Show Up for Yourself and Your Family
She-Rae Chen
CEO SpringSpot | Empowering kids and families to build healthy habits for life
I just returned from the HLTH Conference in Las Vegas.?It was amazing. Meeting people in person, I was constantly stimulated by the meaningful conversations I had and the sessions I attended. It opened my eyes to new opportunities and surfaced potential challenges. It was invigorating.
Make it count.
From the moment I boarded the plane to Vegas to the moment I got back in my car to drive home from SFO, I was all in. Without explicitly saying it to myself, taking a few days away from my family meant I had to really make it count. I approached this conference with more intensity and focus than any conference before.
It was the first business trip I've taken away from my infant daughter. I was worried how she'd do, but I knew that having her brothers around would help make up for my absence. Being away also made me realize just how much coordination and driving I was doing to get my kids to all their extracurricular activities. Even though I wasn't physically at home, I was still coordinating rides and managing logistics from afar. Big shout out to my husband for helping execute it all and for holding down the fort with all three kids. I couldn't have done it without him.
The kids all got where they needed to go and the upside was that I kept up my exercise routine and was able to join our live Cardio+Core class even while I was away from home!
Make the extra effort and show up.
Though the true highlight of my trip didn't have to do with the HLTH conference. It was one particular meeting I had that was the most meaningful to me. On the last day of the conference, I had planned a couple meetings and a few more things I wanted to check out on the show floor. Then I found out that a special person was going to be in Las Vegas the same day I was heading home.
My dad was attending the MJBizCon conference in Vegas and was exhibiting for his company AEssenseGrows. You see he's also an entrepreneur. A serial entrepreneur in fact, and is the main person I have to thank for instilling in me the entrepreneurial drive and spirit.
There are few moments in life when as a daughter you have the chance to show up for your dad and show your support. Luckily I'd already gotten a lot out of my conference, so it was an easy decision to forego attending the rest of my own conference and make the extra effort to meet up with my dad.
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HLTH was at the Venetian, and my dad's conference was at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The two conferences were very different and I was surprised that his conference drew over 30,000 attendees. After I registered for his conference and arrived at the convention center, I found my dad's exhibitor's booth and was so impressed!
He was busy speaking to a visitor when I arrived and the moment he saw me, he graciously excused himself and the huge smile on his face and the glimmer in his eye made me realize just how meaningful it was for him that I showed up.
Be Present.
At SpringSpot we talk a lot about being present with your kids. For all that my parents and dad have done for me growing up, it was the least I could do to be fully present with my dad. Aside from visiting his booth, we also got to have lunch together. It wasn't fancy, we stood at a cafeteria table in a food court, but there we were father and daughter, talking about life and the industries we were in and it was perfect. My dad still paid for my lunch, even though I offered, but I guess some things never change ??
When we were checking out, I told the cashier woman that we were having a father daughter lunch and she was so touched that when my dad asked where the coffee was, she gave him a cup and said it was on the house. Even a complete stranger recognized how special this moment was!
As an entrepreneur, you're always looking for ways to amplify your message. You want to promote all the value and benefits you're providing with your company's products or services, but this time, I was happy to focus on my dad, his company and be present with him. If you're so inclined or interested, my dad's company AessenseGrows is a cutting edge AgTech company that has a high tech indoor growing solution for fruits, vegetables and cannabis and allows you to manage the settings from an app on your phone! Learn more here: https://www.fundable.com/aessensegrows.
In sharing this story, it's coming full circle for me. Being at a health conference after many years of working on my own health and meeting up with my dad who helped establish the foundation for my health, it's all the more salient for me. My own health and wellbeing will continue to be a work in progress, but after this experience, I know that I can show up as my whole self, represent my company, model being a working mom to my kids, depend on my husband and life partner, and be a caring daughter.
May you find opportunities to show up for yourself and your family this holiday and beyond.
SVP, Talent & Culture (HR)/CHRO/Board Member/Speaker/Biotech Executive/AI Enthusiast
2 年Love this!