You’d be amazed at how many people go through the drive-thru naked. Would you like fries with that? Burger King hired me before the ink was dry on my working papers. The eye-opening experience launched a lifetime of workplace inspiration.

At 17, I learned a new SAT word – nepotism. My father helped me land a clerical position in the Pathology department of the local hospital where he worked. One task involved filing morgue photos of the deceased, some quite disturbing. One, I can’t unsee. Mind you, I couldn’t get into R-rated movies at that age. Regardless, I’m one of those weird people who love hospitals.

During college, a friend hooked me up with a job at Uno’s. The cook’s crack habit led to unusual items ending up in the pizza. Customers faced a bigger problem with my waitressing skills. I quit before getting fired.

I was checking IDs at a nightclub in Society Hill when management noticed my talent and promoted me to “shooter girl.” My parents were so proud. The uniform consisted of a black bodysuit, accessorized with a bandolier of shot glasses in place of bullets along with a holster. I was slinging a bottle of gin on one side, and, if memory serves, a bottle of 7Up on the other. Giddy up! The job entailed banging the shot glass concoction on the back of the bent-over patron until it fizzed. The homeless man camped out in my foyer didn’t approve of my hours.

Soon, angels smiled upon me. My new job as a receptionist at a swanky beauty salon required me to receive beauty treatments — free of charge. The job also offered great pay, and even better stories involving the F.B.I. I earned a minor in the study of the human condition. I’ll tell you the tales over a fizzy 7Up and gin.

Soon after graduation, my Temple News clips helped me land a job as entertainment and features editor at The Catholic Standard and Times, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Interviewing writer and director M. Night Shyamalan inspired me to pursue other forms of writing after six years in journalism.

A large pharmaceutical company offered me a lucrative communications manager position – more than double my current salary and regular travel to London. Turning down the opportunity proved to be a defining moment and the best decision. Although I’ll never say no to a trip across the pond for a pint. 

Writing for consumer magazines, trade publications, and marketing agencies coincided with starting a family. A few years later, I searched for a side hustle where slippers weren’t appropriate footwear. QVC, a home shopping network, held an open call for cotton experts with TV experience. I Googled cotton, auditioned, and landed the gig. For over 13 years, I presented home products live and unscripted and mined gold in a green room filled with entrepreneurs, celebrities, and inventors.

Getting glammed up by the hair and makeup team reminded me of how much I enjoyed my salon job. My entrepreneurial spirit took flight. Designing and marketing a salon and spa was fun; managing the staff, not so much. In under a year, I sold to one of my stylists. Richer for the lessons, I still had QVC.

When the clergy child sex abuse scandal exploded in Philadelphia, our daughter and son attended Catholic school. Angry and feeling betrayed by many of the Archdiocesan priests with whom I’d worked, I founded the blog “Catholics4Change.” My on-air skills were put to good use when local and national TV and radio shows invited me on to offer commentary. The blog and Facebook group continue to provide parents, victims, and their families with news and a platform to voice their thoughts.

College tours with my daughter sparked a desire to fulfill my “Dead Poets Society” fantasy (minus student suicide). I returned to Temple University as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Communications. My most cherished college memories were made while teaching.

Why wait until retirement to enjoy the sun and beaches? My husband and I left our lifelong home, jobs, and extended families in the Philadelphia suburbs to move to Charleston, SC. Here we answer to Tama and Bowie, our tuxedo and tabby (respectively) rescue cats. Marketing beautiful homes funds my creative pursuits and adds color to an overflowing box of content ideas.

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