April

April was 36 years old when, for the first time in her life, she found herself in handcuffs in the back of a police car. As traumatic as that experience was, her DUI arrest allowed her to begin seeing her life through a different lens. Though she loved being a mother and was proud of her medical career, life just wasn’t working for her – she was exhausted and stressed. Rather than enjoying life, April was enduring life.

Using her arrest as a turning point, April enrolled in Blue Binder Project, determined not to let this opportunity pass her by. As scared as she was, April was determined to make the best of a tough situation. “I can’t change what happened. But everyone can grow. I want to dig into who I am and improve myself through this experience.”

As April progressed through Blue Binder Project, she gained new insight into how much of her life was working well. She was engaged to the man she loved. She had a smart, beautiful daughter and a career she enjoyed. April could also see where she was letting herself down. She did a great job taking care of others at home and at work, but she didn’t do near enough to take care of herself. The stress and exhaustion from caring for everyone else had built up over the past years and was affecting April’s happiness and success. She said, “I know I need to focus on myself. It’s just hard for me to say no. I’m realizing I can’t do my best if I say yes too much.”

After just a few weeks in the program, April was already doing things differently and, even better, feeling differently! She was asking for help as she needed it. She was delegating at work to feel less overloaded, which was even more important and she was given a well-earned promotion. She was communicating what she needed and wanted more clearly and directly than she ever had before. She felt great! April even noticed that as she did less, others around her did more and she found a better balance of helping and being helped. April noted, “I take more time for myself now. I’m practicing speaking my mind in a way that’s direct and positive at the same time. And these are all things I can teach my daughter.”