I’m sure that we have all heard about retreats and events where someone has had an epiphany. They call these “mountain top moments” and the fight is to hold on to the impact of these moments after you return to regular life and work. I had one last year at the Canyon Ranch in Tucson where, surrounded by strong women and mentored by the incredible Jo Ann Herold, I decided that I did not want to retire and play tennis everyday but start a new career chapter. It was life changing and that is not hyperbole.
But the struggle is very real to hold on to the strong emotions and motivations that come from a retreat. One must be intentional to keep the learnings or better yet, the feelings, applying them to our lives. I had a ‘mountain top moment’ in April and it is still affecting me deeply and has helped me sharpen the focus of the next chapter of my life and career.
My mountain was actually a hotel next to Graceland, Elvis Presley’s home, on Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis, Tennessee. It’s not the ritziest part of Memphis but your mountain can be anywhere. Those who know me well won’t be surprised that something profound happened to me in Memphis because it is one of the places that I consider my ‘motherland’. Memphis is home to Chi Omega Women’s Fraternity. Chi Omega has been at the center of my leadership journey for more than 40 years and so many other amazing positives in my life. I owe her so much.
I was invited (from the waitlist – gentle reminder that you don’t always get what you want – at least not on the first try) to attend the Nancy Walton Laurie Leadership Institute Flagship Spring Session of the Resilient Leader. The event was half collegians and half alumnae (that is the correct spelling of alums that are all women for those checking my grammar or Greek). I was definitely on the upper end of the age demographic. We will leave it there except to say it did not matter to these amazing young women who call me sister. Or perhaps it did matter, in the most positive of ways, they were soaking up what Marcia, Leslee, Alicen, Stacey, myself and so many others had to offer. And we were soaking up that they were soaking it up AND learning so much from them, in return. I could write an entire blog on our last night in the cocktail lounge telling conspiracy stories about the royal family. But that is another blog post. Stay tuned Iota Lambdas!
The relationships that we formed, the GroupMe that we still have going, the support group for all things empowering that exists, well it fuels me still and has been an epiphany into where I really want to focus my coaching and energies moving forward. I want to pour into young women who are on the rise. I want to tell them the truth earlier than I learned it in my career. I want to have tough conversations with them about why they might not want to take a 6 year sabbatical to stay home with their infant that was genetically designed to pull them away from their foundational career years. I want to tell them to stop apologizing in advance for what they are about to say and to tout their accomplishments. I want to listen to their angst and confusion and help them process it. I want to coach and mentor young women in a BIG WAY!
In short, I want to help them gain the insights of a 50+ year old before the wrinkles and gray hairs come with it. And I don’t just want to do it for Chi Omegas, I want to do it whenever and where ever I can and for whomever I can. I have been through a lot in my life and in my career and am now so happy with where I am and who I am that if I can share it with others, it is a gift to be able to do that. I want to help others build the life that I have built and avoid some of the mistakes that I have made, and still occasionally make, as well.
That is why I will soon be launching CoachMD. CoachMD will offer both coaching and mentoring services. Two are very different and I’m happy to explain. Based upon my nonprofit work, there will definitely be a sliding scale so that price will not keep those who need me most from utilizing me or someone on my team. Young women need coaching and development. Young women need mentors and role models. Young women need truth tellers outside of their own organizations who are not worried about corporate speak and what you can and cannot say. Young women really need coaching by mentors and coaches who are invested in their success.
In Europe and Asia, coaching is so normal that it is part of your business tool kit. But in the U.S., it is often reserved for executives who can most afford $500+ an hour and need it less than those early in their career who need it more. I hope to turn that model on its head for the young women who seek out CoachMD.
Additionally, I hope to write and speak and pour into young women in a macro way. We need to continue Sheryl Sandberg’s key learnings from “Lean In”. Harrison Buktner needs an antidote and I’m happy to raise my hand to tell another side to his point of view.
So while I don’t have all the details worked out just yet, but I am throwing this out to the universe to hold myself accountable to make another dream come true in my life.
- Book – Check
- Blog – Check
- Speaking – In Process
- Consulting – In Process
- Coaching/Mentoring – Coming Soon
- Board Seat on Comp Committee Mentoring CEO – Throwing It Out into The Universe
Thank you, sister, Nancy Walton Laurie, for investing in your leadership institute, your sisters and me! Thank you to all the facilitators who give their time freely and those who attended and filled my soul with positive energy and light. It is still paying dividends. Life is good and I need to share it. #CoachMD #ComingSoon #HumbledOnPurposeFall2024 #SisterGood