Vulnerability is contagious in the right environment!

It started with a simple idea.

What if we could create a group, a community, a sisterhood of women over 40 who want to create a better life for themselves.  A life free of worry and self-doubt, a life worth living, a life to get excited about.  What if we put our own self-doubts and fears aside and just try? 

Two weeks later, we have 26 women join our group (and 3 men whom we have had to respectfully decline). 

From the outside, they seem so “normal”. They smile and nervously engage in small talk but you soon realize that it’s all an act. They’ve carefully applied a mask. A mask that they’ve worn for so long that they don’t even know that they’re wearing it. 

The thing is they’re much more alike than they think.

Painful past events have forced them to build a shield between themselves and the world. These shields come in many sizes but given the right situation a crack appears that offers a glimpse into their souls. It reveals anxieties, fears, sadness, self-loathing and lost hope. Hope that things could be different, that things could be better, and the hope that its not too late for them. 

These women represent humanity. 

Yesterday, they were strangers. Today they have bared their souls. They have shared secrets they had carefully hidden for years. This small group of women are now connected by a thread of hope, by a deep seeded need to feel connected, to feel understood, to feel heard without the fear of judgement. 

Vulnerability is contagious in the right environment.

It seems vulnerability is contagious under the right circumstances. 

This was the first time we have met but I already feel honoured to be a part of this group, this community, this sisterhood. We hope to create a safe space for everyone. A place where they can continue to share their stories, their hopes, and their dreams and feel supported, accepted, and loved while doing so.

At the end of the day we all want to be heard.

We all want to be seen, to be told that we’re not alone in our fears. Anxiety can be frightening and isolating but when others share their stories it can give you a sense of belonging, a sense that you might not be alone after all. We want these women to know that they can create a better life, a more fulfilling life, a life where they will be lifted up and not dragged down with despair. 

These women come from all walks of life. They come together as strangers and hopefully will leave as friends. Friends who are bound together for the common goal of creating a life free of anxiety, fear, and self doubt. 

Will everyone be an active member of the group? 

Probably not, and that’s ok because we know that sometimes it’s enough just to feel part of something. Anxiety and fear will always prevent someone from showing up but we hope, with a little encouragement and support, it will get easier to walk through that door. 

This group could be something great, we could play a small part in changing someone’s life for the better or it could fizzle out slowly and eventually cease to exist. The point is that we have to try because trying is all we can do and its far better than wishing we’d tried. . .right? 

Alicya Perreault

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