BONDE’s Let Us In Speaker Series

I was honored to spend time this morning with BONDE, a private membership network for mid-career women, as part of their guest speaker series "Let Us In".

During my conversation with co-founder Meg Gold, we had an honest discussion about what makes us human — vulnerabilities, self doubt, discomfort, anger, self sabotage — and how to use those friction points as fuel to propel us forward.

These are the points I make in my best-selling memoir “I Can, I Will & I Did” as I reflect on my learnings as an outsider in three separate worlds:
-the one I was borne into but didn’t fit in
-the one I yearned to be a part of
-the one that accepted me but tried to make me small

We also touched on life pivots, whether intentional or not, and how we can face them with self belief and conviction in ourselves as our guiding star. This is certainly my case nearly three years after suddenly losing my husband and the identity it took me a lifetime to create. From that forced pivot, come "Don't Call Me Widow" and "After Life with Samina Bari" that allow me to help others help those they love when they are grieving this loss.

The thread that runs through all of this:
We can be any and all of the things we want if we believe in ourselves, cultivate and nurture meaningful relationships and community, and be intentional in our focus.

For me, being part of these unfiltered dialogues in women-focused communities is how I choose to be intentional.

Thank you Meg and Parnian Emami for this opportunity to speak with your members, and for the beautiful community of women you are gathering.