Women's Leadership Development

My goal to blog on a daily basis forces me to seek moments of beauty and significance in an otherwise very structured, routine day. Lately my life consists of blocks of times spent working, commuting, and home-bound evening activities. I don't want to say that my life is boring, but it sure isn't exciting in any particular way. Today was such a day. So I challenged myself to find something that made an impact on me today. And luckily, I found it.

My dear friend Ginny invited me to a free session of her Women's Leadership Development Program that she is starting in Des Moines. There I met an exhuberant 71-year old that just knocked my socks off. Barbara Lukavsky is a very successful business owner, consultant and speaker who has served on the board of directors of my company for more than two decades. She gave us some leadership tips and then told us about her remarkable life and read excerpts from her book, "The Road Home - Finding My Way" which is about her personal journey through life's extremes.

We all received a copy, and Barbara even signed it for me. Let's just say that within 6 months she lost her only son and her husband, went to South Africa where she took on a much younger lover and then got shot. And that's just her personal life. She also excelled professionally during a time women had two career options: to be nurses or school teachers. And what a presence! I was definitely blown away. Can't wait to read her amazing story.