Everything starts with an idea

Introverted Rebel, Artist, Author, Teacher + Coach, Doer of things, and a mom to 3 boys – one with some extra needs that have forever changed my life.

Hi there! I am Petra and it is so good to e-meet you on my blog!

I get a gazillion ideas all the time and I follow the ones that light me up, get me giddy on the inside, and beg me to make them happen. Sometimes that looks like creating a coloring book with a theme, a pyrography series or a painting collection, or something personal development related – like My Rebel Year.

I do things cause I want to do them – and that also meant earning a degree in computer system administration, accounting, and mental health counseling. I am currently working on a Phd in metaphysics. In a world that teaches us to focus on one thing to be successful, I want to explore and live and do things that interest me, inspire me, and motivate me to be my best self in any given moment and that can look a little crazy at times. 

I want to have the cake and eat it too because it’s no fun just looking at the cake. It’s actually quite sad if you think about it. I believe that you can be, do and have what you want and make it happen in ways that feel true to you and to who you are. There isn’t just one way to live life!  And no one has taught me that more than my youngest son who was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder (urea cycle disorder CPS1) that almost cost him his life – followed by three liver transplants that shook me to my core and changed everything I thought I knew about life. 

Because before all of that happened, I was a foster kid, an immigrant, single parent trying to find my footing in this world that tells us to fit so that we are liked, supported, and appreciated.

Some other random fun facts about me:

• I am an all-boys mom and an all-girls Oma (grandmother in German)  (at the time of this writing)
• I am musically trained – from understanding music theory, reading notes, and playing classical music on a recorder
• I immigrated to the USA from Germany at 18 with an 8 months old baby barely speaking English
• I am self-taught in all of the art that I do by watching videos and practicing
• I wanted to be a famous singer or actor growing up and while none of that happened, I was an extra in a movie and music video for a local band
• I love coffee and can’t go without – and yes I am totally addicted and well I guess that’s better than some other drug
• I love music and my favorite genre at punk rock + heavy metal Anything else make me want to run – unless it’s my bestie with her killer voice
• I earned my Master’s Degree while my son was in the ICU recovering from his liver transplant holding vigil as he was healing
• I am the Founder of The Rebels Den where I help people follow their dreams + focus on their goals
• Grew up in Foster Care since age 2 and dealt with feelings of worthiness, being enough, and deserving of a good life. I rewrote the story from reject to success.