A blog written by Wendy Hilt that features interesting "To the Hilt" stories & thoughts on "Being Hilt." It's a preview of the book, "Growing Up Hilt." The book chronicles 50 years of challenges in an amazing sales career with bipolar disorder as my SUPER-POWER.
Wendy Hilt is from Murphysboro, Illinois and has two sons: Dane and Tucker. (They are Davis boys.) Wendy started her career in sales and really found a home for herself in radio with the launch of New Country Z100 in Southern Illinois. After her children were born she and the fam relocated to St. Louis where Wendy began several radio success stories. Most impressive is that she put her baseball knowledge to work and went to work for KMOX and the St. Louis Cardinals selling advertisements and promotions at Busch Stadium. In 1998 Wendy went to work in the internet industry with a national position handling six import vehicles traveling all over the US presenting the Autotrader.com Tier 2 programs. She retired from sales in 2011 and has relocated to a rural life in Makanda, Illinois.click for more
I have lots and lots of pictures from some areas of my life. Here’s me with my high school best friend who chose my college best friend to be in her wedding: Kelly and Gwen I’ve known most of my life.
Modeling photos, 2025 Wendy, Miss Apple Festival. I don’t think my dad cared much for Tim, with Dane camping at Current River
Just miscellaneous Me, Momma Mae with Tucker,
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Wendy Hilt is from Murphysboro, Illinois and has two sons: Dane and Tucker. (They are Davis boys.) Wendy started her career in sales and really found a home for herself in radio with the launch of New Country Z100 in Southern Illinois. After her children were born she and the fam relocated to St. Louis where Wendy began several radio success stories. Most impressive is that she put her baseball knowledge to work and went to work for KMOX and the St. Louis Cardinals selling advertisements and promotions at Busch Stadium. In 1998 Wendy went to work in the internet industry with a national position handling six import vehicles traveling all over the US presenting the Autotrader.com Tier 2 programs. She retired from sales in 2011 and has relocated to a rural life in Makanda, Illinois.click for more
by Wendy Elizabeth Hilt
Here’s a bunch of pictures that did not fit anywhere else. There are years represented here with friends, and when my kids were STILL adorable.
From 1986 when I briefly modeled for Engena SwimwearTucker Davis playing ball. They obviously had won something…My dear friend Horton at a Cubs game in Chicago in 20062025 WendyTitan & D’Artagnon on our walk uphill on the road.Dane’s 12th Birthday(I’m too old to see that number so I’m guessing….Happy! Happy!2025 She-ShedIn my grandfather’s hat. Yeah, I thought I was pretty cute…At The Palmer House In Chicago, Tuck, Wen, & DaneTuck and his Mus-tasheWendy & Larry…………. Yes, I’m pretty sure we were drunk!Wendy and good friend and mentor Helen KeayThe front of the house when we get a little preachy…Autotrader.com Girls in Detroit Roxann,Gina, Cyndey, Heidi, Wendy, & Marjorie in Detroit.At the Baseball Hall of Fame at Tony Gwynn’s Induction in Cooperstown, NYMom and me at Larry’s houseMy Mom’s hands with mineChristopher and me on my deck in High Ridge.2010 WendyCatherine and Wendy in San Francisco. Yes, I want to grow to up to be Catherine…Martha before she went crazy.Dane and Mom Wendy and Tucker at Cardinal sidelines.Land Rover Guys in St. Louis after a Cardinal game.Brittney and me with curls for days…
No one should like me THIS much! Get a life…
Tuck & Dane when they liked each other
………………………………………………………………………………….Me at the MLB HOF in Cooperstown
Titan on his bed
……………………………………………Wen & Brittney
…………………………………………………………………………..Fam at Jack Buck
Roxann & Me in photo booth
……………………………………………………………………..Family at Cardinal Game
Momma Mae with cheesecake & Rhon in the background
Margaret, Wen & Martha at Current River
National Accounts Team
Wendy & Cary at HOF for Tony Gwynn’s Induction
Dane at Saluki Basketball
Larry–Isn’t he good-looking?
……………………………………………Event at Wrigley. Heidi, Joel, Bonnie & Me
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..I made friends at the Sox game
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Wendy Hilt is from Murphysboro, Illinois and has two sons: Dane and Tucker. (They are Davis boys.) Wendy started her career in sales and really found a home for herself in radio with the launch of New Country Z100 in Southern Illinois. After her children were born she and the fam relocated to St. Louis where Wendy began several radio success stories. Most impressive is that she put her baseball knowledge to work and went to work for KMOX and the St. Louis Cardinals selling advertisements and promotions at Busch Stadium. In 1998 Wendy went to work in the internet industry with a national position handling six import vehicles traveling all over the US presenting the Autotrader.com Tier 2 programs. She retired from sales in 2011 and has relocated to a rural life in Makanda, Illinois.click for more
I love Orchids! I’m the only person I know that grows them. Mine have bloomed when they felt like it. I’m still learning!
