In our annual issue we focus on “Women to Watch.” In this context, the term refers to women doing great things in our local business community, but at its core it could simply mean “Women Who Inspire.”
Whether you are a woman who works full time to grow your business, or someone who has chosen to be a stay-at-home mom, every woman can be an inspiration to someone.
It’s important to me that my daughter have lots of strong female role models in her life, and I’m lucky to have many women that fit that criteria all around me. They come from different walks of life, have unique aspirations and have chosen different career paths, but they have one thing in common: they are my personal “Women to Watch.”
My Auntie Debbie was divorced at a young age and left with a young daughter to raise and support as a single mother. She had no option other than to work full-time as a care aide. She mastered the juggling act of being a working mother and went on to have two other daughters, one of whom she has inspired to follow in her career footsteps.
A registered nurse, my mom continued to work part-time after the birth of me and my sister, but after my brother was born she became a stay-at-home mom. For many years, her job was taking care of us – a job she excelled at – but after we were all in elementary school she rejoined the workforce in a more casual capacity.
My sister took a very different career path, one that is becoming more popular with mothers today. After years spent working in the hotel industry, she left the corporate world to stay home with her daughter, and figured out a way to make that financially viable for her family. After experiencing problems with her daughter’s sleep habits, Kathryn retrained as a baby and toddler sleep consultant and started her own business. That initial decision to become a “mompreneur” – and starting two other businesses since – has enabled her to be home with her children but also contribute monetarily to her household.
“With risk comes reward,” says Sue in her First Word, and that’s true of any major decision we make as mothers, as women … as people. It all comes down to asking yourself: What life do you want to have, and what are you willing to do to make it happen?
Women to Watch are all around us. Whether professionally or personally, they all have taken risks in their lives, and reap the rewards now. Let them be your inspiration – take a chance, take the leap,
and find your passion.
