A New Beginning!

Rod and I are making some big changes this year as a result of some inquiry we started last summer. Let me back up… I hit a milestone last fall. I’m a big believer in examining my vision and goals each year, and particularly at each decade. I have heard it said that a zero at the end of your age call for a larger process. That’s why I decided to get some outside perspective through a structured course. After all, that’s what I do for a living, so why wouldn’t I get that for myself, right?

So, in preparation for welcoming in that big milestone, I decided to sign up for a workshop called Life Forward. It’s designed for empowering adult transitions. Four days online with 40 people, and a more intimate small group of 8. It was fun, exhilarating, and ultimately life changing!

First, it connected me back to a dream Rod and I had when we first married in 2005. We envisioned retiring some day in a new location with lots of nature—for me beaches, for him great fishing. For many years we planned our vacations with potential new cities in mind.

However, life happened, as it often does. My coaching practice got busier with mostly Dallas based clients, we welcomed a grandson into the world, and I successfully faced cancer treatments—all great things.

Yet, rather than pursue our vision of finding the perfect place for us to relocate, we remodeled our home. It too was exciting, making our Dallas home all it could be. No regrets. We love our Dallas family and friends, and clients of many years. Truly, I can say that the best parts of my life have happened since I arrived in Dallas in 1979.

And yet, the four-day online program brought me face to face with the passion I still had for living this next phase of my life in a beautiful beach town. Rod and I got back to exploring mode: We looked at maps, made lists, checked prices, climate, culture, and quality of life. We borrowed from our eharmony experience (which is how we met). One of my favorite exercises was “Must Haves and Can’t Stands”!

He made his list to answer where we wanted to live, and I made mine. Consensus was fairly easy to reach, and we started visiting some places to take a closer look. We quickly settled on the Southeast—warm climate, beaches, affordable, and an easy flight back to Dallas, where we will regularly visit our family and work with clients.

Talking to people who love to travel, we received many recommendations to check out Charleston. Great food, rich history, interesting cultural activities, a small city, good airport, wonderful variety of beaches, world-class fishing, easy for both Dallas and New York families and friends to visit us. Check, check, and check!

So, that’s our big announcement:

We’re moving to Charleston, SC, to a lovely small beachside town called Seabrook Island.

We just put our house on the market (4046 Cobblers Lane, Dallas, TX), and we’re closing on our new home, within walking distance to the beach, on March 1.

I will continue coaching leaders and facilitating strategic planning sessions in Dallas, traveling here quarterly. As for my speciality group coaching program, the Townsend Leadership Program, two TLP groups are about to launch!

If you’re interested, read this flyer for more info, and send me an email for an interview. One is a women’s leadership group that’s mostly virtual, with two in-person sessions per year. In the second group, both male and female leaders will be primarily in person. We will start out the year in Dallas and then move to Seabrook Island, with a mix of virtual sessions.

I so appreciate the celebration and blessings so many have given us and we look forward to this new chapter! I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to continue meaningful work while fully embracing a long held dream of living on the beach.

I have no plans for retirement. As a fellow Vistage Chair once shared, “Let them carry me out on my flip-chart!” Yup, that sounds good.

We’re wishing you a great 2022, and may you relentlessly pursue your dreams with passion, courage, and joy!

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