My heart is heavy as I read news updates on my phone. The news I read is traumatizing. Things I can’t un-see and stories I can’t un-know. Some days I’ve gotten used to the headlines and other days my heart feels like it’s simply going to burst. Perhaps, you know the issues. Headlines are flooding… Read More Does What I Do Matter?
Pay attention to what makes you cry, I’ve heard. Constantly at the verge of tears, I sat in an auditorium in Nashville. There was so much fear in the unknown of Down syndrome. I listened to a couple with Down syndrome talk about their marriage, their experiences, and, ultimately their worth. We’ll get back to… Read More Down Syndrome + Fear
A mother and daughter stood in front of a bookshelf looking at 500 children’s books. First they remove books with no male characters. Only three are removed. Next, they remove all the books with no female characters. Now they take 76 off the shelf. They take off another 141 books, representing books where female characters… Read More My Favorite Children’s Books for Girls
To the light of an overhead fan in the humid Florida air, my relatives would talk about politics. After dinner we would move to our back porch to the lanai overlooking our screened-in pool. Voices raised and laughter escalated over coffee and dessert. I was young. So I often excused myself from our guests when… Read More 3 Ways You Can Be Political (Yes, You!)
I was not expecting to get a scar across my stomach the day my son was born. He was delivered by emergency C-section during one of the most traumatic events of my life. Looking back I’m amazed how God carried him through, and how our story ended with a healthy (and strong!) baby in our arms.… Read More What We Can Agree on in 2016
“Did you go on Twitter today? Did you hear the news?” “No.” “Good. Don’t.” My husband gives me the headlines like Cliff’s Notes. He knows my sensitive heart and doesn’t want me to be caught off guard told the news by a coworker or stranger at Publix. We want to know the headlines, know the… Read More Feeling Caught Between
“Today was the first day in a long time that I haven’t been in some kind of pain.” I journaled those words six weeks after my traumatic C-section with my son. That was a little over one year ago. It somehow feels like yesterday and years away at the same time. Last year, like many… Read More What’s Next for Paid Leave in the United States?
The co-founder of Q Ideas, Rebekah Lyons, had a vision years ago to change the climate of the yearly event. She found herself in a sea of button-ups, with few dresses to be seen. Her challenge was to make the room half full of women. I first attended a Q event a few years ago. The… Read More Where are the Women?
Did you know that female leaders are neither confident and educated, or caring and pretty? In a recent study, college students were asked to pick adjectives they associate with female politicians, male politicians, and women overall. (Research: Political Psychology – April 2014) “Confident,” “educated,” and “determined” were chosen 20% less often for female politicians than… Read More Lead Like a Lady
Until we added a daughter to our family two years ago, FMLA and maternity leave were topics that I didn’t think twice about. Now I see it as a critical area that is affecting our nation’s culture surrounding family and work. Did you know that the U.S. is the only industrialized country, and only one… Read More A New Mom’s Intro to FMLA