I was born outside of Chicago and moved to Phoenix 30 years ago. I went to Nursing School when my two children were babies, studying with peanut butter and finger marks on my papers. I graduated when they started school, enabling me to be home with them during the period of infancy and toddlerhood, which was important to me. Hospital Nursing was the focus in my career for about 7 years. I later pursued my degree in Business while functioning as the Director of Medical Management for a large insurance corporation. I loved the business side of nursing, since combining money and healthcare is very challenging.

My business idea for Ankles Only started when I received an ankle bracelet as a birthday gift from Bernadine P., one of my nurses. It was too small so I returned it only to find there weren't any other size options. I began to shop for a replacement with no luck, even on a wonderful trip to Hawaii. Soon after that, the company that I had worked for the last eight years was making big changes; my intuition told me I might be in the ranks for downsizing. My fiancée had received a gem catalog in the mail. As I paged through, I thought, "why not make my own ankle bracelets." I began to think of design ideas that would appeal to any size, age, budget and occasion. The stress of being downsized moved closer. I came home one night and told my fiancée that I think I am going to lose my job. I needed to seriously think about the Jewelry project. I got on the Internet that evening, and chose http://Ankles-Only.com as my new domain name. My intuition was right, I did get downsized less than a week later. I spent my time off looking for jobs and researching my new business venture. This was my first time being downsized; I no longer had that career identification.

Today, I can say it is for the best. I have a new business and a new job that I dearly love. I have been challenged, growing to new heights. The dream and hope of having my own business kept me going everyday. It also gave me the push and time I needed to pursue this dream. Some things do happen for a reason. I took advantage of this precious, yet difficult time, to use my business knowledge and creative talents in developing a product that would add that finishing touch to any wardrobe, day or evening.

I want to help women feel good about themselves. If they do, great things will come. The confidence to carry on through difficult times keeps you one up in surviving life’s challenges. My daughter, Tami, a plus-size girl, was my best consultant.
I am no longer the size 8 or 10 I was after a very difficult divorce, but I have grown to love who I am, what I have to offer other people and appreciate the offerings they bring to me. Age brought me increased wisdom, (increased weight!) and a special appreciation for the little things life has to offer. Taking care of myself is something I take great pride in but I won't let it be my only focus in life. There aren't enough hours in a day to do everything. I don't want to miss out on anything; people, places, or things so I divide my time between doing what I need to do and also for doing what I love.



I am now doing Public Relations for Hospice of Arizona. Hospice is focused on providing comfort and dignity for the terminally ill. I also work my business, http://Ankles-Only.com. I try very hard to bring balance into my life. When I take the time to do the things I enjoy the most it brings out the best in me. We are made up of our life's experiences. Some are better than others are but what we learn from them is of great benefit.

Louise S. Williams
President and Designer
Ankles-Only.Com