Started my day oversleeping and almost missing a date with former City Commission candidate Devin McClendon at The Perch where he taught me to Twitter. I called at 7:40 a.m. to tell him I'd hit the alarm for "five more minutes" that had turned into 90. He asked me: "Well, are you the kind of person who can throw on sweat pants and a hat and come out in public?"
What does he take me for? A Real Housewife of Brentwood who can't go out unless she's dressed to the nines and fully made up? Listen folks: There's a reason there isn't a photo on this blog yet.
Anyway, that's how and where my day started. So you can soon start following me on twitter at BrentWord.
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Next it was off to Cool Springs for the second of four "incubator" sessions through Ladies Who Launch, an amazing networking group for women entrepreneurs. I learned about LWL through Celeste Raines after joining the Brentwood Cool Springs Chamber of Commerce.
The incubator sounded like a great opportunity to help hone the business plan I'm working on with my friend and new business partner Kelly Gilfillan (www.outsidetheBrentwoodBubble.com).
The two-hour session was an incredible opportunity, learning more about a handful of women who are doing, and want to continue doing, amazing things. As an example, if you don't have plans at 6 p.m. Sunday, May 17th, mark your calendars for "Heart for the Arts." That's all I can share right now, but keep the date open. You'll be glad you did. I'll share details as soon as I know them.
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Next stop was an attorney's office to talk about how to structure our business. Small world attorneys' offices, even outside the Brentwood Bubble in Belle Meade. Turns out the practice has a young, almost attorney Matt Johnson working with them who is a Lipscomb Elementary, Brentwood Middle and Brentwood High grad. Matt, who sits for the bar this summer, has also worked in the Brentwood Planning Department. Who knew? That young man obviously has a future, after his tutelage with the city.
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And then, treading on Kelly's blog territory a bit, I attended the fifth anniversary celebration for The Next Door (thenextdoor.org), an incredible nonprofit that has made me believe in miracles.
My sister-in-law, Linda Leathers, was one of several "Wild Praying Women" at First Baptist Nashville who a little over five years ago independently saw a building the church owned in downtown Nashville and said to herself, "God wants us to do something there." One woman mentioned her thoughts to another who said, "I've been thinking the same thing" who mentioned her thoughts to another and so it went.
From there, The Next Door was born.
In a nutshell, The Next Door helps restore women coming out of incarceration into whole, contributing members of society, often for the first time in their lives. The recidivism rate for Next Door graduates returning to prison is 15 percent. Nationally, that number is closer to 75 percent. The program was honored by the White House several times during the Bush Administration and held up as a national example of successful faith-based initiatives.
Andrea Conte, our state's First Lady, gave the welcoming remarks. Another Andrea, Andrea Overby of Brentwood, one of The Next Door's fiercest supporters and founding board members, introduced Conte.
The celebration at Lipscomb University's Allen Arena was amazing. And left me in awe.
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Finally got home at 8 p.m., just in time for Grey's Anatomy. Tissues, everyone?
What a day for a laid-off worker who calls Brentwood home.
I wouldn't have it any other way.
Peace.
Hmmmm. Anyone who needs to be taught how to twitter might consider turning in the internet license and go back to a learner's permit. (google and youtube are always ready to help should you encounter ANY problem.)
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