“Boss Lady”

Dear younger me,

You are 25 years old and are working your ass off in New York City.

You only allow yourself to leave the office after your boss has left. You eat lunch at your desk. You get a head start for the work week on Sunday afternoon. And your best kept secret is that you love every second of it. You are building the most important thing in your life: your career.

But, at age thirty a violent, physical illness begins to strike you every month or so. Your doctors can't diagnose it, but you notice something interesting: it always strikes right before a big presentation or photo shoot. Your stress is literally making you physically ill.

They say you never leave New York, that you instead have to quit New York. You do.

You move to LA with your beautiful husband. You become a mother. And, you decide to redefine what it means to be a "boss lady" in the workplace. Miraculously, the physical attacks subside and you feel healthy, strong and balanced. Managing stress will become a major part of your life. Your body's reminder to slow down.

Younger me, don't be so hard on yourself. It's possible to have it all (and you will) when you figure out that career isn't everything.

xo