Attitude
On March 6th, my wife and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary at our home in North Carolina. Honestly, it feels like just yesterday we were saying, “I do.” This year has brought several milestones worth celebrating. In addition to marking 15 years together, my wife will be seven years cancer-free this October, and we recently celebrated her 50th birthday at the end of last year and on March 10th I will be 58.
Besides becoming a Chiropractor, marrying my wife was the best decision I ever made. Fortunately, everything in our marriage has seemed to fall into place. Yet, before getting married, I never truly considered just how crucial choosing the right partner is. I say this now with the perspective of someone who has been incredibly fortunate in his choice, but I feel compelled to highlight something that isn’t always obvious. It’s often said that choosing a spouse is the most important decision a person can make. At the time, I could only hope I had chosen wisely.
I met my wife at the gym. She famously walked up to me and asked if I was finished with my set. I told her yes and offered to clear the weights for her. She glanced at the bar, smirked, and said, “Nah, you can leave it—that’s my warm-up weight.” That was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
My wife came to the U.S. from El Salvador in 1982 at the age of seven. She escaped a war-torn country by plane, seeking a better life with her family. To be fair, despite the dangers of El Salvador, she had lived a privileged life—attending private school, having a driver, and housekeepers. Think Pita in Man on Fire with Denzel Washington. But when she arrived in Norwalk, Connecticut, everything changed. She didn’t speak English, shared a bed with her mother and sister in a tiny efficiency apartment, and walked two miles to school through unsafe streets.
Her first day of school was an unforgettable experience. There were no ESOL programs, no transition period—she was simply thrust into an environment most of us would find overwhelming. Imagine Naked and Afraid, but for a seven-year-old. I don’t share this story to debate geopolitical conflicts or current immigration issues, but rather to illustrate something deeper: the dynamic between nature and nurture.
On many occasions, I have written letters of gratitude to important or meaningful people in my life—including my wife’s maternal grandmother, who walked to this country over 40 years ago. However, this blog is dedicated to my wife and the incredible journey she has been on since arriving here as a child.
They say attitude is a far greater trait to possess than aptitude. I bring this up to highlight the challenges my wife faced in those early years. As you can imagine, finances were tight for a single mother raising two children. Birthdays and Christmases were lean—gifts were a rarity. Yet, there is a picture of my wife as a little girl, beaming as she holds up her one Christmas present that year: a ChapStick. The joy on her face could have made you believe she had unwrapped a Nintendo Game Boy.
My point is simple—attitude is everything.
Fast-forward to her time as a business owner in South Florida. Her father’s company needed an offshore location for his screen-printing supply business, which was headquartered in El Salvador. So, Papi flew to South Florida, secured a warehouse, a forklift, and a copier machine. My wife agreed to head up the Miami location, packed up, and drove down from Connecticut to start working. There was no training, HR onboarding or manuals. Trial by fire would be the closest description. In addition to running operations in South Florida, she completed her studies at Florida Atlantic University, earning a degree in Business Administration. Mind you, she had zero experience in running a business and even less knowledge about the screen-printing industry. But what she did have was an unshakable determination to succeed and help her father expand his business. Attitude.
In the fall of 2018, my wife discovered a lump in her breast and was subsequently diagnosed with Stage 2 cancer. We had a good cry—one day for a small pity party—and then got straight to work. We had a saying at the time referring to our partnership throughout this difficult time, “I’ll do the dealing, while you do the healing.” Mind you, prior to her diagnosis, she was in “perfect” health. There wasn’t a lot she had to do, yet she immediately doubled down on her lifestyle overhaul. She went completely vegan, deepened her yoga practice, and incorporated infrared sauna treatments, guided meditation, and juicing into her routine. Removed all sugar, processed food and alcohol from her diet. Despite undergoing treatment, she never missed a day of work, a workout, or a single step in her recovery. And she did it all with a smile—just like in that childhood ChapStick picture. Attitude.
Now, in 2025, Karla is a sought-after yoga instructor with a local yoga company. She runs quarterly women’s retreats through her business, The She-Sho, and is writing a children’s yoga book. I bring all of this up because it speaks to the unpredictable and often challenging nature of life—something many of us are feeling in this tumultuous first quarter of the year. Change is inevitable. How much change occurs at once can determine the level of personal challenge we face. But as I’ve always believed, this too shall pass. Challenges are a constant, regardless of where you are in life. The difference lies in how you approach them. Facing obstacles head-on with a positive attitude and strategic planning can shift the odds in your favor. Worry never solves anything—but a great attitude will always carry the day. Have a great week everyone.
“Most things I worry about never happen anyway.” — Tom Petty
