I met Jeremy on January 30, 2002 and, on that very day, he told me he wanted to be an astronaut. I thought he was crazy but, knowing how hard I had worked to fulfill my dreams, I let myself imagine that another person on this earth could do the same with theirs. That made us an instant match to lift, amplify and help each other succeed. We were married in April 2003. In 2009 the Canadian Space Agency put out its first call for astronauts in almost 18 years. We had been married six, had three babies, and I was a solo ob/gyn with 24/7 hospital call coverage - that means I was on the end of a pager every minute of every day for the duration of our posting in Alberta; seven years. Adding this to Jeremy's crushing fighter squadron schedule made an application to the Agency seem impossible. But we sat down to discuss it and....we were quickly interrupted by children...so I don't remember what happened. But, what I know for sure is that when your life partner has a dream, it becomes your dream. He applied, he won the "recruitment lottery" (his words) and he became a Canadian astronaut in May of 2009. He proceeded to move to Texas and I began the excruciating process of single-parenting and closing my medical practice. More on all that, and the lessons learned, another time. Fast forward to April 3, 2023 with the assignment to the Artemis II moon mission and we are living the culmination of 20 years of hard work, digging in and being there for each other. I can tell you, it wasn't easy. But I wouldn't trade a thing. With about 2 years remaining until "launch day", it's already been the ride of a lifetime! The past couple weeks have included events in Houston, New York, Ottawa, Montreal, Los Angeles and, at this moment, Jeremy is in London, UK with more travel on the itinerary next week. The dream was to fly in space but the reality is so much bigger. I'm noticing that all of the discussion and dialogue goes beyond, even, the historic coronation of King Charles III yesterday. I've become acutely aware that, to me, it feels like the world was ready for a unifying event and a positive, uplifting story. Jeremy and his Artemis II crew mates have inspired people of all backgrounds, beliefs, nations, ethnicities, races, religions, genders and generations. People seem to be yearning for connection to something bigger than themselves and a mission to the moon has a unifying energy that is stronger than anything that divides us. I'm so proud of Jeremy for always looking beyond his role on the rocket and taking every opportunity to bring people together on topics that are vital for global healing. It would be easy to talk about himself - how he trained or where he went to school or all the things that make him who he is - but, frankly, that's not what's important about this mission. Jeremy speaks from the heart on leadership, reconciliation, gender equity, climate change, global industry partnerships and the way our future generations can come together to make a real difference. I know his heart on these topics and you are seeing into his soul. You are hearing snippets of the same conversations we have with our morning marriage ritual. That remains our favourite part of the day. Collectively, humanity is SO ready for this lift-off to unite and inspire us in ways only a mission of this magnitude can. In the words of NASA, 'we are going'. And, even more importantly, we are going together. Because together is better.
As I continue to support and share the day-to-day of Jeremy's work, he continues to actively inform mine. Together, he and I developed the Empowered Women's Circle upon the realization that amplifying, lifting and supporting women to rise into their personal power and creating spaces for women to fully realize their leadership potential is one of the most important transformational shifts the world can make. If you want to read more, I've been inspired to share a few new blogs over the past couple weeks and you can find them here:
1. Take your headphones off 2. Midlife gives you permission 3. Hormone hell and midlife magic This upcoming spring/summer season of the Empowered Women's Circle will be a chance to grab a drink, sit in your favourite lounging chair, engage in vital and stimulating conversations, and learn more about your body, brain and brilliance (and share personal details of "my" mission alongside Jeremy).
Why does it matter? Because together we embolden our sisterhood to live unleashed - And that's when the world will notice!
Midlife: The Meaning, Madness & Magic
"Authentic, Aligned and Unapologetic" Registration is still open!!