She was smart, beautiful, and obviously has more than on the ball: she has built a thriving business in less than 5 years. I immediately liked her authenticity as we talked, and admired her applying her business savvy to a much needed compassionate service: helping families access the appropriate care for addictions and eating disorders.  When she threw down the gauntlet I had to consider that, perhaps, it was time to let go of fear and “practice what I preach”. What do I preach? “Start any new habit in such small, non-threatening bits of actions to overcome resistance and make it a routine, or just the way you do things”.  For example, if you want to start exercising, the first step might be just to walk around the block once a day.

In our conversation, I had shared that I had started the MomSource some years back as a preventative consultation service for expectant parents.  Through the process of launching the MomSource I had learned that there wasn’t enough awareness of perinatal anxiety and mood disorders and no safety net whatsoever. I explained that I had sidetracked from my original vision for the MomSource as a preventative service; volunteering much time to develop the Connecticut Alliance for Perinatal Health, soon to be PSI: CT, beginning free support groups such as Central CT New Parent Resources, and Blue Mamas, now ABC: Adjusting to Baby Challenges.

That’s when she did it. She said, with gentle, humorous confrontation: “Well, start volunteering for yourself: volunteer 30 minutes a day to blog!”  So she threw the gauntlet down, and today, I have picked it up and am accepting her challenge.  So my first blog in almost a year, is a small blog letting you know that there will be more: my initial goal is once a week (oh no, I’m actually putting that out there for you to see and therefore expect from me!), but I hope to be able to provide you with more valuable content over time as I get better with this new “habit”.