THE GIRL BEHIND THE PROJECT
Born in South Africa and raised in Namibia, I’ve found my home in the lovely mitten state of the US. I’m a wife, mom to two lovely loin-fruit, a graphic designer, hand lettered, speaker, author, life coach and mentor.
In short, I’m a seed planter and fire starter.
WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM?
Funnily enough, I was standing in a public restroom when the idea for the We ROAR Project was sparked.
Having just left my first young professional’s event, I was surprised by the sense of inadequacy and insecurity that gripped me. I had felt wildly out of place, not because of anything anyone had said or done, but because of a constant flow of negative chatter taking place internally.
While running an errand on the way back to my little studio, I popped into the loo and found myself standing quietly, staring at the wall above the antiquated hand-dryer. “I wonder how many deflated, discouraged women stand in this very same spot every single day?” I wondered.
I was suddenly struck by what a wasted space this was. This blank wall, along with the inside door of each stall, held a captive audience in this cold, sterile room populated by necessity. A steady flow of women, like myself, file through here daily, silently aching to know they’re precious. Noticed. Significant. Beautiful. Purpose-filled.
Why, these blank canvases could provide the perfect platform to connect hearts and inspire smiles.
What if I left a post-it note reminding another woman she’s beautiful? Reminding her that those hard-working hands she’s drying work wonders and touch lives she may never know about.
And what if I made a habit of leaving little notes like this on the inside doors of bathroom stalls, where women have no choice but to sit and stare? Could that simple act of ‘otherly affirmation’ turn someone’s day around?
Could a note on a mirror or a locker, speaking to our deeply-woven-in, non-negotiable beauty avert another’s intention to self-harm?
Might a note of encouragement under the windshield wiper of a van, with a simple flower, whisper the hope-laced reminder a weary mom needs to press through another day with toddlers underfoot?
And that was it.
It was in that simple hand-drying moment that a million sweet thoughts raced through my mind and took root in my heart. A pit stop that had started out gloomy and inward-focused, ended with an outward-focused excitement I couldn’t shake.
As my focus shifted off of myself and my own insecurity, the ideas kept bubbling. What if others joined me? What if I could equip them to join in by creating printable designs they could keep in their purses and distribute at random?
This is totally doable, I thought. Pretty little notes, stealthily distributed to exhausted moms, lonely teens, weary cashiers, reclusive neighbors, insecure professionals…reminding them who they truly are. That they’re lovely. Powerful. And a part of something larger and more alive that they’ll ever truly comprehend…a movement of women seeking to lift the chins and spirits of complete strangers who matter more than they know.
Other beautifully broken souls who simply need a truth bomb.
I rushed back to the studio and designed my heart out. Putting everything else on hold, I dreamed and worked, unable to shake the beauty of an insecure moment redeemed.
ROAR. Random. Otherly. Affirmation. Revolution. YES!
As I shared the idea with friends and family, their enthusiasm fueled the fire and my excitement blew through the roof. Within two days we had a website, an Instagram account, and a little store in the works. By the end of the first few months of ROARing, I’d shipped cards out all over the United States, to England and Australia. Within the first year, ROAR cards had shown up on 6 of the 7 continents.
Funny side-note: Two of my top strengths (I had discovered the week before by taking the StrengthsFinder assessment) are Positivity and Activator. Go figure.
The We Roar Project officially launched on March 26th, 2015, as a little dream with a big heart.
So ROAR, I shall. Want to join me?
