Board of Directors

Suggested listening: Yuna's "Rescue"

I heard a wise woman say once that having one mentor is not enough.

Instead of leaning on one single person, she believed in the power of creating a board of directors, a stable of professionals in a variety of fields from whom to draw wisdom, perspective, and encouragement. 

The work of assembling that crew, the task of respecting their time, the humility of asking for their help – that was all ours to own and to instigate. 

I remember exactly what it felt like to hear this for the first time and to feel something inside me click that day. 

Because, as it turns out, this excellent advice doesn’t just apply to professional life – it applies to personal life, too. 

My personal board of directors is a group made up of mostly women scattered throughout the country and throughout different stages of life. About half of them are from my college days, most of them are parents now, and some of them are 20+ years older than me. Like any good board, they’re not just casual supporters of this particular cause (aka me); they’re invested in my emotional, mental, physical and spiritual well-being.  

Their fierce loyalty got me through the hardest years of my life – the years of my separation and divorce; a divorce that ripped the breath right out of me, that halted me in my tracks, that shook me to my core. A divorce that made me question my worth, that left me wondering if God would possibly still love me if my marriage had failed (spoiler alert, if you also wonder about this: He did and does and will continue loving me. And you.).

Like assembling that dream team of mentors, I took the first step and reached out to them, in my time of need, and each one of them answered the call. Again and again and again. 

Their homes became my hideaways – Melanie took me in over and over again, cooking dinner for my daughter and me the night my ex-husband left for good and hosting a million family sleepovers since then. Their families became my family – Dianna bought plane tickets for my daughter and me to spend Christmas with her family in Florida, so navigating that first Christmas in our newly separated lives wouldn’t be so brutal. Their adventures became my triumphs – Abby hiked, snowboarded, and danced beside me, reminding me that I am more than my circumstances. Their experiences became my inspiration – Cathy counseled me and shared her own story of divorce, giving me hope that there would be life again after the hard work of healing was done. 

They handled my overthinking without blinking, they took my fears in stride, and they lovingly navigated me around my own stubbornness. They made it easy to be vulnerable, to lay out the darkest parts of me, to trust them when I didn’t trust myself.

And bit by bit, word by word, month by month, their love, compassion, kindness and support built me back up. 

And now, standing on the other side of this divorce and joyfully thriving, I am so grateful and glad to actively serve on their boards.

Because big things are happening in their lives, too – massive career changes, having babies, losing parents, falling in love again.

And it’s my turn to be there for them. Again and again and again.

What about you? Who’s on your Board of Directors? And who’s lucky enough to call you a board member?