I Am One of a Handful of Female Acquired Savants Living in the World Today

A Traumatic Brain Injury changed my life in 2011. I have been a Contemplative Artist/Theologian ever since.

Heather Rooney (Thompson) — Photo by Kathy Hird 2005

I was an award-winning entrepreneur and nationally recognized business strategist in home health and hospice before the “mild” traumatic brain injury that changed my life.

I was married at the time, at the pinnacle of my career, with a 2-year-old daughter. I had just been asked to facilitate the Strategic Planning Retreat for the National Association of Home Care and Hospice (a privilege typically reserved for the usual guys from the big consulting firms whom I respected greatly). Further, I was invited to speak at the exclusive Home Care 100 conference for the top 100 executives in our industry, held at the Ritz in Laguna Niguel

I remember thinking that this was what I had dreamed about when I set out to start my business in 2005. I was only in my mid-30’s, earning more than I could have imagined, and networking among the most powerful companies in my industry. If ever there were a time that I had “made it,” this was it.

Then why did I feel so unfulfilled?

There were many reasons I could point to as the cause of my discontent; however, none…