To All The Independent Women Out There...

While we usually try and feature a new artist each month, I was left with an opening in the schedule and decided to dedicate this month of celebrating independence to celebrating all the women out there who’ve had to stand on their own two feet and be independent at least some time in their life in order to create a better standard of living for themselves.

Now I know that Disney has gotten a bad rap over the years but they did more than make pretty faces and "too-high expectations" for what a girl/woman should look like... they taught us to not be afraid of being different and to have the courage to do things on our own for the sake of the greater good.

(From Left to Right: "Beauty & the Beast", "Pocahontas", "Mulan")

You know when you watch a movie (if you’re like me, it was nothing but Disney growing up then movies like Under the Tuscan Sun, Hidden Figures, and pretty much anything else with a strong female lead) and you see the main character go through something horrible but then they push through it and live a better life than they could have imagined because of it? That feeling of “Yes! I want to do that too!” as you’re still on the sugar high from the movie snacks you’ve eaten? You have an extra swagger in your step and excitement in your heart as you leave the theater, or get up from the couch, and you dream for the next little while of how you could live your life differently so that you could be like the main character of that movie.

I'm here to tell you that you totally could... because you already have.

(Diane Lane in "Under the Tuscan Sun")

Some of you have lived through a sudden death or divorce where you were left with nothing and had to start over.

(Juliette Binoche in "Chocolat")

Some of you have lived through leaving your boring but successful job and had to find a new one to build yourself back up in.

(Jennifer Lopez in "Enough")

Some of you have lived through tragedy and had to work like hell just to get up in the morning and then work even harder to be able to experience a life of joy without feeling shame or guilt.

(Janelle Monae, Taraji P. Henson, & Octavia Spencer in Hidden Figures)

Some of you have had to fight for your right for equality and keep fighting day after day just to prove yourself worthy.

Today, and every other day for that matter, I am here to tell you that you, my dear, are worth celebrating. I whole-heartedly applaud you for your strength and courage to stand up for yourself. If the world ever brings us together, I would love to get a drink with you and make a toast to being brave and making the hard choices while on your own to get to where you are today.

You ARE the strong, bad-ass woman from the movies, and you deserve an academy award.

(Angelina Jolie in "Salt")

But instead, as we begin the second half of 2022 and hold up our solo cup of summer, I, along with many of the women who are a part of our platform, raise it also in honor of ALL the women out there who have had to be independent and dared to create a more beautiful life for themselves. Whether it’s risking a career path to start your own business, risking upsetting someone by sharing your own opinion and standing up for something, or simply going to the movies on your own in order to broaden your horizons of solitude, we celebrate your character and beautiful, daring soul.

Cheers to you, friend, I’m so proud of you. You deserve every amazing part of your new life.

(And if you ever want to chat about it, feel free to reach out to me… for real.)