After reading both the article and responses, I am grateful for your willingness to be open. The reality, no matter where you sit, is that nothing in society or business can be predicated on an ideal situation. We teach our children about equality, read books about bias, and many of us continue to grow through our own work toward acceptance, inclusion and understanding our own unconscious bias. The reality is if you are a woman that has been in business for 20+ years, it would be naive and inaccurate to portray that you have not been subject to or experienced these types of scenarios. On the other side, we all use what we have (all with good intention of being authentic) to get the edge. It is business. It is personal. It all folds together into a big grey mess that we are all trying to navigate.

Perry, as always, I personally appreciate where you have been and the feelings that bubble to the surface as you move through life. The work it takes to move through that space can be overwhelming. As you and I have discussed, it can feel lonely and isolating. All we can do is keep moving and working. You have an incredible journey in front of you as a mother that is a whole new world of insecurity and peril, but the greatest amount of joy that any human being can experience is motherhood. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for being you.