INVITATION TO A JUICIER YOU

A sneak peek at the book “All In”

Have you seen that American Greetings commercial? The one where

people are being interviewed for a job and once they hear the requirements

for the role, they think the interviewer is literally crazy? It’s for a Director

of Operations role.

The job requires that the candidate has a wide range of mobility, the ability

to stand for long hours at a time, the flexibility to bend over multiple times

within an hour, and a high level of stamina. The candidate is expected to be

available for work 135—unlimited hours per week, 365 days a year, with no

days off, no breaks, and no lunch, unless the associates have finished their

lunches first. Weekends, weeknights, and holidays expected, especially on

the associate’s birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Easter, and

the entire summer when the workload will increase exponentially. The

person must have excellent negotiation and interpersonal skills, be able

to wear multiple hats, and have an unrelenting desire to give associates

constant attention while working in chaotic environments.

The position requires an ongoing happy attitude with the understanding

that the emotional connections created on the job are immeasurable. A

degree in medicine, finance, and/or the culinary arts preferred. The salary

is zero. Over two billion people hold this position, and if you’re reading

this book, you likely are one of them.

Being a mom is rewarding and joyful. It’s also thankless and exhausting

at times. Throw a career in the mix just for fun and the struggle with the

juggle is real. As we go about taking care of our families, our businesses,

our clients, and pretty much everyone around us, when do we get taken

care of? Who is focusing on us? And if we keep waiting to be taken care of,

how long will we have to wait?

Maybe the better question is: Why aren’t we choosing to be our own heroes

and focusing on ourselves? What if we decided to put ourselves first, for

once, in order to more fully show up as moms, hold down careers that

we love, and nurture our families all while nurturing ourselves? The cool

thing is that we can make that decision! This book will show you how an

ordinary mom (me) demanded a more fulfilled life and unapologetically

went all in on herself to claim it.

This is my story. It’s a snapshot in time where I chose to navigate hard

personal challenges while momming hard, working full-time, and trying

to keep my shit together, which often felt almost impossible without some

escape mechanism often found in a bottle of wine or a bar of chocolate. I

went from frustrated, fear-driven uncertainty to clarity and fulfillment. I

learned some of life’s most valuable lessons by allowing pain to be my

teacher and courage to be my guide. Every step of the way, intention was

with me.

For decades, I carried a heavy load of grief, insecurities, self-criticism,

shame, and fear. It was not until I was 42 years old that I realized I could

choose the life that lay ahead of me, regardless of my past. What I wanted

was within reach, but only I could stretch and grow to reach it. I had

to get so low, so full of anxiety, and to such a level of frustration that

choosing to stretch was the only option. Through hard emotional, mental,

and spiritual work, I was able to transform into someone full of energy,

playing to my strengths, and claiming my power—also known as living a

juicy life.

As you walk through the intimate details of the journey that took me

from drama to nirvana, I will share some of the lessons I learned along the

way. Working with coaches, attending seminars, shedding a lot of tears,

and healing allowed me to finally find joy, which was patiently waiting to

be embraced. I also share some suggestions of how you can juice up your

own life by unapologetically putting yourself first. After all, your story and

how you navigate it is up to you.

I often wonder what my life would look like today if I hadn’t made the

choice to go all in on myself. The five-year period of my life, represented in

these pages, began in a place of worry, fear, and shame. I’m not necessarily

proud of who I was back then, and yet, I realize that the only way I could

find who I was meant to become was to face who I was. A specific challenge

with my son ignited my journey but not everyone needs a trigger to make

a choice for themselves. Every moment is the right moment to start, no

matter what is happening around you. My hope is that by reading about

my path to fulfillment, you will know that you are not alone and you will

be inspired to strike out on your own path. The cool part about putting

yourself first, all mom guilt aside, is that you will start to see change in

yourself, and more importantly, so will everyone else around you.

Choosing to understand the pain from your past in order to unlock your

future, getting unstuck, and giving yourself permission to juice things up

is one hell of an awesome mid-life gift, not crisis. If you’re a working mom,

believe me, I know how busy you are, and I’m honored that you picked up

this book. It means that something inside of you is curious about how to

live your best, working-mom life. I want this for all moms out there who

are taking care of everyone but themselves. It’s your turn. Your family may

not be able to verbalize it, but I promise you, they are counting on you to

be your best. Unapologetically claim a juicy life for yourself, and for them.

It’s a win-win, and it’s time to go all in.