Childhoodtake2!

Every Friday we unite for five minutes. Only five minutes, that's all we get, that's all we have. And then, right where we are, no edits or second thoughts, we publish those words. This week, we write on deal.

To love like a mother is like nothing else in this world.
It is raw, and real, and all encompassing, while trying not to allow it to be all-consuming.
It's a balance, a constant balance.
It's breaking up with yourself, redefining yourself, refinding yourself.
It's falling asleep at the wheel, and dropping the ball, and picking it back up, and being so on, and all in.
It's not falling asleep at the wheel, and keeping all the balls in the air, and picking up everything, and being so on, and all in.

It's love. Pure love.
It's realizing your purpose, your meaning.
It's creating and letting go, and guidance and sacrifice.

It's a deal, one you make with yourself, the universe, the child.
I will love you from your first breath, and my very last.

May — Expand with Ease

Intention: Say yes selectively.
Follow curiosity and joy—without overcommitting.

I once wore being busy like a badge of honor. My calendar was filled with meetings and every moment had an agenda and a plan.
My whole body was heavy, exhausted, screaming at me.

I lived in constant, organized, full calendars.
I was in agony.
I said yes to anything that was asked of me.
Anything that was hinted as an ask, I jumped at the chance.
I lived for work and relished in busy.

I promise I was not trying to stay distracted, I just didn't see a way out.

But all of that changed. And I found a better way. A clearer way.

Saying yes is intentional now. Saying yes means something. It means I am saying no to something else, probably something that I want to do, so I better want and or need to be there. I better be learning a lot, moving a cause forward. I no longer say yes because I am programmed to do so.

I am learning what it means to expand with ease and be a little more intentional.
I am learning who else I am outside of my work, outside of my career and titles.
I am learning to be more whole and more at ease. I am taking so much time for myself.

I am learning to not fill my days up and brag about my schedule. I put that badge away. I did earn it, but it needs to be placed in the drawer, where it now belongs.

My days are becoming more mine.
I am learning what it means to expand with ease.

Every Friday we unite for five minutes. Only five minutes, that's all we get, that's all we have. And then, right where we are, no edits or second thoughts, we publish those words. This week, we write on decision.

2026 is my year of awakening, and I came to this difficult word by putting in a lot of hard work and deciding I need to move forward. I have gone away for quite some time, and I needed to wake back up, open my eyes, stretch a little, walk about the earth, take in some very deep breaths.

And part of that decision means I need to very carefully, over time, nurture myself back to life.

But the decision has been made. This is the year I have to shake off the cobwebs, I have to remember who I was, who I am, and who I want to once again be. No second thoughts because I am tired of being asleep in this world.

Every Friday we unite for five minutes. Only five minutes, that's all we get, that's all we have. And then, right where we are, no edits or second thoughts, we publish those words. This week, we write on beginning.

In the beginning, it was just you and me, and our little Mia made three. We were so simple, so easy, so full of joy, and loving the simple life all around us. Our weekends consisted of long walks for coffee, ice cream dinners, and lots of Chinese food. We watched all the shows and even more movies.

As time went by, our lives got more complicated, our connection a little foggy, and busy became our badge of honor. But it was the beginning of us that kept us grounded in who we actually are, even during the weeks, or months, or years, in which those two people felt like strangers.

As time continues to go by, we are finding our way back to the beginning. Back to the calm and joy and ease, just with lots of responsibilities and a few more wrinkles and grays. But, when we hold hands, and smooch, the beginning of us comes rushing back. Because at the end of this parenting life, we will be right back where we started. You and me and puppy makes three.

I

I am truly honored to be here and it is not something I take lightly.

I know the value of being surrounded by so many remarkable women and I want to thank you for breaking barriers, leading businesses, supporting communities, raising families, and still somehow finding the strength to lift others along the way.  

And if I’m being honest, I have sat in this audience for over 2 decades and never once thought I belonged on this stage, accepting any sort of award.

Because my story never started with, nor does it end in, confidence.

I have been defined by walking through fear.

Over and over again.

