Going through bootcamp I blew out my knee 2 weeks before graduation but I wasn’t giving up and I definitely wasn’t going to start again. I taped that knee up, greeted my teeth, dealt with pain and made it through even though when no one thought I would make it, I did! In the Military, I was stationed in Texas where I learned how to train my mind and strength of decisions, Alaska taught me that I can survive extreme circumstances with the right skills, Arkansas taught me to not fear transition as I got out of the military going into civilian life. These are qualities that I help my clients discover about themselves.

After the Military went overseas to England, Australia, and New Zealand, moving overseas was my first experience with real culture shock. I learned English is not the same everywhere. Let’s just the first time in London I asked where the toilet was the bar man said “The Lou is in the back”. I was like who is Lou? I am looking for the toilet….lol!

In this chapter, I learned about dealing with culture shock in your own language. I learned to pivot and change careers. I did whole new things with the a skill I had but was always afraid to use and became a Chef. But sometimes you can do too much of a good thing and I experienced burn-out for the first time.. So then I went on an adventure to New Zealand and Australia for a year. I took time for radical self- care, reflection and to reinvent myself and life. I need a new vision for the new life I wanted to create.

This chapter really taught me some of biggest things I help my clients with today: how reinvent themselves by creata a vision for the new life they want to create or improve, understand the skills they have that they are not using or afraid to use to create different life and career they, while making sure they have balance and incorporate self care so they never burn-out!