As an “Army Brat,” I attended 14 schools before high school graduation, so change was always part of my life. was born. Being the new kid all the time was tough, but my parents offered me some sage wisdom – “that every place I live has the potential to be the best place I’ll ever be.” It’s true!   “every single place I’ve ever lived has felt like the absolute best like life just` can’t get any better than this.”

And high school was fanTABulous! We had 5 to 7 totally different subjects to dive into every week.  We were expected to dive deeply and learn a lot about a lot of different things! Physics, English Literature, World Religions, American History, Gym (I didn’t like that one so much), Art History, Drawing, Algebra (didn’t like that one either … but interestingly, I DID like Geometry?), sewing and cooking class, shop, World History, Theater, geeze! It was a MultiPassionista’s playground! I never wanted to leave.

And then I found out I had to pick one.  Just one.

Pick Just One? During a college and careers class in Grade 11, I had one of them most “horrible” assignments of my life –  to choose what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. It was exciting too of course, but it awful!

I’ll never forget, I’m in the library – big, beautiful windows, old-fashioned oak tables surrounded by all the other kids and I had this big book of occupations in front of me. And I’m tearing my hair out! Miss Silverstein, with bright red lipstick and long, pointed red fingernails, bangs her fingers on the book and says, ‘you’ve got to pick one, Terri! Just pick one and do your report on it!’ ” Feeling cornered I chose to write about occupational therapy, something that didn’t interest me, not really but I had to “pick one already.”  (the story of my life!)

High IdeaPhoria, not ADHD: Eventually I found a career in dental hygiene (how did I choose? My boyfriend was in dental school and I thought there was no math involved). I was accepted into the very competitive program graduated and started a lucrative career. But I was always dreaming and scheming of what I could do next. 

Three years into that job, I had a life-altering discovery while living in Washington, D.C. Through the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation, I learned about ideaphoria.

Ideaphoria  the rate of flow of ideas that each person has. Mine was at the 99th percentile, the top of high ideaphoria. Relief flooded me. It made me feel good because I knew that there wasn’t anything wrong with me. I just had a trait that’s not very common or well-understood.

Two decades later in Fairbanks, Alaska, I got a disability and had to leave my job as a hygienist. (The best bad thing that ever happened to me).  Around the same time, my marriage dissolved. With 3 children and no career or financial support system behind me, I went back to college. 

I ended up with a BA and a Masters in Professional Human Communication. 

In the mean time I had a few other “careers.” I taught at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for 10 years. I found I loved it and I was really good at it! I taught mostly Public Speaking, but also Group Communication, Customer Service, eCommerce, and a few others….. 

Did some real estate, was a travel agent, worked as the Education Coordinator at the Alzheimers Resource agency of Alaska and a few other things.

And then came Customized Employment! Now THAT was a great job for me! I worked with the Alaska Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (AkDVR) helping people with disabilities find meaningful, customized work, work that was meaningful for them, for their employers and for the community.

Instead of focusing on their disabilities, I helped them figure out what really worked for them, what they do when they are at their best. We were able to use my High Ideaphoria and their hopes and dreams to help them put their strengths and assets to good use and create an employment plan that was customized to who they are when they are at their best. 

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

I realized that I had a gift for helping people uncover the best of who they are (rather than focus on what was wrong with them) so they could pursue meaningful employment. 

And then came coaching! A direct result of my work with clients at Ak DVR.  So I  began to take courses in career coaching. That led me to headlong into the coaching world because I quickly recognized that everything in life, impacts work and vice versa.

Being a consummate personal growth and learning junkie, I enrolled in hundreds of hours of coach certification programs over the next decades. You can see some of those certification logos here on the page.