I am a Michigan native, raised in Detroit, and have been living in Los Angeles since 1983 after graduating from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved working with numbers and realized that I could use my love to help others.

I realized my passion for counting things (yes, I was a nerd before it was cool!) could help people when I was about 11 years old. My mother, sister and I were living in Detroit, in and out of homelessness. My mother was a research biologist but did not earn much and lost most of her assets, including her home, in two recent divorces. One day after school, I heard about "tax refunds" on the radio and wondered why we were never sent this free money from the government! Surely we were eligible!

Things took a dark turn when she got a garnishment letter from the IRS. I asked my Mom about it because I was shocked that she got a letter stating she owed money instead of getting one of these refunds!. 

I discovered she had not filed taxes for years. I knew she must have a refund due since she worked every day of her life. A few days later she, my sister and I went to the IRS office in downtown Detroit. I completed and filed all of her past due tax returns on the spot. To this day I don't remember how much we got back but I do remember it was enough to get us out of homelessness and pay our rent on a modest place for several months. My mother thought it was a miracle. I thought it was fun! It was like a game!

From that point I was officially "an accountant" and knew I could help people and have fun doing it.

I decided to pursue accounting as a profession and became a CPA after I finished college.

Six days after graduation, I moved to Los Angeles (where I met my husband Londale Sr.) and started my career in public accounting with Ernst & Young. I then held positions in internal audit, including Manager of Internal Audit for Lockheed Martin Corporation where I oversaw a team responsible for various subsidiaries in  the western United States, South America and parts of Europe. I have also worked as a Chief Financial Officer in private industry and assisted companies with internal financial management, fraud and risk mitigation, accounting system implementation and financial reporting. 

I had a wonderful corporate career but missed the deep sense of purpose I felt when I helped my Mom so many years earlier. It was this yearning that prompted me to leave the corporate world and go out on my own.

It was the best decision of my life.

I have been able to help dozens of my clients,spanning over various industries including real estate (commercial, residential, brokerage and investing), tech, entertainment, retail, non-profit, private wealth management, and many other service industries. 

My Passion to Profit Journey

In 2007, I launched my first side-hustle, VeggieSoulFood.com out of the desire to help people with something totally different from my business expertise but equally as important. My husband, Londale, and I are vegan, along with our grown children, (Londale Jr. and Kamaal) that have been vegetarian since birth and are now vegan as well. I was introduced to this amazing lifestyle by my husband (yes - lifestyle- not diet!) in 1985 and have lived it consistently and without compromise ever since, including teaching our children how to do it as well when they went off to college.

So many of our friends and family members wanted to know how to add more vegan options into their lives, so Kamaal and I wrote our first of three cookbooks in 2007, that, just like in my business courses, simply list everything I’ve learned to make this journey easier for others. Check out our latest book and free recipes and resources at http://www.veggiesoulfood.com/

In 2007 launching a side-hustle (the term was not even invented yet!) was HARD. I had to learn how to code just to launch our family’s first website. Youtube was only 2 years old, Facebook was only 3 years old and was still for college students, and Instagram was still 3 years away. Every.little.thing took FOREVER. There was a lot of heavy lifting in those “early eCommerce” days, and I don’t miss it!

That’s why I am so excited for all of you!

I am having more fun now at this stage in my career than ever before by leveraging technology (my passion) and helping people in all corners of the world do the same so that they can launch the business of their dreams.