Thelma Kidd - Life Balance Coach

Women’s Learning Community Testimonialsials

The following women have participated in previous Women's Learning Communities. Read what they have to say about their experience. Click on each woman's name to read more of her story.

Vicki

"After Thelma accepted me to the group and I attended our first retreat, I realized that my fears were unfounded. The women in this group were not going to "judge" anyone, and indeed, they were the most non-judgmental women I had ever met. "

Kerrie

"I wrote my request for participation to Thelma without a fully developed agenda, but just feeling ready. I went into the program with the hopes that I would come out the other side without the title of 'marketer', but able to say when someone asked me what I did for a living, 'I'm a writer'.... Looking back on my anticipation of this journey, I remember feeling optimistic and excited. Indulged, even, for granting myself so much personal time to reflect on my life."

Libby

"My life was my work, my community was my work, my whole world revolved around work and who I worked with. I wanted to start living for internal validation and approval. I wanted more than recovery. I wanted transformation."

Debra

"I was feeling kind of stuck. I was struggling with relationships and felt like my gifts weren't recognized or needed. I knew I offered a lot so it was very frustrating. I felt like it was the story of my life, that my value wasn't acknowledged. That's what prompted me

to participate. "

Tamara

"I had gotten to the point of thinking I didn't want to work anymore, but I knew I had a lot left to offer. So I started exploring new opportunities. However, I was emotionally and mentally spent. I knew I was supposed to be someplace else, but I really couldn't get there from where I was."

Cindi

" I knew it was the right time for me to be a participant. I didn't really have any specific goals to achieve, but I had some things to work through, and I knew that I would have a group of women who would be wise and whom I could trust."

Patricia

"I like to make things happen and I wasn't doing that anymore. I'd act like everything was fine. But I waited for the kids to go off to school in the morning and then I'd just 'blah'... I couldn't sustain anything."

Marie
"At the time that I started in the Women’s Learning Community process I was at what I perceived to be a difficult place in my life. I was very successful and I was exhausted!"

Audrey
"I knew the time was right for some deep reflection. I knew I needed to make this commitment for myself. I was hoping that I would achieve a life and work balance, and also hoping I might learn some things that I could apply to parenting a daughter, too, which I did."

Alice

" I came to the Women’s Learning Community because I was in transition. And although I didn’t realize it at the time, I came for the courage to step out, take the risk, and do something I always wanted to do."

Evelyn

"I faced just how difficult it was for me to separate myself from my work. To feel as if I had other things to offer and was not comprised merely of a title, not judged merely by my results. To understand that I was not solely the sum of my work."

Cathy
"My story is hard to hear and painful to tell.... But if I can help just one person, reach out to the one who feels like they are in a relationship that has them backed into a corner - that's why I'm sharing this."

Meet Vicki -- Women's Learning Community 2009.

These are her reflections of the Women's Learning Community in her own words:

"The years 2006 and 2007 were difficult, turning point years for me. My experiences during those years led me to join the Women's Learning Community.

In early 2006, my mother took a bad fall just days before my father was scheduled to have eye surgery. They were both in the hospital at the same time, and I went home to Indiana to be with them. My mother had suffered a brain trauma and was in ICU, and my father was recovering, but was showing early signs of dementia. After holding on for about four weeks, my mother passed away.

My daughter's wedding took place five weeks after Mom's funeral. While still grieving for my Mom, I was able to truly enjoy my only child's wedding day. Shortly after her perfect day, though, my Dad underwent more surgeries, for colon and lung cancer, and faced worsening dementia. Later that year, Dad fell off a ladder at his home, and my family began to plan his move to an assisted living facility in Nashville. Also during this period, I ended a relationship with a man I'd been seeing for nine years. So except for the joy of seeing my daughter married, 2006 was a very rough year!

I dealt with all of this turmoil by throwing myself into my work. Work and family crises were all I seemed to do. There wasn't time for much else, and, at the time, I had only a few friends to whom I could turn for emotional support. By the time I reached out to Thelma, only weeks before the next Women's Learning Community ("WLC") was set to begin, I had realized it was time for me to find myself and make some changes. I remember writing "time" in capital letters in my note to Thelma - it was TIME for me.

