Lived Experience

I was born and raised in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, and from a young age I learned what it meant to work hard and keep moving forward, even when life didn’t follow a straight line.

In the early 1990s, I moved to the Ottawa area with my young daughter to begin again. I rented a small farmhouse, worked two jobs to support us, and slowly rebuilt a life that felt stable and grounded. Animals were always part of that picture. Horses, especially, had been part of my life growing up, and having them near felt like home.

One small moment during that time shaped me more than I could have known.

While working in a restaurant, a regular customer noticed how hard I worked and how long my days were. One morning, he asked my boss if he could sit down with me for a coffee. His name was Claude. He told me that years earlier, when he was in need, someone had helped him. Now, he felt it was his turn to pay that kindness forward.

He helped me secure a mortgage when the bank had said no.

That single act of compassion changed the course of my life. I was able to buy a small place with a barn, and over the years I went on to successfully breed and show horses, eventually owning and operating an equine reproduction facility. Later in life, driven by my own needs and curiosity, I returned to college in my 50s to become a graphic designer.

Life, however, has a way of reminding us that stability is never guaranteed.

In the 1990s, I became seriously ill. Unknown to us at the time, gas tanks had been buried by a previous owner near a newly dug well on the farm we had purchased, contaminating the water. I had been bathing in and drinking that water without any awareness that something was wrong. Once testing was done, environmental authorities stepped in. The situation forced our hand financially, and we lost our farm and everything we owned. The loss was significant, and the impact was life-altering.

Everyone has a “someday.”
That was mine.

Recovery didn’t come quickly, but it did come. I was introduced to a massage therapist and holistic nutritionist who guided me toward natural support options that genuinely helped me regain my health. That experience shaped how I view wellness to this day.

It’s also why I believe so strongly in companies that operate with integrity in the direct sales space. When products are shared through lived experience and word of mouth, rather than celebrity endorsements, there is a level of trust and accountability that matters. That belief is what set me on a lifelong wellness path.

In 2010, I moved back to my hometown. In 2015, following foot surgery, I was faced with a possible CRPS diagnosis. Once again, my life changed. Chronic pain has a way of narrowing your world, forcing you to listen more closely to your body, and to rethink how you move through life.

Today, the gasoline contamination story is behind me. Losing everything we owned is behind me. What remains is perspective.

My focus now is forward-facing. I ask myself a simple question:
How can what I’ve lived through, and what I’ve learned, serve someone else?

Focussed Health and Freedom was born from that question.
What followed from that question was a very intentional path.

I don’t believe in quick fixes or empty promises. I believe in sharing what has genuinely helped me, offering guidance with compassion, and creating space for others to explore options that may support them on their own journey.

If you’re here, my hope is that you feel understood, not sold to.
That you feel possibility, not pressure.

And that you’re reminded you don’t have to walk your path alone.

Over the years, I’ve come to deeply value models that allow people to share solutions through lived experience, personal choice, and genuine conversation. For me, that path has included ethical direct sales, not as a shortcut or a pitch, but as a way to support myself and others with integrity, transparency, and care.

Because there is often misunderstanding around this space, I feel it’s important to share how and why I approach it the way I do.