When a friend first told me about the SheSays Boulder Scholarship (and recommended I apply for it), my initial reaction was absolute excitement…quickly followed by self doubt.

To tell you the truth, I almost didn’t apply as I kept hearing that gremlin voice “Why would they pick me? I am not… [fill in the blank].” But, thankfully, I am working hard to shift that inner dialogue from “I am not…” to, wait a minute,  “I AM …”! Visual me standing in my power pose, shouting “I am woman, hear me roar!”

The irony of this initial mental and emotional process of doubt is not lost on me. You see, recently I launched an initiative to promote and empower women around the world. As Founder of Women for Wildlife, I encourage women and girls to break down barriers and share their voice as I hold a deep belief that the solutions to our greatest wildlife challenges are found among the power and leadership of women. Women who are often underrepresented and operate without adequate recognition, training, promotion or funding.

Yet, in order to become the leader of a movement of this scale, I quickly realized that I was in a similar position to many of the women I so desperately want to support. Without the necessary skills or confidence to create a start-up that adequately captures strategy, media, business, technology, and branding, how was I ever going to rise to the top and become the voice for a global movement? No pressure, right?

As a SheSays Boulder Scholar, not only have I had the opportunity to break down doubt and  expand my skill-set, I have also had the fortune of experiencing what it feels like to have people believe in me and my cause. Beyond the SEO classes, Branding Workshops and In-Design training from the brilliant Boulder Digital Arts (BDA), the intrinsic value of this scholarship has been the increase in confidence and encouragement to lean-in and venture into new technical forums outside my comfort zone.

Each one of my instructors at BDA were incredibly open-hearted and genuinely wanted me to learn at my own pace, no judgements whatsoever. They were approachable, knowledgeable and beyond relatable. Everyone at BDA truly made learning a new skill a lot of fun! I went from feeling like a tech-novice to a tech-badass. Okay, I realize I may not yet be a wiz-kid and am only in the wading pool of growth on technical savviness, but between the team at SheSays Boulder and the instructors at BDA, I am empowered to keep learning, teaching and growing.

I believe that paying it forward is one of the most powerful ways to lift one another up.

And, in my experience, the sooner we drop our insecurities about what are (or are not) capable of accomplishing and we start to build that tribe who shines a light and lift us up, the sooner we will all start to follow our calling.

When I look around the room at SheSays Boulder events, I am beyond humbled by the visions, dreams, accomplishments and sheer magnitude of powerful women in this community. Becoming a Scholar and acquiring a whole new set of mentors who proudly share my story with inspiring change-makers is an experience I will truly cherish for many years to come.

Thank you to the entire team at SheSays Boulder and BDA for believing in me, and for holding my hand as I take the leap to empower many more women worldwide. Together, we are a force to be reckoned with, I am honored to be part of such a beautiful SheSays tribe.