My late father was a songwriter, which means a love for words is in my DNA. I’ve always enjoyed writing and using words to create something beautiful. 

During a summer as a 16-year-old hostess at a Panama City Beach, Florida restaurant lined with fishing boats, I found myself writing poems for a love-sick fisherman. He’d download his thoughts to me about his love, and I’d turn the raw thoughts into a poem on the back of the restaurant’s coloring page for kids, for a reasonable $5 per poem.

When it was time to consider college and a career, a series of events led me to a career in communications. Throughout the last 20 years, I’ve had the opportunity to lead the communications strategy for many significant events, from a publicly-traded company’s delisting from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to critical communications throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. I love creating clarity out of chaos and partnering with leaders for important communications, with much of that work happening behind the curtain. 

I’ve also helped share the stories of many, from front-page features in daily newspapers to on-set at The Today Show. While I played a large part in crafting and pitching the story, and was often on-site for the media interviews, I was always behind the scenes while others had the spotlight, which was okay with me. 

The Unexpected Shift to the Spotlight 

My father was tragically killed in a car accident when I was nine.  At the time of his death, he had 13 of his songs recently published with BMI in Nashville. He received one (modest) royalty check, which sadly came after he died. 

It has always been my aspiration to carry his dream forward, ensuring the world can hear his songs. Although, having a demanding career as a communications executive, coupled with identical twin boys, my husband, and several other competing priorities, I’ve struggled to stay afloat, much less take on this passion project. 

However, life is an interesting ride. After many years engaged in a never-ending pursuit of “balance,” and needing a change but unsure how to get there, an unexpected opportunity presented itself. I was able to end my nearly 16-year tenure at a company I loved, but one that also left me feeling drained, giving me the gift of time to reevaluate my priorities and revisit my passions. 

I founded David & Daughter, LLC, a music publishing and PR company to house a catalog of my dad’s songs, and a brand to help tell his story as I leverage my two decades of communications expertise to pursue my dad’s dream for him. 

This change, however, has shifted me from my place backstage, where I’ve spent the last 20 years, to now centerstage. It’s taking a bit of vulnerability and a lot of courage. This is completely new terrain for me – a music publishing business and a brand that requires me to share mine and my dad’s stories with the world. 

I keep reminding myself that I don’t have to have all the answers. Instead, just keep moving forward in the direction that feels right, and tackle the unknown as it presents itself. I think this can be a tendency among women – we often feel like we’re required to have everything figured out before we move forward, or check all the boxes for a job description before even considering applying. But we don’t. Our male counterparts certainly don’t. I try to remind myself of that and encourage the women around me to do the same. 

When I had to manage the communications strategy for a company being delisted from the NYSE or develop effective and empathetic communications in tandem with my CEO during the COVID-19 pandemic, I had never tackled anything like it before. It was all new and different, but when I continued forward in the direction that felt right, I figured it out and successfully made it to the other side. And that’s what I’m trying to do now with David & Daughter. I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I’m going to keep moving forward and see what dreams I can make come true. 

Because at the end of the day, we only get one shot at this thing called life. If you have a dream, chase it. If  you feel like you’re not in the right role, be empowered to make a change. If you feel like life is passing you by and you’re being swept along, go against the current and make changes to create the life you want to live. Let’s be intentional about making the most of the time we have, friends.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”  – Mark Twain