In 2002, I had the incredible opportunity to bring my greatest inspiration into the world – my son. It was a chance for me to rewrite my own childhood and create the family I had always yearned for. My son was planned, and he was perfect. However, I was unprepared for the breakdown of my relationship with his father. It took immense courage for me to accept my role as a single mother and I worked tirelessly to establish a co-parenting dynamic. If you had told me back then that I would one day be referred to as a single mother, I would have found it unimaginable. Here I was repeating the cycle of my parents. It felt like the absolute worst outcome, but I refused to let it define me. However, I found myself back in survival mode, I pushed forward and prioritized my son’s well-being above all else. I set aside my own feelings and disappointments to ensure that he had a healthy and stable family dynamic. It was during his fifth-grade year that his teacher noticed our seamless parenting despite not living under the same roof. That moment made me realize that we had achieved something extraordinary worth sharing with others.
Inspired by this recognition, I began speaking more openly about my journey as a co-parent. Before I knew it, people were seeking my guidance and counsel for their own lives. In 2019, I made the decision to transform my experiences into a guidebook for mothers. I turned my lemons into lemonade and created something meaningful out of a challenging situation. My book has gained recognition, being featured on OWN’s hit show Love & Marriage Huntsville, and has become a valuable resource for women’s groups. It has also served as a form of therapy for me, allowing me to reflect on my own growth and resilience. I managed to find the silver lining in a situation that could have hardened me, and now it has become a part of my legacy to make a positive impact in the lives of others.

In 2019 I left my job in nonprofit leadership to pursue my current role as a social enterprise owner. Who would have known that by sharing my story of becoming a co-parent it would lead to me writing a book and opening a business! I am living proof that adversity can shape you and parlay into your destiny.