“Shirley is an exceptional speaker who enlightens audiences with her solo and small business topics. She’s a professional who’s always prepared, and best of all for me, she’s easy to work with. Her programs never fail to generate rave reviews from attendees!”
Welcome!
Brooklyn, New York is where I began this wonderful adventure called life, the same city where my parents were born. It’s where I learned how to ride a bike, travel for an hour to Coney Island with my dad on the subway, and not follow orders from other kids on the block (I was a total rebel).
We moved from New York to Massachusetts and then to New Jersey because of my dad’s profession as a chemist. We always stopped along the way at Howard Johnson’s for their home fries. Remembering the aroma still makes my toes curl, and those moves created my love of travel.
Here I am (above) at 17 years old, two months before high school graduation wearing one of many outfits I made with help from patterns and my trusty sewing machine. My mom enrolled me in sewing classes at 10 years old (thanks, mom!) My friends told me that I didn’t wear the same outfit twice that last high school year. That’s a lot of sewing.
I look confident, right? I was far from it — smart but aimless figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. That may also be your story, and it’s okay. Some people are destined to follow in their family’s footsteps, or they inherently know the profession they want. The rest of us get to wander and test many waters. How lucky! We get to draw outside of the lines.
During most of my successful marriage (35+ years), I led the traditional life of working for others until I realized that working for someone else did not provide joy. I began searching for the profession of my dreams and found it combining gift basket design with business experience and sharing the triumphs and challenges with thousands of attendees at gift and gourmet conferences.
Now I’m a confident rebel, author of numerous books and speaker on entrepreneurial and creative topics at venues in person and online, sharing my years of personal and business wisdom here with you.
“I just want to say, Shirley… you are adorable! Always so professional, but you just have such a pleasant manner. Very fun and delightful!”
My wish is for you to transform what I share and mold it to create the life you want. Be part of my tribe — one who lives life as you please and with no regrets, one who makes time to explore what you want to achieve, and one who needs no one’s permission!
Start your journey here by visiting the page containing podcast interviews about business, creative endeavors, and living a great life. From there, you might purchase one of my many books, invite me to speak at your event, or request me as your podcast guest. The choice is in your delightfully-creative hands!
Play to win every day,
