My Story......

After a life-threatening illness gave me a new perspective, I traded in my career in rush-mode for a B&B with a mission.

Prior to 2004, I was best known as Professor Johns, who had spent almost thirty years building a distinguished career in health information systems.  My professional journey had started at Seattle University where I received by bachelor’s degree in health information systems in 1973 and began working in management capacities in hospitals.  Later I earned more degrees and established myself as an academic, becoming a tenured faculty member at The Ohio State University and later at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.  In 1999 I joined the faculty in the School of Business at Loyola University Chicago and became director of the School’s Master of Science Program in Information Systems Management.

In February 2003, while at a health informatics conference in San Diego, I landed in the Emergency Room of a local hospital with acute abdominal pain.  The doctors there diagnosed food poisoning, but my symptoms continued.  When I returned home to Chicago, I continued to be symptomatic.  I saw more doctors, had more tests, but there was no definitive diagnosis.  Seven weeks after the onset of my illness, I felt like I was dying.  In desperation I went to see my doctor yet another time and told him I wasn’t leaving until he had a plan.  I was immediately admitted to the hospital, where after four days of tests, I was scheduled for surgery.

Before surgery, I had asked to see the hospital chaplain.  The chaplain on duty that night was Rabbi Mike.  Rabbi Mike and I connected!  He asked me about myself, my life, and my work. I told him that I had done just about everything I had wanted to do, except one thing which was to own and operate a bed and breakfast.  “So why haven’t you done that?” he asked.  I gave him the usual reasons and when I was done he looked at me and said, “Those aren’t good enough.”

I had first learned about bed and breakfasts in 1982 when I was arranging accommodations for a group of career women who were enrolled in an intensive summer program at The Ohio State University.  I had discovered a lovely Victorian bed and breakfast located a few blocks from the campus that made the ideal residence for our group of professional women.  For the next ten years we housed students for our intensive program at this charming bed and breakfast.  I knew that at some point I would own and operate a B&B and that it would serve as an avenue more than a business……but under what circumstances this would occur I didn’t know.

During my operation, the surgeons found that the culprit of my illness was a ruptured appendix that had occurred seven weeks earlier and subsequently developed into widespread and serious infection.  I knew from my medical background that I was fortunate to be alive and that Rabbi Mike was correct…..my reasons for not pursuing my dream were “not good enough.”

After I recuperated sufficiently from my surgery, my husband and I began the search for a bed and breakfast.  But the search wasn’t long.  We had once stayed at The Bundling Board Inn in 1999 on our way to a Boxer Rescue organization to adopt our two boxers, Max and Casey Maybelline.  We liked the bed and breakfast and its location in the charming town of Woodstock, IL , located just 50 miles from Chicago.  To our surprise the Bundling Board Inn was up for sale!  So we sold our home in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago and on August 28^th, five months to the day after my surgery, we closed on the Inn. 

The bed and breakfast had been more than I ever would have expected.  Moving away from the intense academic and business worlds gave me a different perspective and the gift of time for reflection, writing, and renewal.  It also provided me the opportunity to engage in community volunteer activities and to work with small business owners who are the spirit and the foundation of a community. 

For 14-years the B&B served as part of the Center.  Having sold the B&B in April 2017 and having undergone yet another life-threatening challenge in 2017, I continue my journey devoting my energy to women's leadership and helping others in  their every day lives through my work as a leadership coach, author, professional speaker, and workshop leader.