This quote really hits me. We are all strong women because we all have a voice. Finding it can be the hard part. 

Finding my voice has not always come easily but the times my voice is loudest is when I am passionate, confident, informed, scared or sometimes all of the above.

Let's break it down: 

Passionate: when something is really important to me, I find a way to share it because I know if I don't, I am not giving it my all. Real life example- I am passionate about childcare and making sure families in Jackson have options. Using my voice, I proposed and passed a childcare facility for town employees and community members.  

Confident: think of a time you felt sure of your abilities and yourself, it's a lot easier to use your voice, right? I have learned that confidence comes with doing and practicing. 

Informed: it's a heck of a lot easier to speak up when I am informed of what I am speaking about. Sometimes the passion of a topic is enough, other times being educated is the ticket. 

Scared: have you ever felt the fear of not speaking up? I have and that's what prompted me to speak up and speak out. 

What prompts you to use your voice? Do these resonate? Sometimes one of these is enough, other times it's a combination. One thing I know for sure, is once you start using your voice, it gets easier each time.

P.S. Find Melinda's full speech where this quote came from here

Hi, I'm a scorpio, and we are known to be stubborn. So not always adaptable.

My experiences as a leader (and as a mom for that matter) have helped me and taught me what being adaptable in a changing situation can mean. It's important to stick to your non-negotiables but to also know that things come up and be ready to pivot to still make a difference whether that be in a vote or in getting your kid to eat dinner. 

US 2.0: Win Hearts, Then Minds

The host of Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam, was recently in Jackson for an on stage interview. Hosted by our local newspaper, library, and others, he was here to talk about his podcast and research of the human brain. Being a fangirl, I was super excited to attend and he did not disappoint. He shared about US 2.0, a series of episodes looking at how we interact with each other and what we can do heading into the 2024 election season. This second episode in the series (good to listen to the first, but not necessary to go in order), has some really great insights into how we often get so centered on our own view, that we completely fail to see the other perspective. When we recognize this, we can start to change the way we interact with others.