A story that I have told hundreds of times before gatherings large and small is my unusual first meeting with Audrey Johnson.

I had been a software engineer nineteen years with one company. When the small company ran out of money, they laid me off with three weeks notice.

On my last day of work, I heard in the Spirit, “I have arranged for you soon a very good interview.”

I thought, Wow‒I haven’t even sent out any resumes yet!

The following day, Saturday April 4, 2009, I was attending a Toastmasters speech contest, and came early. I spied a friend across the almost empty room, and crossed it to say hi. That put me smack in front of the only occupied banquet table, and I sat down across from Audrey Johnson.

After a moment I ventured, “Seeing as we’re both Toastmasters, it would be a shame to let this time be passed in silence.”

Audrey Johnson looked up from her Blackberry. After brief pleasantries, I asked her, “What do you do?”

“I am a life coach”‒handing me a ‘L♥ve Your Life Coach’ card.

“Why, I could use a life coach! I was just laid off.”

“What do you do?”

“I’m a Senior Software Engineer.”

Audrey then pulled out a second business card: Senior Recruiter of Engineering Personnel. Soon into the conversation, as seats were filling, she said, “Come over here, sit by me.” After some half hour of conversation, I stepped out for a cigarette, and a realization hit me: “This… is my very good interview!”

Later Audrey asked, “Where do you keep going?”

“Out to smoke.”

“You’re still smoking?” I was struck by the emphasis on still smoking, as it might be said by a long-time acquaintance.

Driving home, thinking on the incongruity of going to a life coach, and smoking, I pulled in and got nicotine patches, and that very same night I started stopping, and I have successfully stopped smoking.

That is just the first of many huge changes that Audrey Johnson has wrought upon my life.

‒Glenn Scheper

Producer,

The Audrey Johnson Show.