Too Big to Fail

• Occupation: Global Director, Trident
• Age: 39
• Place of Birth: Cleveland, Ohio
• Lives in: New York, New York
• Family status: Single

When I joined the Synergy family in July 2015 I had just returned from an expatriate assignment in Asia and accepted a great job back in the NYC metro area.

From the outside in I was living the dream. I was traveling the world, and moving up the corporate ladder. I had lived most of my life getting a high from checking off goals, blowing away to-do lists, pushing myself to take risks, and calculating my next two moves.  Somewhere along the way when I started to prioritize 16 hour work days I lost connections with friends, real personal joy, and happiness.  I felt lonely and isolated because no one could understand that with all of the wonderful blessings that were coming my way how I could feel unfulfilled.  A friend of mine, who was a Synergy graduate, came to visit me and although we were in one of the most beautiful places on earth she said “have you ever stopped to enjoy it?”  She noticed a lightness about me was missing. I realized a shift had happened and I was connected to “achieving” rather “feeling”.

For me the Synergy program was the first time I spent dedicated time committed to refocusing and reconnecting to the things that truly brought me sustainable joy versus those temporary highs.  I was still, I was present and I was finally listening to the desires of my heart.

No longer driven by anyone’s expectations, through Synergy I was able to delve deep and truly answer and redefine what legacy am I leaving behind.  Through the process those things that were once on my many “lists” and driving my decisions weren’t even in the conversation.

I am now more focused on building connections with the people and passions that I care about –trust me because those things had been so buried it was a process to unearth what really mattered.

My personal vision is now for people to enter my space/energy and leave feeling better than they did beforehand. I am taking time to truly engage, connect and accept everyone who enters my space. This is time that I thought I didn’t have but now it feeds me daily. I am committed to investing my talents, time and experience into my community which now means “living” in my community and not just existing.  Lastly, I view my job as a reflection of my values, passions and the time commitment is commensurate with “what I do” versus “who I am”.

My final takeaway from the program is, I am Too Big to Fail. My joy, peace and happiness deserved to WIN and are now 1st on the list!