I was born in Poughkeepsie (spelling bee time), New York, where my parents (the only people in my family to move to the US) made the bold move to the unknown Silicon Valley in 1978. I grew up in Los Gatos and went to all the local schools, including Los Gatos High School, where I graduated in the top 10% of my graduating class in 1992. I was blessed to have a computer in my house, which is how I mastered my 135 WPM typing speed. My Dad worked at IBM, so we always had the state of the art computer in our house.

Initially, I pursued a career in government relations, wanting to help others, which is why I attended California State University, Sacramento. However, my passion of helping others grew beyond political and I graduated with a degree in Organizational Communications and minors in Business-Finance and Psychology in 1998. I always felt that in order to do business, you must understand the culture of the business you are dealing with, but more importantly, you have to assess the behavior of the individual. I was blessed to have wonderful mentors in college, including one particular Communications professor who inspired me to write beyond what was required.

Honestly, I did not know what I wanted to do “when I grew up,” but I was thankful to have wonderful opportunities to work with investment advisors, tax professionals, real estate professionals, human resource generalists, and other financial professionals that revealed my true passion in educating people in the field of taxes and money. In June 2005, I made the bold move to start my own business, where I first-hand experienced true entrepreneurship and built a steady client base, where clients could count on me year-round, evenings, weekends, and whenever else they needed me. I pride myself on always being there for my clients.

Personally, I enjoy reading, writing, listening to music, spending time with Nikki, life coaching, and being a big advocate of health issues in my inner circle. I am a big “Star Trek,” “Hawaii Five 0” “Knight Rider,” “Fringe,” and “Person of Interest” fan. When I’m not so busy with helping others, I love writing and am currently working on a series of children’s books in honor of my two nieces, Sophia and Allison. Kids are spending way too much time on technology. We need to go back to basics, ensuring kids are reading.

Forever, it seems as if I am always trying to help someone and I approach my business as an opportunity to educate and mentor my clients. There are growing pains that come with business, but I continue to experience my love for this career. Being in business for yourself teaches you a lot about yourself- more than you think. A wise man once told me that it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon when running a business.

I am all about teaching and mentoring, and since great people mentored me in my lifetime, I only felt propelled to do the same for my clients. I constantly share my business experiences with anyone who feels the motivation to start their own, but when I am not mentoring, I am learning. In the last year, I have taken my business to a new level, by being blessed to have mentorships by two wonderful professionals (thank you Joe and Chris!), who have helped re-assess the ongoing changing tax preparation business and have given me mentorship in areas that I knew I had to have. I am not perfect, but I’m always striving to improve and be better than who I was from the day before and in turn, I am hoping that my clients will value my dedication, passion, and educated approach to the business.

In late 2016, ION YOUR LIFE LLC received a “face lift” for we transitioned into a bigger office, which includes a conference room!  We were blessed to also share the office with Shiva, whom has brought new energy and a unique form of mentorship and partnership for me.

As we start the new year, tax reform and changes are upon all of us.  Rest assured, we will experience it together!