QE2 Atlantic Voyage 1972
When I was six months old, my family left the U.S. to follow my father’s work abroad. My brother hadn’t even been born yet.
By the time we returned six years later, we had lived across oceans, seen extraordinary places—and changed in ways we couldn’t yet understand. That day, we stepped off the QE2 ocean liner into New York Harbor, our dog and cat in tow, captured in a family photo I’ve carried with me ever since.
Looking back, I can see how much that early season shaped me. The excitement of discovery. The beauty of foreign places. The way my parents’ dreams swept us all into motion.
Years later, when someone offered to take me around the world again—this time with romance and ambition at the center—I didn’t just fall for the man. I fell for the memory. For what it symbolized. For the version of life I’d tucked away but never stopped longing for.
I thought I was chasing something new.
But what I was really doing was chasing the past.
Trying to recreate magic I had once known—but couldn’t quite name.
That’s what Chapter 6 of Chasing the Carat explores—not just the start of a relationship, but the quiet seduction of a life that looks good on the outside but slowly pulls you away from yourself.
I had done everything right. Built a successful business. Raised a daughter with deep roots and strong values. Created a life filled with purpose, community, and care.
And yet—something in me was still reaching.
The deeper truth?
I didn’t need a passport.
I needed to come home—to myself.
That realization didn’t happen overnight. It came in pieces—through heartbreak, through therapy, through recovery. Through moments when I chose my own truth over the approval of others. When I stayed back instead of following. When I stopped chasing and started listening.
If you’ve ever felt like the black sheep…
If you’ve ever been punished for telling the truth…
If you’ve ever lost yourself in someone else’s world…
Then maybe you’ll see yourself in this chapter too.
Because sometimes, the journey back to yourself is the most courageous of all.
If it feels like you’ve been chasing something—and you’re ready to start coming home to yourself—I’d love to talk.
I offer free Clarity Calls for women who are ready to live from truth, not pressure.
If that’s you, please click below.