Rising Above: How 9/11, Cancer, and Single Motherhood Led to One World Trade Center

23 years ago, we watched in horror as terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center, also known as the Twin Towers, murdering thousands of our people. We pursued them in Afghanistan, and airport security has never been the same since. I was recently engaged then, and we decided to move from Tampa, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia, respectively, to Battery Park City soon after. The reason? I didn't want the terrorists to win.

I went to work at Merrill Lynch's world headquarters at the World Financial Center in 2002, got married at Tavern on the Green in 2004, had my baby girl 9 months later, and thought I had found my happily ever after.

Alas, 13 years ago, my world was rocked again when I went through a 5-year custody battle and divorce, and became a single mom by default.

Then I faced a 9/11-related multi-year breast cancer battle when my daughter was 13 years old, followed by the terrifying pandemic two years later, as my immune system was compromised from all the treatments. I moved briefly to Miami, Florida but vowed to return to New York City to finish what I had started for my daughter.

Most of you know that my #1 prayer during my cancer battle was to survive long enough to get my baby girl to adulthood and to the doorstep of a dream college.

God and she overdelivered with her acceptance to Princeton University, and now she's thriving in her second year, traveling around the world as I'd wished for her.

Though I was reluctant to leave the Battery Park City and Tribeca area I'd loved so much, I did what mamas do to ensure she continued her incredible education. So, I moved to Brooklyn Heights 13 years ago to manage single motherhood and ensure she could walk to school. Leaving Battery Park City was emotionally difficult for many reasons. I'd made amazing friends there, and my finance-related business was well-positioned to continue growing due to the proximity to Wall Street and the NYSE. Every one of the wealth management clients I still have came from those early days working at Merrill Lynch and living in Battery Park City.

I vowed to get back to my beloved downtown area. I regularly do my 10K-step walks through the Oculus and World Financial Center.

So, I'm delighted to announce that thanks to my clients and the incredible response to my Chica Wealth Builders and Crypto Decoded newsletters, I have moved my business, MarFi Advisors, to One World Trade Center.

As I rode the elevators to view the space up on that super-high floor, I initially felt fear for obvious reasons. But then, I remembered the bada** that I am and signed on the dotted line to ensure my own full-circle moment. I came to work with such energy and have other announcements coming soon.

Stay tuned for more exciting news in the following days!

@ One World Trade Center