I started college for the first time in 2013, at age 59. My original goal was to earn a two-year associate’s degree — but I fell in love with learning. I kept going, and seven years later, I was in graduate school, finishing coursework in media psychology and preparing for my dissertation. My studies and research focused on the application of digital storytelling and persuasion theory for large-scale social change.
Then, life took an unexpected turn.
Shortly before my birthday and Christmas in 2020, I became seriously ill. A trip to the ER led to a diagnosis: multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer that had also caused kidney failure. I was hospitalized for several days and spent the next grueling months alternating between chemotherapy and hours of kidney dialysis.
In May 2021, I underwent a stem cell transplant — a high-stakes procedure preceded by intense chemotherapy. Recovery took months and, in some ways, years. But at my first post-procedure appointment, my oncologist gave me life-changing news: “stringent remission.”
Even throughout treatment — except on the worst days — I carried my laptop with me. Whether hooked up to an IV or a dialysis machine, I kept working on my dissertation. The illness slowed me down, but I never stopped. I refused to quit.
Then, in October 2022, something else changed: I became an ethical vegan.
During a short mental break from schoolwork, I was scrolling social media and came across a video — a cow being prodded down a chute toward the kill floor of a slaughterhouse. I froze. That image triggered a flood of emotion and a memory.
Back in 2001, I had seen a similar video during a health seminar. But back then, the focus was on us — the speaker talked about the hormones and toxins released by the animal just before death, and how consuming meat meant ingesting those substances. I went “vegan” for a while, but my concern was mostly about what I was putting into my body. Within a year and a half, I was back to eating animal products.
This time was different.
Maybe it was the reminder of my own mortality — the shock that came with a diagnosis I couldn’t forget. But now, when I saw that cow, I didn’t think about toxins. I thought about her. I imagined her terror, heard her cries, saw her as an individual. She could smell the blood. She could hear the others. She didn’t want to die. She wanted to live.
This time, I felt what she felt. And my cancer had opened my compassion.
In August 2023 — ten years after starting college — I received my PhD. Though multiple myeloma remains incurable, I continue to respond extremely well to treatment and remain in stringent remission. After graduation, I knew I wanted to use my education to help animals — especially those trapped in the life-to-death machinery of factory farming.
But I needed direction. I lacked clarity. And I kept telling myself, “I need more energy.”
Then the answer came.
In 2024, I began a series of trainings through Robbins Research International. Tony Robbins is a globally renowned strategist, entrepreneur, and peak performance coach whose work has influenced millions — including top figures in business, political leadership, and elite sports. His Unleash the Power Within, Mastery University, and Business Mastery programs helped me reignite my energy, organize my ideas, and take bold steps forward. It was at Business Mastery where I first started to seriously consider the transformative role of AI.
During that time, I also attended AVA 2024 in Washington, D.C., where I heard Sebastian Joy speak about Kickstarting for Good. That same trip introduced me to several animal sanctuary founders — leading to my RT4TA (Road Trip for the Animals) YouTube series.
I’ve known for years that I wanted to design a training program. And as I worked on those sanctuary videos, everything came together: animals, training, and AI.
That’s when Vegan Rise One Empowered Advocacy Training — and its AI-powered platform VRAI — truly began to take shape.
Just in time to apply for Kickstarting for Good 2025.