Empowering Beyond Borders: My journey to 120 countries inspired the creation of an NGO framework for women in Ghana, transforming product mgmt into mission to achieve impossible

entrepreneur, leadership, empowerment, diversity, career, equal, mentorship, success, opportunity, networking, inspiration, ambition, glass ceiling, work-life balance, professional

A journey into empowerment, resilience, and the extraordinary power of healing. In 2009, my life changed dramatically. After a weekend of rock climbing, I was run over by a van at the Boston airport. I remember telling the ambulance crew, pick up all the pieces, don't miss anything. Believe it or not, I actually let a conference call in the emergency room. Doctors weren't optimistic, and I was devastated. I spent months on crutches, trying to even hike with them. But as an engineer, I believed with time and effort, I could fix anything. I tried every form of therapy, even seeking healing from a shaman in the Amazon. And I'm not a boo-boo person. So when life threw me another curve ball being laid off soon after, instead of letting it defeat me, I decided to do a round-the-world trip for a year. I had the miles and the time. A few short months later, I glunged every breast squeezing out of my lungs, on top of Kilimanjaro. I realized it wasn't about controlling my fate. It was about healing, reclaiming my strength, and recognizing that limits are often just on our minds. Sure, I can no longer wear hi-hats, but who wants to anyway? Ten years later, I faced another challenge. After years entrenched in the corporate world as a tech executive, I was burned out, anxious, lost. I remembered how traveling helped me heal before. But it wasn't just about seeing new places. It was about finding peace within myself. I've always loved off-grid travel and diving deep into cultures. I've been to 120 countries. But at the end of the last journey, I realized I wasn't as relaxed as I thought. After 11 months of traveling, someone told me I only looked as if I had been on a two-week holiday. This time, I wanted to focus on healing mentally. Since taking classes and volunteering was always something that grounded me, I thought I might heal through learning and giving. This started a new global journey in 2019, but it lasted a little longer than expected, returning just last year to San Francisco. One of the most fulfilling parts of this journey was creating a woman empowerment framework for an NGO in Ghana. Empowerment is having the knowledge, confidence, self-respect, and ability to make decisions for oneself. I drew on 25 years of product management to create a framework for illiterate women who had never seen a computer, guiding them to launch new ideas to financial freedom. The empowerment I witnessed was truly transformative, here where people were significantly less opportunity with money and no education, but who were hungry for knowledge. They were willing to take time out of their day to trust a complete stranger that they might learn something new that could help them. Every 10 years, or at least regular breaks, one should take time off to recharge. Growing up in the Midwest, as the first in my family to attend college, I was ingrained with values of humility and hard work. I realized that taking time off felt counterintuitive. After all, I had always been taught that hard work leads to reward, but sometimes stepping back is the best way to move forward. I don't always have to show up. I can also check out. For me, it is risking everything, including control, to feel alive. Empowerment isn't just about grand gestures. It's about the small, everyday actions that push us out of our comfort zones, whether that's climbing a mountain or simply speaking up. I'll be honest, it wasn't always easy. Sometimes I was downright miserable to find peace. But change starts with us, one small step at a time. We all have the power to inspire change, beginning with our own lives. Through my travels, I've learned how vital it is to listen and connect with new people. My mother always taught me to pay it forward, believing that what comes around goes around. There's an African proverb that says when you educate a woman, you educate a generation. Seeing the potential in women who had made more to offer than just selling soap on a street corner brought this to life. As someone who craves adventure, I've learned to embrace risk, knowing that's where growth truly happens. My life began with challenges, instilling in me resilience and commitment to making a positive impact. Experience and learning new things helps me lead, innovate, and adapt to whatever the world throws at me. And trust me, the world loves to throw things at me. So when COVID-19 hit, I found myself escaping out of a country on the first flight I could find, which ended up marooning me for three years on a remote island called Mauritius. I adapted by taking on a remote Chief Product Officer role and diving into life, literally by scuba diving every day. As I reflect on this journey and wait for my next one to begin, I encourage everyone to take that leap of faith. Explore, heal, and empower yourself, whether you're facing personal challenges or just need a break from the grind. Remember, the world is wide and waiting for you to learn. Now that I'm between jobs, I can't travel the world, but I can explore the Bay Area by walking and volunteering at events. In a world full of constant noise and distraction, it's essential to find your own escape, simplify your surroundings, eliminate the chaos, and reconnect with what truly brings you joy. It's in those quiet moments that we rediscover life's simple pleasures. Thank you for listening. Stay curious, stay resilient, and most importantly, stay empowered.

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