keynote speaking

 At the outset, my signature keynote proposes a deeply radical theory, posed as a question: "What if child abuse could be the best thing to happen to a person?" What follows is an inspiring, humorous, and uplifting talk, by the end of which, my audience understands why it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Based upon my bestselling memoir, ONE FROM EACH COLUMN: My 46-Year Trek from Abusive Childhood to Elusive Motherhood, my keynote is full of hilarious, harrowing, and hopeful stories, borne out of my lived experience. I share with my audience how I survived growing up in an abusive household by discovering at the age of six that fear could cripple me and fury would save me, going on to tell the stories of dropping out of college a month before graduation, becoming a singing server at the legendary Improv in LA and NYC,  pursuing a career in music and acting, dating Larry David, enjoying three-decades as a voiceover artist, marrying three times before forty, one to an abusive husband, and one to Mr. Right who I met at our rehearsal dinner the night before my first wedding. then navigating and spectacularly triumphing over infertility to build the family I always wanted. Our children each found their way into our home and heart via a different mode of transport: one genetic through a "natural" pregnancy, one adopted, and one born from a donor egg when I was forty-six. My talk resonates with and is meaningful to all audiences, as everyone at some point, has suffered some trauma, adversity, or an unwanted life detour they may still struggle with, that may have derailed dreams. Having provided the roadmap to show them the way, audiences leave knowing that however long ago that trauma or adversity, or that left turn out or right field might have occurred, it's never too late to heal; step into forgiveness, promise, and power; and know that dreams, however long-dormant, can come true. And I should know because I lived it all. This is my story!