My Empowered Circle Keeps Getting Wider - Part 1

Decades, continents, and the women who never let go of my heart

Jul 01, 2026

A quick note before we begin: this essay is part of a two-part collaboration with The Wild Medeina. We both write for the same purpose—helping women feel empowered, seen, and supported—so we decided to explore sisterhood and empowerment together, each through our own lens. She’ll be sharing her perspective on her Substack, and next week we’ll close out the series with a live conversation between the two of us. Go check out her piece too—you won’t regret it.

When I was growing up, emotions showed up easily. I could never hold a poker face. I never questioned when they came. If I felt happy, the whole world knew it. When sadness invaded my heart, the world knew it too. I needed to air out my emotions by talking about them. Naturally, I went to my mother for support, but I couldn’t have predicted her reaction.

“I am your mother. Not your friend,” she proclaimed.

I am not so sure she measured the consequences of her statement. That moment changed our relationship forever. She drew a line in the sand that would never quite disappear.

Quickly I found solace in friends. Back then, I was clearly not equipped with discernment, and I trusted any young girl with my deepest feelings—sometimes at the expense of great hurt. Kids will be kids, and it wouldn’t be the last time.

Throughout my life, girlfriends have disappointed me. I can think of more than a handful who ripped my heart from my chest at 200 miles an hour. Fast forward four decades, and yours truly may have grown some discernment after all.

The flip side of that past is that today, I am an expert at great friendships and lucky to have them in a few parts of the world. Decades can roll by, but I know the solidity of these relationships. The friends who are more like sisters —or, as I refer to them now, sister friends. Many people say that you only need a few close friends you can trust. A small circle. But I am blessed to say I have many great sister friends. It’s not about popularity or quantity. The circle is wide and beautiful.

My childhood circle is smaller, and some of those ladies have seen my evolution, and I theirs. During the college years in Massachusetts, I made another handful. When I lived in North Carolina, I made one. Then I returned up north, and while networking for business, I made more. I have traveled with some of them. We have laughed, cried, gone through divorces, illness, children, pets, dating, marriages, career changes—some have retired. I am still working.

Then, seven years ago, I moved to Florida, and while the adaptation wasn’t as smooth—Covid hit shortly after my move— I have made some more great friends. All women. All incredible. An empowerment circle. It’s just a big one, and it feels incredible to be supported and to pay it forward.

It’s been in the spirit of paying it forward that I have always focused on working with women. I did that in all facets of my life, personal and professional, and I still want to do that again, as my business has pivoted toward coaching and providing tools to help women feel more empowered. The selfish reason for me is that I love the dopamine rush of someone recognizing their own light, aligning with themselves, becoming the best version of themselves, knowing their worth, treating themselves in a positive, self-care way… I am not afraid of that circle expanding, and it has expanded in ways I never imagined.

That girl who couldn’t hold a poker face, who needed her mother to receive what she couldn’t keep inside—she’s still in here somewhere. She just found other women to talk to. Better ones, in time. Ones who knew how to hold what I handed them with care instead of dismissal.

The circle kept growing because I kept showing up for it, and it kept showing up for me. That’s the part nobody tells you about empowerment—it’s rarely a solo act. It’s built in kitchens and on long phone calls and across decades and continents, one woman at a time, until one day you look around and realize you are surrounded.

I am surrounded. And I will never take that for granted.

P.S. If this essay resonated—if you’re craving a circle like the one I described, or healing that helps you build one—The Goddess Method is built around exactly that kind of sisterhood and self-discovery. Doors are opening soon. Join the waitlist for early access.

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