This week has brought me to my knees.
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Working until 2AM most nights, back up at 6AM because your kids have to be at school early for tournaments, no gym in sight, eating cold leftovers from a child’s plate standing up while essentially baby wearing my laptop.
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Questioning a few life decisions along the way.
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My husband and co-founder have become my captive audience for everything that pops into my brain. Bless them.🙄

But as I said to my friends on Monday (I snuck out to my friend Chloe’s bday dinner for a few hours)

Ladies…toppling the status quo isn’t going to topple itself. ​
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I have never been more focused on what this chapter is asking of me. It’s a lot.

But I feel called and there is no turning back.

Not to sound dramatic (but please we’re always dramatic.)

On that ADHD note… something happened this week that I have to share.

I’m sure many of you have seen the viral video of Reese Witherspoon rallying up the female troops to “LFG on AI.” ​

And I had so many of you flag this to me… (thank you!)

but then Aliza sent me this:

And she triggered an old conversation I had.
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Last year or maybe even 2 years ago (what is even time), a good friend (who was then running social for Hello Sunshine (Reese’s company)) said, “Do you know who follows you on your Instagram and is obsessed with your stories?”
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Me: No?!
My friend: *Insert Executive at Hello Sunshine.
Me: WOW!! So cool!

It wasn’t like an entry point for anything. I filed it away.

It was just nice to hear that this woman liked my stories.

When I got Aliza’s message, that conversation came rushing back to me.

So I said “F it”. I then cold DM*ed her.

Ten minutes later (not joking). ​
I received this from her:

In that moment it dawned on me that your ideas are working even when you can’t see it.

Every story you tell, every opinion you put out, every time you show up, it’s accumulating somewhere.

It’s so important to keep putting your thoughts and creativity out in this world.
Full stop.

The rest takes care of itself.

I tell stories often (a little long winded sometimes as I know you know.. WORKING ON IT.)

***Some feedback I got from a potential investor this week.. “Patrice, we don’t need to know how you know the wife of the banker who is now in ocean conservation and connected you to the chief of staff who then led you to the team who in turn, etc… (you get the idea.)

What can I say, I’m a sucker for context.

I think it’s the basis for all that matters in this world because without it, it’s impossible to understand another human’s POV.

But I digress… ​
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Back to the DM.

So as of you reading this email…I will already have had my meeting (it’s for this afternoon Lisbon Time.) I will fill you in next week on it…

Now I have no doubt that this woman has probably received hundreds, possibly even thousands, of people reaching out and asking for her time after the Reese video.

And I am not delusional to think I’m special for warranting her time.

But you know what the REAL VIP star in all of this is?

A strong point of view.

Backed up by personal storytelling + an unorthodox take on an industry.
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That combo is indefensible…because it’s YOURS.
No one else can copy it.
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And if you’re sitting there thinking “okay but HOW do I actually find that point of view” -— one free strategy?

Come next month to Gemma’s AI Unlocked Summit (it’s free but you should 100% get the early bird pass to keep the trainings for life.)

I recorded a session on how we fight against falling into the statistical vanilla center with AI – and why fighting for your point of view right now is not optional, it’s necessary.

I’ll also be doing a fireside chat alongside a former Bloomberg colleague turned friend, Cris – who is now implementing AI systems in mom and pop shops all across America.
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She was an on-air prodigy at Bloomberg TV when we were in our 20s and now she’s innovating in the AI space as a mom of two young girls, the breadwinner in her family, and someone who keeps evolving no matter what.

We’re going to be talking about females building in the AI space.
Full circle doesn’t even begin to cover it.

I can’t stress this enough…if you need motivation to make big swings in your life, the fastest shortcut is surrounding yourself with people who inspire you and people who are a few steps ahead of you.

Join Gemma’s AI Unlocked Summit

OK.. need to wrap this up so I can fetal rock for the next few hours before my Hello Sunshine meeting.

Oh and one more thing (pinky swear).. this week deserves a special shout out.

It marks 10 years of me leaving the traditional work force.
And it marks 10 years of having my middle son.

If you’re interested in reading that story, I am linking a 2-year Instagram post here.

But the day he was born, it just so happened that the last piece that I would ever produce for the Today Show aired.

And we watched it from that hospital room on the Upper West Side.

His birth was, quite literally, the death of my career as I knew it.

And the beginning of everything else.

Ten years since I decided to bet on myself and never really looked back.
I could not have mapped this decade if I tried.

So many pivots. A few panic attacks (have had 2 since moving to Lisbon… FUN TIMES!)

Oh yeah…a move to Europe.

An AI company co-founded with another unbelievable woman — neither of us from a tech background..

But through ALL of it, it has always been rooted in the same three things:

-A passion for storytelling.
-Uplifting original points of view.
-And industries worth disrupting.

Ten years of showing up, saying the same thing *ad nauseum, taking risks (not all panned out)… that accumulation is how doors start to open.

And while I never got my daughter…

I got my middle son…who requested mocktails on a Lisbon rooftop…

boats…

and a shift + a table-side service table at his place of employment (the kiosk outside our house) in lieu of a big party.

And I wasn’t mad about any of it.

He’s been building alongside me for the past 10 years and I can’t wait to see how the next 10 shake out.
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Wish me luck today!

XO
Patrice