BOLD Your Brave with Natalie Benamou

Have you had a big hurdle in your life, and needed to Bold Your Brave to get through it?

Take a listen to my personal journey on HerCsuite™ Radio and feel inspired to keep moving forward. Here is a behind the scenes look at a monumental day.

November 15th was Entrepreneur Day. As many entrepreneurs can attest to, we sometimes find ourselves in unexpected places. On that day, I was at the hospital with my oldest daughter. After two years of searching we finally discovered the cause of her extreme pressure in her head. It turns out, she has too much spinal fluid in the brain. It’s a rare condition and disease. As scary as this sounds, we felt enormous relief to finally have a diagnosis.

Unexpected Challenges Lead to Opportunities

For any parent with a child that has complex health needs, you will understand how the road is lonely and the terrain has unexpected peaks and valleys. One valley included several doctors dismissing her and telling her to get over her health issues. That really did happen! The outcome from those conversations, was my becoming even more fierce and dedicated to finding out what was wrong and more importantly giving my daughter her life back.

Fly Through the Window

I always say when a door closes, windows open and it is up to us to fly through. On Entrepreneur Day, we flew through a window with my daughter’s healthcare and reached a peak in the journey. Three amazing doctors went above and beyond to care for her. The head of anesthesia, after an all-night surgery, came back in the afternoon (on his day off) to personally handleher case. His Anesthesia colleague came out straight from the procedure room to personally talk with me. The Radiologist, once he knew what she had, took measures to reduce the pressure because he knew how long she had suffered. The Nurses all made sure she was comfortable all along the way. We experienced Healthcare Heroes at their finest. My gratitude for them is beyond measure.

Servant Leadership

Circling back Entrepreneur Day and it’s significance – as an owner of a small women owned business, I have a responsibility to my customers. In between procedures and medical consultations, I was working on our DEI Cross Organization Council Program we were hosting the following day. I wanted to ensure all DEI leaders who would benefit from Wema Hoover, GPHR would have the chance to gain outside perspectives and a facilitated conversation with Cathy Skala.

Some might feel it was a little crazy to be working that day. To quote a colleague of mine years ago, he described me as “the hardest working person he knew.” I would change that to the most dedicated – whether caring for my two daughters and family, team, or clients. I care deeply and want to lift other women up on their journey.

Expressing Gratitude

Two years ago, without knowing it, the community I created would lift me up through the peaks and valleys. HerCsuite™ is the result of the people we surround ourselves with. I am blessed to have Advisors and members who engage, meet and thrive together and to receive their messages of encouragement.