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Wendy Hilt is from Murphysboro, Illinois and has two sons: Dane and Tucker. (They are Davis boys.) Wendy started her career in sales and really found a home for herself in radio with the launch of New Country Z100 in Southern Illinois. After her children were born she and the fam relocated to St. Louis where Wendy began several radio success stories. Most impressive is that she put her baseball knowledge to work and went to work for KMOX and the St. Louis Cardinals selling advertisements and promotions at Busch Stadium. In 1998 Wendy went to work in the internet industry with a national position handling six import vehicles traveling all over the US presenting the Autotrader.com Tier 2 programs. She retired from sales in 2011 and has relocated to a rural life in Makanda, Illinois.click for more
“The most solid advice for a writer is this, I think: Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough.” –Ernest Hemingway
“We are the same…people are people. They laugh, cry, feel and love and music seems to be the common denominator that brings us all together. Music cuts through all boundaries and goes right to the soul.” –Willie Nelson
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.” –Theodore Roosevelt
“In a competition of love we’ll all share in the victory no matter who comes in first.” –Mohammed Ali
I don’t know who said this and it doesn’t matter:
Behind every strong independent woman lies a broken little girl who had to learn how to get back up and to never depend on anyone.
Here’s more:
Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.
The beautiful thing about life is that your past may have been difficult, get smarter. Your future can be extremely bright. So never lose hope because you never know what tomorrow will bring.
A strong woman stands up for herself. A stronger woman stands up for everyone else.
Make it happen. Shock everyone. Shock yourself. This mission is personal. It takes a lot to start over again. You owe it to yourself to become everything you’ve dreamed of. Be brave. Trust the magic of new beginnings. Things will find their shape.
We might think we are nurturing our garden, but of course, it is our garden that is really nurturing us.
Boundaries are not walls. They are doors with locks you control. You’re not being mean for saying no. You’re being wise. You’re allowed to choose who has access to your heart, your time, and your energy.
I love this one:
Children are meant to laugh uncontrollably, play with wild abandon, and make mistakes without fear of judgment. Let them take their time. Let them explore, dream, and live in the moment without the weight of unmet expectations. After all, childhood is not a rehearsal for life–it is life itself.
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Wendy Hilt is from Murphysboro, Illinois and has two sons: Dane and Tucker. (They are Davis boys.) Wendy started her career in sales and really found a home for herself in radio with the launch of New Country Z100 in Southern Illinois. After her children were born she and the fam relocated to St. Louis where Wendy began several radio success stories. Most impressive is that she put her baseball knowledge to work and went to work for KMOX and the St. Louis Cardinals selling advertisements and promotions at Busch Stadium. In 1998 Wendy went to work in the internet industry with a national position handling six import vehicles traveling all over the US presenting the Autotrader.com Tier 2 programs. She retired from sales in 2011 and has relocated to a rural life in Makanda, Illinois.click for more
The Current River represents many things to me: a place to be with my friends and my dear brother, Chris. It’s a great opportunity to kick back, leave the cell phones behind, and start drinking before noon.
The Current River holds great memories for all of us: my first husband, my family, including my kids. No matter what was happening in mid-July, it didn’t matter. A trip down the clear blue water of a gentle current, carrying us within it, is in order. It’s how we relax and recharge for our real life.
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Wendy Hilt is from Murphysboro, Illinois and has two sons: Dane and Tucker. (They are Davis boys.) Wendy started her career in sales and really found a home for herself in radio with the launch of New Country Z100 in Southern Illinois. After her children were born she and the fam relocated to St. Louis where Wendy began several radio success stories. Most impressive is that she put her baseball knowledge to work and went to work for KMOX and the St. Louis Cardinals selling advertisements and promotions at Busch Stadium. In 1998 Wendy went to work in the internet industry with a national position handling six import vehicles traveling all over the US presenting the Autotrader.com Tier 2 programs. She retired from sales in 2011 and has relocated to a rural life in Makanda, Illinois.click for more
Wendy Hilt is from Murphysboro, Illinois and has two sons: Dane and Tucker. (They are Davis boys.) Wendy started her career in sales and really found a home for herself in radio with the launch of New Country Z100 in Southern Illinois. After her children were born she and the fam relocated to St. Louis where Wendy began several radio success stories. Most impressive is that she put her baseball knowledge to work and went to work for KMOX and the St. Louis Cardinals selling advertisements and promotions at Busch Stadium. In 1998 Wendy went to work in the internet industry with a national position handling six import vehicles traveling all over the US presenting the Autotrader.com Tier 2 programs. She retired from sales in 2011 and has relocated to a rural life in Makanda, Illinois.click for more
This is Joanne Vogelpohl, Richard Hudson, Kevin Alfultis, Wendy Hilt. We all started in rural, small-market radio and made the jump to large-market radio in St. Louis.
Joanne became the most significant account executive in all of St. Louis, spending time working for KEZK and a brief stint with KTRS to sell baseball broadcasts. Wendy and Joanne have known each other since the way back in Southern Illinois. Wendy refers to Joanne as her “Big Sister in radio.”
