Heather grew up in a tight-knit family with strong marital bonds. Her parents have been together since eighth grade and are still happily married after 50-plus years. Similarly, her grandparents had a long-lasting marriage, and her sister has been married for over 20 years. With such solid examples of enduring love, Heather felt a certain pressure to follow a similar path.
However, Heather's journey took unexpected turns. She married at 25, but by 29, she found herself going through a difficult divorce. Her husband at the time changed his mind about having children, which was a deal breaker for Heather. After her first divorce, Heather remarried, hoping to realize her dream of having a family. Unfortunately, the second marriage did not turn out to be the right choice either. To add to the heartache, Heather discovered that she was unable to have children. Heather never envisioned herself as someone who would be divorced, especially given the strong marital role models in her life.
In 2018, she saw a guy at a conference that immediately intrigued her, but she was scared, because she suffered from a bad picker and always went for emotionally unavailable men. It was during this time when she found her way to Bela and Smart Dating Academy through a podcast. She immediately started researching SDA and all of our content and LOVED everything she learned. Heather participated in two Love Labs and then ended up investing in herself and signed up for date coaching. Heather's sessions with Ilene were transformative. They would meet early in the morning before Heather went to work, at 6:15 AM, a testament to Heather's dedication to her personal growth.
