Cheers to HER History
Sheri Lynn Fella
After taking a long pause off the work travel treadmill, February roared in with a month so energizing that it needed an extra day - the 29th! It felt like a fitting segue into March - Women’s History month - because the last week of February alone was full of women paving their own HERstory.
February 22nd, I had the opportunity to cheer on my Hoosier basketball team in front of a sold-out crowd at Assembly Hall as they defeated Iowa! Taking in the energy and the view of this epic chapter in women’s sports was surreal for me. It has been so long coming and here we are … finally not only witnessing the talent and energy that women bring to the sports industry, but soaking up the savoring of it - watching crowds crave it, wanting more. As a former student-athlete I am so thrilled for this chapter in the evolution of sports and inspired by the possibility ahead.
That possibility was on full display as my team, and I engaged in epic experiences during the NFL combine week in Indy. So many phenomenal women breaking barriers and kicking glass in football - professional FOOTBALL you all! I literally had moments where I felt tingles from amazement of the conversations, the commitment, and results of so many leaders in this space. Leaders who happen to be women. As a former 6th grade quarterback, I cannot express the true delight it is to be a part of - to be on the journey with so many phenomenal leaders reaching for more inclusion, more innovation, more performance, more possibility for all.
The weekend before I spent the morning at a Cracker Barrel in southern Indiana with my parents, aunts and uncles who have shaped so much of who and how I am. They always told me that I could do anything and did all they could to eliminate barriers for me even though there were rarely models of such possibility that looked like me. And hearing them reflect on this current state of opportunity for women is just downright fun! And now, to know that my nieces and nephews, and great nieces and nephews, have role models that look like me fills my hope bucket to overflow.
Imagine when my little Piper (6), Rubster (3), and Mabel (2) reach 55… what world might they imagine?! I always learned that hope wasn’t a strategy in my business career, but in life… hope might be all we need ya’ll. Hope fuels imagination and imagination is the starting place of all that is possible. And there is no better engine of imagination than little humans.
It is no mistake that I am writing this reflection on the morning that my college teammate and I are taking in a Madonna concert in Vegas. Whether you like Madonna or not, I couldn’t have picked a better Glass Kicker to start off Women’s History month. Her first hit, “Borderline” was in 1984 - I was a junior in high school, and now she is 65 and still showing us all how important it is to “express yourself.” What an arc of impact she has created… still.
I don’t know about you, but dang life is sure something to behold… so many ups and downs for sure, and so much to celebrate. As I sat in the seats of Assembly Hall last week, my grad school friend said to me, “Fella - it is all gravy… look at these lives we have since we met 30 years ago. It is all gravy from here on out.” It’s gravy folks… lap it up. The highs and lows of the ride are what make it so, and I plan to soak up that gravy this month while also appreciating all those women who came before me and gave us all the opportunity to have so many choices in front of us in this one grand life.
One of those great women was my grandma, Mabel, who passed away 23 years ago today. She is still impacting my life in profound ways so thank you Grandma… thank you for teaching me so many things that I continue to understand at deeper and deeper levels each year. Yes, let’s celebrate the record breakers, like Caitlyn Clark, and let’s also celebrate the Life Makers - like our moms and sisters. Breaking records and leading new discoveries are phenomenal, and so is the everyday support, love and wisdom we get from the women in our lives day in and day out. Let’s celebrate all of Women’s History - the epic and the everyday triumphs and touchstones.
Sending all my gratitude to my mom who not only gave me life but taught me how to build a life for myself. Can’t imagine a more important thing to celebrate than that! Let’s all celebrate those women in our lives who have mattered. Don’t assume they know… take action to ensure they do.
