Miami Mom Collective Welcomes MIA Mom Ann Keil Dux

Hi there! My name is Ann Keil Dux, and I am thrilled to join the Miami Mom Collective contributor team!

Miami 

I was born and raised in Miami. Then, I spent 13 years studying and working as a television news journalist in communities across the country. From Boston to Washington, D.C., Tennessee, and Indiana, I like to think I created a positive impact, gained a unique perspective, made fond memories, and most importantly, grew invaluable relationships with beautiful people who are now lifelong friends. Still, my hometown came calling in 2015. I accepted a position with WSVN-TV receiving my second Emmy Award soon after. Serving our vibrant community that is chockfull of talented people who care deeply about one another was a gift. I found value in telling the important stories that would help create positive change.

While I am a lifelong storyteller, a cancer diagnosis in 2018 stopped me in my tracks.

And I signed off. I had also signed off on partial facial paralysis but was lucky enough to have a team of doctors who were miracle workers. As I thought about what I would do next with my unique skill set, I found myself mesmerized by the idea of sharing my craft– my superpower as a communications expert for good, thus igniting my entrepreneurial journey. Today, I am a communications coach and consultant under my professional development firm, offering corporate, non-profit, and governmental leadership and their teams brand-building opportunities. This includes public speaking and on-camera media training, virtual presentation, and video marketing.

I am also a passionate community advocate, and I serve several area non-profits to include United Way of Miami-Dade where I co-lead a giving community of more than 600 fellow Young Leaders. My husband Tim, who is originally from Sydney, Australia, but grew up in London, has traveled the World. We laugh when we talk about travel possibilities because I have been all over the United States, mostly in smaller communities most people have never heard of.

We have a little boy, who is certainly enjoying his toddler years although we never stop running after him and our dog Billie. Much of our time is spent with family, tending to our large vegetable and herb garden, cooking, baking, exercising, and enjoying the beautiful parks and waterways from Miami Beach to the Florida Keys. Fishing for dinner with Tim, as reggae music plays in the background, certainly tops my favorites list.

Mom

My motherhood journey has been every emotion wrapped in one like most moms. Stepping back a bit, I learned I had cancer a month before I was to get married in 2018. But I walked down that aisle more confident in my choice in a partner and more dogged in my pursuit of the life we had dreamed of. I had cancer surgery four days later and found out I was pregnant four months after that. My son, Johnny, was born in June 2019, quickly transforming difficult conversations about illness and what if into enlightening ones centered around passion, family, and the future. In fact, I was running my business and a University of Miami student enrolled in the Miami Global Executive MBA program nearly four months after Johnny was born with a renewed sense of self. 

Johnny became our miracle in more ways than one in that respect. I feel lucky every day to be living a healthy, joyful life with a lot of laughter in our home. Of course, I, at times, think myself an expert when it comes to my son, and then he dives headfirst into the next stage of development forcing me to seek out Google as a smart guide, and even better, fellow moms who get it. We are all warriors. That is clear. We may wear makeup and high heels, but we are warriors who believe in a future where our children will shine brightly. That is what it is all about. 

Collective

As a Miami Mom Collective contributing writer, I feel honored and excited about the opportunity to build relationships with fellow moms who share the same love for family, community, and our Miami. I think there is so much power in a platform that empowers us to use our individual experiences and expertise as a means to connect, teach, grow and inspire. My contribution will be the launch of a special spotlight series centered around Miami Leaders Invested in our Future as a means to introduce and reintroduce local leadership making a real difference in our community. I do hope you will enjoy it!