My Story

I feel incredibly fortunate! I have wonderful friends and family and have a beautiful home in the Back Bay of Boston. I am healthy both spiritually, physically, emotionally, and financially.

Living in New England is a joy.  We have the ocean, the mountains – and the ability to hop a plane to anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice!   It has not always been this way for me, though.

Not that long ago I felt out of control reacting to life instead of creating the life I deserve and want. Just as you may be feeling.

But, just so you have some context, let me give you a bit of background.

I grew up in the US as a child of Norwegian parents. My summers were often spent in Norway with family.  These were idyllic summers which left me with wanderlust – you know, that urge to see the world! That wanderlust, my curious and adventurous nature, and being a calculated risk taker are an incredible combination. They led me to an amazing career in the corporate world and later to the building of multiple businesses.

I have always loved learning – even as a young kid. This has always driven me. For instance, after my father was hospitalized for heart disease when I was still in my teens, medicine – especially cardiac medicine – fascinated me.  Because I had a “traditional” background, I wound up in nursing.  Of course, I specialized in Cardiovascular Nursing. [What a surprise! ]

Although Nursing had its rewarding moments, I quickly realized that I craved more.  I knew that there was something else I should be doing – either in Politics, maybe lobbying for Nursing, or, in the business world working for a medical company.  Don’t ask me how I knew – I just knew!

Then, about two years into nursing, it happened! I was working and living in Minneapolis with my [then] husband. I was about to start my graduate studies in Nursing when six thousand nurses went out on strike.  Hmmm . . . I was now walking a picket line! This was not quite what I envisioned when I was thinking about cardiac medicine!

But, guess what? Walking that picket line was one of the best things that could have happened to me!  It was hot, humid, and demanded long hours. But, it was also what finally catapulted me into the corporate world! I soon found myself working for one of the top medical device companies in the pacing and electrophysiology market.

I happened to be in the right place at the right time. I was offered this new opportunity and I knew that this was the right decision for me.

The work I did for this company opened the door to bigger and better things for me. I became the manager of sensor based pacing and implantable defibrillation clinical trials in Europe and the US. I loved the work and it gave me an incredible opportunity to travel and expand my experience working with world leaders in medicine.

As I had changed the direction of my career, I also changed the direction of my graduate work and was accepted into the Carlson School of Management MBA Program at the University of Minnesota.

But all was not well.

My marriage of seven years ended.  We had ‘grown up’ together and now we had grown apart.  It was a shock both emotionally and financially. I found myself alone.

But, it got worse. I was even denied a credit card based on our spending as a married couple so I could not even buy my books for my classes on credit!  This was one of the most humbling days of my life.

I knew that I had to pick up the pieces and create a new life – or die.

Not knowing what else to do, I dove into my work and my studies.  I traveled regularly to Europe as I managed key clinical trials.  I completed my MBA.  The best part – new opportunities opened up for me. Suddenly, credit card companies were coming to me offering me credit cards! LOL!

At this point, I had some decisions to make.

Because of my success I had the opportunity to either go into marketing or into the field and sales. Luckily, I had two incredible mentors and, although my ultimate goal was international marketing, they advised me to get some sales experience! They were so right!

I took their advice and was hired by an incredible company who transferred me to Chicago to take over the Midwest Territory. Working in the field in Sales was the best learning experience I could have had. It even led me to take a position in Europe to help drive sales in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Of course, my dilemma was not only marketing vs. sales. I also had the issue of whether I was better suited to live in Europe or in the US. That can happen when one is raised in two countries growing up! I picked Europe.

While in Europe, I finally got my shot at marketing. I accepted a position in International Product Marketing for my company. I loved it! Did I have a huge learning curve? Did I make mistakes? Oh yes! But was it the right move – most definitely!

Unfortunately, my company restructured and suddenly I was out of work and living in Europe! To say the least, it was challenging. Again, I picked up the pieces and started interviewing and ultimately took a position back in the States on the East Coast.

This started my incredible marketing run in the medical device industry. I ultimately became the Head of Global Marketing for a Fortune 1000 company in Boston. It was an exciting ride and the move to Boston had been like coming home. I knew that I was done with moving – at least for a while!

Although I had now reached the pinnacle of corporate success within marketing, I still had to balance my professional and personal lives. Although I lived in Boston, I was traveling up to fifty percent of the time. I witnessed corporate take overs and entire marketing departments being outsourced. I realized that my values were not aligned with how this corporation was functioning. I also realized that I was no longer being challenged and learning, things that are very important to me.

