Who’s That Girl?

I’m a bitch, I’m a lover, I’m a child, I’m a mother
I’m a sinner, I’m a saint, I do not feel ashamed
I’m your hell, I’m your dream, I’m nothing in between
You know you wouldn’t want it any other way~ Meredith Brooks, b.i.t.c.h

When this song hit the charts in 1997, I didn’t relate to it. I definitely didn’t think of myself as a bitch. I wasn’t someone’s mother. In fact, I was a newly married, hard working woman trying to find my place in the world.

Now, 28 years later, it was the first thing that popped in my mind as I tried to write my bio. I guess times do change.

Personally, I am the mom to twins who are Seniors in college. That is by far the most important role I’ve ever had and ever will have. I’m proud that one is at the University of Nebraska and the other is at the University of Utah. They are both pursuing their dreams and finding themselves which to me means I’m doing something right in the parenting department.

For the past 30+ years I’ve been in the workforce working my way up the corporate ladder. I jumped head-first into HR and recruiting with Manpower International. I ended up running an office that handled mostly industrial temp workers. It was the best “first job” in HR because I spent my time interviewing hundreds of people a month and filling positions in big companies like GE, Nabisco, Contico, Trane, and more. I left there and moved on to my dream job at PwC where I remained for 10 years supporting both Tax and Audit HR. After that, and when social media began, I worked in PR, healthcare and technology. I never went looking for jobs. They always found me through my HR blog and the HR Happy Hour podcast work I did as a global influencer.

The time finally came where I was convinced I’d make a great analyst. I credit my friend Stacey Harris for seeing the qualities in me that make me successful today. It was her advice, and great learning from fellow analysts Madeline Laurano, George LaRocque, Ben Eubanks, Kyle Lagunas, that laid the foundation for me to understand the other side of HCM technologies. When I met Steve Boese on Twitter back in 2008, I never thought he’d become the person who would teach me how to be a better consultant and analyst, but he did.

I’m currently the Co-Founder and Principal Analyst for H3 HR Advisors. I also co-host the HR Happy Hour podcast and the At Work in America podcast on the HR Happy Hour Network alongside Steve Boese. I constantly create ways for business people to connect.

I graduated from Webster University with an MA in Human Resource Management, and also hold a BA in Sociology and Minor in Political Science from the University of Missouri.

Now that I’m an empty-nester, I pursue my love of traveling, writing, watercolor painting, and volunteering for organizations that help children.