Top Tier Insight By Tequila

A Shot of Tequila

I asked God for a seat at the table…
and He gave me a seat at the State. ✨

Today, I am honored to share that I have stepped into the role of School-Based Oral Health Program Coordinator with the Ohio Department of Health.

This moment feels bigger than a title. It feels like alignment.

For years, I prayed for things to be easier—not because I was unwilling to work, but because I trusted that what is meant for me would not require constant struggle to obtain. And this opportunity… came with a sense of peace, clarity, and ease that I can only describe as divine alignment.

I am stepping into a seat that has been held for 35 years. That alone carries weight, legacy, and responsibility. But what makes this moment even more meaningful is the work ahead. For over 40 years, this program has provided preventive dental services—and now, I have the opportunity to lead the transition into a more comprehensive model of care that can impact children and communities across the state, alongside managing 2 additional Oral Health Programs.

That is not something I take lightly. That is history in motion.

As I reflect on this journey—from working nights, to serving as a school-based dental hygienist, to touching thousands of lives over 30+ years—I can see how every step prepared me for this moment. My education, my experience, my passion for community health, and even my growth in data and systems thinking… all of it now has a place to live and expand.

And I know this:
God would not have given me this assignment if I was not prepared for it.

I am grateful.
I am humbled.
And I am ready.

Stay tuned… because this next chapter is about to create impact on a whole new level. 🌱

The ultimate goal was to be a better woman. I changed how I communicate, how I show up for myself, how I handle people & situations. I will continue to strengthen my relationship with God & just strive everyday to evolve & flourish into who God is calling me to be.

It’s not only Dental Hygiene Week but it’s also my final week with Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and my heart is full. 🦋

What a journey it has been. 💫

For the last 8 years, I have had the honor of serving as a clinical dental hygienist—starting on night shifts, learning, growing, and finding my rhythm… and eventually walking into my purpose as a school-based dental hygienist. Along the way, I’ve had the privilege of touching so many lives, and in return, those same lives have touched mine in ways I will never forget.

NCH wasn’t just a workplace for me—it was my JOY JOB💕! It was a space where I felt seen, valued, and truly accepted for who I am. The relationships I built here go far beyond coworkers… they are family, and they will forever hold a special place in my heart.

I am deeply grateful for every moment, every lesson, every child served, and every connection made. This chapter has shaped me, stretched me, and prepared me.

And now… I am stepping into something new.

After more than three decades in the dental field, I am transitioning into what I can only describe as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—one that will allow me to fully walk in the gifts God has placed inside of me. My Master’s in Health Administrative degree, data analytics certification, and years of experience are all aligning in a way that feels purposeful and powerful.

I am excited. I am grateful. And I am ready.

Stay tuned… this next chapter is just getting started. ✨

Been that Queen, still that Queen, becoming more of that Queen 💕

I can feel it…
something ripening beneath the surface.

This isn’t loud ambition.
It’s quiet alignment.
A steady warmth rising in my spirit.

I’ve walked through the refining.
I’ve felt the heat of growth, the stretching, the becoming.
And now I’m not bracing for impact…
I’m preparing for fruit.

This season isn’t about proving.
It’s about blooming.

I am allowing myself to soften into my power.
To move with grace and certainty.
To trust that what has been cultivated in private
is ready to flourish in the light.

The fire around me doesn’t threaten me.
It illuminates me.

“Those who sow in tears shall reap with songs of joy.”
— Psalm 126:5

I have sown.
I have wept.
I have waited.

Now I prepare to reap —
not in chaos,
but in confidence.

This is the season where my becoming becomes visible. 🔥🌺

God,

You saw me through the past twelve long seasons of sorrowness.

After my son’s passing, grief sat beside me like winter that would not leave. I let myself feel it. I honored it. I survived it. But after a two month, I cried out to You—I did not want to keep living in those same sorrowful seasons that had already held me for years. I asked You to lift the heaviness, to loosen grief’s grip, and to breathe life back into me.

And You did.

You replenished me with the spirit of play.

You awakened creativity in places pain had silenced.

You reminded me that joy is not betrayal of love—
it is evidence of healing.

So now, when sorrow visits, I acknowledge it…
and I grace myself through it.
But I no longer live there.

I am choosing the season I dwell in.
A season of laughter.
A season of color.
A season of creating with You.

Thank You for making me feel liberated, alive, loved, and seen.

Your Word promises:
“To give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” — Isaiah 61:3

This is the season I’m living in now. 🌿

A Prayer for the Woman Who Does Too Much -

God,
This weekend You used a friend to open my eyes.

I’ve been over-functioning—emotionally and physically—
pouring myself into people, places, and duties that no longer bring joy, only obligation.

I see now how quietly we do this as women.

How we skip over our own needs,
ignoring the foundation You designed—
rest, safety, belonging, care—
and try to build purpose on exhaustion.

So today, I ask for release.
Release from carrying what was never mine. Release from proving, fixing, rescuing. Teach me to rest in my *being*, not just my doing.

Lead me back to joy.
Because in joy, I find purpose.
In play, I find creativity.
In rest, I find You.

Your word reminds me:
“Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
— Matthew 11:28

Let this be the season we stop over-functioning and start living whole.
🤍💙💗

When I look back over the last 40 something years, I’m stunned by how much I accepted, just to keep people in my life. It’s hard to set limits with people, Lord, especially when I want to keep loving well. Sometimes I feel guilty stepping back, like I’m not generous enough, loving enough, patient enough. But You gently remind me: Jesus didn’t say yes to every demand either. He took time to pray, be in solidarity and find rest. Healthy boundaries aren’t selfish, they make my love sustainable. Help me follow Your example, trusting that saying “no” can honor You, too. Give me courage to guard my heart without closing it, to say “Not now” without shame, and to give from a place of wholeness, not exhaustion. Thank You for loving boundaries: and for never leaving me to figure this out alone.