I’ll go first…

A published writer for more than 20 years, I’m grateful to have received multiple awards for my work as a marketing, public relations and sales consultant through my agency, DCM Communications. Originally from New Orleans, I moved around quite a bit with stints in Denver, Miami (it’s all about the 🙌🏻) , London, Washington D.C. and Chattanooga, before landing in Chicago in 2023.

After experiencing two heart attacks at age 26, while training for my first half marathon no less, I became heavily involved with the American Heart Association  in Washington D.C., including serving as the president of the chapter’s young professionals board, PULSE, for multiple years. If sharing my story, will help save someone from having it as their  story, then I’ll shout it from the rooftop as often as I am I asked.

In 2017 I moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee where I continued to advocate for heart disease awareness serving as a speaker on behalf of the organization to local groups and news outlets alike. In 2020 I joined the Board of Directors followed by the Go Red for Women Executive Leadership team in 2021, where I served until moving to Chicago in 2023.

Overcoming Adversity

Though my heart attacks diverted my fitness goals for a bit, when asked by the doctor in cardiac rehab what I wanted to accomplish, I knew the answer immediately:

“I want to run again.”

And that’s exactly what I did. It started with a “walk slowly for 2 minutes, ‘jog’ for 30 seconds, walk for another 2 minutes” and be finished after 12 minutes type of approach.

That soon progressed to a 5k, then a 5-miler, then a 10k race less than six months after leaving the hospital.

The Next Step

Fast forward to 2019 and I stood near a race finish line cheering on a friend as she completed a half marathon.

“I think I can do that,” I thought and walked away to sign up for my first long-distance race just two months later.

Since that first half marathon, I have completed 14 more in addition to nine full marathons, the first of which I did to celebrate my 10-year heart-iversary in 2021.

I have shared my experience training and racing, along with all the life, running and personal growth lessons its taught me on the blog and my Instagram.

Running has brought so many wonderful things into my life and truly restored my faith in my body after my heart attacks that sharing those lessons on a larger stage seemed like the next logical step.

In 2024 I became a certified running coach to help others find faith and confidence in their body through its performance and ability to overcome mental & physical hurdles that running places in front of us.

If you can do it in running, you can do it in life.

One step. One mile. One workout at a time.