In 2017, I started Live Inspired Event Management because I love people, I love making them happy, and I was, and am, learning how to love myself. In my process of learning, I figured out one of life’s mysteries (yes, I am brilliant) - I am the creator of my future.
No one was going to change my life for me. There was no magical star that was going to float down with a bigger paycheck, bigger house, dream job, free vacation, my purpose, cure to anxiety, and also abs… I can’t be the only one who was waiting on an external source to suddenly ‘fix’ me, right? The truth is, the only person who could face the fears and limitations I had in my head, and carve out the way to my success, was me. But as I’m sure you know, there’s a big difference between making this realization, and then actually doing something about it.
It took a mentor telling me I was capable of more to finally take the leap into going my own way.
Now, two years into piecing together part-time gigs, freelancing, and figuring things out one day at a time (to be clear, I’m still doing all of those things), I’m adding on another layer - sharing my authentic self and trials to true self-love and financial success in the hopes that it will help keep me focused on my own journey and maybe even inspire you to start out or continue on your own.
Content you can expect from me and this blog going forward:
Event planning and fundraising tips (where my nonprofit peeps at!? I’m here with you ✊🏼)
Buffalo, NY events you don’t want to miss for my local friends
Side hustle realities and support
Interviews with folks on how they Live Inspired
Mom life
Money making and money keeping strategies (more on how I would STRUGS TO FUNC when it came to money management in future posts - if I can begin to figure it out, you can too)
Habits and help for managing mental health
Lots of laughs, positivity, and entertainment
If you’ve never met me or are just getting to know me, here’s a quick rundown of my story: I am the oldest of nine kids. I always start there because it’s a crowd-pleaser. Yes, they are all from the same two parents, who have been through some real stuff, and yet, are still married and working it out every day, almost 31 years later.
I went to private Catholic school nearly my whole life - first at a small parochial school through 8th grade, then an all-girls high school, and finally Canisius College, where I graduated with a degree in Communications. I thought for sure I was going to be a radio talk show host until I produced Rob Lucas’s morning show for a year at WTSS STAR 102.5. Nothing against Rob, he was a great mentor for me and I still listen to him every morning on the way to school drop off, but I realized pretty quickly that it wasn’t an industry that I would feel fulfilled in.
I have lived in Buffalo, NY my whole life, except for a magical little stint in NYC in 2012 where I spent one semester at NYU studying for my Masters in Public Relations and Corporate Communications. The cost of school and living brought me back home, but a piece of my heart never left the city.
When I got back from New York, I went to visit my college advisor, Barbara Irwin, to ask if she had heard of any job openings in the communications field. While there weren’t any paid openings (SOUND FAMILIAR MILLENNIALS???), there was an internship opportunity working for a small organization that existed to provide financial support to families who were dealing with childhood cancer. At the time, the organization was called, Brian Moorman’s PUNT Foundation, named after and founded by the then punter of the Buffalo Bills. I figured I could keep waiting tables at night and find fulfillment in this internship, and who knows where it could lead to next?
That’s how I fell into the nonprofit industry.
I’ll dive deeper into my experiences following that first job in future posts, but it wasn’t long after I started working with PUNT that I got hired by another organization. I worked for Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, American Cancer Society, and Girls Education Collaborative before eventually taking the leap into consulting and managing events for a myriad of gorgeous nonprofits and corporate clients in Buffalo, NY.
My life completely changed when I found out I was pregnant. The circumstances weren’t perfect (again, future post), and for me that in itself was a problem because up until then I did EVERYTHING ‘perfectly’. I always followed the rules. My son taught me that the most beautiful things in the world can come from choosing to (or being shoved into) go your own way in the face of fear.
Three years later, my life changed once more when I had a miscarriage. It’s something that happens all the time to SO many women but nobody talks about it. So, I’m sorry if this is making you uncomfortable to read, but it’s real life and I want people to know they are not alone. I don’t know what I expected experiencing a miscarriage to be like, but I certainly did not anticipate how traumatizing it would be for me. I do not use that word lightly. Dealing with that loss is really what pushed me to take better care of myself and eventually led me to starting Live Inspired in late 2017.
I prayed to God that I would marry a man with an accent and I caught one. I wish that was a lie but it’s actually really true. Shout out to Tinder and the fact that Ryan put a Union Jack on his profile. We had a rough start, but I swear to you I wouldn’t be typing this story of mine right now if it were not for Ry. He has been my rock through some really hard times the last 6 years. I’m so grateful we seem to be on the celebratory side of things these days.
Together we made the cutest kid on the planet. His name is Jax and he is currently 4 1/2. He is equal parts dinosaur, worm, soccer, and red nail polish. He is perfect. We are also expecting our 2nd little fella at the end of May 2020.
I would be remiss if I did not mention Simon, our lab husky, who is staring at me as I write this. I am confident he exists to keep me on my toes when everything else is going well by crapping on the rug, eating a down comforter, or making the house smell like his awful fish breath. I do love him though.
All that said, I love to write, create, and make people laugh, so I’m super excited that I’m finally allowing myself to start this part of my life. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter below for the latest posts right to your inbox, I promise not to spam or bore you. Here we go! 💕✨