Women Need Women

Everyone needs a Girls Weekend

I’m spending this weekend with a group of women I love. They are all creatives….artists, comedians, writers, photographers, actresses, creators, news people, hosts and analytics. I’ve met them throughout my career and, although we all work in different disciplines, we have many of the same issues in common. Our careers, while exciting, sometimes leave us working in a “bubble”….working alone, with no “co-workers” or set schedule to keep us on track. Staying motivated, focused and inspired can sometimes be a struggle with very few people to bounce ideas off of.

I had a few days open at the shore house so I invited them in from all over the country. They didn’t know what we’d be doing, what they would glean from our meeting or who the other women attending were, but they trusted me enough to commit nonetheless. We’ve laughed and cried. We’ve revealed deep dark secrets and exposed vulnerabilities that might be hard to discuss with family and close friends and, in their company, I feel better.

I feel better surrounded by positive people.

I feel better when I let my guard down and share with people what I need.

I feel better when I hear other people struggle with similar things as me.

I feel better when I see the people I think “Have everything together” are just as flawed as I am.

I feel better when people see things in me….good things….that I don’t see in myself.

I feel better when I’m doing this “life” thing with a team of women who get me.

There are several women on our trip who said this is their first “girls weekend” and it struck me. I thought everyone has (or has had) this experience. How lucky have I been to have done this with different groups of women in my life? I know these women have tons of friends…so why, in our 50’s, is this their first time? And why did it take me so long to pull this together?

Maybe we’re all just waiting for someone else to propose a get together? Maybe we think our friends wouldn’t show up? Maybe the idea of putting together a weekend to help reset, rejuvenate and inspire our friends is daunting because we’re sure we, ourselves, are a mess. Either way, I decided a few months ago to invite them…and within minutes they all confirmed. As we sit around discussing different topics, each of us owns either conquering the issue or being a victim of it. The beauty in it is the honest, raw and encouraging words that fly around the room as we each unload our fears and challenges.

We have a few more days together and I look forward to seeing what we make of it. I love watching these women meet, learn from each other and discover what I love about each of them. We are strong. We are creative. We are broken….And at times we question everything. Leaning into each other only makes us stronger and I’m blessed to be around every one of these nut jobs.

If you’re feeling like you could use a dose of girl power….reach out and plan a get together. You don’t have to be perfect to help someone else that’s struggling. In fact, there is great power in getting to a better place…with flawed people.