At first, I felt intimidated about applying to the WLC because the other women who had comprised the group seemed so much more accomplished than I. "What will they think when they find out I'm me?" I wondered. It was my employer (and longtime friend) who prodded me to join. He told me, "Don't you dare think you might not belong!"

After Thelma accepted me to the group and I attended our first retreat, I realized that my fears were unfounded. The women in this group were not going to "judge" anyone, and indeed, they were the most non-judgmental women I had ever met. Everyone was mutually supportive of each other, and each woman was, in her own right, fascinating to get to know. Thelma brought together an amazing group of women who, most likely, might never have met otherwise. She has an instinct and an obvious knack for determining the right blend of members for the group. What a gift!

At our opening retreat, one of the goals I identified for myself was finding a life partner. Although I knew this was important to me, I wasn't really focused on it, and I had my doubts. If someone mentioned that the man I was seeing sounded very nice, I'd say, "Yep, he is," but my mind was always racing elsewhere, thinking, "I have to be at the office in five minutes; actually, I should already be there." I didn't slow down long enough to seriously consider that a relationship I'd been developing might become permanent.

During the WLC sessions, I was able to truly reflect on what was driving me to change, and then I had an epiphany. I realized that my mother had defined herself by her career. She was a nurse, and we were all extremely proud of her profession. It was her life, her self-identity. She would go to her own doctor's appointments and spend time in the back office, "chatting with the nurses," and loved telling ICU and emergency room "war stories". But when she finally retired, she struggled to find other interests to pursue - her work had been everything to her. I realized I was heading in the same direction. My mother's life ended so unexpectedly. Was I going to let mine be mostly about my work? My experience with the WLC helped me realize what I wanted out of life, and how I needed to change and grow.

I joined the Women's Learning Community consumed by the things that had not gone right in my life, and I came out with a fresh outlook and completely open mind. Hearing the other women's points of view about my own issues brought me a new perspective, and allowed me to examine options that I'd never even known I had. I gained new confidence and greater self-esteem. And, I realized my goal of finding a life partner, marrying the man I was still seeing nine months after that first weekend retreat. I think that would have happened anyway, but my life had to change in order for me to truly open up and let my husband "in". The WLC helped me enormously in achieving that change.

I'm more introspective now, and have learned to slow down. Most importantly, I now know what I want. There is so much out there for me, and I intend to do it all! I'm going to take piano lessons, take a class in mosaics, and work in my garden. Sometimes I feel like saying, "Just watch me!" The Women's Learning Community has been such a tremendous impetus to this change. Thank you, Thelma, and the wonderful women who shared this experience with me!

Meet Kerrie -- Women's Learning Community 2008/2009.

These are her reflections of the Women's Learning Community in her own words:

"My journey with the Women's Learning Community actually started in the professional sense several years ago when I was referred to Thelma Kidd to help her with some marketing needs. Thelma wanted to potentially develop a new program or two. I suggested some qualitative research, and I began a series of interviews with participants from the very first Women's Learning Community.

With each interview, I listened to intimate reflections of a 9-month program that brought about change - sometimes seismic change - enlightenment and personal growth. These women, from all walks of life and in all stages of life, had made a commitment to further explore themselves, and I was fascinated by their stories. I took each story and wrote about it, reviewing it with them to ensure I had adequately represented them, and then introduced them to you through these emails.

As envious as I was of these women and their unfettered focus on their lives, it wasn't the right time for me. I was a new mom at the age of 41 and completely, willingly consumed by my role. But this past year, my daughter now 3, I began to see a need to return my focus to me, and encourage the independence of us both. I wrote my request for participation to Thelma without a fully developed agenda, but just feeling ready. I went into the program with the hopes that I would come out the other side without the title of "marketer", but able to say when someone asked me what I did for a living, "I'm a writer."

Looking back on my anticipation of this journey, I remember feeling optimistic and excited. Indulged, even, for granting myself so much personal time to reflect on my life.

Then, just days before our opening retreat, I learned my father had cancer. A rare form of skin cancer. One that travels through the lymphatic system into the organs. We were told it was aggressive.

I sat in that first introduction meeting wondering what to say. I was deeply conflicted about my work here. Because the news was so fresh, I was still a bit numb, but actually had a struggle in my head about whether I would introduce these women to Kerrie the writer, or Kerrie, the daughter.

WLC became a sort of lifeline for me. For as turbulent as my life had become, these 8 women became my trusted advisors who offered me solace and bolstered my strength. I would look forward to each and every meeting for the entire week. It was often the highlight of my month.

When my father successfully completed surgery and 20 rounds of radiation, I had a grateful reprieve from the worry and anxiety. It was only eight weeks later that I got a phone call from my mother telling me my father was in the hospital. I got on a plane and spent the next two months with my father. They were to be his last.

My experience and work throughout the program turned out to be very much equal parts writer and daughter. I wrote often, especially in my last days with my father and family. I grieved through my words. It would pour out of me. I felt like an open, walking wound. I would write feverishly into the night and blast my emails out to my inner circle. Then I would wait for the little "ding" notifying me of new mail and soak up the replies like I had been deprived of oxygen.

I recently shared with our group that I believe there are no accidents, that the timing of my participation with my conflicted agenda, was exactly how it was supposed to be. I can't imagine how I would have walked this journey without the strength and unconditional support of the 8 women who I came to call "my sisters."

In just 9 months, a new life can be born; lives can change course; or change irreversibly. In just 9 months, I stood helplessly by, bracing myself, preparing myself, and ultimately letting go of a man who was equal parts the best influence of my life and my biggest champion. Yet as isolated as I felt, I was not alone. I had my sisters to carry me.

Meet Libby -- Women's Learning Community 2007.

These are her reflections of the Women's Learning Community in her own words:

"I have always been very goal oriented, even when I was a child. I prayed when I was 12 to ask, 'What did God want me to do with my life?'. I felt a call to be a nurse. My parents were missionaries, so my vision was to be a missionary nurse, delivering babies, the doctor coming by in his jeep to do surgeries. I have always been very clear on what I wanted to achieve. I eventually built a national nursing business and ran that for 10 years. It was very successful. Then I worked for large, publicly traded companies and I was successful at that. For the most part, whatever I did, I succeeded at, but I just felt empty. It never filled up the hole.

I was a workaholic and had been aware for years that it was killing me. I felt like a gerbil on a treadmill but didn't know how to get off. Nothing I achieved was ever enough.

I also have an insatiable curiosity about life and spirituality. As an avid reader, I frequented Davis-Kidd. I had heard about Thelma from other women, and I thought, 'here's a woman who has figured it out'. She had been a successful business woman, sold her company and then transitioned her life into doing something more fulfilling. I had been getting the emails about this group of women, The Women's Learning Community, for a couple of years. I wanted to change what I was doing in my life, but I just didn't know how to shift gears. What I did know was that I wanted to change how I was 'being' in my life, to transition from human 'doing' to human being. I did not know how. So I quit working and disconnected from all my old ways of doing. I quit the insanity and embarked on a journey of self discovery. At a certain point I was ready to reach out to other women. I was ready to join the Women's Learning Community to risk being my authentic self with a group of fellow seekers. I have always believed that healing happens in a community and not in isolation. And I didn't have a community anymore. My life was my work, my community was my work, my whole world revolved around work and who I worked with. I wanted to start living for internal validation and approval. I wanted more than recovery. I wanted transformation.

What Thelma has is an amazing ability to create a safe place. I was just in awe of the process; it's not therapy, it's not counseling, it's almost mystical. Each time we met every month, we'd look back and see how much we had changed. In ways that you maybe wouldn't notice before because you were too busy. I found it very amusing that you enter the process imagining your goal is 'X', but it ended up being 'Z' and that was better, anyway. The process changes you, it lets you be open to whatever needs to be.

Life has meaning for me now. Life has joy. I have an organic garden and time to work it. I have grandchildren and time to enjoy them, my family and friends. All that I have done and been through is worth it, because this process validated my life. It is such a gift. Any woman who is searching for inner peace and meaning will find the Women's Learning Community a safe place to enhance her own growth and development."

