Me + Sophia Amoruso + Entrepreneur Magazine

Me + Sophia Amoruso? I never imagined my name would be mentioned in the same sentence as the original Girlboss, let alone get a half page feature in a story about her. Ahhhhh!! Yet that is exactly what happened. I was over the moon when I was contacted by Entrepreneur Magazine to share my story of going to the very first Girlboss Rally in L.A, right after my cancer diagnosis. But now that the issue is officially on the stands it is amazing to see my name written next to Sophia’s, someone I have followed and admired for so long. This is just a testament to the roller coster of life, how one moment you can think the world is crumbling down around you and the next you are flying on cloud nine. That has literally been my life!

I hadn’t been diagnosed, when I purchased my ticket and recruited my girls to come with me to the rally. I was just living my life, taking a break from the entrepreneurial grind and 3 months into a 9-5 (isn’t it funny that getting a 9-5 is actually a break for an entrepreneur?) I didn’t know 100% what I wanted to do, but I was clear I was tired of living vicariously through other peoples social media feeds. I wanted to go to that rally! So I took the leap, booked a plan ticket to L.A. (where I have never been) and was super excited having been such a fan of hers for so long.

But when I got the news that I tested positive for triple positive breast cancer, everything changed. Besides the fact I was in shock, I didn’t even know if it made sense to go now . . . I was super scared. How could I go to this event with all these powerful women with this big question mark about my future hanging over my head.

How would I even introduce myself, “Hi, my name is Monique, I am not an entrepreneur, well I use to be, but I am not sure what I want to do now, I was excited to start a new business, I want to coach other women in business, but I just got cancer, and they tell me I have to start treatment and shouldn’t really be here, so now I am f*cked!”

See what I mean?

But then I thought, “What if this is the last fun thing I do?”

Getting diagnosed taught me that there is no time to waste! So with the event ticket in hand, and entourage in tow, we high tailed it to L.A. And I am so happy I did. I had no idea that the wise advice of cancer warrior Samantha Paige, I received from the girlboss stage, would empowered me to face my journey head on! I left invigorated and ready for war. And the next 10 months were indeed just that. I started my blog Surprise it’s Cancer, days after I returned from the rally, and who knew it would be discovered by the writers at Entrepreneur magazine. CRAZY right?!

Thank-you to my coach, Audrey for encouraging me to do that. I love you. The blog allowed me to pour out all of my feelings across the internet. I stopped caring what people thought. I was so shocked by the things I was reading and discovering about cancer that I had to share it. The more women who reached out to me, the more I felt less alone and I was certain that I had to continue to share. I had no idea it would help so many other women and myself in the process.

1 year cancer free and the blessings just continue!

Thank-you Sophia for being a beacon of perseverance and a true Bounce Back Boss! 

Pick up your copy of Entrepreneur Magazine while there are still on the stands.

Read Blog post about my experience at the first rally here.

I SHOULD HAVE WASHED MY VEGGIES?

I know it has been a long time since I posted. I have been building a business and jet setting, trying to make up for lost time. BUT I’m baaaaaack!

It’s weird to read my blog. LOL! Not for you, (at least I hope not), but for me. I am going back and reading things I wrote while going through my journey and it is so surreal. First, I think, I am a pretty good writer, who knew?! Then I think, wow, did this really happen to me? I know it sounds dumb, but I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I had cancer at all. It’s not like I forgot everything that has happened this last year, or that am not still dealing with the aftermath of it, because I am. It’s so baffling to me, how sure I was that, that as long as I took care of myself, that that would never be me. And it was. I really thought I did everything, “right.”

I was lying in bed last night thinking, for sure it was the pesticides in my veggies, I mean I do eat a ton. I never wash them, (not to be gross or anything), but I want to be honest. P.S. rinsing them under the tap is not washing them. It had to be that right? Then I thought, “It has to be the stress, I put a lot of pressure on myself to be successful, 2 start-up companies, living that entrepreneurship life.” But then I think of the crazy hours other people I know work, I am not the only one. I wasn’t living on 15-hour days, caffeine and a dream, I took care of my body. Was it because I never had kids? Nope, I’ve met plenty of women with kids, some who even got cancer while pregnant. Was it the meat or dairy? I mean I gave that up about 5 years ago, but maybe it was too late? I was lying there racking my brain, listing all different types of scenarios, until I remembered . . . there is no cure. F! Is that supposed to comfort me? To some extent, I guess so. I mean, if there is no cure, then there is nothing I could have done, knowingly, to prevent it. I have to remind myself of this almost daily.

Today, all I can do is try and live as healthy as I know how (granted I was doing this before the, cancer), oh and I wash my veggies religiously, do you know what are in those pesticides?? It’s quite frightening! But really, we still don’t know, why some women get it over others. That is some scary- ass shit.