People always ask me why I would ever want to share the worst day of my life to a group of strangers and my response is always this...
"If I have the opportunity to possibly save one persons life or prevent one more drunk driving crash from happening...then it was completely worth it."
I first began publicly speaking at the age of 15, one year after the drunk driving crash that killed my mother and best friend. I was the sole surviver in that crash and it was devastating. From this tragedy I became an advocate agents drunk driving and join MADD Rhode Island. Through MADD's youth programs I gained the confidence necessary to start publicly speaking on my own.
My first presentation was called, Walking Away. I spoke about the night of my crash, how it changed my life and how important it is to never drink and drive. After 7 years of presenting, I received a lot of publicity, awards and honors but it was starting to take a toll on my overall happiness. It became too difficult so I decided it was time to take a break.
In 2010 I was asked to speak at MADD Rhode Island's Youth Leadership conference called TeamSpirit. I wanted to share the story about my drunk driving crash but in a different way then I had done before. This is when I came up with the idea for 5 Simple Guidelines. I wanted to share my drunk driving story but also touch upon what I feel are the 5 keys to living a happier and healthier life style. My new presentation was well received and I started to get my passion back for public speaking.
In 2016 I finally started to present my new, 5 Simple Guidelines presentation. I have been starting small but enjoying every minute of it. My passion for public speaking is back and I am ready to share these guidelines with the world.
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