Julie is a successful C-Level professional. She is happily married with three grown children. For the most part, she has always been an emotionally strong person. Julie lost both her parents, four years apart. For over fifty years, her parents had been an intricate part of her life. The inability to continue to share with them successes and things that are important still affects her deeply. Her role as a caregiver was emotional and continually changing.

“I became more retrospective and thought about how I wanted to be viewed.”

The experience profoundly affected her overall view of life and made her much more aware of the people in her life. Julie spoke about the quality time she had been able to spend with her father before he died. The change caused her to become more retrospective and think about how she wanted to be viewed. During difficult times, her awareness that others relied on her leadership helped her to maintain focus. Julie has always been very involved in her community. Her leadership roles have given her the opportunity to be supportive of others. She discovered that her desire to be a resource and mentor, especially for younger people, had become even stronger.

“I’ve had a wonderful life.”

Her relationship with change is complicated, some she has openly embraced with excitement. Others, she wished she could have found some way to put on hold.  Despite all the changes she commented several times, “I’ve had a wonderful life.” She reflected on how fortunate she was that she and her husband have had a very good life. Julie felt gratitude for many incredible memories. There were few, if any, “what ifs.” Nonetheless, Julie was ready to move on and experience the next chapter of her life.

Julie K. was interviewed for the ASPECTS OF CHANGE book and consented to share her experience. Many things have changed since the interview.