When did you start your journey?

I started my journey in January 2002, when my father experienced ischemic strokes

Did you get any time to reflect on how far you came?

Yes, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on how far I’ve come since 2002. In every reflection, I’ve been able to be grateful and to see the blessing.

What’s the hardest part of your job?

One of the hardest parts of being a caregiver, and seeing your loved one, go through a unique ability, such as an illness, or making an end-of-life decision for loved one.

Do you have anything new to tell the upcoming people who do what do?

Absolutely.  The first thing would be to advise them to understand the unique gifts of being chosen by God and the universe to be able to care for others. I said this because God chooses each and every one of us for his work and not everyone is going to be caregiver. Are used to think that my older siblings should’ve been more involved however when I was able to make the connection between who God is and how he trusts me I was later, able to embrace the true blessing. Employed embracing the true blessing of it all is major, and once we embrace the true blessing of it, we are able, I believe to see the glory in it. Another thing would be to explain how important it is to have patience with themselves to trust the process each day, to have gratitude to give themselves grace. I also believe healing is truly in Porten, and in that healing. The first thing is acceptance, excepting what we can change by doing what we can, and knowing the difference when we can’t through the process of appreciation and prayer. It is also believed our responsibility and ownership to ourselves as the ones giving care, through acceptance, is to do as much as possible, in healing, being in a space of emotional support and patience, as well as forgiveness. In doing, so we are able to give our love ones the best loving and care.

What does collaborating mean to you and how does it relate to you?

Collaboration is key. I believe in embracing diversity and believe everyone has a key to the puzzle. And, the puzzle is creativity. we all have something that we can bring to the table. I believe that. I also believe that we are created to be on one accord, to be a light to one another, and to desire to be the change. Through collaboration, the changes are made and unison and therefore, everyone wins through a supportive system.

Why did you get into your niche?

I believe my niche was always there especially in my early childhood stages because I always loved art. I just hadn’t manifested and had to go through the experiences of life as a young mother, a high school dropout, who through resilience and grace had the opportunity of receiving a free grant to be trained under an inner-city program for low-income families, under a secretarial program, only to rise up, where I graduated 9 months in advance of the program completion, later to become a powerful executive management assistant for some of the highest level C suite leaders and companies. Through the experience of becoming a full-time caregiver for my father, and later, for my mother, who at the age of 70 where breast cancer interfered, my life changed, and through the transition of both of their lives, I engulfed my true gift, and realized what I wanted to really do and how I wanted to truly use my gifts and talents to be a vessel and to also change the trajectory and awareness of how caregivers aren’t currently being recognized, appreciated, or compensated equally for what they do. And so, I asked God and the universe to show me where and what I could do because I certainly didn’t want to go back to corporate America. As this takes a steadfast mind, which I now have, the daily soul work and fully found days upon days of stillness, is how and when I found my niche.