In the fall of 2019, the last of my sons had left home and all three boys were independently developing their lives and beautifully focusing on their families. ALL I had dreamed of and worked toward as a mom.

I thought having time and energy to go back to work where I could feel the satisfaction of being on a team and receive a regular paycheck would feel like a well-earned reward, a gift, the big door prize. It did not. I had the time and the ability to get back in with a company that offered a 401k match where I could make up for the 20 years I had not contributed to my retirement fund.

I decided to venture out and into the hurricane of women’s groups to try to find others who were in a similar position as me, who could hear my truths and respect my vulnerabilities, who could help me find my inner compass and find some clarity.

It took some time but I did find a tribe, fluid as it was. I found women who had faced their own fear and had chosen to pivot and carve out their own unique way, women who were willing to give me hard feedback and accept my experience and feedback as well, women who strengthen and inspire me. I became stronger. We are stronger together.

“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky