What is Made For This about anyway?

A couple weeks ago I shared that I (along with some other inspiring women) am hosting an event on November 9, 2019, in Chicago. I thought this week I’d share a bit about it with you.

Almost two years ago, this idea started brewing in my heart and mind. At that time I had completed leading four meaningful retreats for women whose children had died of chronic illness, I had been working with families in the congenital heart community for many years, and I was in the process of learning about the muscular dystrophy community because of my son Bodey’s rare disease. I regularly engaged with women from all walks of life about what they were thinking about and longing for. Bridgett (my co-host), an extraordinary yoga instructor and insightful soul, and I talked about the questions and ideas her students were sharing with her.

I started to draw lines through what may seem to you like very different communities. I noticed commonality in the women I shared a conversation with - the eagerness to grow and figure out how to embrace their lives, which often don’t look quite like they planned, and the deep desire to do work that is meaningful and that makes an impact in their world. They all had dreams they wanted to bring to life. Many born out of struggle.

So, after lots of chats and some dragging my feet, I decided to take the plunge. While it’s scary to jump into this head first, I have decided that being true to myself and accepting the invitations I receive are the most authentic ways to live out my callings.

Made for This is a one-day workshop for women who want to embrace their lives, rekindle their spark, and make an impact in their world.

Embrace your life:

Sometimes, it is tough to embrace the life we have. Life can deal us a painful hand: an illness, loneliness, a challenging relationship, hopes deferred, a career we don’t love, (just to name a few) and we can really struggle with our identity. Our social media culture can make us feel like others have it more together than we do.

We want to invite you to return to yourself and embrace your life. In a world that keeps telling us we should be and do more, we’d like to suggest that you are made for the life you have. Complete with the challenges, joys, sadness, and hopes that fill your hearts. Inside of you are all the gifts, ideas, and gumption you need to bring your best self forward. We’ll share tools, encouragement, and practices to help you embrace your life. This by no means suggests we can’t do better, we always can. But instead of chasing something outside of ourselves, what if we pursued the part of us longing to come to life?

I spent a lot of time looking around, wishing my life was different. There were a lot of valid reasons for that, but embracing the life I have and figuring out how to do my best with what is in front of me has been one of the most empowering choices I’ve made in the last several years.

Rekindle your spark:

It’s easy to lose ourselves in our daily lives. We live on autopilot, rushing through our day. We can wake up one day with dreams in our hearts still aching to be born. Returning to ourselves also means that we re-up our commitment to do the work we are here to do. Being in a creative space, with some time for ourselves, can help remind us what fuels our spark.

Make an impact in your world:

After we embrace our lives and reignite our sparks, we cannot stop there. The pursuit of our best selves cannot only be for ourselves. We will miss the potential for real joy if we don’t also give ourselves to something bigger such as a belief, cause, a family, work, and a community. We are each a repository of wisdom and gifts. What would happen if each woman found a way to impact her world for good? Think about how much healing we could bring?

As women, we are the quarterbacks of our families, our communities, and our places of work. When we grow, heal, and share the best parts of themselves, our world heals, grows, and becomes better.

While this is just one day, we hope it will be a launching off point for you to recommit to yourself, your callings and to making an impact in your world. The day will have both large group and breakout sessions. It will include continental breakfast and lunch. Since we want this to be an interactive day, space will be limited. We will be meeting at Morgan’s on Fulton, a beautiful, creative space is in the West Loop of Chicago. Tickets will be on sale on September 1, 2019.

Feel free to email me with questions. I hope you’ll join us!

Sunday Love,

Jess