Upon graduating college, I was hired at the New York Stock
Exchange where I worked for over three years. It was a riveting, fast-paced
journey but ultimately one I didn’t feel passionate about. I had always longed
for a career in retail marketing, but quickly realized that a pivot from the
financial world wasn’t going to be easy. I interviewed with many renowned fashion
brands, but continually received feedback that my experience on Wall Street
just wouldn’t apply.
Determined not to give up, I found that the lessons learned
from my childhood horseback riding teacher would give me the confidence needed
to persevere. For much of my youth, I competitively rode horses, and my coach
Ruth had profound influence on me. She was, and still is, a remarkable woman of
true grit and gumption, and nearly a second mother to me. Ruth embodies a woman
with the utmost loyalty to herself, her beliefs and her dreams. The multiple
times I was thrown off a horse, Ruth gave me the courage and determination to
get back on right again – a metaphor that has extended into my adulthood many,
many times.
When faced with the initial rejection by the fashion
industry, it was the tenacity that Ruth imparted on me that kept me going. As
the old saying goes, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” I ultimately pursued
my MBA in marketing to better position myself, after which I was hired by my
dream retail brand and had a decade-long career with. When my daughter was born
in 2016, I immediately knew I wanted a more flexible career that allowed me to
be with her each day. Again, the self-belief that Ruth showed me gave me the
fortitude to create this new lifestyle for myself, at which point I found The
Second Shift. Today, working with Jenny, Gina and the other women of The Second
Shift, I am surrounded by the same moxie that I so admire in Ruth, and am proud
to instill this strength in my daughter as she grows.