Grosse Pointe Woods resident Christina Pitts uses the metaphor of a river journey to describe her life. She goes along for the ride, never knowing where life will take her, but finding adventure, challenge and joy at every turn.

She grew up in East Detroit (now Eastpointe), attended East Detroit High School, then studied at the University of Michigan.

“I helped pay for college working as a tennis instructor,” she said.

She began assisting at age 9, earning a nickel an hour. A few years later, she became an instructor.

“At 16, I played in a tournament at Yost Field House on a clay court. An extraordinary experience for a young teen: an out-of-town state tournament. Wow. A pretty big deal.”

Enamored with U of M, Pitts applied only there and, as a student, was part of forming its first women’s tennis team in 1965. She majored in English and speech and minored in philosophy.

“Then I hung around to get my teaching certificate, just in case,” she said.

Summers during college she was a secretary at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. After graduation, she worked full-time as coordinator of the teaching program for surgery students, interns and residents.

“I learned tons about medicine,” she said, “and thought about a career in medical education or becoming a doctor. (Then I) realized science wasn’t for me.”

Three years later, she had an offer to put her teaching degree to use.

“There was a glut of teachers — 10,000 teachers for 10 jobs,” she said. “But a counselor at a local high school called. ‘I have a job for you.’ It was an opportunity of a lifetime I couldn’t pass up.”

Pitts taught English seven years, during which time she earned her master’s degree in English literature at Oakland University. During her teaching career, she formed the high school’s first girls’ softball team.

“Title IX had just leveled the playing field,” she said. “The girls needed a team, so I coached it.”

Six years into teaching, a friend suggested, “You’d be a great lawyer.” Pitts pondered the possibilities, then decided to take the LSAT. If she passed, she decided she’d give law school a go.

Pitts kept teaching while taking night classes at a local university.

“It was a heavy load: a full day teaching, then four nights, four classes, four hours, but I pushed on.

“I left teaching in my second year of law school,” she added. “It was a tough decision, but I wasn’t giving enough to the students, who deserved my full effort and attention.”

Instead, she clerked at two law firms while completing her degree, the grind motivating her to get her degree in record time. A desire to be her own boss inspired her to form her own company, which is still thriving after 30 years. Pitts-Aldrich Associates offers consulting, coaching, leadership and team development, and strategic planning.

“I don’t think I’ll ever retire,” Pitts said. “I love my clients and my work. It nurtures my mind, body, spirit and soul.

“My vision, a legacy of exceptional contribution, inspires me,” she added. “I want to leave a legacy. I support people to legacy in themselves. I ask, ‘What do you want to leave behind that helps the world be a better place?’ My mission is to inspire the power of one to greatness. I help clients discover their greatness and successfully navigate the waters to get there.”

Pitts provides a unique and enriching learning experience via HorsePlay, offering “wisdom from the world of horses” to business executives, leaders and teams, as well as individuals, families and groups.

“Ten years ago, we wanted to distinguish ourselves from other consultants,” she said. “HorsePlay is it. We partner with horses, as teachers and guides, to help us to be better humans personally and professionally.

“We learn from nature, a great teacher. In nature, endorphins and other supportive chemicals in our bodies maximize, so we simply feel better,” she added. “As prey animals, horses are superb teachers, ultra-sensitive to their environment. They mirror back to us what’s truly going on with us, supporting us to find our authenticity and to act with integrity.

“Very few people in the country do this work. It’s not about riding; it’s about groundwork, about building relationships and partnerships. Am I safe with you? Do you respect me? Can I trust you? We all yearn for these. The big question we need to ask ourselves is ‘Do I sometimes treat others as if they’re prey? Or the flip side: ‘Do I let others treat me as though I’m insignificant?’”

Pitts operates her business according to a set of core values — integrity, courage, wisdom, patience and prosperity (the wellbeing of the whole) — and her life as well. She practices those values in selecting volunteer work and ways to donate her professional skills.

She volunteers at Henry Ford Medical Center—Cottage as a “cheerleader, thanking those on the front lines for their consistently superior service,” she said. “The hardest job on the planet, after good parenting, is in health care.”

Pitts continues to offer pro bono services to various charities and raises funds for The Family Center and other nonprofits. She’s raised thousands of dollars running marathons for The National Association for Children of Alcoholics and The American Diabetes Association and participating in a few 150-mile bike rides for the Michigan Multiple Sclerosis Society. She’s a 30-year mentor for Menttium 100, supporting women’s leadership. She also volunteers her services in local and national election campaigns.

Two causes have a special place in her heart. Several years ago, Pitts was able to prolong her brother’s life by giving him one of her kidneys. After the transplant, “he lived another 13 years,” she said. “The kidney was still going strong when he passed away.”

Her experience as an organ donor led her to a mentoring role with transplant patients, through the Henry Ford Transplant Institute. Her own cancer journey — “my year of living dangerously in 2014” — has led her to mentor cancer patients and join the Patient-Family Advisory Council for the Henry Ford Cancer Institute.

Pitts also is a published author. Her first book, “Brown Paper Bag,” a novel in stories, letters and poems, was published in 2007, marking her 60th birthday. She also contributed a chapter to a professional book on personal leadership. This year, she published “Reflections,” 400 pages collecting her poetry and stories more than 20 years, with 700 of her photos.

“The collection is a tribute to the natural world around us,” she said, “a conduit to connect us with the small gifts of nature’s beauty offered to us every moment in our lives.”

She and her partner, Lynne Aldrich, have commissioned a sculpture for the new Henry Ford Cancer Institute’s Brigitte Harris Cancer Pavilion, opening in July.

“We’re so excited about the diversity of meaning and experience people will derive when engaging with this extraordinary work of art,” she said.

“Next up is an audio book of favorite poems,” she added. “And, I have 1,350 letters from my father written to my mother during World War II — a love story over oceans and deserts, when telephone wasn’t an option and people didn’t know whether their beloveds were alive or dead. I’d like to do something with this.”

Pitts’ interests include sailboat racing, photography, gardening, neighbors’ dog walking, yoga and bicycling. She’s an avid reader and lifelong learner, hoping to study painting and re-unite with the piano.

“I don’t plan my life,” she said. “My days are a voyage on a magnificent river. I go with the flow, the current, eddies and rapids. I don’t need to know what’s around the bend; I like the surprise of discovery once I arrive. Then I either stay on that river or chart a new course.”