Me + Sophia Amoruso + Entrepreneur Magazine

Me + Sophia Amoruso? I never imagined my name would be mentioned in the same sentence as the original Girlboss, let alone get a half page feature in a story about her. Ahhhhh!! Yet that is exactly what happened. I was over the moon when I was contacted by Entrepreneur Magazine to share my story of going to the very first Girlboss Rally in L.A, right after my cancer diagnosis. But now that the issue is officially on the stands it is amazing to see my name written next to Sophia’s, someone I have followed and admired for so long. This is just a testament to the roller coster of life, how one moment you can think the world is crumbling down around you and the next you are flying on cloud nine. That has literally been my life!

I hadn’t been diagnosed, when I purchased my ticket and recruited my girls to come with me to the rally. I was just living my life, taking a break from the entrepreneurial grind and 3 months into a 9-5 (isn’t it funny that getting a 9-5 is actually a break for an entrepreneur?) I didn’t know 100% what I wanted to do, but I was clear I was tired of living vicariously through other peoples social media feeds. I wanted to go to that rally! So I took the leap, booked a plan ticket to L.A. (where I have never been) and was super excited having been such a fan of hers for so long.

But when I got the news that I tested positive for triple positive breast cancer, everything changed. Besides the fact I was in shock, I didn’t even know if it made sense to go now . . . I was super scared. How could I go to this event with all these powerful women with this big question mark about my future hanging over my head.

How would I even introduce myself, “Hi, my name is Monique, I am not an entrepreneur, well I use to be, but I am not sure what I want to do now, I was excited to start a new business, I want to coach other women in business, but I just got cancer, and they tell me I have to start treatment and shouldn’t really be here, so now I am f*cked!”

See what I mean?

But then I thought, “What if this is the last fun thing I do?”

Getting diagnosed taught me that there is no time to waste! So with the event ticket in hand, and entourage in tow, we high tailed it to L.A. And I am so happy I did. I had no idea that the wise advice of cancer warrior Samantha Paige, I received from the girlboss stage, would empowered me to face my journey head on! I left invigorated and ready for war. And the next 10 months were indeed just that. I started my blog Surprise it’s Cancer, days after I returned from the rally, and who knew it would be discovered by the writers at Entrepreneur magazine. CRAZY right?!

Thank-you to my coach, Audrey for encouraging me to do that. I love you. The blog allowed me to pour out all of my feelings across the internet. I stopped caring what people thought. I was so shocked by the things I was reading and discovering about cancer that I had to share it. The more women who reached out to me, the more I felt less alone and I was certain that I had to continue to share. I had no idea it would help so many other women and myself in the process.

1 year cancer free and the blessings just continue!

Thank-you Sophia for being a beacon of perseverance and a true Bounce Back Boss! 

Pick up your copy of Entrepreneur Magazine while there are still on the stands.

Read Blog post about my experience at the first rally here.