Recently I had the privilege of being interviewed for LifeLines, which is the employee publication for LifeWay. I hope you enjoy it!
Who is someone you greatly admire and why?
My dad. My dad is eight-eight and still my hero. He lived through the Great Depression, served his country during World War II, lost his youngest and closest brother in a car wreck, and lost my mom to breast cancer. Yet, my dad is one of the most positive and future focused people I know. In all of life, whether hardships or blessings, his faith in God has never waivered. I love spending time with my father and have learned so much from him about how to live life full of joy and peace. He is still serving through his church, and sharing his faith with others. Recently he got a hole-in-one playing golf! He is living life with so much energy, focusing on the blessings of today with confidence in the future.
What’s an ideal day for you?
I love full days at work with my team and how we seek new opportunities to impact the market and tackle our challenges with unity and resolve. I love watching the development of people on my team as they grow, learn, and execute strategy for market success. B&H is the best trade publishing team in the market and I am so honored to serve with the men and women on our team. One of my favorite days on our team is our monthly division meetings when the team comes together to pray, review our results, and hear from authors, LifeWay leaders, or team members on all that God is doing through our work.
But, I also love a lazy day with Rodney, my husband and best friend, when we have absolutely nothing scheduled. A slow morning with a cup of coffee in my sunroom, a morning bike ride, reading a book, and curled up on the couch watching a ballgame (any sport!) with my sports loving husband. Top it off with cooking something on the grill and sitting around our fire pit when the sun goes down listening to jazz or Rodney playing the piano. Now that is a day.
Share something few people at LifeWay know about you.
I love the outdoors—hiking, biking, boating, water and snow skiing, walking, and running. But most people would not know that I have snow skied a double black diamond slope—by accident! I got on the wrong ski lift and ended up at the top of a double black diamond slope that you had to jump off to get started. After a few deep breaths, I did it. The one and only time! I pay more attention to the slope signs now.
What’s the biggest life lesson you learned that you’ve carried with you into your adult life?
My mother’s battle and death from breast cancer. Mom died when I was a young wife and mother. To say I was a type-A, highly driven, perfectionist might be too soft a description. I had the blessing of spending a great deal of time with my mother during the last six months of her life. During this time, my mom taught me so much about what mattered most in life. In her death, I received many gifts that have made me a better person. I learned to focus more on “the moments” in life and to cherish people above everything else. I learned that “time” was more valuable than things and to guard it and give it wisely. I also learned to live fully as one confident in my faith and the future.
If you could make everyone read one book (or three) what would it be?
I am in the book business and love books. This is always the hardest question for me because there are so many books that are my favorite and it is the books I am reading now that are top of my list of recommendations. Okay, I will try.
1. Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ
2. Bill Gates, Business @ the Speed of Thought
3. C. S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia
Top three books currently (from B&H of course!):
1. Matt Chandler and Michael Snetzer, Recovering Redemption
2. Brent McCorkle and Amy Parker, Firebird, a children’s book from the movie, Unconditional
3. Carolyn McCulley and Nora Shank, The Measure of Success
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