I was called to translate Joseph Campbell’s message, through me, into an accessible, easily digestible format so that women could understand the amazing and important applicability of this age-old archetype, myth, and story to their present lives. My calling was to assure women they are not alone. The journey they feel pulled to take is one that all brave heroines take to find their happiness. And what is happiness? It’s when your calling, your purpose is what you’re truly living. Campbell called it “following your bliss.”

It’s always easier to spot things when you look back. I had a great career before hearing this call to serve women on their journeys. As a mediator and facilitator, I have helped guide groups in conflict and plan the futures of boards and leadership teams with important missions. I worked with CEOs and college presidents developing a strategic plan and I’ve worked with union workers wanting to negotiate a better contract. When I look back, I see my twenty-five plus career as a mediator, organizational development expert and executive coach as something that more or less just happened. I had an affinity for helping people come together. It was recognized and I got to work in this exciting and challenging field.

But it wasn’t a call. It wasn’t like the call to teach women about the heroine’s journey. A call is uncomfortable. If you follow it, it takes you out of what you’re used to and asks you to play in an arena that’s new – that you know little about. A call is often accompanied by naysayers – in your head and for real – that say things like, who do you think you are? But if your call is strong (and you’re brave) then regardless of the naysayers (Threshold Guardians in journey lingo), you keep going. You can’t not respond!