Several years ago, I walked into The Wine Bar on Palafox and joined Lisa Lyter at a table for two. Lisa and I were introduced by a mutual friend, insistent that we were cut from a similar cloth and would likely work well together.
Lisa had a reputation for helping small businesses identify their mission and develop a blueprint for forward movement. As an individual, I needed both. What neither she, nor I, knew at that moment was that I was a mess. I tried to play it off the extent of it, but I was deep in the throes of a painful rediscovery. I was heartbroken, exhausted, desperate, and somewhat lost.
My marriage imploded two years prior and I was wrangling three children by myself. We were all deeply affected by divorce, critical illnesses, moves, a pandemic, and general disappointment with life. I was exhaustively trying to patch deflating liferafts in the middle of a stormy, raging sea.
I needed to sell the house, move our life, get a new car, get therapy, cancel a number of things, and get a job. Once a fiercely independent, self-reliant woman, I became the neediest person I knew. I had very little to offer friends and family and hoped that my season of taking didn’t redefine my giving heart.
I was college-educated, but my degree was somewhat antiquated. The advertising of the 2010s looked nothing like the 90s. While former colleagues were advancing their careers, I homeschooled and carlined and domesticated wild things. But ever the planner, I crafted a way forward.
After pondering dozens of scenarios, I decided law school was the quickest, most reliable return for the investment. I studied for the LSAT and almost fell over when my scores were posted and I discovered my dream was possible and the plan might work.
But…the personal wrecking ball of life hadn’t stopped swinging and crashed right through my plan to return to my home state, attend law school, and make a way for us all to move forward.
When everything is going wrong, do you ever think, “If I could just get this one thing to happen”? When nothing in your life is going right, you need the dam to break. You need an opening and an opportunity to pivot. Something to build on. You need the ability to crawl up out of the sea and get your footing on dry land.
My best friend would say, “When is the black cloud going to lift?” But it seemed intent on pouring as much rain as possible. As much as we want to believe we can control our success, it isn’t entirely true. We can control our work ethic, our attitude, and our follow-through, but often the thing we cannot control is the thing we need most: a chance.
I didn’t have time to grieve the lost opportunity at law school. I just had to pivot. I considered a master’s in counseling, but the cons outweighed the pros. I considered getting a professional certificate in digital marketing, but couldn’t justify $10,000 for content accessible through LinkedIn, Coursera, or YouTube.
The meeting with Lisa left me feeling exposed and vulnerable and it was exactly what I needed. I’d been in my head with my rediscovery and plans, but I needed it laid bare in front of others for examination and feedback – thereby helping me move plans into reality.
I knew I could do anything anyone hired me to do – if only I could get them to see it. I would work like a dog and could learn anything from scratch. But I also needed to keep healing and I needed to distill down my abilities and identify a solid plan. In other words, 1) where am I now?; 2) where do I want/need to be in 5/10/20 years?; and 3) what is the very specific plan for getting to your destination?
What I knew for certain was that I could write. It needed no new education. It needed no formal experience. But I did need a portfolio. The Pensacola Mom Collective announced it was looking for writers and I jumped at the chance. Jane Lauter and Jen Kinsella were launching the online resource and offered exposure in return for articles. I wrote from the heart and personal experience. It got me back in the groove of writing and prepared my reconnection with Lisa, a year after that first meeting. She offered me a spot writing for Local Pulse Pensacola, an online hub for good news only.
All I heard in that call was “Get paid to bring good news”, but what I finally felt was the dam breaking.
It did not happen overnight. It did not happen easily. It did not happen like I wanted it to or thought it would. There was no guarantee for anything. But it did give me a chance.
I’ve covered famous people, local celebrities, experienced the best banana pudding, and been a Mardi Gras VIP. I shared my thoughts of life in the South and heard live music front from the front rows. I loved you and you loved me back.
I cannot begin to express what that chance turned into, including a new career. I took every opportunity to learn, gain experience, and delved into teaching myself everything new in the world of digital marketing. But more importantly, it gave me space to heal and a new family of friends I might have never known. I have experienced this city and its people in new and wonderful ways, because of Local Pulse. Pensacola & Gulf Breeze have become the community I longed to have.
Y’all are good people, do you know that?
For all the people out there who feel like life is repetitively knocking you down, you are strong enough to endure. You can do this. It may look differently than you’d hoped, but it can get better. For the Mamas who paused careers to raise babies, someone out there believes you have value in the workplace – I know I certainly do. For any and all employers: I know that you have limited time and budgets, but do not overlook personality, character traits, and drive in exchange for checked boxes.
This is my last week with Local Pulse and with one last opportunity to share my thoughts here, I want to leave you with this one: when it comes to people, take a chance. In friendships, in relationships…and in hiring, take a chance.
I believe that Local Pulse Pensacola is just getting started. There is a great team of visionaries with the desire to see you, hear you, and love you through good news about your lives, businesses, and contributions to our community.
Thank you, Pensacola, for reading my columns and the Weekend Top 10! I may not show up on your feed week after week, but I’m still around and Local Pulse will always be family – online and in real life.
I have absolutely loved giving Good News to all of you Good People.
xo-Dana
