CN03: The Student Becomes the Teacher (and We Both Become Ourselves)

Nearly a decade ago, I was her first supervisor in her first professional job. She was bright, SO nervous, funny, and already sharper than she realized. I remember thinking this one is going to change things.

And she did.

We’ve stayed in orbit ever since, working in similar circles, pushing for (and against) many of the same things. Over time the dynamic shifted. She no longer needed guidance. She needed someone to see her clearly, to ask the right questions at the right time, to remind her that she already knew what to do.

That’s always been my mantra: what have you already tried? If the answer is “nothing,” we’re not ready for the conversation.

Because I don’t believe in endlessly pouring into people. I believe in prompting their courage. In helping them locate their own map.

Now she’s moving to New York, building her community, her chosen family, her own version of the life she’s always wanted. And I’m damn proud to be part of that family.

We’re both in seasons of rediscovery.

No long-term relationships.

New homes.

New jobs.

New ways of being in our own lives.

Mine is an era of quiet. I'm learning to find peace after twenty years of chaos. Hers is more expansive: gathering, connecting, claiming space.

We’re both finding freedom in different directions.

That’s the beauty of it! The work I started in her has become the work she now does for others, while I’m learning to finally do it for myself.

If the world is collapsing (and it sure feels like it is), at least we’re both still becoming more of who we were meant to be.