Meet Debra -- Women's Learning Community 2006.

These are her reflections of the Women's Learning Community in her own words:

What I came to realize was that I had created such a sad story for myself. I was emphasizing all the negative experiences: always having to work hard, getting divorced and being alone, financial ups and downs. I had a tendency to always say, 'Oh, this isn't working.' You know, 'Oh me, oh my', that kind of thing. During one of the exercises in the Women's Learning Community I actually looked at my life, the whole story played out and I just cried so much. I had never grieved anything and I had so much to grieve. Once I let go of all that emotion, I was able to draw a new lifeline for myself, focusing on all that is good about my life. Sometimes it's hard to accept that life is good. And my life is very good, especially now.

The most important part of the Women's Learning Community for me was recognizing that I didn't have to carry around that sad story. That really wasn't my story. I had to let go of it and grieve those moments. That was a critical piece of my journey. I was given a chance to go someplace and have a group support me. I did so much crying, but it was ok to cry there. I wasn't judged for it. I had such good group support. I think before I was always wanting to do things for other people: 'I'll make it work for us.' I did that all my life - for my parents, my ex-husband, everyone. I did for them versus for me.

I approach things differently now. I still care about other people but I've shifted my perspective. Now I ask, 'What can I do to make it work for me?' I used to feel invisible in a lot of situations I was involved in. Then I learned to say, 'What would my life look like if I was visible?' I actually stopped and considered all the situations where I felt visible. I paid attention to what I wanted in my life. Suddenly I was able to see my life differently and get a lot more out of it. It was all about shifting my perspective. I would love to participate again. Now that I know what I don't want in my life, I am ready to focus on what I do want."

Meet Tamara -- Women's Learning Community 2006.

These are her reflections of the Women's Learning Community in her own words:

"It seems that in the last two or three years, my life had become unbalanced. My personal and professional life didn't flow anymore. I had stopped seeing friends, stopped dating after a significant relationship had ended. Work became separate - I went there and came home at the end of the day...and there was very little in between. I didn't have the time or energy to exercise; it didn't seem like I had much of a life at all.

I had gotten to the point of thinking I didn't want to work anymore, but I knew I had a lot left to offer. So I started exploring new opportunities. However, I was emotionally and mentally spent. I knew I was supposed to be someplace else, but I really couldn't get there from where I was.

There was even a time before I joined the Women's Learning Community that I thought, 'Oh, I'll just take a week off and stay home and try to figure this thing out.' I just got myself so worked up. A week really isn't enough time to think about your entire life.

I had been in the corporate world for awhile. I don't think I ever intended to be there; I just ended up there. I had put a lot of stock in my work life and I knew I had let my work define me, like many people do. Originally, my role with the company required some creativity. Then I was promoted, and with the new position came a lot of administrative duties. The creative part of my job really didn't exist anymore. It shouldn't have been a shock, but it did take me awhile to adapt to that. After awhile, I realized I didn't want to adapt any longer.

So that's what brought me to the Women's Learning Community. I wanted the chance to discover what it is that I really want to do with my life.

Once I began my work in the program, I found out how much fear I had. I was afraid to think about what was next. 'What came next' used to come relatively easy. When I was ready for a change, the next opportunity always presented itself to me. In my mind, what was supposed to present itself - didn't. My fears were also financial. How am I going to make this work? 'If I leave this place of financial security, am I ever going to be able to get that back?' The truth is, I didn't want it back. At least not in the way it currently existed.

You know what the biggest fear was? My identity had been so wrapped around my career that if I wasn't doing that, who was I?

The Women's Learning Community and Thelma Kidd gave me the process and the structure to work through all of this, and the group was there to support me. Thelma does an incredible job of helping you see your path a little more clearly. And the group always asked the hard questions to make you think.

At one point about midway through the nine months, it became clear to me that I needed to leave the work environment that I was in without knowing what was next. I don't think I ever gave anything in my life that much consideration. I looked at my life up until that point and knew I had had a great life - and I knew there was more.

