It took me twelve years to get past the emotional and physical trauma of being kidnapped, held hostage, tortured, raped and rescued to finally tell my story.

In 1992, as a wife, mother, and businesswoman I found myself caught up by Capitalists in the now former Soviet Union.

Because of a bad Moscow business deal, I was held hostage for $1.6 million ransom by Chechen terrorists originally thought to be the Russian mob. It was only in 2002 that a key player in the rescue put together by the FBI and “former” KGB, amazingly linked the kidnappers to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network.

Some experiences we can move through and rebound into a more powerful, more challenging existence. For most, this would have been impossible to overcome. My inspiration and motivation was to lose my self-pity and confront my demons head-on, and to appreciate how good it is to be alive. In challenging myself and creating my own growth, I hope that women will grow as well, through me. Self-empowerment became my mantra. Life is now wonderful.

Crisis can lead to gratitude. That bleak morning in 1992 I fully believed I was about to die. As it turned out, that was the moment I had just begun to live.

As a professional speaker and author in California as well as Australia, I have been able to share my story with many individuals, businesses and corporations around the world.