Hello there! I cannot tell you how excited I am to be part of the Lansing Mom writing community, not only because of the honor that comes from joining the incredibly inspiring and supportive women that comprise this group, but also because Lansing Mom was the first place I turned when I decided to embark on the journey of…you guessed it…becoming a mom!
A Little About Me
I have two main callings in life: writing and helping others. My full-time occupation in product development for an insurance company combines both of those aspects, and I also enjoy immersing myself in these callings more personally outside of my “9-5.” I help young women confidently and creatively transform into purpose-driven, professional leaders through my life coaching business, Unlocked Goddess, LLC. I am also fortunate enough to work alongside my great friend at Leadership Coaching for Results, where we coach strong managers and professional individuals to become the leaders they need and want to be. I am always striving to sharpen my skills either for my full-time career or my side hustles, and the only way I’m able to balance everything is with the substantial help of my lovely wife, Megan.
Let’s Meet in the Middle
I’m originally from a rural city called Linden that had one traffic light while I was growing up, and now I believe they’ve expanded to two! I lived on a farm where a pig lived in my kitchen, most stray animals quickly became family members, and I rode my sheep, Pickles, around our property. To save money, I worked odd jobs from a young age and eventually commuted to the University of Michigan’s Flint campus while pursuing my bachelor’s in Clinical Community Psychology. After various jobs working in retail, banking, community mental health, and manufacturing, I eventually made my way to Lansing for a more stable future.
My wife, on the other hand, hails from the Grand Rapids area and is definitely the “city girl” in the relationship. After earning her degrees from Grand Valley State University, she ended up in Lansing as well. I definitely reap the benefits of knowing a local when we visit GR because she knows THE BEST places to eat! Megan is a phenomenal cook and baker, which is both great and somewhat dangerous at times. She is the one person who appreciates even my corniest dad jokes, doesn’t mind the dance moves I spontaneously debut around our house, and never fails to show me grace and support when I falter.
Five years ago, we met in the workplace, and I’ll never forget our first meeting together when it took every ounce of my concentration not to turn into a giggly mess. She might mention that I wasn’t very successful at that. We remained simply coworkers for a while, but inevitably we became friends. And from there, we quickly learned it was impossible not to want to spend the rest of our lives together.
Megan proposed to me along our favorite trail in Grand Ledge’s Fitzgerald Park in October of 2018, and we were married up near Traverse City the following September.
To the Ends of the Earth
If I didn’t enjoy having clean hair and Netflix binges, I would spend my life in a tent, surrounded by dense forest. Until I’m able to forgo those modern luxuries, I get my fix by being outdoors as much as possible. Megan and I love hiking, and so do our three pups, who we call “our girls.” We have a Pomeranian named Ellie, a Doberman Pinscher named Ira, and a Siberian Husky named Koa. If you can believe it, Megan told me early in our relationship that she was NOT a dog person. Let this be proof that there is always hope for those lost souls.
When we’re not hiking or running on the trails with our girls, we can be found camping. And, believe it or not, we can fit this entire crew into a two-person tent. I don’t know that anyone gets a solid night’s sleep, but it can be done.
This past year, I learned there’s one activity we love that is not compatible with including our girls, and that is kayaking. Our Pomeranian never passes up a swimming opportunity…and when she decided to do that immediately after we launched, I learned what a five hour kayak trip with a soaking wet dog sitting on my lap felt like. Never again.
Before Baking a Bun, Check Your Oven
Our journey into motherhood officially commenced this past October, when we had our initial IUI consultation at the fertility center. Despite knowing the journey might not be easy due to some preexisting health conditions of mine, we were filled with so much hope to finally get this baby making business started.
However, due to my circumstances, we decided to do some preliminary diagnostics via hysteroscopy and found that I had some uterine polyps and built up tissue that needed to be removed first. The surgery was scheduled for early December, but in the meantime I had a CMV test, which came back positive for a first time infection with no antibodies present. If you’re not familiar with CMV, an infection during pregnancy can potentially have devastating consequences. So, instead of cleaning out the oven, only to let it sit for a few months as I build immunity to CMV, we pushed back the surgery to April. As long as I can continue to stay isolated and COVID–free until then, we’ll proceed as planned. Hopefully, I’ll have some exciting “next steps” to share with all of you around May. Any positive vibes you want to send our way are greatly appreciated!
We often underestimate the impact sharing our stories can have on those around us. I am so grateful for this opportunity to share mine, and I hope they serve as a source of support and connection for our community!
