Becoming a Diamond is a faith-centered guide for women who caught between the life they’ve built and the person they’re still becoming. WWhat inspired you to write this guide for women?

As a woman in her 40s, who had 3 children, 2 who had already graduated, I was feeling a little disconnected. I grew up in a divorced household and learned early on to work hard for what I wanted and how to take care of myself and everyone around me. And without realizing it, to need validation for a lot of what I did. If I accomplished a goal, I would need a “pat on the back” to feel like I succeeded but never really celebrated. I was always looking ahead to the next thing. I realized it was people-pleasing but that desire also made me feel worthless at times. As a mom & an entrepreneur, I was scattered and BUSY! I was always running and never stopped to really acknowledge what I was doing to my nervous system. I was on auto-pilot.

Your daughter Emma’s graduation serves as the emotional starting point of the book. Why did that moment become the doorway into this larger conversation about identity and purpose?

When Emma graduated, that was the first time I think I really looked ahead and wondered what was next. What would make me feel fulfilled and what would my purpose be. I knew I would always be her Mom, but the relationship and the expectations of what she would need me for would be different. So I really started reflecting. I started asking GOD bigger questions about who HE made me to be and what HE wanted from me. And that conversation brought me to start researching more about what Identity and Purpose actually were.

What role does prayer play in discovering purpose and identity?

We hear this all the time… “what is my purpose”, “what is my identity”? And I truly believe it’s just a statement as simple as “I am fine”. We don’t really understand it. And what I found was that GOD had given me an Identity long before I knew what it was. Long before “life” took its twists and turns. Long before the experiences that shaped me, which felt like they defined who I was. So asking these questions led me to realize, these experiences were gifts. They taught me lessons and now I could help other people realize that they were not victims to those experiences, but they too received those gifts to help others. I realized that I wanted to empower others to leave the victim mindset behind and to really search who GOD made them to be, like I did. GOD is always there to listen, but he also gave us 1 mouth and 2 ears for US to listen as well. So, when I started to listen more, I heard the desire to put these feelings onto pages that others had access to. Words that GOD helped me write. Reflection steps to dig deeper into their own story and action steps to become the brilliant, polished diamond GOD was waiting for them to reveal.

What small steps can someone take if they know they need change but feel overwhelmed by where to begin? 

For the person who isn’t sure where to start. Read my origin story. Know you are not alone. Even the most successful people on paper are often struggling too. And giving yourself a moment to realize you also can change the trajectory of your life one story at a time, could be the moment you’ve been waiting for. The moment your identity or purpose are revealed in your heart! The moment you hear GODs voice tell you that you are loved and he’s excited you are ready!

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