I made the decision to leave. It was the critical first step, and I think that is very difficult to get to sometimes. I don't feel stuck anymore. My life is moving forward. I have choices. Even though I am unsure of what I'm going to do next, I do know there are so many opportunities, so many doors that can be opened. I feel hopeful and excited about the road ahead."

Meet Cindi -- Women's Learning Community 2007.

These are her reflections of the Women's Learning Community in her own words:

"From 2001 to 2006, I owned the retreat center, Leatherwood Forge, that the Women's Learning Community used for its opening and closing retreats. So during those years, I watched all of these groups of women come together. I would observe from a distance as everyone met for the first time at the opening retreat and I witnessed the uniqueness that they each brought to the group. I could hear them in the next room as I went about my work: their outbreaks of laughter, or someone softly crying, or sometimes it would be so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Then nine months later when the group returned for the closing retreat, I could see the closeness of the group. I could sense that these women were more fulfilled from having been together.

When I sold the retreat center, I waited a year, giving myself some rest time - a sabbatical, and I knew it was the right time for me to be a participant. I didn't really have any specific goals to achieve, but I had some things to work through, and I knew that I would have a group of women who would be wise and whom I could trust. I wanted to have that experience that I observed in countless women before me - it was my time, it was my turn.

I loved every single minute of it. Thelma always provides a wise guiding hand, while also holding us in a space that was completely open and nonjudgmental; offering input from time to time, just when it was needed. I was amazed at the other seven women in my group. I had a heartfelt, deep connection to each person in the sense that we were in a common place on a common journey.

I was hoping to find a sense of strong desire to apply to my work. I felt void of entrepreneurial energy. I would often come to our meetings feeling empty, having no idea what I wanted to say, but inevitably, everyone else started sharing and it would become very clear what I needed to explore. I would leave those gatherings on Saturday morning with a feeling of satisfaction, being filled up again.

Although it took some time to get used to, one of the biggest gifts of the whole program was that there was time to be in the emptiness and stillness. It allowed me to look back at where I've been and face what I wanted to contribute in the future. I had to embrace some insecurities and this group helped me do that.

I always wanted to be a part of it. Now that I have been, I would describe the essence of the group as alchemy. It's like a cauldron and everyone brings a different ingredient; and as you start to stir all the ingredients, that's when the alchemy takes place. It's magical. It's gorgeous.

I have changed. Thelma's group can be about reinventing yourself when you are ready for a new version."

Meet Patricia -- Women's Learning Community 2006/2007.

These are her reflections of the Women's Learning Community in her own words:

"I had been through a lot of change - major change. I was a corporate executive for over 20 years. I made a choice not to do that anymore. I didn't know what I wanted to do. I had recently moved to Nashville from Dallas. We were building a house here, we had to get the kids settled, and we recently had a death in the family. All emotional, big huge stuff.

I settled for about 9 months here, started a company and had just returned from a business trip to China and Australia when I realized that something was not right. I wasn't energized. I wasn't in a positive mode, which wasn't like me. I felt it was hard to meet people. I like to make things happen and I wasn't doing that anymore. I'd act like everything was fine. But I waited for the kids to go off to school in the morning and then I'd just 'blah'... I couldn't sustain anything. It was through the program that I finally figured out why.

One thing I particularly loved about the Women's Learning Community is that you come together as a group and we are all very different. Everyone is on her own journey. But we have one thing in common: we want something different or more in our lives that we need to create. The human spirit coming together in this way, it's really wonderful. There's so much compassion. There's this dichotomy of your inner process along with the group - I loved that.

The turning point for me was a book that Thelma recommended: The Way of Transition, by William Bridges. This particular book allowed me to see that I never grieved my corporate identity. I had immediately thrown myself into a new life. Thelma encourages you to explore your life and figure out 'what is it time to harvest in your life?' You put so much into something. My big 'aha' moment was: I had this incredible career and I never acknowledged it. I was stuck at the end of it. So I celebrated it and while I was sad about it too, I didn't want to go back to it. I was able to get to the point of having a blank slate so that I could create something new.