Of course, I also was attempting to have a life. I had recently been proposed marriage to and my parents were aging needing more and more of my help in Wisconsin as my father had been diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis and it was suspected that my mother was showing early signs of Alzheimer’s.

It was during this time that I decided to leave the corporate world to explore entrepreneurship. I knew this would also give me more flexibility to help my aging parents.

Leaving the corporate world was scary. And, the majority of my “helpful” [scarcity-minded] friends thought I was crazy to leave.  I didn’t even know what I was going to do next but as a calculated risk taker, I knew it was time for transformation.  To make this time of transformation more challenging though,  my long term relationship ended, my father died and I was left with the care of my mother in Wisconsin.

I needed to get may act together – quickly!

The residential real estate market had always fascinated me. I knew that this could be an incredible interim step as I explored what was next in my life. I knew it would also give me the flexibility to take care of my mother.

Despite a challenging housing market, I was able to establish myself in the Boston Market as one of the top agents. I was also able to move my mother to Boston so she could be closer to me which we both wanted.

My experience with this housing market though convinced me that I needed to pursue what was next in building a new business. I knew that I did not wish to experience this type of market again when I was entering retirement.  I formed a company called Ageless Difference to explore the anti-aging market.

I now had three ‘full time’ jobs – real estate, building my new business, and taking care of my mother who was requiring more and more care!

It was during this time that my relationship with food changed.  I didn’t even realize it at first.  Looking back, I realize I started using food as a reward for surviving a hard day, stress or a tough time with my mom.  There was a constant “hunger” and often, I could not shovel enough food into my mouth to satisfy “the hunger” inside. I felt I deserved to reward myself with food.  I would get up the next morning vowing that today I will eat healthy or on Sunday, I will start my new diet.  The vow was usually short lived and the hunger remained.

I had lost control. I had become a “reactor”, I had become a “victim”, I had stopped being the “creator” I always had been.

One day I remembered something my father had teased me about.  On my 30th birthday, my father had teased me that ‘Now I was getting old!’.

I had promptly declared that I planned to age like a fine bottle of Cognac only getting better with age!   This memory was an “Aha Moment”.  I realized that I was aging but not like a fine bottle of cognac!  I was taking care of everyone and everything other than myself. To cope with the stress of my life, my work and taking care of my mother, I was eating myself to death and I had gained 25 pounds in a year. I realized I had lost control.

I looked at myself and I was disgusted.  I was FAT. Even though I was the master of camouflaging the FAT, I was still FAT.  I was wearing more and more matronly and baggy clothes to hide how big I felt and looked. Not good!

I no longer felt sexy or beautiful.  Worse yet, I knew that I was at high risk for heart disease and diabetes which ran in my family as well as a multitude of other conditions related to obesity.  I also knew that a ‘new diet’ was not going to take care of this.  I was done with ‘dieting’.  I had a serious issue with my relationship with food.  Why was I eating so poorly?  Why was I always hungry?  My fascination with learning ignited once again.

Taking care of yourself can be a challenge. I know, I’ve been there.  That is why I developed this site.  There is an incredible lack of information out there as to how to “balance it all” and not get lost in taking care of everyone and everything except yourself.  What you will find here are the solutions I found to stop the ‘hunger’ and get back to feeling and looking sexy and beautiful!

Changing how I approached life and food, I lost the 25 lbs and an additional 20 lbs and 30 inches.  I now exercise regularly and I am happy and I feel beautiful and sexy.  Feeling beautiful and sexy though is not about weight as much as it is about how one feels inside and how one handles food and stress. I am in the best shape of my life and I enjoy and love life!  I eat the foods I love not out of ‘hunger’ but out of enjoyment when I am truly hungry.

What was more interesting was that several of my friends came to me for advice as to how I had done this.  I started coaching them.  I loved seeing their results and the joy with which they approached their new bodies as creating one’s new body is not just about weight loss, it is also about taking the weight off ‘internally’ in your mind.  It is about getting rid of the baggy clothes and letting the beautiful and sexy you out!  Thus was born my passion!

Are you ready to take action? Are you ready to transform yourself and embrace your sexy and beautiful self again for all the world to see?  Are you ready to create the life you want?  Then let’s get started!

Here, I will be be sharing some of what I did to transform my life and how I have helped others.   If any or all of this makes sense, fill out the form in the upper right to stay up to date on what’s up.

To Enjoying the View and Aging Like a Fine Bottle of Grande Champagne Cognac – Only Getting BETTER with Age!