Who invited her?

Thirty-six years ago, I entered this world much like I imagine each of you did, screaming, cold and a little frightened by my strange new surroundings. So on this, my 36th birthday, I want to share with you what I know to be true about not only me, but about each one of you too. So without further adieu, here’s what I know about me.?

I am meant to be here.?

When I was in middle school, my brother would pick me up from school between his undergrad classes and overnight job in the burgundy Buick Skylark that my parents had purchased several years earlier. My classmates and I would sit with our legs folded, in straight lines of course, on the veranda in front of the cafeteria until our rides pulled into the parking lot that sprawled in front of us. This routine moment of each week day for me was a big deal because to me my brother was pretty cool and riding with him was all the freedom that my little pre-teen heart desired. Like clockwork he was there to shuttle me to Gee’s (our grandmother) house. I grabbed my rolling backpack, we can discuss why the school required this backpack in another post, and climbed into the front seat of the freedom mobile. I am sure there was conversation between us but I don’t recall what it was as he cranked the key in the ignition. The car sputtered, moaned, and groaned but refused to start. Frustrated after doing some preliminary troubleshooting under the hood, my brother grabbed the keys from the ignition and headed into our cafeteria to use the pay phone to summon assistance. I stayed in the car resolved to maintain my freedom from my previous seat on the veranda concrete. As I waited the car began to make the same unfruitful noises that it had made when the keys were turned in the ignition but the keys were now in the school with my brother. As the engine continued to attempt to turnover independent of the key typically required for this process, I knew that this wasn’t the beginning of a good sequence of events. What I can only attribute to God’s hand on my life, moved me to grab my backpack and exit immediately. Within seconds of vacating my seat, before I could even close the car door, flames emerged from the steering column of the car. Within minutes the entire car was ablaze. Two things remain imprinted on my senses to this very day, the smell of a vehicle fire and the vision of the students who had been shuttled to safety inside the building standing on chairs chanting “Burn! Burn! Burn!” with so little concern for the danger that my brother and I had just escaped. What remains imprinted on my soul from that day, is that we both walked away completely unharmed physically. Not a scratch, a bruise, or even a concern of smoke inhalation. We were so close and yet miraculously far from danger all at the same time.?

It has been years since I thought about this moment, but it came to me recently in one of those still quiet moments that I choose to use for prayer and reflection. It came to me during a season of seeking clarity and realignment to what it is I am supposed to use the time I have been given here to do. Though it wasn’t a full answer to all the ways that I am supposed to make an impact and if I am on track to do that, it was a clear statement that I am not here by mistake. So with that in mind, I decided to get back to the things that I know I know I am uniquely qualified to do.?

There have been countless times over the years where I have entered a room and was immediately aware of all the ways in which I was different from the majority. It often creates a desire to quickly find a way to fit in as a means of proving, to myself and to others, that I am in fact supposed to be here. This memory? was the reminder that I needed to let go of the need to blend and embrace the courage to be. I an in possession of a collection of experiences, relationships, talents, and knowledge that create a life story different from most people I encounter in my day to day journey. Yet somehow, these unique and varied experiences have created a way for me to relate to people across the world. Whenever, I show up authentically, the interactions and opportunities that proceed from it yield undeniable impact because it becomes a labor of love and not a burden. It invites others to show up as their authentic selves and lets us work together to build amazing things because we are building from a unified vision while also taking into account all of the vantage points that we see this vision from. Whether it is the stint behind the pharmacy counter in post-Katrina New Orleans that allows me to help my clients understand experience and why human-centered design for all people is critical or the privilege of having been JJ's mom while I was full-time undergrad and grad school student and working a full-time (sometimes multiple jobs) that allows me to connect with students from all backgrounds who are worried that they won't be a fit for consulting, the path behind me continues to create the path before me.

I started by saying this statement was true about all of us not just me. I recognize that, in true Jaymee fashion, my story and connection to purpose are a bit on the dramatic side. So I'll give you one more example with a little less flare. Over 10,000 years ago humans began baking bread and it has continued to be a staple of diets across the world. Unless you are at a Texas Roadhouse or Cheesecake Factory, most times bread isn't the food item that most of us spend our days longing for but is typically welcomed addition. It by most considerations a commodity. If I asked you to create a bread brand and take it to market you would likely give me a monologue about market saturation, barriers to entry, price caps, etc. and suggest that we consider a profitable venture with more potential for upside. I'll assume you're nodding in agreement at this point. You would be right to consider the fact that there were 31,495 bread production businesses in the US as of 2023, according to Ibis. However, would you stop to ask yourself how many of those companies have been existence for anywhere near 10,000 years? Probably not, but some people do and find success in contributing their unique gifts and talents to the market and taking a share of the over $29 billion US bread market. Take David Dahl for example, the founder of Dave's Killer bread who took the leap into the monstrous bread making industry in 2005. David was not the graduate of a Top 50 business school or world renowned culinary institute that allowed him to spot some tiny opening in the fabric of this well-established industry. He was recently released from prison and rejoining the family business that had taught him to make bread as a child. He found victory over addiction and the subsequent interactions that led to several stints in prison. He took his idea for something different from success at a local farmer's market in 2005 all the way to a 300 person enterprise with a focus on second-chance employment in 2013 when it was purchased for $275 million by Flowers Foods. The same Flowers Foods that owns Wonder Bread and Nature's Own brands. Dave's unique perspective on a commoditized product lead to generational wealth building event for him personally, second-chances for hundreds of others, and a spot amongst the giants of the industry because he brought himself to the table.

I could have been gone from this earth before the 8th grade, before graduating high school, before meeting the love of my life, before bringing an amazing human into the world, before college, before traveling the world, before mentoring other professionals, before any of it. So during this revolution around the sun I am resolved to enter every room grateful for the things that prepared me for the opportunity and confident in my ability to be impactful through my experiences.?Everything that we have been through matters and I hope my story or Dave's story gives you the confidence to own every experience in your path. Until next time, live well, love hard and be great!