I wear multiple hats as an entrepreneur and am thankful that my 25 years in Corporate America prepared me so well to work for myself. I’ve actually co-authored a book or two to share my story. You can find my e’book on Amazon.com. I’m a wife, mom, step mom, daughter in law, sister and sister in law, aunt, veteran, realtor, business owner, landlord, author, cousin, niece, confidant, peer and friend to many and still love meeting new people. I’ve find joy in connecting people together that might be able to help each other by knowing one another. Finding resolutions or solutions to problems or needs is one of my strengths. I love to travel, love good food, a cup of good black coffee, a great glass of wine, and watching action movies. My favorite time of the year is the Fall. I love sweater weather and watching the trees turn colorful before all of the leaves die and fall off. And of course, Fall is also my favorite times of the year because we get to spend time with our tailgate family watching the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Q: Tell us about yourself, including a little bit about where you grew up, your education, your family, interests, passions, and career?
I grew up in Jamestown, NY. I’m thankful for the experience of growing up in a small town. I don’t think I owned a house key until I was 18 as we never locked our doors. I left Jamestown and went away to college in Atlanta. I attended Spelman College on an Honor’s Scholarship and didn’t keep the appropriate grade point average my first year as I think I partied too much and suddenly found myself around so many super smart people that it took me some time to get acclimated! That second year of college, I ended up returning home to attend community college and obtained my Associates Degree.
I knew I wanted more education and adventure and joined the United States Air Force. I spent four years on active duty, stationed in Okinawa, Japan and Sembach, Germany. I was in Germany when the wall fell which was interesting. I had the opportunity to live off base in the community, which of course gave me the idea of a second home somewhere to get immersed in the culture. I have fond memories of my military time and went in hoping to finish my college degree. However, due to extensive travel requirements I was not able to take many classes, so I decided to get out of the military and started working in Corporate America. Ultimately, I was able to use the GI Bill to finish my Bachelor’s Degree and my Master’s Degree, as well. I held a Top Secret SCI clearance in the military and transitioned into a career that also contained lots of confidential information. I worked in the field of Human Resources, in multiple industries and held many leadership roles in various organizations. I was even the HR Professional of the Year in Greenville.
Family is important to me and I’m thankful for those I call family. Some are not family by blood, but family by their actions and love. My husband Ken, bonus son, and daughter live her in the Greenville area and we enjoy exploring the area. I have a new son-in-law that has recently earned his wings in the Air Force. Both of my parents are deceased along with a brother. I have a super smart sister in Charleston and several sisters and a brother and many other family members in the Bahamas. I have so many other family members spread out all over the nation and even living out of the country. One of my passions is genealogy, which developed out of my love for family, wanting to know my history and the desire to reconnect lost branches. I’ve researched my tree and my husband’s and love finding new family members. It’s amazing to find out just how connected we really are. If you dig deep enough we just might be related! Thankfully, I’ve ruled out being related to my husband, except via marriage.
Q: How long have you lived or worked in The Golden Strip?
I’ve lived in Simpsonville since December 2009 when I moved here from Charleston for a promotion. We own businesses in Fountain Inn and in Mauldin so we touch several areas of the Golden Strip. As a realtor, I’ve travelled extensively throughout these great communities.
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
Most people think I’m an extrovert but I am really introverted. Believe it our not, I started talking late. My mom always told me that I rarely talked before the age of two and when I finally started talking I said a whole sentence, “when are we going home?” I think I’m more of an observer and learn from everyone. I add to a conversations but am not one that loves chit chat. I do not mind peace and quiet and really crave quiet time to strategize, reflect, visualize the day and to say my affirmations.
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in The Golden Strip?
There are so many interesting people in the Golden Strip area. Since starting this blog, I’ve been so impressed by the people that call the Golden Strip home. I don’t think I could name just one!
Q: What current / former local business makes you the most nostalgic about The Golden Strip?
I have to say Stella’s Southern Bistro. When I first moved to the area, I had a boss that would come to town and that was the only place she would eat. I had the opportunity to go to Stella’s every time she came to town and it quickly became a favorite of mine too. Talk about nostalgia, just saying the name of Stella’s makes me smile and my mouth water.
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about The Golden Strip?
I enjoy living relatively close but far enough away from Heritage Park in Simpsonville. It’s fun to see and listen to fire works and hear concerts occasionally.
Q: With so much growth in our area, there are always new places popping up. Tell us about the a “new to you” place that you recently tried.
I recently visited Chestnut Coffee shop in downtown Simpsonville. The service was great and the vibe was very nice.
Q: What 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME or NEIGHBOR?
Well, since I’m a realtor…. “Let me help you find your dream home.”
Q: If you had friends or family visiting you from out of town, what is the one place that you must take them to?
Downtown Greenville for sure as it is so vibrant and full of life everyday of the week and night. Of course, Foot Solutions Greenville in Mauldin too, since I own it and want my family and friends to be comfortable and active on their feet!
Q: If you had a free day with no plans, what would you do? Or where can we find you on the weekends?
A great free day for me is sleeping in late, sipping a few cups of coffee, watching a few good movies and I’m not opposed to binge watching a short Netflix series. I may even stay in PJs all day!
Q: If you were cast into a major motion picture and had your choice of anyone to be your co-star, who would you choose?
That’s easy! It would be me and Denzel Washington. I think I would want Oprah to produce the movie and have a small role so that I could pick her brain.
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
I will visit Australia one day but a serious bucket list item is to own a vacation home in another country and live there for several months every year. Perhaps an Italian villa, a island home on a smaller Bahamian island or some place I’ve never been to yet, that I fall in love with.
Q: What advice would you give to a crowd of people?
In this day and age, I would suggest that if you are in a crowd, make sure you know your escape route and watch out for your loved ones. I’ve never loved crowds as I’m sure my mother lost me once in a crowd when she was attending a political rally or some march. I have a reoccurring nightmare that I’m traveling and get separated from my family.
Who else would you like to nominate for The Faces of The Golden Strip?
I have some amazing sister veterans that live in the Golden Strip and I would love to share their stories.
