Dear Me at 22yo...

I found this picture of me as I was flipping through an old photo album (for you youngsters, this is was the analog method of storing memories before social media:).

I was young, 22yo, the day after I married Jesse. In some ways, this photo makes me yearn for the past, a life that was fresh, new, and ready to make my own. Oh to be young and carefree again, the only stress was how to fill my social calendar and still make time to build my career.

As I looked at my younger self I thought of all the lessons I wish I had known then.

I wish I could go back and properly prepare myself for the future to avoid the pains and shortcut to the victories.

I wish I could share what I have learned..

I wish I could empower my younger self at 23yo, who had been so excited to be chosen for the job as The Director of Parks and Recreation, to speak up for myself in that meeting where I was ridiculed by the men in power for deciding to have a baby during basketball season (this probably explains why I try to avoid basketball at all costs, in fact, I never really thought about it, but this makes perfect sense).

I wish I could go back and thank that one woman who stayed after that meeting to let me know that those men were wrong for making me feel ashamed over choosing to have a child with my new husband during youth basketball season (I mean really, what was wrong with these guys).

I wish I had the guts to stop them in their tracks and make them feel ashamed for what they were doing to me, instead of holding back tears and nodding along.

This is just one of the many stories I have from the past me. The quiet, naive, and cautiously reserved me, that didn't stand up for myself when I should have.

I wish I could go back and tell myself not to worry, because the world is changing. In 2024, women are allowed and encouraged to speak up and stand up for themselves. But it's definitely not perfect...

We still have work to do.

One thing that I love about today's world is that as women, we can share our stories; out loud and proudly. I love that vulnerability is being celebrated as strength and not weakness.

But, I feel like we do not do it enough.

When I look back at that picture of me, with my skin so smooth and glowing (which I never appreciated at the time, mind you), I start to see this younger image speaking back to me...

"So, older Stacey, if women today have greater opportunities to speak up, why aren't you making the most of this ?"

Wow, younger me is feisty....

What am I doing???

If you are wondering what all of this MotivateHer Mindset "stuff" is about....

It's me, doing something. I am taking action and using the talents I possess (writing, speaking, creating videos, and making one hell of a playlist), to help women overcome the challenges of their life.

I recognize the incredible contributions of inspiring women from previous generations who have navigated similar challenges. Their achievements greatly inspire me. However, armed with the lessons learned from their experiences, I feel an even stronger urge to take action in the present. Today, I have greater freedoms to speak up, a privilege they may not have enjoyed, compelling me to do more.

You can argue with me for days, that women have had rights to speak up for a long time, but I know, from being a woman, that in the past, these "rights" were mostly for show, and behind closed doors, sadly, bad men behaved badly.

I want to clarify that I love the men in my life. Some of my favorite people and best friends are men. Unfortunately, people's minds like to go immediately to "man hater" after hearing the words women and empowerment in one sentence...

I appreciate the support of the strong men in my life who genuinely support strong women. I had a supportive father and two amazing brothers. My husband is a major source of empowerment for me, and I've gained five brother-in-laws and two bonus step-brother-in-laws all who have always been supportive to me. And I am proud that my son has so many great men to learn from. I value the masculinity in all of these men, as they appreciate my strong femininity. Although we don't say it like that on a regular day, because this level of respect is just normal with these relationships, and for that I am very grateful.

In my opinion, masculinity is not toxic, those who misuse it are (I could write an entire book about this, but that is for another day).

So what am I doing now...

My calling is to help women, because that is what I am. That is who I am best at helping.

I want to help women share what they have been through. Not just the beginning and the triumphant ending, I want to share the entire juicy, gritty, painful, difficult, not always pretty, exhausting, seemingly eternal grind of a middle that everyone wants to avoid, because it's HARD.

I am openly sharing my struggle to share the "struggle" to help the next generation have less struggle.

Make sense?? (I know it may be hard to follow... that's a lot of struggle).

Here is the simplest way that I can think to say it:

I am sharing the process, in real time, of building a method to help women share the hard parts of their success story, so that we can help each other understand that "hard" is normal.

I am not saying this to be negative, or to crush dreams...

I am saying this to help you understand that:

-There will be days that you don't want to get out of bed, and that is ok.

-At some point you'll be chugging along and gaining speed and out of no where a sucker punch smashes you off track, but you can get back on track and continue to the winners circle.

-Most of the time... Your own worst enemy will be yourself. And facing yourself can be the most difficult challenge of your life. But through battling your own undermining, you gain limitless potential.

We have to get through the hardest parts to get to the best parts.

This is how every hero story goes (think of any hero movie; "The Hobbit", "Harry Potter", "Hunger Games", "Eat,Pray, Love")

I hope your bad days and sucker punches and self sabotages are not too hard on you... but to pretend it won't happen does not help you when the going gets tough.

I am empowered when I hear a story of another person who struggled with the same problems I have, but still succeeded. When I can relate the challenge that I am feeling, to the story of someone I admire, I feel like I can overcome any obstacle.

We can unify on the idea that; You must go through the hard parts to succeed. But we can also support each other through these hard parts.

So, Younger Stacey... (is this getting weird now, talking to myself? Oh well... this is what happens when you pour your heart out)

I am taking initiative and navigating the paths forged by resilient women from the past who shattered glass ceilings ahead of us...

I am on a mission to help women to share and hear each other's stories and give them the tools they need, to not only be present in, but to become the authors of their own hero stories.

Want to be a part of that mission? Start by coming to this event:
https://www.livingachampionlife.com/offers/6zi2Kute/checkout