The Courageous Leader

10Big Dreams, Big Moves

If your dream doesn’t scare you it’s not big enough.¹

—Muhammad Ali

I started my first business when I was six months pregnant with my first child. Before I made the move to leave my comfy, well-paid job as an executive to become an entrepreneur, I called every woman I knew who had started her own business (the list was much shorter than I would wish). Each shared valid reasons to consider staying in my corporate role while starting out as a mom. They shared their stories of surprises that come up during pregnancy, parenting, and running a business. They talked about low levels of energy, struggles with postpartum, the desire to be home with the children rather than working, the lag time between start-up and profitability, and the stresses of being an entrepreneur. I listened to all of them and their valuable insight, but in the end, decided to start my business anyway. Some might call me a little crazy, yet I knew that, for myself, the freedom to be my own boss while being a first-time mom was the combination that worked best for me.

As it turns out, I did struggle with most of the challenges they warned me of, and yet I’ve never regretted my decision—not even for a single day. Now, almost seven years later, I couldn’t imagine my life any other way. The decisions I made then have propelled me into a completely different place in life, one that is far more aligned with my dreams. I’m aware that my dreams were unconventional, but they were mine. I embraced ...