I love my job! I get to travel and speak at schools and conferences all over the country. I get to inspire girls to find their power and voice and to dare to be their very best. It’s always new and never gets old. I am always willing to learn and grow right along with the girls. I’m so grateful that all of my own hard-earned experiences have become the very things that God used to be a blessing for others. I don’t need to look outside of myself for validation because the feeling of joy that I experience every time I step on stage and allow God to speak through me is a gift unto itself. But every now and then, I do receive that external validation and it is so amazing to know that what I have just shared has made a difference in the lives of others.
Last week I had the privilege of speaking to 5th grade girls and their moms for their annual Mother/Daughter Tea. This program is a Coming of Age initiative to help girls and their moms deal with their changing bodies and emotions. The response has been overwhelming. Below is the email that I received from one of the PTO Chairs who organized the event and who’s daughter was also in attendance. The video below that was taken immediately following the program and captures the reactions of the girls. Like I said, I love my job!! I hope you’ll consider bringing me in for your next mother/daughter event so that your girls and their moms can share in this powerful transformational program!
Kathleen, it’s taken me a couple of days to fully(?) process the wonderful transformational evening we experienced with you the other night…it really was MAGNIFICENT!!! I do feel very blessed that you were able to facilitate such an inspirational program with the girls (and Moms) at our annual event! My inbox is full of emails and my phone has not stopped since Thursday morning with people passing along kind words about the program you facilitated. Every soccer, baseball, softball, dance practice I attend, someone has either heard about the evening, or was there and says how wonderful it was! I believe that everyone who attended, felt inspired when they left that building!
Since I also work at the school, I had the unique opportunity to talk with the girls the next day and see what they were saying after having a night to think about it. Everyone loved you, loved the program, and based on their comments I could tell that there was some aspect of the night that resonated with each of them. I was overwhelmed at one point in the day when I saw a couple of the girls doing the hand gestures to Dream-Believe-Receive-Achieve at recess! The teachers were all asking questions about the program as well, since the girls were so enthusiastic about how much they loved it!
I also had a mother say to me on Friday that she was thrilled to hear her daughter say that she really felt “good” about herself after leaving that night; especially since her daughter has been dealing with anxiety issues this year, and has been working with a therapist. She said “Mom, Kathleen said a lot of the same things my therapist says…” It really helped her to hear a similar message from another source – especially one who knows first hand that life can be hard – but you can deal with it. Another Mom commented on how she liked that message the most as well – she said “I loved that Kathleen didn’t sugar-coat anything for the girls…telling them they will face hardships, but that they will be able to get through them” was refreshing.
On a personal note, I know that Emma loved it and was definitely walking out of the auditorium that night feeling”mah-velous!” especially with the renewed sense that she is capable of anything she sets her mind to. It was late by the time we got home that night, and Emma was having a hard time winding down and falling asleep, so she jumped into bed with me and we were chatting about the night (another memory I will treasure from that night!). One of the things that struck her the most was how positive you are, especially given the fact that you faced so many hardships at such a young age. Thank-you for sharing your story, it really made an impact!
I’ll be sure to pass along any more comments I hear from parents/kids/teachers, but for now, all I can say is Thank-You, Thank-You, Thank-You!
We’ll be in touch soon!
Jenn
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Best. Email. Ever.
About the Author: Kathleen
