They are watching us . . .

Little eyes are watching you! Yes . . . YOU may be a leader {without even realizing it} . . . so, choose how you live carefully.

These are the women leaders I have had the privilege to learn from and admire:

Pat Hosford was my first high school coach. In addition to teaching PE, she coached other sports every season: field hockey, basketball, volleyball, track, and cheerleading. She was tough but fair and made sure each of us was in shape. Before she had tenure, she filed a non-compliance suit with Title IX against our school district and won. I was in awe of her bravery and in today’s terminology her grit.

Initially, I pursued a career as a Medical Record Administrator. It was a tremendous learning experience for me. My supervisors made sure of it: Mrs. Harding who founded the Harding Nursing Home. Mrs. Williams, the iconic Director of Nursing, and her assistants, Vicki Sabol and Mary Fanning. I was in awe of their work ethic and compassion.

I went back to school to get my Master’s in Education. As a first-year teacher in Sherburne-Earlville, a rural White community in upstate New York, I worked for Dr. Mary Cannie. She was an educational leader quite different from the traditional social profile, a Black woman from New York City. As a result of her leadership, we started outreach HIV education in the community and hosted spaghetti dinners in the cafeteria, featuring speakers from the Southern Tier Aids Program. I was in awe of her qualifications and courage.

Grit, work ethic, and courage.

In my most recent career as a personal trainer, it has been inspirational to me to see these qualities in the women I train. These qualities are part of our humanity, and crucial to our humanity is our health. Taking care of it enables us to be leaders for the young women watching us. We owe them that.

So, for every young woman out there . . . YOU are THEIR role model; you are their Mrs. Harding; you are their Mrs. Williams! So, take care of YOU . . . and those little eyes will learn that taking care of themselves is a priority.

Mrs. Harding