And then there were five...

I guess I'm the baby in the group - at 38 and with three small children, 2, 4, and 6, I find myself most frequently amazed that I am able to continue to get Beyond the Stuff to what matters in my life. With three small children, a thriving marriage, a new business and an active Recovery life (where I sponsor people and rely on a Sponsor for direction in my life), I barely have time to THINK about Stuff, let alone get caught up in it. And yet, I find the time.

But back to me. I guess my defining moment occurred when I was about to turn 25 years old and graduate from college with a degree in English. I was a bit of a party girl (and had been for more than ten years) but didn't realize that I also had a genetic predisposition for having a mental breakdown. The combination of the supreme level of stress I generally operate under and the recreational drug use I was engaging in on a somewhat regular basis was (as a medical professional has since explained it) akin to my head being a ticking time bomb that I was shaking up vigorously on a nearly daily basis. Eventually it blew, and I ended up in the campus nuthouse for more than a month, followed by another month in rehab. I had no money, and no insurance, so I ended up in a state-run program with mostly folks who had been sent there right from jail. For the first year I was out, I stayed on the straight and narrow for no other reason than that I was afraid to end up back in that Hell hole (the very same Hell hole that saved my life, I might affectionately add).

Recovery changed my life. It absolutely changed everything for me. I went from a lost, confused, wandering soul with tons of potential to a lump of moldable clay overnight. It was very uncomfortable at first, just being a shapeless lump of clay. But as my relationship with my Higher Power developed and as I began to listen to and follow the direction of people in the Program, my life and I began to take shape. I learned how to discern my Path and how to follow it. And then things really began to get interesting.

I met my husband, Glen, in 1998 when I auditioned to be a lead singer for a wedding band (I thought I was going to find a spot to do karaoke - who knew I would be signing up for a real band gig!?!). Glen was the guitar player and he didn't pay me any attention for the first 6 months. But over time, we got to know each other and realized that we had the same goofy sense of humor and that we really complemented each other - he was straight where I was curvy, and I dreamed big while he kept me firmly grounded in reality.

We now live in a suburb of Philadelphia and have three daughters - 2, 4 and 6. (We have been married for 7 years. You do the math.) Our life is relatively Americana, but as I said, Glen is the anchor and the rock that gives me the strength to take chances and mix things up. Back in 2005 before getting pregnant with our third daughter, I decided I wanted to take up running. At the end of that year, I found myself running a marathon. (In 5 hrs 25 minutes, I might add - take THAT, Katie Holmes!)

Following that experience, I was desperate to continue running and to share my experience with other moms who might be struggling to reclaim their sense of themselves and even to have the courage to redefine themselves as athletes. I decided to join a Moms group for runners and came across Moms in Motion, but they didn't have a Philadelphia chapter. Since 2006, I have been the Team Leader of the Philadelphia chapter of Moms in Motion. We do some pretty cool stuff, including philanthropic work in support of causes like Mommy's Light, an organization that helps children who have lost their moms continue the traditions they shared. Of course we also race in events like the Race for the Cure, raising funds for breast cancer research. In addition, we have some really cool speakers, like Kristen Dandar Hallowell, who came and showed us strength training exercises we can do on the playground while our kids are playing, or Susan Sabin, who showed us how to teach our kids to meditate and how to meditate ourselves.

I'm probably most well known (and certainly most recently known) for my performance last year on the NBC hit "Clash of the Choirs," as a featured soloist in Patti Labelle's "Boom Boom" Choir. (Click here to view the video.) This continues to be one of the most incredible gifts of leading an open, God-directed life. Just last weekend, I was blessed to have been asked to sing with the choir and Miss Patti on her Christmas special, and was even asked to solo again on one of her Christmas songs (we all were). I'll be sure to post that video when it comes out.

Anyway, that's me. I have an interesting and full life. I didn't even get to really talk about what I do for a living. So funny, because in our culture that's usually the first thing anyone talks about when they are asked to introduce themselves. I have a great career. I own my own successful and lucrative training design and development company. I am very happy and hope that my clients are, as well. But I'm even happier to say that what I do is not who I am. Truth is, I'm figuring that one out with each passing day and all I can tell you is that it keeps getting better.

So be sure to stay tuned.

Exciting things happen...Beyond the Stuff.