This post is for the women leaders who are in “the funk”
Friends,
I’ve spent my entire career supporting, loving, and learning from women leaders. We’ve walked through every life stage together, cheering one another on. I am endlessly grateful for the women who have been transparent with me—who’ve shared their real selves. They still do today in my leadership classes and coaching sessions. It’s a gift that fills my heart. We are here for each other.
Recently, I stepped away from an executive role. I wanted to be present with my teenage girls—but I was also noticing things happening in my mind and body that made me question my confidence. I wasn’t sleeping. I woke up at 4 AM anxious every day. And at work, when I had to speak or engage an audience—the thing I used to love most—I felt… off. Unrecognizable.
As it turns out, I was experiencing a life phase common for women in their 50s and 60s. At 47, I wasn’t ready—and the stress amplified everything. Plus, my kids (and their friends!) were being teens and needed a mom who was fully there.
Months later, I now call my resignation a reprieve. I don’t use that word lightly. But stepping out of corporate leadership gave me space to become myself again—after years of coaching other leaders to stay and become themselves within their organizations. The irony is not lost on me.
In this time, I’ve heard from so many other women who have taken a break, too. Their stories echo one another: soul-searching, deeper than expected but incredibly worth it. Reconnecting with family. Volunteering. Doing things they never had time to do. And many have landed dream roles—because the universe was listening and they took action.
My dream:
If I could sit down with Sheryl Sandberg again, I’d love to talk about life after 40. I’ve heard multiple women this week reference “Lean In” and say, “I can’t go all in anymore,” “I can’t fake it till I make it,” “I can’t raise kids and grandkids and do it all.”
I get it. I think she probably does, too.
We only get one life on this earth. Let’s leave the greatest impact we can—together. The struggle is real. The impact is real, too. And I’m here for you.
PS: My husband will read this and laugh. He’d say I spent the summer on the beach with my girls and doubled our leadership courses at Century College (we now offer 150!), taught at Century College and St. Thomas in their MBA program, worked a city contract, and traveled to Europe with our mother-in-law and kids for their first trip to the Czech Republic.
Epic.