Another pivotal moment for me was an activity we did early on. We were to create a journal or book to put photos, create collages, write. And you know, my first thought was, 'I don't really want to do this.' But I had so much fun doing it! I love this book. It was something I never would have done on my own, but I got so into it. I would search for words to describe where I was at the time and pictures that would depict how I felt. It was very profound to me. I love my book! I want to take people through my book! I guess it would be like a slide show of someone's vacation, but if anyone wants to see it, they can. I'm proud of it.

I feel my life is in motion, it's flowing now. It's in creative mode. It's no longer about problem solving. It's about possibility. I got so much out of the program that I am doing it again. I recognize now the balance between head and heart. I'm always in my head too much. This program allows me to be a whole person and access my heart."

Meet Marie -- Women's Learning Community 2001/2002

>These are her reflections in 2006 of the Women’s Learning Community in her own words:

"At the time that I started in the Women’s Learning Community process I was at what I perceived to be a difficult place in my life. I was very successful and I was exhausted! Ten years before I had started an organization that proved to be a model for others in the U.S. and around the world. However, I was totally driven. It was a personal thing with me – I would not fail. I was raising money, traveling, recruiting and managing the business. During the same period my parents hit their 90’s, my sister was dying of cancer and they all lived far away. My stress level was in overload. I felt torn, but this was my identity, my work.

I heard Thelma speak at an event at Belmont and knew that I should consider working with her. Once before in my life I did something that was equally as important, significant and scary to me. When I divorced with a young child to raise, I went into debt to go into therapy. I learned a lot from the experience, but the primary learning was that somebody else can help you to help yourself and that risks can bring rewards. When Thelma developed the WLC program, I was ready to risk again. One aspect that intrigued me and that I really liked was that Thelma asked me (and all other potential members) to provide a written essay as to why I wanted to be in the program. The written essay helped me to clarify some of what I desired.

There were some surprises along the way in WLC. Most were internal with me – but that’s the biggie. The other surprise was how people were different from what I first perceived. We go on with our personas … what we think we should be, what we share. Certainly that happens in any group as it did in ours, but this group congealed so that what we were doing became overall better. We had a great mixture of women ages 26-57ish. You had perspective from different generations, differing communication styles, different issues, but we all found the commonality for growth.

If you want to know what I found most valuable about the Women’s Learning Community, my flip answer would be what I am doing right now! My real answer is what got me to doing what I am now. That’s what I learned. I remember a question, one of the closing questions we talked about: “What are you tolerating?” Isn’t that a marvelous thought-provoking question? If you work on it honestly, you are just getting started. It’s like a burst of light! You start working towards answers and discover how to balance your life. That was really the ‘aha’ moment for me.

As a result of my work in the Women’s Learning Community, I changed my life significantly in ways that are probably considered drastic in others’ eyes. I took early retirement in 2004. I’m working on the joy of retirement now instead of dreading the process. My husband, the love of my life, and I named our financial records “having fun and growing old” and that’s what we do everyday. After much research on quality of life and considering many different countries, we moved to the Republic of Panama. We live in the city and each morning we enjoy the most incredible views of the bay and the city. Every day is filled with awe at the beauty of life. We have lived here almost two years now. We travel … Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Chile, Uruguay, and Argentina this year. We get back to Nashville every so often, but this is home and paradise for us. We continue to live, love, have fun and grow old together.

I learned a lot!"

Meet Audrey -- Women’s Learning Community 2001/2002

These are her reflections in 2006 of the Women’s Learning Community in her own words:

"I had a job that I truly loved. It was a small company, very entrepreneurial in spirit. And then the company sold the business, and I found myself, once again, working for a large corporation. Knowing the pitfalls of working in a large corporation, I knew that achieving balance and perspective was going to be important. There was a lot going on in my life at the same time. I was raising my daughter, who is now 11 years old, and I was really evaluating my marriage – not whether I was going to leave or stay, but really just examining it and learning more about myself in the process. When I heard about Thelma’s program, I knew the time was right for some deep reflection. I knew I needed to make this commitment for myself. I was hoping that I would achieve a life and work balance, and also hoping I might learn some things that I could apply to parenting a daughter, too, which I did.

