Where are you from and how long have you lived in town? What brought you to the area?
I grew up in Palatine, IL and went to Fremd High School. My husband and I lived in Tampa, FL after we were married and then moved back to the area in 2010. We initially lived in Vernon Hills, but quickly fell in love with Libertyville…the town, the people, the restaurants and the community so moved to the VILLE 7 years ago.
What are your favorite things to do in the area with and without your kids? Family friendly restaurant? Date night?
There are so many great restaurants in town…it’s hard to choose. Mickey Finns and Milwalky Taco are probably our two favorites to go to as a family or out with friends. We frequent Main Street Social and O’Tooles quite a bit too! Most of our nights right now are spent at Butler Lake enjoying our boys’ baseball games. We also love taking bike rides as a family and often then find ourselves stopping for ice cream at Dairy Dream.
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor or in the corporate world? How’d you get involved with it?
For the last 14 years, I have worked for Wiland, a marketing intelligence company headquartered in Longmont, CO. I am the SVP, New Business Development and run our sales team. We work with retail and etail brands like Crate & Barrel, Rothy’s, Quay, Casper and hundreds of others brands to help them acquire new customers and market smarter to their current customers. I have always worked from my home office, so not too much has changed for me in the last few months besides the fact that I normally travel quite frequently and unfortunately, we are not able to do that right now. I also recently joined the Executive Board for LBC, the football and cheer organization in Libertyville. My boys have played football for the last few years through LBC, and we have had such a great experience. I am excited to be a part of this organization and offer my time and ideas to continue to see the program succeed.
How has this community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
I have met so many wonderful people in Libertyville through Heather’s Gym, Copeland School, St. Joe’s and all of the awesome youth sports organizations that my kids have played in over the years. I have found “my village,” and we would never be able to do all that we do without the people in this community. From our best of friends to our teachers, coaches, colleagues, teammates, this community has been the best place for my kids to grow up and the best place for us to live. We love living in the VILLE!
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
My passion has always been dance since a very young age. I danced at the University of Wisconsin – Madison on the nationally ranked UW Dance Team. I had the opportunity to dance on the sidelines of the football field and the basketball court. After college, I danced for the Chicago Rush, the arena football team, and for the Chicago Bulls, as a Luvabull. I love performing and hope that I can instill the same passion for dance into my daughter as she is just starting her dancing career at The Talent Forum. 😊
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve gotten from another Mom?
I am often told that I do too much, but I thrive off of being busy. Another mom and one of my best friends now, once told me that it’s ok to say no. We laugh about it today, but she said…”do you know how good you would be at one thing, if you devoted all of your time to it versus 4-5 things at once.” I could never completely do what she said as I like to have my hands in a few things at once, but I was at the time definitely taking on too much and finding myself drowning with multiple jobs, activities and volunteer opportunities. I have learned to do what I can with the resources that I have and pass on other opportunities where I am maybe less passionate or just simply don’t have the time to do it.
What advice / tips / tricks do you have for fellow working moms & finding the work-life balance?
I wish I had the magic answer here, but my moto is always work hard, play hard. Finding a balance between work and life is so important. You need to make sure that your work is something you are passionate about and that allows you to have a balance. Since I work from home, I am not always able to “turn off” my job, but I do have the flexibility where I can volunteer at school during the day or meet a friend for lunch or be at an after school or mid-day game. It is the little things that sometimes bring me the most joy. My family and friends are so important to me and making time for all of them is what makes me the happiest. I thrive off of relationships in my work life and in my personal life. There is a reason that I am in sales because I love connecting with people. I take that same outlook into my personal life as well. I need people around me constantly, and that make me thrive!
What motivates / inspires you when you need it most?
Heather’s Gym is my happy place. I love the staff, the members, the classes, the upbeat environment and most importantly being active and getting my sweat on! I have loved teaching for Heather since the very beginning. People and relationships inspire me, so I love that I have the gym (virtual, outside or in studio) to connect with people and also to just be me. I am fortunate to help people obtain their fitness goals and feel better about themselves. We all do so much as moms that we really need time just for us! Heather’s Gym or any type of physical activity liking running or walking recharges me and inspires me everyday!
What’s something new you learned/ hidden talent you discovered or something fun you discovered during these past few months?
We are normally always on the go and constantly staying busy, so I will say the one thing I found really enjoyable during the last few months, like a lot of people, were doing puzzles. It was fun to do these with my kids and to see the joy on their faces when they found the right piece! I’ve also started running more too which helps me clear my mind if I’m by myself or catch up with friends when I have a running buddy.
What is next for you?
That’s a great question and one I don’t know the answer too right now. Right now, I find myself going day by day as so much seems to be changing every day. I absolutely love to travel and love to make plans, so I am hoping that is next for me. There are so many amazing places that I still want to see, so my hope is to be able to travel soon and reschedule a few of my trips that were canceled over the last few months.
*This post was sponsored by Heather’s Gym