“I grew up in Leesport, Pennsylvania—a town so small that everyone knows each other’s business before you do. As the youngest of four daughters to my parents David and Kathy, I was raised with solid Midwestern values that still guide me today.”

Despite my earlier modesty about it, the truth is I was always “the pretty one” in my family. My sisters’ boyfriends would always talk about me—probably why they all hated me growing up. I started getting older guys’ attention at a very young age, unintentionally. That early attention taught me something important about perception and how people respond to beauty—lessons that would later become valuable in my career.

At Schuylkill Valley High School, I threw myself into sports—cross country, swimming, field hockey, basketball, and softball. Looking back, this athletic foundation prepared me for life’s challenges, teaching me discipline, perseverance, and the ability to push through pain toward a goal.