AWL Alumni Spotlight

Describe the six months you spent in the Bloombase experience for Advanced Women Leaders.
At a time when I was leading myself through a season of personal transformation and renewal – I was pregnant, grieving the significant loss of my father, starting a new job, entering a pandemic, transitioning and transforming an organization, and navigating burnout – Bloombase and the leaders in my AWL cohort came alongside me like a sieve for truth, love, and examination that helped me sift through myself and my experiences to find treasure.

Describe the benefits of the AWL experience. 
The “treasure” I walked away with from this experience has been clarity and integration around learning who I’m uniquely created to be and unlearning who I thought I needed to be. Richard Rohr summarizes this best for me. He writes, “Life is not a matter of creating a special name for ourselves, but of uncovering the name we have always had.” Bloombase facilitated this learning and integration across all facets of my life and then helped me to own who I am in a way that feels authentic to me. Shaping me into a wholehearted leader bringing my complete self to everything I do.

Describe the benefits of being a part of the post AWL community.
I have this incredible network of leaders across industry and across the country who I know I can tap into at any time. People who have been through the AWL experience seem to be bonded together in an enduring kind of way.

What did you get out of the Executive Coaching sessions?
I couldn’t have crafted a more perfect match for myself. Bloombase knew what they were doing when they paired us up. My coach and I came together from two completely different worlds and connected deeply and immediately. She knew how to coach the different parts of me at that time that were tender, callused, and expectant equally well.

What would you say to someone else considering this experience?
This content can be incredibly challenging and will be equally rewarding if you are willing to do the work which requires not only commitment of time but also a willingness to be vulnerable and explore uncomfortable parts of oneself. 

What is the greatest ROI for this investment you made in yourself?
There is peace and confidence that comes with knowing yourself and knowing how to live into your values, which is priceless.

My favorite way to spend an afternoon by myself is… listening to old vinyl, reading one of the 10 books I have open at any given time, and catching up on my interior design and travel magazine subscriptions.

To me, leadership is… leadership starts with leading myself. I believe that who we are is how we lead, and I’ve been on a lifelong journey of knowing, challenging, and developing myself through all my life’s peaks and valleys. This personal approach has afforded me the opportunity to create organizations and cultures where people can bring their whole selves to work, learn, grow, and deliver well.

The values/behaviors that is most important to me are…
Regret — I use regret as a close personal advisor to help guide my actions. I often ask myself, what would I regret not doing? Or, more rarely for me, what would I regret doing? Often, it helps me to find my voice and chose courage over comfort, it helps me stick to my boundaries, and it helps me spend my time and energy in a way that I’m proud of and brings me peace.
Openness — I value “knowing that I don’t know.” The more life experience I gain, the more I understand and have embraced this value as it serves me well. I desire to keep an open and curious mind in all the spaces of my life, and I find that this contemplative posture really helps me listen and believe the experiences of others, it keeps me hungry for learning, helps me remain objective and able to engage in healthy debate – I could keep going with this list! I am a person with a lot of opinions but, that’s just what they are – opinions!

Something that makes my life ridiculously fun is… my two-year-old son, Webb. I’ve known no greater joy or deeper love on earth than this.