About Me

I started my writing career in radio & television news, where I interviewed the president of the United States, the first man to walk on the moon, and the Corn King of Indiana!

I learned and reported how the economy could sink a sitting president, how a Boy Scout leader inspired a future astronaut to take one small step, and how a country farmer ended up with kernels on a cob that lined up as straight as a North Korean military unit. 

My career in broadcast news lasted 6 years until I was lured by Eli Lilly & Company to be a spokesperson. I later became editor of both the company’s quarterly world-wide employee magazine and weekly US newsletter. 

My writing life took a turn when I moved to Japan with my husband & 2 toddlers and discovered that I was illiterate (and didn’t have a work visa), so I began writing letters home each Sunday. Those letters recently morphed into a personal essay that won a Writers Digest Award among the almost 800 entries! “Letters from Far Away” will be announced in the 2025 May/June issue.

Much of my later career was as an international communications consultant when I focused on writing speeches for top executives and coaching them to make their deliveries memorable. In addition, I created communication training programs for people from 29 different countries.

My book, Tough Talks in Tough Times: What Bosses Need to Know to Deliver Bad News, Motivate Employees & Stay Sane, was published in 2010. I spoke at numerous conferences, here and abroad on the topic, sharing the people stories & case studies, as well as my Tough Talk 5-step CHECK®️system for difficult conversations. 

Now that I’m retired, I’ve switched to writing fiction and am currently polishing a women’s historical novel set in 1909 America & Eastern Europe.