A Letter From the Founder

Dear Woman,

Have you ever felt like you were drowning in all your responsibilities to the point that you forgot about yourself? If you have, then this letter is for you.

Being a mother, being a wife, being a sister, being a daughter, and any other role that women play is absolutely beautiful. However, at some point, somewhere along the way, something goes wrong.

Most women find themselves in these roles after being prepared for them from childhood. We are taught to be caring, nurturing, accommodating, selfless, and sacrificial; to give, to serve, to hold things together, and often, to put the needs of others before our own. These lessons can be valuable, but when they become the only definition of what it means to be a woman, something can get lost along the way, the woman herself.

A disconnect can begin to grow between who we were, who these roles have made us become, and who we still have the potential to be.

Becoming a wife, becoming a mother, being a sister, being a daughter, or being a caretaker must not at any time mean that one has to lose track of herself, become oblivious of herself, diminish her full potential, or fade into the background.

A woman can be a mother and still be aware of who she is. She can be a wife and still have her dreams. She can take care of others and still take care of herself. She can give and yet not give up herself.

And that is exactly what Beyond the Roles Initiative is all about.

Our conviction is that while the roles we play are a part of our life, they must not constitute the whole of our identity.

We see you.

We see the woman underneath the roles. We see the hurt, the struggles, the fears, the regrets, the tiredness, the hopes you may have set aside, and the questions you may fear to ask.

Beyond the Roles is a community of women who have been there before. Women who understand what it feels like to lose pieces of ourselves in the roles we carry and who are united by a common yearning to reclaim ourselves, to rediscover our identity, our worth, our potential, and all that we were created to be.

We may not be able to take away everything you are carrying, but we are here to make sure you do not have to carry it alone.

This invitation is extended to every woman who has ever felt misunderstood; to every woman who has been called weak because she admits to feeling tired; to every woman who has felt invisible or unheard; and to every woman who knows there is more within her and is ready to discover it. We invite you to find your place in this community.

You do not have to lose yourself in your roles.

You do not have to choose between being there for others and discovering who you are meant to be. There is room for you, too.

There is more to you than your roles. She is still here. And she is worth discovering.

Welcome to the Beyond the Roles Initiative.