MY STORY.

Julie was born in Olympia, Washington and relocated to Ohio at a very young age with her parents and older sister. At age eight, she began running and across the next 9 years would hold the National record in the half-marathon, participate in a 5-year Runner’s Study at Michigan State University, compete in multiple state cross-country meets, and become an All-American runner. On the surface, you could say she met all of society’s success criteria. However, there’s a compelling story behind these eyes, one that seems almost unrecognizable as the past fades further into the distance.

Following Julie’s high school years, things took a drastic turn as she failed to navigate critical life decisions and circumstances. By age 19, she was a college dropout and married to an abusive alcoholic. By 20, Julie was a divorced, single mother struggling to find light through what seemed to be an impenetrable darkness. However, one individual, one conversation, and one excruciating decision would change the entire trajectory of her life. In that moment, she understood the value of impact and the importance of showing up for others. She would spend the next eleven years as a single mother, working multiple jobs to make ends meet.

During this time, Julie met the love of her life, remarried, and, with the help of her parents, completed her Associate Degree in Nursing, Bachelor’s Degree in Technology Management, and Executive Master’s degree in Organization Development. Since then, she has dedicated her life to showing up for people - helping prepare and position them for success as they navigate personal and professional challenges. Her difficult, yet undeniably valuable, experiences have given Julie the gift of humility, empathy, and the overwhelming gratitude required to effectively lead, influence, and manage people. She is a genuine change strategist, gritty competitor, unapologetic risk taker, seasoned life pivoter, and varsity cheerleader for underdogs everywhere. Julie enjoys being a charismatic public speaker and is writing her first non-fiction book titled, “Loose Change”.

Julie is currently a Global Program Manager & Change Strategist for an enterprise software company and is the Owner and Chief Impact Officer at Change Bytes, where you will find her sharing change nuggets across various various social platforms. She invites you to join her as she opens the personal and professional chapters of her own story, through her However, Blog and Change Bytes Podcast. And, you certainly won’t want to miss an episode of her daily vlog titled “Conversations with Myself” where Julie not only admits to talking to herself, she’ll share those thoughts with you. There’s so much to talk about, so let’s get to it!