Seven years ago I made the ridiculous decision to go back to school full-time while continuing to work full-time. “It’s just two years,” I told myself. “You can power through anything for just two years.” Only during those first two years, I became motivated. Professors encouraged me. Literature inspired me. Doors I didn’t even know existed opened up to me. I began to dream bigger.

After I earned my BA in English at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, I kept going. I earned an MFA in fiction from the University of California at Riverside, Palm Desert. Then I earned a certificate in copyediting from the University of California at San Diego. Then I spent 18 months completing an intense book coaching program in fiction through Author Accelerator.

This morning, I got word that my application for book coaching certification was approved. I’m now a certified book coach! Or as my friend and fellow book coach Paulla’s husband says, a “certified book boss.” 🙂

Seven years ago, I only dreamed as far as finally completing the BA in English Literature that I’d begun at the University of California at Santa Cruz so many years before. I didn’t plan to do anything with it; it was a personal goal I wanted to finish. Otherwise, I planned to continue living my life as is it was. Today, I see a future where I’m doing the things a young me imagined myself doing—writing and teaching other writers, my days filled with the things I’m passionate about and that give me joy. My heart is full of gratitude this morning and with love for my fellow dreamers. I wanted to share this news as a reminder that it’s never too late to be what you might have been. Go get ’em! ♥️