Richard Hudson began his marketing career with Wendy in 1993 at Z100, moved to television and ultimately became a manager at Autotrader.com and other internet automotive sites.
Kevin Alfultis began in Southeast Missouri, and worked in St. Louis with Wendy at KSLZ. Kevin worked as a top-biller at KEZK before leaving radio to also work for Autotrader.com. Kevin became a National Account Manager for ATC and other automotive sites.
Wendy began her marketing career working for New Country Z100 in Southern Illinois. In 1992. In 1998, she moved to St. Louis and did stints in Country Radio, Top 40, and KMOX as a baseball Cardinal seller in 2004. Wendy left radio after that and went to work as a National Account Executive for Autotrader.com, handling six new car brands with Tier 2 advertising in the US. She retired in 2011.
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Wendy Hilt is from Murphysboro, Illinois and has two sons: Dane and Tucker. (They are Davis boys.) Wendy started her career in sales and really found a home for herself in radio with the launch of New Country Z100 in Southern Illinois. After her children were born she and the fam relocated to St. Louis where Wendy began several radio success stories. Most impressive is that she put her baseball knowledge to work and went to work for KMOX and the St. Louis Cardinals selling advertisements and promotions at Busch Stadium. In 1998 Wendy went to work in the internet industry with a national position handling six import vehicles traveling all over the US presenting the Autotrader.com Tier 2 programs. She retired from sales in 2011 and has relocated to a rural life in Makanda, Illinois.click for more
A Memoir about the journey through success with bipolar disorder.
“Growing up Hilt” is a 200+ page memoir by Wendy Hilt starting in childhood, teen years, first love, career start in local radio, and transitioning to large market radio in St. Louis. Working for KMOX and the St. Louis Cardinals Major League Baseball broadcasts, she transitioned out of radio and into internet sales as a National Accounts Rep handling six brands of import vehicles.
While handling a high-stress, high-demand job that focused on results, Wendy had two children (boys), and then she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and breast cancer. The bipolar diagnosis was a permanent condition that accompanied all of her work challenges, and she began therapy and medicine to balance her actions. The breast cancer treatment included surgery, radiation, and long-term medication therapy. The malignancy was cured, and Wendy preached for people to have their screening mammograms on time every year
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Wendy Hilt is from Murphysboro, Illinois and has two sons: Dane and Tucker. (They are Davis boys.) Wendy started her career in sales and really found a home for herself in radio with the launch of New Country Z100 in Southern Illinois. After her children were born she and the fam relocated to St. Louis where Wendy began several radio success stories. Most impressive is that she put her baseball knowledge to work and went to work for KMOX and the St. Louis Cardinals selling advertisements and promotions at Busch Stadium. In 1998 Wendy went to work in the internet industry with a national position handling six import vehicles traveling all over the US presenting the Autotrader.com Tier 2 programs. She retired from sales in 2011 and has relocated to a rural life in Makanda, Illinois.click for more
Wendy worked with various people in radio and at Autotrader.com and here are a sample of photos from those days.
KMOX/Cardinal Broadcasts
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Wendy Hilt is from Murphysboro, Illinois and has two sons: Dane and Tucker. (They are Davis boys.) Wendy started her career in sales and really found a home for herself in radio with the launch of New Country Z100 in Southern Illinois. After her children were born she and the fam relocated to St. Louis where Wendy began several radio success stories. Most impressive is that she put her baseball knowledge to work and went to work for KMOX and the St. Louis Cardinals selling advertisements and promotions at Busch Stadium. In 1998 Wendy went to work in the internet industry with a national position handling six import vehicles traveling all over the US presenting the Autotrader.com Tier 2 programs. She retired from sales in 2011 and has relocated to a rural life in Makanda, Illinois.click for more
I’ve been a writer most of my life.
I’ve been a lot of things in my 50+ years. I started as a small-town girl in a rural area of Southern Illinois. My mom was an amazing woman who saw the world through empathetic eyes and taught us to grow individually. I always knew that I could accomplish more than most people expected of me.
Growing Up Hilt–this compilation of my stories was started more than thirty years ago. I set it aside numerous times and returned to it occasionally. I’ve questioned the decision to share this much, but the stories have erupted into my world repeatedly over the years.
Like I said, take a look around. Click on all the pages. You never know what you might find. This is still a work in progress–with the rest of my life. Really, I’d love to hear from you. Especially if you have evil things to say to me. I don’t care, but you might like to hear the rest of the story from here. If you have nice things to say, then I’d like to hear your unique impression of my work so far.
My journey includes stops in sales, radio advertising, baseball broadcasts, car dealers, and National Car Sales. Along the way, I had orthognathic jaw surgery, two big babies, breast cancer, and found myself in a lithium-induced psychotic state for six years. I’m fine now, but it seemed that several things tried and failed to get me.
You are welcome here. We hope you share some kinship with Wendy in supporting strong women and the ability to make things happen.
Growing Up Hilt 