About Me
The challenging thing about writing a biography is I’m not dead yet, so I don’t know how the story ends! I was born at a very young age in Dublin, Ireland. My mother, a doctor, decided to go back to Ireland to have me because she didn’t trust American doctors. Much later on she became vice-president of the American Medical Association, which goes to show you, America corrupts! I have 2 amazing parents who still astound me each day. They still are happily married after more than 45 years and actually seem to enjoy one another’s company. They had four type A children, that went boy-girl-breather-boy-girl. My mother did everything perfectly. (Still does.) I am the oldest daughter. I don’t do everything perfectly. My parents actually believed it when they said that we could be anything that we wanted to be when we grew up– and as a result, I had no idea what I wanted to be – I still don’t. I have had careers in travel, retail, banking, law, education, coaching, and sales – just to name a few. Secretly, my original career path was to become President of the United States. I decided on that in the fourth grade – I just had to figure out a way around that pesky rule that claimed you needed to be born in America to be President. As my father has said often times, “Just because you were born in a suitcase, doesn’t make you a suitcase.” It made sense at the time. My back-up plan was to be a rock-star. I loved singing – still do. And I hold phenomenal rock concerts in my car. One time when I was in Illinois, a friend had pulled up next to me and saw me just singing and seat dancing away. I never registered her presence – I think she was in the nose-bleed seats!
Although I was born in Ireland, I am much more Americanized than my younger sister who was born in Missouri. And the rest of my family pretty much resides in Ireland – with the exception of an entire contingent of people that I learned live 2 years ago in Australia. One of the wonderful gifts of having “family” so far away is that I learned the value of friendship early in life as I didn’t have cousins I was forced to play with. Subsequently, my family was extended to include the amazing friends I have made along the way.
I grew up, for the most part, in Connecticut in a small town called Wethersfield. It’s one of those colonial states where you learn to appreciate the history after you leave. I went to a private school in West Hartford called Kingswood-Oxford. And spent a lot of time socializing with my friends from Wethersfield High. I was an exchange student to South Africa my sophomore year of high school. I had a ball – although I did spend a lot of time in detention because of various culture clashes like exposing my ankles and not wearing my boater hat in town. I used to swim competitively – a lot. I was on 3 swim teams at a time, 6 year round. The only time it was challenging was when my teams competed against one another and I hated choosing sides. My mom accepted a job with a company in Illinois during my senior year of highs school and my parents began a weekly commute that consisted of them flying out on Sunday nights and back in on Fridays. I was grateful for the opportunity to stay in CT and had to do a lot of grown-up responsibilities for my younger brother and sister – like feeding them, carpooling, etc. My brother doesn’t really remember it now and my sister was going through her bitchy phase then – that lasted until last year. So after high school, I felt a little homeless and ungrounded – and began my refusing to settle down phase.
I went to American University in Washington DC for college. I LOVED it! If there was ever a time I wish I could freeze-frame, that would be it. I pledged a sorority – Phi Mu – which is the oldest organization on American’s campus and is the second oldest sorority. In fact, when Phi Mu was founded the word sorority didn’t exist and so we are actually a fraternity. I love that I am connected to thousands of women throughout the world. My sorority sistas are the BEST!!!!
After I went to college, I went to Pepperdine University for Law (but shush, don’t tell anyone I was academically dismissed), University of Wisconsin for my Masters in Business Management, and Coach-U for my certification in life-coaching. I love learning – am intrigued by it and how everything seems to work. I have always considered myself the dumb one in my family – but I do feel I have the most personality. I am a 3 on the enneagram, which means I am competitive – and so since I could never really beat my siblings gradewise, I always did enough to get by but focused on extracurricular activities. I’ve always been active in clubs. And I have enough of a diverse background to do awesome at trivia type games!
I don’t recall ever particularly wanting to be a comedienne. I used to take myself way too seriously and sometimes still do. Comedy just sort of happened. I was always outspoken and sometimes people were amused by the way I would call people on things – and at some point in my 20’s, I realized I’m a pretty funny person. I didn’t choose to pursue comedy until I made an off-hand comment to a friend who then looked up comedy schools and low and behold I found myself enrolled in the San Francisco Comedy College. I realize now how much I love to make people laugh – and my comedy really stems from interacting with others, mostly playing on what they say.
I’ve been asked what do I hope to accomplish with my comedy – or if I hope to make a difference. The short answer is I’d love to make a difference, help people realize that although life is full of ups and downs, there is always another viewfinder out there and if you tweak one little part, you have a whole new picture. I would love to have people be inspired to go out and do whatever they are called to do because to deny that calling is to deny their truth – and if they can find courage in someone like me standing up and making others laugh, then I would love to be that conduit.
My inspiration is all those who have dared to pursue a dream. I am a fan of anyone who makes others laugh – because in the laughter, there’s hope.
