I’ve been writing since I was in grade school. My parents still have a story I wrote in third or fourth grade that was full of drama, vampires and lots of exclamation points. I can, from time to time, still be full of drama, and I have mostly vanquished my vampire obsession. I have most definitely left my exclamation point phase in the dust.

Fast way forward to having kids. I started taking an online writing course that gave me confidence, and reading Parents magazine where I thought maybe, just maybe, I could write better than some of what I was reading. Before I knew it, I had an essay published in Parents. And then six more.

Fast forward again to so many opportunities to interview and write about every day people who’ve quietly done amazing things. To take leaps of faith, reach out to favorite authors Anne Lamott and Elizabeth Gilbert, bring them to Indianapolis and oversee their presentations to sell-out crowds. Be part of bringing the Dalai Lama to Indianapolis to raise money for the hungry in our community. I can’t count how many ways I’ve been lucky.

Best thing that ever happened to me, however, has nothing to do with writing or being published or running marathons or all the adventures I’ve had, from being part of an AIDS documentary team in Africa (we won a regional Emmy) to Haiti six weeks after the 2010 earthquake to right here in Indianapolis. The best achievement of my life, hands down, is being a mom. Through a dizzying combo of love, professional-grade stubbornness and outright luck, I raised two awesome sons. Watching them write their own life stories is like turning pages in a book you can’t put down. It makes you laugh — sometimes it makes you cry — but you know it’s all worth it because it’s the best damn journey you’ll ever be on.

That’s a glimpse of me. For more in-depth info on the depth and breadth of my writing experience, head over to My Portfolio.