Once upon a time, in what seems like a lifetime ago, I was a young woman who had NO idea who I was in the world. I didn't know who I was away from abuse, away from control, away from the voices of others, away from depression and anxiety. I didn't know who I was when I was alone or when I was in a room full of people. I was full, but I couldn't access my fullness-my authentic self. I felt powerless. Then as life so often does, I was given a new start. Not in some broad and sweeping action of the universe, but in a simple day when the right person stood before me and I choose to hear and see the world differently than every day that had come before. I saw that I had CHOICE. When I didn't trust myself enough to make a choice, I had someone beside me, reminding me that I was capable of creating an amazing life for myself and all I had to do was decide and take action. Even more compelling, I realized that not making a choice really was making one-it was making the decision to give up my power. I know it is so easy to say, yet so hard to do, especially at the beginning. The journey to an empowered, authentic life has been the most wonderful part of my life and I now know that my calling in life is to stand beside others as they forge their paths. From the world of education to community building and now as a coach and a consultant, the underlying theme of my empowered life has been helping to empower others.