Someone to Watch Over Me

Behind every successful woman is a group of other successful women who decided at some point to take care of her. I am fortunate to have several, from all walks of life, in all sorts of business. There is one woman in particular who has gone above and beyond for me, who I am grateful to forever.

Neen James is a tiny Australian with a big personality and a bigger heart. She is amazingly successful in her own business, traveling the world as an accomplished speaker and working with women business owners in her wildly successful mentoring program. Her speciality is productivity, something we could all use a little more of.

I first met Neen when she was hosting a networking event in Philadelphia and I was about 5 months pregnant with my daughter Maddie. My business was in it's infancy, I didn't have a single client, my website was still under construction, and I had never before attended a networking event. I had no idea what I was doing, I just knew it had to work. At the time Neen was running the networking organization in the city in addition to her speaking career. She made me feel so welcomed and at ease, I came back. She taught me my first big lesson in networking - stay top of mind, no one knows who you are if you stay in your house all the time. It was the first of countless, invaluable lessons.

Often times friends and colleagues ask me "How do you do it all with the kids and the business?" By which I answer, I have a mentor who I can not live without. Neen is my sounding board, my voice for reason, and my accountability. She tells me when I need to put my big girls shoes on and when I need to get over myself. She is the little voice in my head asking me why shouldn't I be ridiculously successful. Every business woman should have a mentor and for every mom balancing family life and career it's a must.

I believe it is my privilege to own my business. My clients are truly delightful and my team is an extension of my family, but for all of the joy I get in ownership it can also be painfully lonely. When there is no one above you, where do you go for support and guidance? When times are tough and you don't know what your next move should be, who do you talk to? More so, when your decisions not only effect your business but also your family life, who do you talk to for some clarity? It's only too easy to make a business decision based your family's needs, but that is not always the best decision for the business, and without the business, how do you support the family?

Neen has become an integral part of my life and a large part of my success. I often think about how interesting the universe is. Neen had to travel half way around the world, and I had to gain enough nerve to walk into a strange event, pregnant and terrified, in order to meet, but it was one of the luckiest moments of my life. Beyond all the practical and brilliant business advice Neen has given me over the years, it is who is as a women that inspires me the most. Women should take care of other women, when we do, amazing things happen.