids grew older, I took on several leadership roles in my community, strengthening the capacity of a local Nursery school and small Sailing Club.  I was always eager to help align organizational vision with action.

When my husband was appointed Head of the Canadian diplomatic mission in Nepal, we traveled as a family to live there for three years. The country was enmeshed in a 10 year war between the government and Maoist rebels.  When taking a break from the intensity of the work and environment, we enjoyed visiting temples, trekking in the mountains, and riding elephants.

During this time, I visited many talented artisans who were struggling to make a living.  In order to help them find markets in North America, I built a fair trade business which I ran for the next 13 years. I take great pride in knowing that both the Malawian and fair trade organizations I established are still in operation today.

Life isn’t just about fun and success.  The tough periods of my life have offered me my greatest growth and most exhilarating highs.

In my 40’s, I found myself significantly challenged with anxiety, fear and a feeling of being overwhelmed.  I was knotted in a tangle of issues that scattered my energy.  I was exhausted and lacked focus to run my business.   My self-esteem hit rock bottom.

These difficulties impacted all parts of my life.  My marriage lost its passion.  Self-doubt impacted my relationships and I became more isolated.  I plodded through days, weeks and months repeating the same things again and again. I lost my joy. The worst was a paralyzing fear that impacted my ability to create and feel deserving of my own financial abundance. Fear had a suffocating hold on me and I didn’t know how to change things. It seemed that whatever I tried, had limited or no impact.

I finally found the courage to end my 27 year marriage that was no longer fulfilling me.  My journey towards self-empowerment took a significant leap forward. It started off slow as I began to heal.  Then I was catapulted forward when I discovered embodiment practices that reconnected me to my feminine energy.

I commit to regular practice and am now able to manage my fear and anxiety and move forward.  I’ve cleaned up many parts of my life, which has allowed me to step into a career that I love.  Despite my challenges, each day I become a more powerful creator of my own life.