Do you have a friend in your life who’s been down the road you’re traveling? Do you know someone, even from a distance, who has crossed the ravine you’re standing at the edge of, looking down on today?
I do.
One of the biggest blessings of doing the work of HeartStories has been ALL of the incredible women I’ve become friends with over the years. The nature of my work has required me to reach out to women I’ve never even met, to ask to work together. One of the first things I look for is a woman who is ready to share her pain, not only her success. She’s a woman I look to as a mentor. She may be experiencing wild success, but she knows how she got there.
“Flowers do not bloom without rain. Everything has a purpose, even pain.”
These women feel the pain, learn to understand why it’s there, and grow through it. They share it. Then they let their story become a roadmap for others.
It reminds me that I’m never alone.
The list of women who have selflessly poured into my life could go on for days. When the oil in my lamp was almost completely gone, they’ve poured over some of the oil from theirs. They’ve shared their wisdom that did not come easy.
The wisdom that cost them dearly.
Alison Lumbatis is a shining example. Get Your Pretty On, gives you inspiration and guidance to make getting dressed the easiest thing you do all day. She’s THE QUEEN of guiding women with the wisdom from her past. She’s experiencing such incredible success in her business right now. She could put it on cruise control and go enjoy her life from a white sandy beach somewhere, but she doesn’t. You know why?
She’s learned too much from the pain and the struggle, to not pass it on.
She cares too much to not share what she’s learned. She knows where I am and how hard I’m working. She sees where I’m heading and wants me to grow. She wants her hindsight to become my foresight. You may have seen our carpool karaoke (where we didn’t actually sing, but Alison gave a sneak peek of her holiday party outfit wisdom). It’s a shining example of exactly the kind of generosity she shares with me. I gave her less than 24 hours notice, with a text saying: “I’m coming over. Will you make a video with me?”
Her answer: “When and where?”
When I went to select an image from the Holiday Ready GNO (Girls Night Out) event where everyone was oohing and ahhing over this gorgeous flower wall from Photo Booth Rental Fort Worth (Wasn’t it perfection?! We’re so incredibly grateful we got to use it!) I knew this was the one. Beth from Joyful Day placed the neon sign so perfectly overhead that read:
“This must be the place”
And it was. Amid those beautiful flowers that symbolically remind us of the sometimes painful process of the seedling breaking through the shell, only then to have to push through the dirt, and get hammered by the rain, before finally emerging, and unfurling a beautiful bloom. That mic, that stage, that room at Verona Villa, amid a community of like-minded women. It’s the place.
It’s the place for women like Alison, and so many others, to courageously and generously share their stories.
As this year comes to a close, I’m reminded of the women who’ve held me up this year. The women who’ve so generously shared their wisdom from the road ahead with me, and with you. The ones who’ve introduced me to their communities and trusted me to guide their women, even when they knew I was still trying to find my own way. These women have poured their wisdom and empathy from the road ahead straight into my empty cup. Every year this list of women grows.
As a gift to you today, here’s my shortlist from this year (there are MANY more).
Karen White – Oasis Accents
Shasta Nelson – ShastaNelson.com
Lindsay Childress – AR Workshop Frisco
Alison Lumbatis – Get Your Pretty On
Christie Halverson – The Cookie Rack
Vanessa Corral – Vanessa Corral Photography
Kim Welch – Esperance Aesthetic Wellness
Natalie Tuman – My Think Fit
Talitha Ledet – Big Little Market
Beth DiCarlo – Joyful Day
Lauren Sorden – Blue Posy Floral Designs
Carly Burson – Tribe Alive
Wendi McGowan Ellis – Lifestyle Frisco
Carrie Himel – Carrie Himel Real Estate
Brooklyn Calloway – Brookielynn’s Bungalow
Kelly Walker – Hustle & Pro
Cindy Pedraza – Coco André
Rebekah Warner – Aces Wild Casino
Molly Stephenson – Love Letters Handmade
Me Ra Koh – Me Ra Koh Portraits
If you don’t know women like these, this is the place to meet them.
They believe sharing their stories matters. Go follow them. Sign up for their newsletters. Buy their products. Support their brands.
Learn from their stories.
Then remember that your story can become a roadmap for others, too. But you have to share it. Not just the pretty, successful parts, but the painful parts too.
With this kind of generous sharing and connection, this surely must be the place.
It’s the place you find the others.
It’s the place you find the joy you’re craving.
to more love,
Crystal
Image by Vanessa Corral Photography
