Hey there!

I’m Lynn

I’m a mother, former senior vice president, and breast cancer survivor passionate about helping you transition into your next best chapter.

I grew up in Jackson Heights, New York to first generation Italian-American parents who were raised during the Great Depression. As you may have guessed, I’m a recovering Catholic and have spent many years wrestling to define my values and beliefs.

After graduating from Queens College, I decided to move out to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

At 24, I got on an airplane with only a few hundred dollars in my pocket and nowhere to live, but I had a vision for my future and with that I changed the course of my life.

Once in California, I soon found a job working the graveyard shift for a company that colorized black and white movies. I slept on a beach chair and rode a bike to work. As I climbed the management ladder, I was given more opportunities and eventually found myself as the senior vice president at Disney, where I mentored a team of one hundred employees.

I literally grew up while working at Disney. I got married, gave birth to identical twin boys, and bought my first home during my tenure there. But this corporate job was changing the trajectory of my life. It was changing me.

In order to continue climbing the corporate ladder, I compromised my values and beliefs. I became a ruthlessly competitive, ego-driven workaholic, as that was the only way to succeed in this corporate environment.

Over the years, I let my job become my main priority and I became extremely unhappy and unhealthy. I was overdue for a wake-up call.

A month before turning fifty I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

It started out as a little lump on my left breast, which could be rectified with a lumpectomy, but after several more tests, it was discovered that I had it in both breasts. A double mastectomy was not how I thought I’d celebrate my fiftieth birthday. Barely four weeks after my mastectomy, a PET scan showed that there were signs of cancer on one of my ovaries, which led to a complete hysterectomy.

 As I lay in bed feeling the pain of these surgeries, I got a call from the HR rep who informed me that my job was given to someone else. A few weeks later, I learned that my office was cleared out and all my belongings were packed and hauled away without my knowledge or consent.

A mere month later, my sister-in-law, who had been by my side through all my surgeries and struggles, died suddenly. The shock and pain of that additional loss was unbearable.

During the dark days that lie ahead during this trying period, I struggled with all the losses I’d been dealt: the loss of the parts of my body that in my mind defined me as a woman; the loss of my beloved sister-in-law; the loss of my career; and the loss of a few friends who couldn’t handle my journey through cancer.

I struggled with the pain, the hopelessness, and the isolation. I felt like I had hit rock bottom and there would be no way to recover.

As the fog began to lift, I started to think about my next steps and if I should return to a company that didn’t care if I lived or died when I was at the lowest point in my life. Friends urged me to go back, and I needed the healthcare and the paycheck. But when I thought about returning to that life, I could feel stress and anxiety flood through my body. So I decided to pray for guidance. My husband and I spoke about it in great length and when I thought about not returning to the corporate world, I felt a sense of joy, freedom, and hope. So I never returned.

There I was, trying to navigate life after cancer, and at the same time, trying to figure out what the rest of my life was going to look like. Who did I want to be? What did I want to do? What was I good at? How can I be of service and give back? How can I redefine myself at this point in my life?

All the adversity I faced led me to where I am right now. In the past, I allowed my roles to define me, but now I know these titles no longer serve me. I know there is something greater, more fulfilling for me. Since having closed the door on my past, I realized another door was open for me.

I know what it’s like to walk that path and come out the other side resilient, renewed, and ready for the next chapter. I know what it takes to persevere and take that leap. If I can do it, you can do it too. I can help you. And if not me, then find someone that you connect with to get you there. You deserve it. Don’t let your fears, worries, and insecurities keep you from living your best life.

 “Suffering and joy teaches us, if we allow them, how to make the leap of empathy, which transports us into the soul and heart of another person. In those transparent moments we know other people’s joys and sorrows, and we care about their concerns as if they were our own” – Fritz Williams.