I have two children, John and Valerie. I often struggled along the way when they were young, being torn with building a practice and creating a home for my family. They are now young adults seeking their place in the world.

In 2002 I retired from my active practice of dentistry, although I am never far from it since I help out at John's office when I am needed. Dentistry runs in my blood.

I received my coach training from Coaches Training Institute in May 2003 and have been coaching since then.

How did you get to be a balance coach?

I can best answer this question by sharing with you a defining moment of mine. I was a young 23 year old when I graduated from dental school and joined my father in his part-time practice. As the years progressed I grew the practice, married a dentist, raised two children, and enjoyed and suffered through the ups and downs of the practice and life. Life was hectic indeed as my husband and I traveled in opposite directions every day to our respective offices. I had an hour commute to my office in good traffic days, and our two children went with me so they could attend schools near my office. The drive up window was my friend and a home cooked meal was a rarity. My day was long and left no time for me and my family. I was consumed by the demands of my practice, my family, and my busy life and was attempting to juggle it all. I was often stressed, overwhelmed, and exhausted and felt I was missing out on much of life. But I kept on. I was a busy, successful, dentist.

In the mid 1990's I embarked on a journey which led me to become the queen of continuing education for my practice. I also found myself at many personal growth workshops where I received continuing education about myself. I was learning and growing and thought I had it made going into the second half of my career. Slowing down was not an option for me. In the late 1990's it was time to physically grow my office. Consultants advised me that if I built it, people would come. So I built a gorgeous new office complete with five ops, high tech equipment, and a homey touch. It was my crowning achievement.

And my downfall. It took only a few months before I lost all desire to be in the office. When I opened the door every morning I saw in the mirror an overworked, tired, stressed, deeply in debt, out of control and out of balance dentist. I had lost touch with "me". I had no time for myself, my husband, or my family and I was quickly losing my passion for dentistry and my patients. In reality, I was successful on the outside and dying on the inside.

I closed my dream practice just eighteen months after it opened. It was by far the hardest thing I ever had to do and took all the courage I could muster. My patients were my extended family and many of them I had known for over twenty years. They trusted me and believed in me. I felt an obligation to them, but I had a larger one to myself and my family. We had to come first. My life could not continue on that destructive path. I did what I could to provide my patients a new dental home and my team members were able to find other positions. Tears were shed and stories were told. And then the doors closed, twenty five years and it was over.

The journey then began to rebuild my life and to have the balance and joy I so desperately wanted. I found a personal coach who guided me through the darkest time of my life. Mimi stood by me, through thick and thin and gave me unconditional support as I struggled to grasp the meaning of my life and what it was I really wanted. Partnering with Mimi was different from all the other personal growth workshops I participated in and all the consultants I had worked with. I had someone here who really believed in me, who knew I was creative and whole and not broken. I had my future to design and I could create it any which way I wanted. I was in charge and at the helm and I found that very freeing. I found the process so empowering that I decided to become a coach and completed my training from the Coaches Training Institute in May 2003. As a result of my experiences I decided to dedicate the rest of my life to helping other dentists find their place in this world, both personally and professionally, to be in tune with what is important to them, and to live the fulfilling, joyful life they so deserve.