I always thought I was a step ahead of my peers in life. 

I graduated from Michigan State University on time with a B.S. in Kinesiology (with A LOT of student debt). At 22, I got my first full-time corporate job and moved to Chicago with my then-boyfriend/high school sweetheart. At 23, we got engaged, and by 25, we were married. 

At 26, we moved out of the city and purchased our first home together in the Chicago suburbs. 

Then, 27 proved to be the most challenging year. 

With the extra push and support of my husband, I took the leap to quit my secure corporate job and follow my former boss and mentor Andrea, in the startup of her business Prequal.  

This was the most significant risk and scariest thing I had done to date. To jump ship on a good salary and benefits into the unknowns of a startup was terrifying, but I knew it was an opportunity that many women don’t have, much less at my age.  

Adjusting to working for a startup and the very beginnings of our company's inception proved to be a challenge and a drastic change from the corporate world. 

And just when I started to feel more grounded with work, life had a different plan… 

My husband, life partner, and best friend died unexpectedly at 27-years-old, shattering life as I knew it. 

I then became a 27-year-old single homeowner, working at a startup without the financial security of my husband’s salary or benefits, and I had a new title, “widow.” First of my peers to be married and first to be widowed. A HUGE step back. 

In a moment, I lost the love of my life, my future, financial security, my whole identity, and so much more. This loss completely broke me, and shattered everything I knew to be true. 

The life I knew was now just a blur in my rearview, and I was left to pick up the pieces - by myself. And the emotional support of our dog, Taco. 

Grief and “Widow’s Brain” are real things. Life slowed down for a while as I gave myself space to process and heal from the new and heavy trauma I was carrying. Andrea promised me early on that my job was safe and that we’d figure it all out together, not to worry about work and focus on my needs. “You just need to survive today,” she would say. 

In the early days, surviving was all that I could do. I was relearning everything: how to make a meal for one, to sleep in our bed alone, to balance the many chores and life responsibilities on my own — then top it off with all the shitty death paperwork and adjustments to bill payments to keep it all afloat. Although I had the strong emotional support of my fierce family and close friends, it was very much mine to figure out. 

Work was the last thing on my mind, but I tried to get back to it before I was ready because that’s what I thought I should do. I didn’t know what else to do with my hands and racing brain. I knew that I needed to make money to cover what once was a dual-income-no-kids lifestyle.

I was beyond lost and confused and terrified of the future that was no longer so clear. I forgot my purpose, and my productivity was shit. So, I shifted again and stepped back for a bit longer as I continued to get a grip on my new life, and finding my new identity.

So, what does economic empowerment mean to me?

As I reflect on everything that has happened, I am more than thankful for my husband for helping get me to where I was in life. I don’t believe that I would have been able to buy a house or quit my job at such a young age if I was doing it alone.

I am beyond thankful for my position at Prequal. I was given the grace and assurance that I’d be okay financially and that I could return to work when I was really ready. There is no way in hell that the standard FMLA benefit or corporate expectations would have allowed me to take all the time I needed to process this terrible life event.

I realize that it is all too often that we rely on the support of our spouses to make the big moves in life. We hide behind the status quo and fear being an imposter to do something different. We are so heavily weighted down by student debt and adult responsibilities that it makes it impossible to see what is right there before us. As a result, we sit dissatisfied in our careers as life passes us by.

Economic empowerment to me, means providing women with more opportunities to do big things in life without the support of a partner. It means decreasing the gender pay gap and allowing women to be financially stable and mentally strong and empowered on their own.

At 28, I am a critical player in a startup focused on women's economic empowerment. Our team has huge goals and are working hard every day to meet them. I’m motivated and driven by our work with the mission to help other women be successful.

Although I am very much still figuring it out, I am empowered by my life story and confident that this is just the beginning of something truly groundbreaking.