Power Pivot | COVID REFLECTION
SUBMITTED BY JOHNETTE RUFFNER-CEASAR
My first-time facing unemployment left me feeling inadequate, embarrassed, and confused. I did everything right. I was a good student, earned three degrees, and worked at several highly respected organizations. I could not understand how I (using my British accent), Dr. Johnette Ruffner-Ceaser, could be experiencing this type of rejection.
One fall morning, I was drawn to an old scenic bridge. Surprisingly, it was there that I began to get answers to my daunting situation. The answers were not neatly wrapped in a new job; they were nestled in messy tears and high-pitched screams that triggered months of new revelations about me and my power. My time on the bridge did not reveal all the answers, but it was enough to help me lick my wounds, change my perspective, and end the pity party.
Initially after the layoff, I felt alone on my journey. Fast forward to 2020: COVID hits, now we all (in some shape or form) are in this together. COVID-19 has disrupted our sense of security. It has not only pulled the comforter back, exposing our vulnerability, but it has also taken the sheets and the pillowcase off the bed, leaving us afraid, uncertain, unmotivated, and asking, “Now what?”
The pandemic has caused me to feel like we are living in the Twilight Zone, but it also makes me feel like we are on the set of the greatest makeover show ever. You know the components of most makeover shows: the backstory of the person getting the makeover; the reason they wanted a makeover; what a makeover would mean to them; what they’ll do once the makeover is complete; and finally the Great Reveal!
Like the people who get selected to be on these shows, I want to suggest that this is the season of your Great Reveal! This is your opportunity to be the person you always wanted to be, to erase the board, and reintroduce yourself to the world. The rules have changed!
I have learned that women are powerhouses. Like solar (sun), wind, geothermal energy, and hydropower (water), women are their own energy source. Our womb gives us the ability to give birth—not to children in all cases—but birth to dreams. We are creators! Therefore, we must reclaim our power! We must be honest about what we want and stop settling for crumbs. Take a leap by collaborating and giving life to your “silly” dreams. Finally, be open to unfamiliar opportunities. When we take off the limits and position ourselves for opportunity, the sky is the limit.
After my layoff, I reinvented myself by becoming an entrepreneur, but I also had to pivot to keep my business afloat. I collaborated with a LinkedIn expert to create my highest-grossing executive-level resume support package, the Career Stimulus Package. I completed Life Coaching credentials and co-founded Community Coaches with two of my life coach classmates. I created inspirational YouTube messages called Devotions for Weary Professionals. I formed a community conversation titled, Can We Talk? after the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. I partnered with an 18-year-old college freshman to promote the effort. Finally, my daughter and I conducted a Facebook Live reading of my children’s book, When the Bow Breaks.
I am not sharing my accomplishments to brag. I share them to demonstrate that I am not just talking about how to pivot powerfully; I live it and you can, too!
This is an excerpt from a longer piece by Dr. Ruffner-Ceaser, published in Quarantine Queens: The Stories of Forward-Thinking Women Entrepreneurs During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic.
