Hometown Engraved in Heart Forever
Many Sterlingites moved away from town, but like me still bleed blue and gold. Like a tattoo, our Sterling High School days remain ingrained in our hearts. Decades ago, I moved to Europe to pursue my crazy (at that time) dream to play pro basketball, but Sterling has remained my chez moi. Relocating dozens […]
Building Dream House Becomes Endless Nightmare
Ever suffered from anxiety when stuck in a plane circling above the airport unable to land at your final destination? For the past two years, we’ve hovered in a holding pattern above our home-to-be, held hostage in our “virtual” plane. Endless delays, countless lies, and pointless meetings have gone nowhere. So we wait and wonder, […]
How Jump Shot Lessons Apply to Life
A few years ago, a coaching buddy, my son’s former club coach, asked me to work with his teenaged son to fix what he calls, “ Ugliest shot ever seen.” I was humbled that a former pro player thought enough of my coaching ability to seek my input. His kid could dribble a ball left […]
Why We Write
“The natural writer is the one who is always writing; if only in his head-sizing up a situation for material, collecting impressions.” I seek out people to interview, new places to visit, stories to share, all the while feeling off balance and a bit loco. “You develop an extra sense that partly excludes you from […]
I am
X-Pat, a feisty globetrotter. Teacher, writer, coach, speaker, and trailblazer with the down-to-earth, open-armed persona of The Heartland and a European twist. I have lived in four different countries, speak three languages and raised two bi-cultural kids with one très bon Frenchman. My passion is inspiring courage, breaking barriers, and creating connections.
Down and out? Hopeless and helpless? No matter where you are in your journey, my stories can help pick up your spirits, make transitions, gain new perspectives or just escape the daily grind.
If you deny a woman’s history, you erase her identity. I reveal the athlete’s untold story, from the passage of Title IX through forty years of social change. What makes it different from other sport biographies is the voice of a woman who walks the talk, who dribbled the ball and tells the story. Learn more by clicking here