I’ve always taken the road less traveled… living in far reaching places and accomplishing things I was told “women can’t or don’t do”.
That has never stopped me.
I was born in Peru spending my childhood years in Tripoli Libya before moving to my adopted hometown of Houston Texas. During my early travels, I experienced many cultures finding myself in various situations that taught me the importance of being adaptable. Equipped with my fluency in English, Spanish, French and “Nautical” (the language of the sea) ... I thrived. 
Today, as an author, I reside in Galveston Texas on my 52’ motor yacht Loyalty.
My father’s career in the oil industry as a “doodlebugger”, moved us to North Africa where I spent my childhood in Tripoli Libya. I recall Swimming in the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea along with sheltering in place as we endured the never ending blistering Saharan Desert sandstorms. I also have vivid memories of riding camels as my mother shopped for food in a fly-infested open market. I looked forward to greeting the egg man who delivered fresh eggs out of the 
basket on the back of his donkey. It wasn’t until we visited my grandparents, years later in Texas, that I discovered grocery stores with sliced bread, fresh fruits and vegetables and meat wrapped in cellophane that wasn’t covered in flies. Eventually, after leaving North Africa, we spent several years in South America before my family settled in Houston.
I never planned on being an author. Writing was something I just always enjoyed. I remember my first writing experience. I was eight years old, living in Tripoli with limited access to television. The one show I did get to watch was the Wonderful World of Disney. I loved it and was inspired to write a letter to Mr. Disney, letting him know how much I enjoyed his show. To my utter delight, he responded! We kept that pen pal relationship alive for years.
After settling in Texas, where I graduated from college, I found a job working in the private air charter business. That’s when I met the first of many mentors, Rafael Rivas. He saw potential in me that I didn't see in myself. I quickly rose from being his secretary to head dispatcher. Five years later I had the confidence to start my own company and I became the first female owner of a jet charter company in the United States. We flew dignitaries, emergency personnel, 
celebrities and news teams around the world, often on a moment’s notice. While I loved this profession, it was difficult running this 24/7 operation while being a wife and mother. I eventually turned the company over to my sister and accepted a corporate position at Southwest Airlines where I remained for 15 incredible years.
Southwest empowered me to run my own department, gave me mentors like Herb Kelleher and Colleen Barrett, and provided a fun environment. Not long after I started working at Southwest, my husband was diagnosed with cancer and, despite a determined two-year battle, sadly passed away. My coworkers’ support and nurturing during this tough battle cemented my loyalty to the company.
Fifteen years later, I made the difficult choice to leave Southwest Airlines as my father was ill and I wanted to spend time with him before he was gone. So I left my beloved Southwest. Upon my departure I kept thinking, “What has this company done to make me so loyal?” That was the impetus of my first book, “Lessons in Loyalty – How Southwest Airlines Does It”. Once published, this book launched my consulting career and I spent the next few years working with companies, sharing the secrets of how to create loyal and engaged employees.
Along the way, I wrote three more books and discovered a passion for boating. After my boys left home, I sold our house and moved aboard a 42’ sailboat where I lived for the next 12 years. In 2007 I bought a 32’ trawler and spent three months bringing it down the eastern seaboard of the United States via the Intercoastal Waterway, from Oriental North Carolina to my new home in Kemah Texas. It remains one of the highlights of my boating experience. In 2011 I sold my trawler and 
today live aboard my 52’ Jefferson motor yacht in Galveston Texas. Despite having endured two hurricanes, I wouldn’t trade the liveaboard lifestyle. The sense of freedom, the minimalist lifestyle, the great people I’ve met, and knowing I can move my “home” at the drop of a line…this lifestyle appeals to me.
Lessons Learned
-
Be in the moment... notice what's around you
-
Get out of your comfort zone regularly
-
Be relentlessly helpful
-
Do what you love... every day
-
Live with an attitude of gratitude
-
Never stop learning
-
Mentor women
The road less traveled continues to beckon as I seek to discover what’s around the next bend. I wake up every morning knowing I still have things to look forward to.
