I recently had a wonderful kismet moment with a new friend that showed me the power of networks and communities. Donielle Buie and I connected a few years ago after I saw a post about her on the Black@Stanford Alumni facebook page. The post was celebrating the launch of her new show, the WifeMotherLeader podcast. The topic was really relevant to me as I was recently married, embarking on motherhood for the first time, and had just started a new role at work. I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to manage all my new responsibilities, and I was really hopeful that Donielle would give me some good perspective. She did. I listened to the first few episodes back to back and knew I had found a new companion guide for my situation.
As a side hustler and aspirational podcaster, I took a leap and reached out to Donielle to tell her how much I appreciated her voice and perspective, and asked if she’d be interested in staying touch to see how we could support each other. It turns out that our friendship networks overlapped through the alumni community, but also in other professional endeavors — after speaking with her a couple times, I was tickled to find that I had one of her business cards from a conference we had both attended years before. We hit it off, but had neglected to stay in touch, as happens so often. So funny how you never know what the universe has in store for you, how it puts people in your path, and keeps on trying until you listen!
We stayed in touch over the years, through job changes and babies, and through the various iterations of our respective business plans. Even when we didn’t speak for awhile, it was easy to pick up again on the next call, sharing advice and ideas, and promises to find ways to work together. Until this fall, when the time was right and we were both ready at the same time. Donielle invited me to be a guest on her show focusing on careers. She thought her listeners would appreciate my unique take on life design and bringing more creativity and fun into the personal and professional development space.
During the interview we talked about common mistakes people make when thinking about their careers, how to apply life design to careers, and what to do when faced with resistance from employers or partners. It was a great conversation, and I really appreciated the opportunity to connect with the WifeMotherLeader community. What’s more, it was really validating to see how authentic connections can manifest in partnership. I’m certain this is just the first of many collaborations between WifeMotherLeader and Verve Leadership!
So be sure to check out the episode, and when you do, give me a call! I’m offering a complementary Life Design session to WifeMotherLeader listeners. Sign up now!
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