While we should be celebrating amazing, powerful, successful women everyday of the year, today is in fact International Women's Day and I have to send a shout out to a few of the important women in my life!
First, major shout out to the women of iHeartRadio Milwaukee who are simply amazing! Our Sr. VP Bailey Coleman (who you know from V100.7), the talented Quinn and Shannen from our sister station FM106.1, and BIG FM's afternoon host and promotions director Hannah, without whom, this radio station would simply not operate!
Next, let's show some love to my beautiful mommy Susie who raised me (which I'll be honest, was not always a treat) as well as two other kids (I'm the favorite, don't worry) and somehow managed to teach high school English for more than 20 years. My sister Mallory who after college and started a career....did a full 180, when back to grad school, and is now a licensed Occupational Therapist in a huge Chicago hospital and is just amazing. My sister-in-law Teresa, who is an executive at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, my sister-in-laws Kate (an assistant professor and researcher) and Elizabeth (a high school counselor)…all amazing at what they do and amazing moms at the same time. Let me also give a shout to all my fierce nieces who will grow up to be just a amazing, independent, strong women just like their respective mom and aunties.
And finally, and most special is my unbelievable wife Michaela who is the absolute backbone of our family and quite frankly, the only one in the world that can keep me on my path. She's been a professional hip hop and contemporary dancer in New York City and China, a dance teacher and coach at an inner city high school in Cleveland, the general manager of a fitness studio, a kickboxing and fitness instructor (take her class Saturday mornings at the WAC in Tosa). Years ago when we got married, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would be an incredible mom...and even then, I could not have imagined how fierce of a mama she would become. She never gets a day off (or an hour off)…she operates on little sleep and keeps a 9-month-old princess and an absolutely nuts three-year-old toddler, all while her husband works insane hours and is never really able to turn is crazy brain off. She is quite simply the strongest, most amazing, beautiful person in the world and I'd be nowhere without her. She's the mama of my kids, my bride, my confidant, my executive producer, and my absolute best friend. I have no doubt that our daughter LUNA will be as amazing and fierce as Michaela...I see so much of Michaela in Luna, more and more each day as she grows!
Happy International Women's day to these and ALL women.