I recently had a chance to be featured in the Boston Voyager “Trailblazer” series. The goal of their series is to shift media portrayals of women, which they feel have been too one-dimensional and to highlight and celebrate female role models and build community.
They’d gotten my name from Jackie Hempel, whose interview I loved for the way she encourages us to see the good and to “find lovely” amidst and perhaps even from life’s challenges. She has a beautiful perspective, and reading her story made me see her beautiful design work in a whole new light.
Now, here’s the thing. As kind as Jackie was to sneak them my name without telling me, I am not actually a Trailblazer. I’m more of a Trail-jogger. I slowly follow Trailblazers with a giant, surprised grin to find myself on the same path. (Maybe that’s why they introduce me as “the inspiring” rather than “Trailblazer”.)
But I couldn’t turn down an opportunity to talk about the things that matter to me most, like the Wellesley Mothers Forum, Sustainable Wellesley, plant-based eating, and running and being comfortable being a novice athlete.
It was also rewarding to sit down and think about my life as a story. What is my story? What is my narrative? Who am I? When Jackie sent them my name, did they think they were going to hear from a novice athlete, or a blogger, or an environmentalist? Sitting down and tying it all together, I realize how many of my accomplishments I owe to that dark period in my life when I was home with postpartum depression trying to care for two children under the age of one and a half.
I had to change, and it led me on a journey that I’m mildly surprised sounds half-decent in that Trailblazer article. I’ve accomplished enough to fill a few paragraphs with things that would have intimidated me (ok, scared me senseless) if I’d seen them on a to-do list a decade ago.
I would encourage anyone to sit down and write their own story as though it were going to be published. Take those interview questions and write about yourself as though someone else thinks you’re a Trailblazer. Writing about yourself brings what you’re most proud of and what matters to you most into sharp perspective. It helps me think about what I want going forward and makes me feel a little better about not having a traditional career.
Thanks to Boston Voyager for featuring women’s stories. I’ve found the series inspirational, from Jackie’s beautiful focus on perspective to reading about vegan food truck owner Stephanie Kirkpatrick.
You can read about me in Boston Voyager here: http://bostonvoyager.com/interview/conversations-inspiring-kelly-caiazzo/
This was my favorite archived photo I pulled out for the article.
And below – making progress!
