Still a Wonder Woman in Training, I knew in my gut that my husband’s behavior was wrong, but I was too scared to stand up to him and rock the boat.  I was even more scared to fail in my roles as the perfect wife, daughter, sister, employee, and friend.  I was wondering what the heck happened to my life alright.

Apparently engineering school did not prepare me to solve this kind of problem.  Gimme a thermodynamics issue or a just-in-time manufacturing challenge and I was your gal.  But how to deal with a personal relationship riddled with conflict and confusion?  Must have missed that class.

Three years of hurt and frustration mounted until I had enough.  I like to think of it as my naked nails tipping point.  My true, authentic, inner voice screamed, “This ain’t right!  Get some dang help!”  So I did.

With the assistance of an amazing counselor, I gained the strength to stand up to my husband and eventually got divorced.  Time, a caring family, and supportive friends enabled me to heal and recreate my personal life, all while my AOL career was skyrocketing.  Which just goes to show that the only way Linda Carter’s Wonder Woman could fight evil and be the hero is because she had a team of people!  That, and I bet she wore a gutsy red polish, too.

Most people I meet today never suspect what I’ve gone through.  I share it with you because I haven’t had a perfect life and I don’t have perfect nails.  Safely getting out of a harmful marriage is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

But the pain, hurt, and difficulty have undeniably given me a huge gift – the strength, courage, and zest to be the true Wonder Woman of my life and to live like my nail color.  If I can do it, you can, too!