In a nod to International Women’s Day today, I wanted to shout out to some of the women in my family who’ve inspired my entrepreneurial journey.

My mom, my aunt, and their mother were all entrepreneurs…my mom – was a dance teacher and artist, my aunt – was a textile artist, and my grandma – was an optometrist.

My grandma, Margaret Schweizer was one of the first female optometrists in the Chicago-land area…and one of the first women in the US to fit her patients for contact lenses.

But, the way that she got onto that path was rough, to say the least.

Her first husband died suddenly two days before their first child, my aunt Georgia, was born. 

This tragedy put my grandmother into labor, and in her grief, found herself with a newfound responsibility to care for a child on her own. 

Her first husband was an optometrist, and eventually, she put herself through optometry school as a single mother in the 40’s, in a field completely dominated by men.

Her eldest sister would watch my aunt, and she’d take the train from Joliet to Chicago every day so that she could reopen his practice.

My grandma died when I was 16, and I never talked with her about her story, but learned it through my mom – who ran a successful dance studio, a number of retail shops, and now, a budding art business. 

Whether they (or I) knew it or not, these 3 strong women paved the way and carved the path for me to do the entrepreneurial work that I do in the world. 

Their stories are a part of my lineage, and entrepreneurship truly runs through my blood!

Consequently, I’ve been an entrepreneur my entire adult life – I taught dance independently and ran a dance company in my early to late 20’s, ran a 10 year massage therapy practice mid 20’s-30’s, and for the past 11 years I’ve been coaching women entrepreneurs in leveraging their time freedom, heightening their income and actualizing their dream lives and businesses.

Today, I celebrate all women-identified people, everywhere, across time.

But, I especially celebrate my foremothers, my ancestors, and those who’ve come before me…

I honor the rugged path that my grandmother had to pave – one that I know deep within my bones is WHY I do what I do. 

And, I thank them for launching me onto this creative, soul-filled path.

And, I’m curious, who are you honoring and celebrating today on International Women’s Day? Would love to hear!

Always with love,