We were lucky to catch up with Lisa Hardwick recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Lisa, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
When my book was first published in late 2020, I spent a lot of time networking with a variety of long-time business owners and budding entrepreneurs. I wanted to get my name out there, and get my book out there, and I was willing to talk to whomever would listen.
Oftentimes I would find myself talking about postpartum depression and maternal mental health to a room full of insurance agents, attorneys, realtors, and other professionals who would otherwise not have given mental health a second thought during that type of a setting. Most of them would be there to give advice on sales techniques and company branding, whereas my presentations were all about presenting statistics on postpartum depression and raising awareness for a subject that most would consider taboo.
It was uncomfortable, and that’s not a bad thing. The faster you get used to being uncomfortable, the better.
I knew that if the listeners to my presentation were not moms themselves, they knew moms. I knew that if I could encourage one person to reach out to ask for help, or offer help, it was worth it. If one business owner started to prioritize their employees’ mental health because of the statistics I shared, that was worth it. I believed wholeheartedly that my message was, and is, important to the health and wellbeing of our community, and it was worth sharing to a room full of people who didn’t look like me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My professional journey began when I became a mom in 2018. I struggled with debilitating postpartum depression and anxiety, and, despite having a variety of resources and support available to me, I just barely survived. As part of my recovery, I participated in a support group where I learned about the prevalence of postpartum depression, anxiety, and other Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders.
At first I thought this was a “me” problem, that surely no other moms felt so lonely and lost in this role of motherhood.
Wrong.
In fact, millions of expectant and new mothers suffer worldwide each year, and I believe that when mom goes down, we all go down. I knew that if I could survive postpartum depression, I wanted to give a tangible resource to any mamas who came after me – to let them know that they are not alone, that hope is real, and that there is help available. I knew that my story could help to break the stigma surrounding maternal mental health. I wanted to lead the way for other moms to say, “I can’t do this alone. I need help.”
In 2020 my book, A Life Postpartum: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression, was published and has since been recommended by Postpartum Support International, the largest nonprofit that supports worldwide maternal mental health efforts.
I also began working as a public speaker and am passionate about speaking to new moms who need the encouragement to keep going, even when the days are long and the diapers are endless. It is my joy to remind them that they matter, they deserve help, and their work will be rewarded.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Take risks, again and again. If you want to truly stand out and make a difference, or do something no one else has done, you have to be willing to be vulnerable and to fail. Not everyone will like what you do. Not everyone will support you. You cannot win every time.
Keep going anyways.
2. Ask for help.
It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a village to get a business going. No one is good at everything, and as soon as you can learn to ask for help in your areas of weakness, you will begin to grow. It’s much sweeter to share success with a community than to try and hoard it for yourself.
3. Identify your values.
At the beginning of developing my business and writing my book I chose a few key values that I wanted to build everything upon. Once you identify your values, it’s much easier to make decisions on where to spend, money, time, and energy.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
At the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey I read Brene Brown’s “Dare To Lead,” which I believe has had a great impact on my outlook and perspective. Brene is a believer, as I am, in the power of vulnerability in leadership, and states “Our ability to be daring leaders will never be greater than our capacity for vulnerability.”
In addition to broader thinking in regards to leadership, there are also many practical and tangible suggestions and resources that Brene provides throughout the book that will help you to identify exactly what you want to do and how you want to act as a leader.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alifepostpartum.com
- Instagram: @alifepostpartum
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alifepostpartum
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alifepostpartum/
Image Credits
Tasha Pinelo Photography
