You see my name popping up, SharonAnn Hamilton; as a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer, helping promote a Yoga practice, teaching financial classes at Shipley Center, posting on Nextdoor, creating Events for business on local Facebook pages and groups, facilitating Map Your Neighborhood classes for my community, building a prayer group for prayer warriors, and writing a boomer blog called Claiming Freedom. I write.

Who am I? I’m a creative, coach, and community helper using my resources and experience to serve. I’m involved.

 Born and raised in Hemet, CA, I couldn’t wait to leave. (Now I appreciate small towns.) I stepped on my first plane ride at age 19, to fly halfway around the world to a remote country in Africa (a French Colony) as a Rotary Club exchange student. I went alone. My goal was to speak French fluently and to have adventures like those I read in books. I did. I could have died but didn’t.

I fell in love. There was a handsome Greek who spoke six languages. He followed me home after my exchange year, we married and returned to Africa for three more years. We lived adventures and explored much of Ethiopia, parts of Yemen and Somalia, and all of the French Territory of Afars & Issas, now called The Republic of Djibouti. I explored ancient and wild places.

Growing up I was always the banker in Monopoly games. It’s no surprise for most of my time in Africa I worked at a bank, in a high-security area, trading foreign exchange using ‘Telex’ to buy and sell among banks in London, Bangkok, Zurich, New York, Dubai, and Paris. I like the Money game. Years later I wrote a book called Funny Money: Laugh & Grow Rich.

It was time to finish college, so my husband and I came home to Southern California. Anthropology, psychology, and business tempted me, but business won out. I graduated Summa Cum Laude, with an MBA but no specific career in mind. A fortunate workshop invitation took me into the fledging world of fee-based financial planning. What? Helping people with money decisions? YES, it’s my calling.  In nearly three decades with American Express companies, I earned a CFP® (Certified Financial Planner®,) Master of Science in Financial Services, and multiple certifications. I love to learn.

“Let’s have a family,” we decided. However, we couldn’t get pregnant. In more than 13 years of prayer for a family, we opened our hearts and home for two nieces from Greece whose parents didn’t want them.  I also had a miscarriage and finally, at 43, a pregnancy that put me on bed rest for six months. I could have died, but didn’t.

Baby boy and I survived. I know that prayers are always answered: yes, no, or wait. I waited. 

We bought a run-down Travel park business and 160-acre nature reserve in the mountains east of San Diego and renamed it Sacred Rocks RV Park. Our son was six and we wanted him to experience the beauty of nature. My husband was up for the project of renovating. My role was marketing, so we worked in a variety of avenues to spotlight our beautiful park. We even had a vendor location in Quartzite, AZ, a six-week pop-up tradeshow that exploded the town population from three thousand to 1.5 million RV owners.

In 2003, a book about labyrinths, a visit to Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, and a massive rock in a field at Sacred Rocks sparked the idea of creating a labyrinth. A labyrinth is a pattern on the ground you walk to center your inner self in prayer and peacefulness. With the help of workampers (RVers who live on-site and work in place of paying rent) and workers from the nearby halfway house, Freedom Ranch, they built the largest outdoor labyrinth in California. It’s 100 feet in diameter, 3X the size of the original in Chartres, France. By the time you walk all the way to the center and back out again, it’s a mile. I sometimes open Google Earth to see it from space. I feel proud of this project. 

It was not a coincidence; it was a blessed happening. I needed labyrinth walking and prayer to get through the ugliness of breast Cancer in 2005.

I only told her prayer warriors, forbade any to say my name next to the ‘c-word (cancer), and trusted God for healing. I walked the labyrinth every day. I could have died, but didn’t.

In 2009 I sold my financial practice to help my husband run Sacred Rocks Nature Reserve. A series of events ended with catastrophic financial loss of business and marriage. But I never stop learning and now thrive as a Coach. I know hard times. 

Feeling free of encumbrances, kids grown and moved out, I launched a successful Airbnb business in several San Diego locations: Mission Bay, Pacific Beach, and La Jolla. I quickly enjoyed ‘Superhost’ status for 5 years, the travel bug bit. 

With everything keepable put into storage pods, I then packed up Gracie (small terrier) and left on a cross-country trip. My intention was to visit friend Barb, in Edmonds, WA, friend Ellen in Florida, friends Dee and Carl in Maine, then return to San Diego. I was permanently sidetracked.

“Can you help me,” Barb said, I said, “Of course.” Barb was in bed six days a week with three autoimmune diseases running through her body. She gave me a stack of Paleo-Autoimmune cookbooks. For eight months I produced this healthy food, joined the Chamber to promote my Coaching practice, and started to date. I wrote another book about letting go called Don’t Downsize. Rightsize! By then, Barb was then out of bed six days a week. From this experience I conclude, food is either toxic or medicine. I now choose my food carefully.

 Senior dating is not for the faint of heart. I made a list. I asked for a life companion to love who shared my spiritual practices, understood my humor, was financially independent, family-loving, no drama adulting, wants to travel and enjoys walking, nature, dogs, and food. A friend introduced me to Dan. I fell in love.

In August 2019, we invited family and friends to our garden wedding. Two weeks later we flew to Paris. It was the first leg of our year-long honeymoon as pet sitters in Europe. France, Scotland, England, and France again opened their senses to slow travel. Switzerland and Italy were booked. Only covid interrupted us with closed borders and canceled travelers. We stayed healthy but decided to return home. I could have died, but didn’t.

Now settled in Sequim, WA Dan works beautifying their home and garden. A dog named Mollie came to live with us. I continue to coach and write.

I am grateful for the adventures past, present and future. Life is good.

My big dream is to build a not-for-profit called grandmasafe.org to prevent financial abuse. We’ll offer guidance and protection for every grandma who is financially pressured. Every refrigerator in America will have a magnet with an 800 number for help.  

Am I available to work with new clients? It depends. If I can offer value in your journey, yes. Send me a message and let’s chat.