The Power of Encouragement & Perfect Timing

LIFE LESSON

Since I’ll be attending the Chicago Humanities Festival program today featuring speaker United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, I would like to share an excerpt from Glennen Doyle’s podcast We Can Do Hard Things, which recounts a life lesson from Justice Brown Jackson.

“[My grandmother]had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and she was going through treatments. …this is my freshman year, and I'm now away from her …and she's suffering. It was really just a bad time. I'm walking across the yard (Harvard yard) looking apparently as down as I feel. A woman is walking on the path, a Black woman I didn't know, walking on the path coming toward me.

As we get close to one another, she looked at me, leaned over and she said, ‘Persevere.’ And she kept walking. …I was like, ‘What?’ …At first I didn’t know what to do with it.

It seemed kind of odd, but a couple days later was my birthday — it was really my lowest point, because I had always spent my birthday with family. This was in the first two weeks of school, so no one knew me. I was just so down, and I got a letter from my aunt who was a missionary and [one] from my mother. But my aunt especially wrote about how God has angels that are standing around you to protect you.

I thought, ‘I wonder if that woman was an angel?’ I wondered if she was a guardian angel. It just sort of made the story all make sense in a way. That word ‘persevere’ has stuck with me because it really was like a message being sent to help me get through the really tough time in my freshman year. We all have bad days and sometimes bad weeks and maybe even bad years. But the good news is we don't have to figure out life all alone.”

The entire transcript is here.

LIFE HACK

To celebrate National Dance Day (Friday, September 20), I thought I’d share an excerpt from my book, Circuit Train Your Brain.

Cut a rug. Have you ever watched a toddler dance? They have an innate response to music that tends to fade at some point for most of us in our lives. Toddlers do that little boop boop, knee-bounce sway when they hear a tune that moves them.

Not only is it adorable, it’s also a reminder that we were born to dance.

I dance in my kitchen, and I dance while using my standing desk (impromptu dance parties are the best part of having a standing desk). The quote “dance like no one’s watching” exists for a reason. Music liberates. Music energizes. Tap into the power of tunes. Today, your assignment is to dance in your kitchen.

For extra credit: sign up for a dance class. You never know who you’ll meet when dancing cheek to cheek.

Say aloud to yourself: “I am worthy of good things.”

TREAT

Break out your eye patch and fill your tankard with glog — National Talk Like a Pirate Day is Thursday, September 19th. Launched in 1995, this excuse for silliness began when two friends from Oregon jokingly created the holiday while playing racquetball. They celebrated it quietly for a few years, sharing the joke with a small group of friends. One day in 2002, they wrote to humor columnist Dave Barry asking him to be the spokesperson for National Talk Like a Pirate Day. Amused by the idea, Barry agreed. He wrote a column about the holiday, giving it national prominence and spawning a wave of Talk Like a Pirate Day events and celebrations across the country.

If ye would like t’ play along jus’ skewer dis link!

P.S. The fantabulous Christine Mortensen and I are hosting a self care summit at the University Club of Chicago on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. Held in January 2025, it’s perfectly timed to inspire attendees to step into the new year with fresh energy and clarity. With exclusive workshops, immersive experiences, and high-level networking, this event is tailored for individuals who are committed to personal and professional growth. Our audience is made up of ambitious, success-driven individuals who know that true growth starts from within. They’re looking for more than just inspiration—they want actionable insights to level up their self-care and their lives. Please message me on LinkedIn or send an email to molly at mollycantrellkraig dot co (not com) for our sponsorship deck.

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An author, media consultant, life coach and speaker, Molly Cantrell-Kraig has been recognized as one of CNN’s Visionary Women, been profiled by both the Christian Science Monitor and the Shriver Report. Cantrell-Kraig has also been interviewed on the Women’s Media Center and the BBC, speaking on such topics as women, independence, gender roles and life transitions. As a catalytic change-agent, Cantrell-Kraig is a self-described work in progress whose focus is on helping others achieve their goals by sharing her own experiences.