For me, this is big. It’s huge.  It represents so many years of ideas, conversations and collaborations that have all fallen into one big possibility.

It’s called The Life Actually Podcast.  And it’s almost here.

Before I even had the idea for The Life Actually Company, I had The Life Actually Podcast.  It didn’t yet have a name or details or anything substantive, but it was there.  I knew I wanted to create a podcast that spoke to and supported women in all phases of their unique lives.

About two years ago I began mulling over what this podcast could look like.  How it could make women feel about their own stories.  How it could make me feel about my own.  I began working with a business coach, Winn Clark, and as we were brainstorming possible names it was Winn who said, what about Life Actually?

And that was it.  I needed no convincing.  This was my podcast!  But not just that, I began to realize that this could be my business.

I decided to focus on building and launching the business first.  I figured that after I established the mission of The Life Actually Company™, a podcast would easily follow.

That, at least, was the plan.

But you know what so often happens with plans.  Sometimes nothing seems to go accordingly.  And that is what happened for me.

We launched The Life Actually Company on July 10th, 2019, with a big party in New York City. What only a few people knew is that on the morning of that launch we found out my father-in-law had gone into hospital in England and his 14-month battle with cancer seemed to be coming to an end.

Somehow Marc and I made it through that night and the next day we were on an emergency flight to the UK to be with his family.  That business I had let out into the world less than 24 hours earlier?  It was set aside for a few weeks in order to support my husband and say goodbye to his father whom I loved dearly.

On the day of the funeral, I got word from back home in the States that my Dad’s own cancer diagnosis (which came just four weeks after my father-in-law’s) had turned terminal. He would begin treatments immediately but only to help preserve his quality of life for as long as possible.

I was terrified for what was to come next.  My dad was very sick and needed my support, and my business was very young and needed my entire focus.  I couldn’t give both at the same time.  So, I made a choice.  For me, family always wins.

I began going back and forth between New York City, where we lived at the time, and Minnesota, to be with my parents.  The entire business took a pause, and that included the podcast.  I hated having to do it, but I hated the idea of not making the most of what little time I had left with my dad even more.

We lost my dad on Christmas morning in 2019.  It was expected but still devastating and the last thing I was prepared to think about as 2020 began was my business.

But, with time, I was able to slowly begin focusing on work again.  I was going to launch a group coaching program first and the podcast would follow.  It was all set to happen by the end of March 2020.  Exactly one year ago.

And we all know what happened next.

The emergence of Covid-19 and what became a global pandemic combined with lockdowns, layoffs, shutdowns and total uncertainty meant my coaching program was put on hold.  And with it, the podcast.

After a few months, as it became clear that the pandemic wasn’t going away anytime soon, I figured I could at least focus on the podcast.  After all, everyone was stuck at home anyway and all of my recordings would be done virtually.  It made perfect sense to begin at that time and I set a tentative launch for May.

Then we had our first failed round of IVF followed by a move across the country to California, followed by two more failed rounds of IVF.  And suddenly I couldn’t focus on anything but just getting through.

The loss and grief were all too much at times and I knew I needed to give myself a break to process and deal with everything that was going on, including the lingering grief of losing my father and father-in-law.  So, once again, the podcast (and this time the five recordings I had already done) was put on hold.

But 2021 was a new year and I was determined to give myself permission to work again.  We launched Group Coaching, Actually and began our first-ever program on February 1st with an incredible group of women.  I feel good about what we’re creating.  And I knew I was ready for more.

So, now it’s finally time for The Life Actually Podcast.

This should have happened two years ago.  But as so many of us have realized, there are lots of shoulds in life that just aren’t meant to be.  And they don’t need to be used as a comparison to the life we are actually living.

The path to the launch of The Life Actually Podcast has been long and winding.  Just like most paths in life.  And that journey has only added to my own story.  And that story is the basis of this podcast.

The Life Actually Podcast is a means for women to connect with other women.  It’s about telling our unique stories and speaking our authentic truths.  It’s about setting aside traditional norms and redefining what it means to be a happy and successful woman right now.

Our stories aren’t supposed to be easy.  They’re honest and raw and real.  And that makes them inspiring.  Because when we give ourselves permission to tell our story we help other women to do the same.

And when we share our own stories, we help to shine a spotlight on each other.

There is no one way to live a life.  There is no one path we are all supposed to take.  And when we begin to hear other women’s unique stories it helps us feel a little better about our own.  A little more accepting.  A little more loving.

In less than one week these stories will begin to be released out into the world!  The Life Actually Podcast launches on March 16th, 2021, with seven episodes.  After that we’ll have a new episode each week.

This podcast is a labor of love.  It’s a labor of truth and honesty.  It’s a labor of real life.

Life as it actually happens. Which is what makes this all so big.