Usually, the theme of my content in October is women’s health. It is Breast Cancer Awareness Month as well as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, both incredibly important topics and both issues that have personally touched my life. Unfortunately, this year, due to the outbreak of war in Israel on October 7, I was simply unable to focus on anything else. And I don’t like to put anything out there that I haven’t given my full heart and soul to.

But breast cancer and pregnancy loss are not limited to October. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in September. My recent early miscarriage occurred in March. And the worst pogrom against Jews since the Holocaust happened in October. Tragedy and loss can strike any of us at any time. 

Of course, we cannot live our lives in the shadow of our mortality every minute of every day. That wouldn’t be a very productive or pleasant way to live. Normally, I am a huge advocate for living life as mindfully as possible, taking each day as it comes, and living in the present, moment to moment (easier said than done!) Without “healthy denial” of our mortality and of tragedy and loss we would be constantly stressed, overwhelmed by grief, and paralyzed in action.

That being said, when tragedy, or WTF Moments as I like to call them, strike, they present us with a huge opportunity for growth and transformation. We can carve out time and space to listen to what the WTF Moment has to teach us without completely losing ourselves in its shadow. 

Here are some examples of what I mean:

• When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was understandably terrified. But I also was finally able to clarify what I wanted out of my life and career and take steps to move towards my true purpose. I created a guided visualization based on this experience, and if you haven’t had the chance to listen to it yet and are looking for some clarity on purpose, I highly recommend you give it a whirl!

• My breast cancer battle taught me a lot about resilience. A huge part of that for me has been creating meaning out of the suffering I experienced. This led me to found a non-profit called Thrivacious while living in Israel to support other women touched by cancer and to share my experience openly and broadly with a wide audience in the hopes that it might save a life, offer support, and provide hope. Most recently I had the honor of sharing my breast cancer story on the Today Show. It was awesome!

• Likewise, I have openly shared my infertility, pregnancy, and parenting journeys, in the hopes that the painful struggles I experienced in building my family might help someone else to build theirs more quickly, or at least feel less alone.

• My own struggles have led me to become incredibly passionate about women’s health. I am now actively participating in a new advocacy effort to help women who have had cancer and who cannot breastfeed due to a medical reason obtain insurance coverage for formula. Losing my breasts and not being able to breastfeed has been difficult and I have grieved these losses, but I also have an opportunity to use my story to create social change that could make the world a better place.

• Finally, as I alluded to in the beginning of this email, the most recent WTF Moment that I have been experiencing is the outbreak of war in Israel and the horrific rise in antisemitism in the United States, including in my own community, as a result. I’ve been grieving, mourning, ruminating, and crying a lot recently. But I’ve also been holding my daughter extra tight, connecting meaningfully with others who are struggling at this time, and volunteering my time to try and make the world a better place. This week, I spent an entire day working on a letter to colleges and Universities in the U.S. detailing their legal obligation to protect Jewish students and faculty and to combat antisemitism. It was hard, it was emotional, and it reminded me why I don’t want to be a lawyer! But it was also fulfilling. 

The world is not always a bright and shiny place. It is up to us to bring forth that light, and one way we can do that is by harnessing the power of our own WTF Moments.