ANUNEXPECTED LEADERSHIPJOURNEY THE SCOVER TORY

By Dr.Crystal Whitmarsh

“How do you do it all?”

This is a question that as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, mentor, Doctor of Physical Therapy, small business owner, and entrepreneur; I get asked ALL. THE. TIME. When I was 9 years old, my parents divorced. I came home from school one day, and all of my father’s things were gone The entirety of my life leading up to that pivotal moment, my mother stayed home, providing meals from scratch, maintaining an immaculate home, and keeping us all alive

During her transition to a single parent, she began working two jobs, and still maintained all the above tasks She kept our family afloat and worked incredibly hard to provide for our needs So, you might say that my ability to manage everything is in my roots; a beautiful legacy passed down from my mother. Four years ago, as a mother of 2 boys under 2, I never imagined I would be juggling as many roles as I do today. At that time, we had just relocated to a new city for my “dream job”, which left my husband with over an hour commute each way to his current corporate job. I was left managing the kids' emotions as they transitioned to a new daycare, and navigating feelings of perpetual mom guilt, like I was never “enough”, and always racing the clock to arrive at work on time. In my new role, I began specializing in brain and spinal cord injury, helping patients re-learn how to walk, or encouraging them to overcome the obstacles in front of them At that time, I was running on fumes, getting less than 4 hours of sleep a night, surviving on grace, and a whole lot of coffee I didn’t know what the future held, but I knew there had to be more than an 8-5 job for us both, that led to exhaustion and disconnectedness

What started as a dream, slowly became a reality I am now co-owner of our small coffee roasting business I’ve taken on many titles; CEO, Director of Marketing, Community Outreach Coordinator, Barista, and more. This business provided an opportunity to stretch our abilities and connect with communities across the globe. A purpose much greater than a paycheck, and one that could be passed on to our children through learned experiences.

When viewed from a distance, one might think that I have some sort of multi-tasking superpower. But the truth is, I live my life completely out of balance. There are many tasks that get rescheduled, passed on to my husband, or let go of altogether. At any given time if you show up to my house, you’ll find a laundry basket full of clean clothes sitting out, an inch of dust on all surfaces, Legos scattered about, and dishes in the sink And that’s okay Life is made of values and priorities Each moment, there is something that requires more intentionality, presence, and commitment For example, first thing in the morning I focus on Jesus, journaling, and exercise When I’m at the hospital, my patients are my priority When I get home, I am present with my family; and everything else, like the business, is woven into open spaces

1. Faith

2. Family 3. Connection

When life gets interrupted, the unexpected happens, a child is sick, I forgot about a meeting, or I just plain run out of time; I hit the pause button. Take a deep breath. Pray. And ground me in these values. If whatever is pressing at that moment aligns accordingly, then it deserves a place at the table. Everything else…like cleaning, dishes, and laundry is a ball that I’m okay with dropping and letting bounce for a while 2 years ago, God placed leadership on my heart Since then, I have hustled to grow my leadership skills Just in the past month, I have applied, interviewed, and been overlooked for 3 different leadership positions Having worked incredibly hard doing “all the things” to make it in this corporate world, my heart was crushed to hear yet again, “Great interview, wouldn’t change a thing, but we chose the other candidate ”Enter G I V A To be completely honest, when I was nominated, I was doubted I belonged in any leadership circle, questioned who I was, and what I was meant to do. I didn’t believe I belonged in this group of prestigious, amazing women. But what I also knew…was that it was exactly where I desired to belong. The only way to get there was to surround me with such greatness. So, I took the leap. I committed the time, energy, and passion, and it was worth it.

The G.I.V.A. process required me to dig deep into my vulnerable heart, to acknowledge the past that has driven me, the present that grounds me, and the future that motivates me G I V A is so much greater than the corporate world It is everything God has created me to be It isn’t limited to my tiny bubble in Minnesota but provides the opportunity to encourage women across the globe The honor of these awards has helped me to see why God had closed those corporate leadership doors He had something so much greater and impactful in store for me and He’s not done yet I’ve learned that leadership isn’t about a destination, job title, or salary Leadership is about embracing the journey it takes to get there and the willingness to grow from each challenge and obstacle It requires adapting to change and having the agility to be ready to step in at any moment.

My hope for you in reading this is that if you are feeling overwhelmed or overlooked; you might realize that you are worthy, you deserve a seat at this table, and you don’t have to do it all: prioritize, delegate when possible, and let the rest bounce.