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, week nights, 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.
