When I was presented with my first leadership position as a Director, I wasn’t searching for it, it found me. Someone within my community who I had built a rapport with over the years, put my name in the hat and I took things from there and landed the job. All of my roles from that point forward came through personal referrals. No job searches, no recruiters, just pure connection in its truest form. The people in my network are aligned with my core values which is why community is such a huge part of how I do business and why I maintain strong mutually loving relationships in my personal life.
I have not publicly shared a lot about my experience with infertility and how it has impacted my journey. It is one of the greatest challenges I have experienced, and it is still very much a prominent source of heartache in my life today. But it is a textbook example of how a community empowers safe trustworthy support.
After years of trying to get pregnant, I was suffocating in very heavy personal isolation and grief. It felt like I was the only one not having children. When people asked me if I wanted kids, I would dig deep inside my body and respond with a casual, “yes, one day.” That question was torture, as I would choke back tears, agony and defeat. When I started to cautiously share my truth with a few close friends and confidants, through these conversations I found resources to help me process the grief and depression I was experiencing. To my surprise, I wasn’t alone in this. I was stunned to learn how many others were going through what I was going through. My people connected me with other women and couples in similar situations and we began sharing our experiences with each other; the isolation, the good doctors, the not so good doctors, myths, tips, etc. Today, I have many people in my community who I can talk to about this. People who send me sweet messages on Mother’s Day, who see me and who say, me too. I’m sad I’m not a mother yet, but I am more hopeful than ever and I feel supported. Now when I’m asked that dreaded question, I feel less trauma.
