The Mighty Woman Legacy:
From Irish Roots to a Brooklyn Wellness Dream
When I think about the roots that grew me, I picture the stars — tiny glimmers scattered across the night sky, seemingly random but always connected. That’s how I feel about the generations before me and the souls who’ve shaped the path I now walk.
My Grandmother on my father’s side was a Mighty Woman — the kind you read about in storybooks. She had 52 grandchildren, and while I didn’t get to know her closely, she passed when her very last grandchild was born- my sister Maureen. The two of us were the youngest. I know her through the stories, the values, and the legacy she left behind and passed on through her children, and I believe through all of the fifty-two that came from that small cottage in Currackyle, Clare, Ireland. It’s now a little over a year since the passing of another Mighty Woman, my dad’s sister, my beautiful Aunt Philomena, who I believe is actually Catherine.
She and my father were one of those mighty dreamers — brave Irish souls who left County Clare in the 1950s to journey across the Atlantic on what was described as a cattle boat (not quite the luxury cruise you’d imagine!). I often wonder what Dad was thinking as he stood on the deck, eyes lifted to the night sky, staring into the same stars I look at today. Did he make a wish? Did he see 10,000 stars blinking back with endless possibilities? Was he afraid? Did he sense the magic of alignment, the connection between his homeland and the unknown future waiting for him? Probably all of the above.
I believe he did have one emotion that overtook all of it – FAITH in the unknown.
When he arrived in America, my father was welcomed with open arms by my Aunt Phil and the rest of the family, who were already here. And once he settled, he passed along the Irish tradition of hospitality. Our doors were always open. Cousins came to visit, stay with us, and even live with us, and the circle of connection across the Atlantic grew stronger.
One of those cousins was Seamus. While he lived in the U.S., he became very close friends with a woman named Victoria. Their bond was quiet but deep and very meaningful. After Seamus passed, we learned that Victoria had continued to honor his memory — sending flowers to his grave every year. That kind of loyalty doesn’t go unnoticed in a family like mine.
Fast forward to the COVID years — a time when everything changed. I, like so many others, was forced to pivot. I took my life coaching practices online — terrified, uncertain, and way out of my comfort zone. Technology felt like the cosmos: overwhelming, mysterious, full of moving parts. And yet… like stars, connections began to align. It was time for me to cross from the comfort of my business to venturing out on the World Wide Web and “Going Virtual” with my passion for helping people live out their dreams, particularly supporting entrepreneurs take those scary steps into the unknown with Faith and support.
Small coaching circles formed. Heart-centered communities emerged. And one day, a woman named Vickie joined.
In one of our private coaching sessions, she asked, “Do you know who I am?” I paused. She said, “I’m Seamus’s friend — Victoria.”
A wave of warmth swept through me. Of course! The woman who sent flowers to my cousin. The one we all whispered about with respect. And now she was sitting across from me — in my sacred (now worldwide) coaching space, doing her own brave inner work.
Over time, Vickie shared a dream: “I’m retiring in a few years. I want to create something meaningful and magical. I want to create a plan.”
While some people dream, Vickie did. She rolled up her sleeves and got to work on herself — healing, shifting beliefs, building courage, and strengthening community. She studied Nutrition. She trained in Functional Fitness — a powerful method that helps people regain movement, stability, and strength naturally. She supports high school girls with athletic dreams, older adults to rediscover physical freedom, and everyone who has a dream to get back to feeling well in their bodies after an injury or period of stagnancy.
Recently, I sent out a simple email to my community about available space at my wellness center. Within hours, I got a call from Vickie. “I’ve been thinking,” she said. “I’m ready.”
I asked her if she was replying to my email. “What email?” she replied.
And just like that, I knew — this wasn’t a coincidence. This was alignment. This was magic. My father, my cousin Seamus, my Aunt Phil, my Grandmother, and every mighty Irish ancestor were smiling down, winking through the light of the stars above, and probably giggling, knowing how we are all connected and that we are all nature.
In just a few short weeks, Vickie transformed the space. Her new studio was born. I asked her what she planned to name it.
She smiled. “Mighty Functional Fitness Studio.”
“Why ‘mighty’?” I asked, already knowing there was a deeper meaning in my heart.
“It’s for Seamus. He used to call me ‘Mighty Woman.’ So my email became mighty… and now this dream is mighty too, and I want to help people discover their inner Mighty Woman or Mighty Person through Fitness and Nutrition.”
And now, just like that, Vickie — the woman who once stood graveside with flowers — is standing tall as a Mighty Woman Entrepreneur, building a business inside the same legendary three-story Green Spa & Wellness Center that my father believed in and helped build for me and my family. And I get to help hold space, we call Wellness Space to co-share with her so she can fulfill her dreams.
So to anyone out there holding a dream, scared to step forward, unsure if it’s the right time: LISTEN UP– There is not ever going to be a right time. There is only and always NOW. Legacy is not just what we leave behind — it’s what we live into and build together.
You do not have to do it alone. There is a community out there or in here for you. There is a moment waiting for you to step into the uncomfortable and uncover your inner Mighty Woman or your inner Mighty Person. All you need to do… is take one step with Faith down the path toward your dream.
The stars? They’re aligning as you dream and as you step.
“Is bean mhór í le croí mór, spiorad láidir, agus lámh fhlaithiúil.”
(Iss ban vore ee leh kree more, spir-ud law-dir, ah-gus law-v lah-hool.)
Translation:
“She is a mighty woman with a big heart, a strong spirit, and a generous hand.”
Come in and discover your inner Might with Victoria and her inspirational team. You will not regret it!