September, to me, always feels like the start of something new. I have deemed it my personal New Year’s celebration and as such, feel all the excitement and possibility that January tends to elicit in others. As I start this “new year”, I find myself being led by a concept that was just dropped in my lap and has become a guiding light in my outlook and decision making as well as a beacon in my practice.
I recently became introduced to an incredible organization based out of Jackson Hole, Womentum (womentumwy.org) and while visiting that area a few weeks back, I had the great honor and delight to meet with their Executive Director (and subsequently, their Program Director). The mission of Womentum is to connect and inspire women to thrive as leaders in any capacity that calls to them. As you can imagine, I was in awe during our conversation and among the many gems, there’s one theme that I have been chewing on since.
As a parting question, I was asked, “what makes you thrive?” and ohhhh, did this send me down a spiritual rabbit hole!
As I began to unpack this for myself (and of course, certainly polled the women in my life) I discovered that the concept of “Thriving” takes on very different orientations. Seemingly, it lives in 2 different houses; one that is societally-led and one that is soul-led. Both are a destination however they take very different routes and in my estimation, only one allows for sustainability, joy and peace.
For decades, as women, we have been taught how to succeed:
➡️ Be capable.
➡️ productive.
➡️ nice.
➡️ everything to everyone.
For a long time, we were taught that thriving meant doing it all, saying yes often, staying strong, and never slowing down. It meant wearing exhaustion like a badge of honor. And then the hustle culture came along and made us believe that burnout is the price of success. That if we’re tired, we must be doing something right.
For those of us that conflated succeeding with thriving, we know all too well that while our “thriving” by these markers is celebrated by our culture, internally, it leaves us exhausted, frustrated, sick, resentful and frankly, confused.
But true thriving – this is a different conversation. It is the opposite of running on empty. It’s about feeling fully alive in our own lives — professionally, relationally, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. It’s the freedom and agency to live in accordance with our own truths. It is living in alignment with our souls.
To truly thrive as a woman is . . .
💫 To choose wholeness over hustle.
💫 To reclaim rest, joy, agency, and authenticity.
💫 It’s to lead not just with excellence, but with energy
💫 It’s knowing and standing in our worth instead of chasing validation.
💫 And most importantly, it’s to define success for ourselves – and live it out, unapologetically.
I come to you today to help re-write the script on what it means to thrive and to remind you that you get to be the author of your own story.
You get to decide what thriving means to you in the truest sense of the word and you get to let go of all the societal constraints (the “shoulds”, perfectionism, people-pleasing, over-functioning, and more) that keep you from knowing your truth.
Let thriving be your true north for we know that a thriving woman doesn’t just change her own life — she changes the world around her.
For me, in answer to that daunting question, I thrive when I am free and that feels like trust, authenticity, peace and so much love.
What’s your answer? I’d love to know ♥️