A LOVE LETTER TO WOMEN...AND MY DAD

Some may think this story is a little woo-woo, but I think it’s important to tell. Stick with me here… it eventually winds its way around to Women’s History Month. ;-)

About a year ago, I went to see a medium. She knew nothing about me—yet somehow, she knew everything about me. She connects through the sound of a person's voice, so she told me I could talk about anything I wanted. I chose the weather. I didn’t want to give her anything to work with—I wanted to know that whatever happened next was real.

Within minutes, she was telling stories of my past lives in vivid detail. Everything about who I was then felt like who I am now. It was eerie. And beautiful. Then my dad and grandmother—who, apparently, are hanging out in heaven together, cheering me on—came to see me.

Nothing has ever made my life make more sense than the 90 minutes I spent with this stranger. I’ve often wondered:

• Why do I care so much about women's issues?
• Why do I have such a special relationship with so many “good guys and male allies”?
• Why do I care so much about connecting women from ALL walks of life?

She connected some dots for me. Here’s the short story:

I was basically a witch in a past life. She didn’t say it quite like that, but that’s the meaning I made from some of the things she reported. “You made remedies to help women control their fertility and births,” she told me. “The men didn’t like you very much. They thought you were a threat… putting your nose where it didn't belong.” This made me laugh out loud.?

And from my grandmother, whom I never had the chance to meet: “I am so proud of you,” she told me. “You’re doing things that women in my generation couldn’t. Things I only dreamed of.” It was the perspective I needed.

When my dad joined the party, it was as if he entered the body of this 65-year-old woman and was talking directly to me through her. Everything she said—and the way she said it—was so him. He gushed and encouraged me, just like he used to. He was over-the-top excited about what I’m up to. It was exactly how he was when he was alive. The way he used to look at me—with so much love, awe, and respect–always curious about what I was up to, genuinely interested in what I had to say, and excited with me and for me. Always.

And his feistiness and irreverence came through, too. We would go toe-to-toe. I was never afraid to say hard things to my dad. I let him off the hook at nothing. I was relentless in the way I challenged him. My mom said she and my sisters would commonly say to each other, “How does she get away with that?” I never knew anything different. That was just our relationship.

So when I asked at the end of the session, “Does my dad have any parting advice for me?” and he responded, “Dare even more,” I bawled like a baby.?

When you get messages from dead people, I think it’s important to listen—especially when the words they say resonate at your core.

A couple of weeks later, the person who recommended the medium to me sent a thank-you card for a leadership retreat she attended. The front of the card said: “Dare Mighty Things,” in big bold letters.

People… I don't know what this is, but it’s real.

So that’s what I’m doing.?

I’m daring even more.?

I’m unleashing my voice and expertise in ways I haven't before. I’m being less perfectionistic and more courageous. I’m less concerned about what people think of me. I’m finding ways to give even more of what I’ve got. I’m more committed than ever to supporting and unifying women from all backgrounds. I’m saying the hard stuff to the people who need to hear it (thanks for the training, Dad!).

Y’all know cancer already broke my filter, but this session unlocked me in other ways. It made me feel like I’m on the right path—that what I am doing matters, and that it’s always mattered. It made me feel supported and bolstered by my ancestors, even the ones I’ve never met and cannot see.

Flashing through my mind like a mosaic came so many memories with women at the center—

• Volunteering to work with college women on body image and eating disorders (after overcoming my own). Leading discussions in sororities and fraternities—terrifying, but the mission mattered more than my fear.
• Launching WiRL, an online conference for busy professional women—before virtual events were mainstream. I felt unprepared and inadequate, but I did it anyway because the goal outweighed the fear.
• Taking women on wild adventures abroad. That doubt crept in again—"Who am I to think I can…?" But this time, my daughter shut it down: "Mom, what if you just try?

I’m so glad I did, because the 27 women who have joined me on three different retreats over the past 18 months have become some of my favorite people on the planet. Knowing them makes me know that everything is going to be ok.

All of this–the mosaic of memories, the knowledge of past lives, the visit from my relatives– left me with a deep sense of purpose and gratitude.?

And let me tell you, I have had to reach into that reservoir lately.

But what is getting me through this time—seeing so many devastating setbacks, policies, and mandates?

Women.

Once again, it’s women.

Keep your ladies close. Build community. Bolster each other. Love the hell out of each other. Give each other grace. Open doors. Broker connections. Mentor. Sponsor. Compliment. Be a five-minute friend. Teach the boys and men around you how to be with (and support) powerful women.?

Do everything you can for everyone you can.

That is how we get through this. That is how we ensure more women make history.

Let’s stick together, everyone.

Sending every ONE of you…So. Much. Love.

Mitch Shepard is an author, a trusted coach & adviser to some of the world’s top leaders, an Applied Behavioral Scientist, a sought-after speaker, Chief Truth-teller at HUMiN Inc, a recovering Catholic, an ass-kicker of cancer, a proud mama and wife, a DEI die hard, and a passionate world traveler.

If you’d like to join a community of incredible women, from all walks of life and industries, join the FREE community: www.mitchshepard.com/community I host meaningful and interactive discussions ever month (and the occasional free workshop too).