The group that was assembled was really dynamic. It was a great group and we are still close to this day. Thelma is a wonderful facilitator. She is so skilled at assembling a community and bringing people together. But we learned as much from each other. Every time we were together - we used to laugh about it - someone would say something astoundingly brilliant.

One thing I really appreciated about this program was just that Saturday, once a month, when I knew I could focus on me. Thelma is just such an impressive woman. She has lived a very richly textured life and has been a social worker, entrepreneur, mother, single woman, married woman; she’s started businesses, she’s worked in the inner city - she has had so many experiences in her life – she has approached her own life in a fearless way, but also in a very thoughtful way. That is a dimension of her as a life coach that is very exciting. She has a wealth of life experience. And she has, unlike most anyone else I know, the capacity to ask just the right question. It’s startling sometimes.

We all have the answers within us. It’s really just about having the person who asks the right questions.

The Women’s Learning Community experience was life changing for me in many ways. Not only do I have wonderful, life-long friends from the group - some of whom I still talk to almost every day five years later - but my perspective on life stresses, on authenticity in life choices and on taking risks and achieving balance will never be the same. Do I have days when I am stressed or when life feels out of balance? Absolutely. But I have so many more tools at my disposal and a fresh approach to understanding what keeps me in balance and how I can make choices to keep my life moving in a positive direction."

Meet Alice -- Women’s Learning Community 2003/2004

These are her reflections in 2006 of the Women’s Learning Community in her own words:

"I am 52 years old. I’m a physician and practice women’s radiology at Vanderbilt. My parents both died when I was in my 20’s and I was an only child. I needed to support myself, and becoming a medical doctor was what I decided to do. When I met Thelma Kidd, I was in the throes of leaving a mentally and physically exhausting job in private practice and wanted to discover my next step.

Underneath all of this turmoil was also the realization that I had always wanted to do something creative – I had a background in retail – but circumstances had led me to another track entirely.

I came to the Women’s Learning Community because I was in transition. And although I didn’t realize it at the time, I came for the courage to step out, take the risk, and do something I always wanted to do.

There was a great feeling of camaraderie and safeness in this group. Just being able to speak freely without having to edit your thoughts was really special. What I found so wonderful about the process is that it allows you to find and hear your own voice; and to accept it as the truth. You know the answers, you just need to be able to hear and own them.

The Women’s Learning Community gave me the confidence to open my own retail store, Pastiche. This store gives me something to be passionate about every day. It was a dream that became a reality during the Women's Learning Community, and for that I am eternally grateful!"

Meet Evelyn -- Women's Learning Community 2001/2002.

These are her reflectionsin 2006 of the Women's Learning Community in her own words:

"My husband and I were married in 1999 and moved to Nashville in 2000. At first it was a welcome change, a new start for us both; but it ended up being a difficult transition for me. I had left a great position behind in Dallas, and found it hard to get involved in the Nashville professional and recreational scene. I really felt like I was facing some pretty big challenges.

What I later discovered was at the heart of these challenges was the fact that I had a tremendous amount of self-worth attached to my job. And because I left such a good position to move here, I felt like I left my identity behind.

Then in May of that year, my dad passed away. Although we were expecting it, you are never really prepared, so this too, added to the changes in my life.

I heard Thelma speak at Belmont University not long after my dad passed and what she was saying hit home immediately. She talked about "settling" and "the doldrums" and that was exactly what I was feeling. So, I applied. I was the youngest person in the group (I was 31 at the time). We went on our first retreat, which I loved, and I put together a work plan right away. I knew I needed to make new friends and get out more often than I was. I knew I was struggling with balance, but more in terms of, "how do you invest your time in things other than work?". I also felt that in my new job - I wasn't overworked - but I was really underutilized. I had a lot to delve into and I was ready.

Then, September 11th happened. I found myself examining again what I wanted out of life, but now my emphasis was spending time with family and friends. I also knew that I would be leaning on the women I had just met.

