When I was 9 years old, she returned to school. What started as somewhat of a hobby, while she dabbled in classes that interested her, turned into a career path she utterly loved until she was 82 years old. She remained a lifelong learner. She earned her masters degree in clinical social work from the University of Chicago. After that she went on to become a Jungian analyst-another 8 years of schooling. Her private practice thrived for decades. The amount of lives she touched is countless and profund. Her legacy lives on not only in her clients but in the trail blazing role model she was for her children and 20 grandchildren.
My mom recently shared with me a story about her and my father’s relationship when she was returning to school and creating her own life beyond the home. He said to her, “there is only enough room in this house for one successful person.” Not the best way to be a supportive partner, to say the least. I wonder, was this when the fire in her belly was lit? We all need to get ignited and sometimes it comes in mysterious, even hurtful, ways.
The fire in my belly was lit during Covid. As horrible as Covid was and the PTSD that still remains from that time for many of us, it was transformational. The challenges were real. It was an intense time. Like so many other women I was struggling with work, keeping employees safe, customers supplied, and middle school children engaged. The last task listed was by far the hardest. One of my boys has dyslexia and ADHD. Online learning was killing him. He is an awesome athlete and gets so much joy and confidence from sports. That literally ended overnight. His light was going out. I could see it in his eyes. His teachers would berate me for not helping him more with his schoolwork. I was at my wits end and knew teaching was not a strength of mine. I felt helpless to help him and my light was fading too. My team felt it. I remember a few calls where my emotions got the best of me. I can’t thank them enough for their undying support.
We were working on a relaunch at Edlong. A very serious all company forum was underway, and I was working with my speaking coach on my talking points. Every draft I sent over, she returned to me and said “NO, NO, NO!!! You are giving your power away to your father. Claim it. Become the leader they deserve. This is now YOUR legacy.”