After spending more than 20 years loving my role in the nonprofit world, I heard an annoying voice telling me it was time to move on.

And I tried to squash it, I dug deeper into my work, thinking I could hard work the voice away.

At first, all I could think about was leaving behind a career that raised me, built me, and gave me the identity I had known for so long, but that voice wouldn’t stay quiet. And little did I know it was ambition and grit trying to break through.

I didn’t have all the answers, and shocker, I wasn’t overflowing with confidence. I just knew I had hard work wired in me; I knew that I cared deeply about people.

So I took the first step.
And then the next one and the next one after that.

But what I’ve learned is that courage isn’t about feeling fearless.
It’s about choosing to move forward anyway.

Even when your voice shakes.
Even when you’re unsure.
Even when it would be easier to stay where you are.

I want to be clear that my years in the nonprofit world shaped who I am. They taught me that when you invest in people, when you believe in them, and truly see them, you create something far greater than success. You create strength.

Capital CFO+ was built on that belief. But more than anything, it was built on relationships.

And for me, every step forward has always been rooted in people.

I would not be standing here without the people who have surrounded me along the way. Those who have believed in me, always more than I believed in myself. Specifically, everyone at tables 27, 28, and 18.

You protect my light.

You remind me who I am when I forget… hold space for me when things feel heavy… and encourage me to keep going, even when I don't feel strong.

Because the truth is, strength doesn’t always look the way we think it should.

Sometimes, it's is quiet and vulnerable.
Sometimes, it’s just taking the first and then next step.

For me strength is showing up. It’s kindness and resilience. Strength is having the courage to become exactly who you are meant to be.

To my daughter and my son, you are everything good. Everything I do is rooted in the kind of world I want you to grow up in… one where you feel confident, supported, and unafraid to take up space.

And to my husband, I no longer know how to say thank you but from the moment we met until the day we die, you are forever their hero and my coach.

This award means so much to me because it represents more than business success. It represents every moment where fear could have won, but didn’t. And it is not just mine. It belongs to the team, our clients, my family, and this incredible community. It belongs to those who believed in me.

So today, I just want to say thank you.

I want to end by saying to every woman here, please keep going.
Even when it’s uncomfortable.
Even when it’s uncertain.
Especially then.

Because sometimes the most powerful thing we can do… is take that next step forward anyway.

So, as the expression goes, here is to strong women, may we know them, may we be them, and may we raise the hell out of them.
Thank you so much.

Recently, I have been thinking about past loves.
And when your time together ends, where does all the love go?
For some, it is pushed out of their minds. Put into compartments.
That was then, with them...this is now without them.
For others, they can look back fondly and remember those times with warmth and gratitude but still move on.
And for others still, the love creeps up and comes out.

It comes up in dreams.
It comes up with tears flowing down your face during a run.
It comes up as you close your eyes at night.
It comes up on gray and rainy days.

For some, the love is lost.
For others, it remains a memory keeping you warm like a blanket.
And for others still, it feels a little too heavy to carry all of the time, so it comes out sideways.

And maybe grief walks you through all three stages.
There are days it feels too heavy, other days it feels gone, and others till where it feels warm and comforting.

Because to be loved and to love is truly beautiful.
It is so raw and real.
It should be a whole body experience where the I love yous just pour out.
To be surrounded in that beauty, even for a little while, is special.
And it's a special time with that person. You are sharing something together.
You are in on it together.
This connection, this bond, this feeling.

So if that time ends, if you are in a position of mourning that love, grieving that time, just make sure you handle it the way you feel you need to.
If you need to push it out of your mind to survive, then do so.
If you need to push it out of your mind because you have moved on and thinking about it differently is pointless, then do so.
If you need to linger and feel the weight of that love and cry yourself to sleep, then do so.
And if there are moments that it comes rolling back in, to remind you of a special time, with someone you loved, allow the memory.

Because for some...
The love is lost.
For others, it remains a memory keeping you warm like a blanket.
And for others still, it feels a little too heavy to carry all of the time, so it comes out sideways.