And so the journey to my personal discovery began. I faced just how difficult it was for me to separate myself from my work. To feel as if I had other things to offer and was not comprised merely of a title, not judged merely by my results. To understand that I was not solely the sum of my work. Thelma describes this process so eloquently on her website, she talks about women embarking on this nine month passage, how it can be cathartic, and how it is connected to how we all began in this life. About how you develop and cultivate yourself during that time, and wait for the arrival of something new.

These words took on new meaning when I discovered I was pregnant that winter. Suddenly, the words became all too literal; the meaning all too clear. And these wonderful women, they were so compassionate to me. I was preparing to be a new mom and I don't think they have any idea how much their nurturing meant to me, and how much I needed their support.

It's funny, but the movie "Steel Magnolia's" always reminds me of the assembly of women we had gathered in our community. I still laugh out loud when I see that movie and realize the parallels of the characters, both real and on the screen. This melting pot of personalities melding into such an invincible structure of charm and wisdom - just like us.

Since my work with Thelma, we've moved out of state again, I have accepted a new position, we've bought a new home, and are raising our little girl who is now four years old. Throughout it all, I had my support group cheering me on. My expectations are always high, but because of this program and Thelma's guidance, I truly feel that I can still achieve balance and keep it all together, no matter what life presents."

Meet Cathy -- Women's Learning Community 2003/2004

These are her reflections in 2006 of the Women's Learning Community in her own words:

"My story is hard to hear and painful to tell. It's been six years and it's still as painful as it was then. But if I can help just one person, reach out to the one who feels like they are in a relationship that has them backed into a corner - that's why I'm sharing this. I want to help the person who feels stuck. My story is dramatic. It is stunning. But we all have degrees of pain in our life. Your pain is no less significant than mine.

My ex-husband, who I just loved with all my heart, and I had a 5 year-old daughter. I knew things weren't going well. He was physically and emotionally abusive. But I didn't know that he was sexually abusing our daughter. He went to jail for it. And I was left with pieces of a shattered life, trying to figure out how to get us both back together again. I got us into good counseling, but I felt like I needed more. What I needed was a plan for my life, for our life.

I found Thelma on the Internet and the Women's Learning Community was scheduled to begin in a month. I went to visit Thelma and knew that this was exactly what I needed to do.

We had our first retreat at Leatherwood Forge. I was looking at this community of women, listening to their stories. And you know, if someone would have put them in a line up, I would have said, "I don't have anything in common with them." But when we got together, we realized we were all in a place where we were looking for a road to travel. I was inspired. There were so many women with different perspectives coming to the table. And, unlike counseling, where I felt like I had already examined the "why's" of my emotions, here were these women, completely non-judgmental, saying, "Ok, so this is where you are. We're sorry. Where are you going to go from here?"

It's not like getting together with your friends - they just love you for what you are. My friends felt sorry for me. These women all had their own situations to deal with, and there was a common ground that was just understood: When we came together, it was for the purpose of moving forward.

These women are some of my favorite people I have in my life. We still get together, and when we do, it feels like we just saw each other yesterday. The work I did with Thelma is so important. It's not like you come out a different person - you are still going to feel your pain - but you will have a path. You will know where to go from here. And that's empowering."

"I have achieved clarity and a sense of peace in WLC this year. Much further along on the path to self-understanding, I am better equipped to make choices that are right for me."

Joyce Johnson, M.D.

"When it comes to dealing with change and growing stronger, there's nothing like the company of other women to help us through. Thelma Kidd does a wonderful job of creating safe and creative space where women are free to share their trials and their joys. I know I grew as a member of her Learning Community, and I highly recommend the experience. "

Amy Lynch
Writer, Speaker

" Through the experience of the Women's Learning Community, I was guided to set new goals, both long-term and short-term. Thelma and the incredible group of women who were part of the community helped me reflect on my life, supported me, and encouraged me to cross the threshold of a new phase of life."

Gayle Ray
Deputy Commissioner,

Tennessee Department of Correction

"The Women's Learning Community is the perfect balance of professional guidance, peer supported learning and development, and the power of genuine, caring friendships between women. We laughed, we cried, we shared food and music and poetry and, during the nine months we were together, our collective spirits gave birth to eight new beings."

Audrey Seitz
V.P., Bible Group Marketing
Thomas Nelson Inc.