“For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.” That verse describes Valerie perfectly! The treasure of this amazing 10 year PWN member is truly in service to others. Growing up in Gary, Indiana, as a little girl, medical doctors inspired Valerie because she saw them in service to others. This fueled her existing love of science and off she went on the path to become a doctor herself. After graduating from Indiana University, Bloomington with her BS in Biology, she was put on a wait list for medical school. As with everyone, the need to earn a living in the meantime takes priority. Still related to the medical field, she became a pharmaceutical rep (where she remained for 20 years, finally leaving it behind in 1994) and as many women in the early 1970’s; became a wife and then a mother. Still pursuing her dream to one day become a doctor, she worked full-time and went to school part-time – all while holding down being a wife and mother of three! Valerie recounts multiple times she was blessed to have guardian angels watching over her as she knows she fell asleep at the wheel while driving many, many miles a day between work, school, and life duties!

Life sent some twists and turns her way, but this determined woman never relented. In her 40’s she enrolled in graduate school and in a field where she could still serve people and where she could make an impact on lives directly. That was when she switched her major to social work. Still living that packed life, she graduated with her MSW from George Williams School of Social Work at Aurora University in 1993. Juggling home, kids, and a full-time job moved her to finally jump into counseling full time and leave behind the traditional corporate world, where Valerie admits, “I never really fit into the culture of pharmaceutical reps anyway.”  She knew she would be taking a pay cut but going back to the verse, “where your treasure is…” this was truly where her heart was.

In 1995, Valerie and her husband (also in the social work field) opened a practice where he focused on Veterans, and she focused on children and families. They operated their practice until 2002 when South Suburban Collage came knocking and hired her as a Coordinator for their social work department. “I believe in Walking my Talk” she stated, “I knew I needed a change and focused on teaching.” Being far ahead of her time, in 2008 she developed the first on-line program for students. Did you see that…in 2008!! Long before our world of Zoom meetings and on-line content, and school from home – Valerie had already done it! Ironically, the program was not funded any longer because the college did not have the vision for the future at least not Valerie’s innovation and inspiration! In 2013, missing the calling of directly impacting lives, she opened a small practice and did that part-time while still teaching full time at Indiana Tech. By 2019, education itself and students had changed. When asked about that she replied, “Accountability. I always insisted I give my best as an instructor, but I also expected the students to give their best as well. I did not see that happening. Many students were not there because they genuinely wanted to be, so they did not give their all. I knew it was time to leave.”

When asked where her “fire” comes from the answer was quick, “My faith is my fire. I want to meet people where they are. It is almost a ministry to me”. She is incredibly open about her faith, living it out loud every day. She serves in church and takes her counseling and teaching to groups at other churches as well. Stating very clearly, “Service to others is what gets me up in the morning! After some heart issues, every day I have now is another day to serve. I love helping people uncover the gems they were created to be.” Flipping her script just a bit, counseling and social work is part-time now and through seeing clients virtually. Her focus has evolved to coaching. Her official credentials are Certified Biblical Life and Marriage Coach, Solution Focused Therapist MSW, LCSW, LCAC, CADC, CBLC. She also created and teaches an 8 Week program entitled Marriage Miracle.

When asked what the most rewarding and worst parts of her career have been, ironically, they both came from the same time in her profession. She was a court appointed social worker for DCFS. The most rewarding thing was when she could help reunite families, making them whole again. In one case, it was years later when she ran into one of the young women, she had helped years prior, and she simply thanked her for caring and advocating on her behalf. And the worst part is hearing the pain people have – “As a Solution Focused counselor it’s my job to ask the next question and often that leads people to share very heart-wrenching personal stories. That part breaks my heart as well.” This “heart” side of Valerie is clear in how she would like to be remembered – that she brought joy to people and loved unconditionally. And she hopes that their lives are better because she was in it.

What advice would she give to women entrepreneurs? “Have a clear vision. Know your want and your why then access the resources around you.” Valerie did just that and even during the pandemic. She finished writing and published a book, utilizing the resources of PWN Writer’s Group (shout out to Kim Olver). And recently “author” Valerie was the speaker at PWN Wine & Words where she talked about the book, “Fit for Trial: Mental Illness, the Law and Family Loss.”

Many of our PWN members may be surprised to learn that Valerie is a dancer and studied ballet for many years. She also loves to sing! Perhaps at an upcoming event she can be encouraged to share her gifts! When asked what her words of wisdom for our PWN members might be she responded from the heart, “Embrace the sisterhood. This is such a place of opportunity for women to connect. And participate…often and as many ways as you can, including leadership!”