The Deets

• Married to wife Margie; 2 children, 5 grandchildren ages 5 to 14 who live outside of Atlanta.

• No pets “yet”.

• Formerly a substance abuse therapist; struck out on her own in November 2020 as a sound therapist and life coach, which combines her love of music and sound with her therapeutic training. The discipline includes vibrational meditation and sound therapy. “The sound meditation and therapy can get you to where you can do the work; the life coaching helps with the work.” Website.

• Moved to Greenville in 2017 from Memphis to be closer to family in Atlanta.

• No formal positions with the LWV of Greenville County.

What brought you to the LWV in Greenville?
Margie and I joined around 2018 or 2019 to continue our community involvement. We connected with Lawson through the Women’s March and that led us to the League.

What would you like to see Greenville LWV do in the next year or so?
The League’s work here looks wonderful. One suggestion would be to incorporate more activities that center around mental well-being, to encourage and support those of us who are doing this work. How do we as a group harness and sustain energy once a particular issue has been resolved, whether that resolution is a good or not-so-good one? How do we continue and not burn out? This involves connecting with one another beyond the issues and valuing the humanity of our members as well as the energy for the organization.

What is the most surprising/interesting thing you’ve learned from being in the LWV?
The tenacity – these women are tough!

If you could wave your magic wand and change one thing about this area, what would it be?
This year I’m going to start a nonprofit to bring the element of compassion to conversations, to help people talk with each other rather than at each other. To learn how to have compassionate conversations even about contentious issues. My background as a therapist helped me learn how to deliver care to folks who were in terrible pain, whose behavior was blocking or resisting the care they needed. This skill could be very useful in our conversations with each other.

What is the best advice you’ve ever been given? 
Do not take criticism from anyone you wouldn’t take advice from.

If you could teleport anywhere right now, where would you go?
A tropical beach somewhere, definitely near water.

The Member File is produced by Jo Anne Hennigan. Interested in sharing? Reach out to her.