Have you ever had an incredibly mundane interaction that has totally transformed the trajectory of your life? For me, that moment happened 9 years ago at a very long board room table.
9 years ago, I was taking minutes at a board meeting and feeling very out of place when a woman who is a giant in the field of agronomy walked in. I scanned the table and, seeing no empty seats, stood up to give her my place. She quietly but forcefully refused the seat, admonished me to keep my place at the table, and magicked a spot for herself out of thin air. I watched in awe as she commanded the respect of the scientists and policy makers at the table while keeping half an eye on her young son as he played on his tablet among the coatracks.
While agriculture has changed a lot over the past decade, there are still far too few women in positions that matter. As a young adult with a baby at home, it was phenomenally transformative for me to see such positive example of someone integrating motherhood with real and important work. There is something powerful about bringing your whole self to the table and not just the bits and pieces that belong.
I think it is the tables where we don't quite belong that stretch us and force us to grow into ourselves. I spent much of last week sitting at a literal table in awe of the people and the ideas around me. It isn't often that an equitable and viable vision for the future of agriculture is presented and it was super exciting to be in the room with people thinking great thoughts and building actionable plans. I cannot begin to explain how grateful I am to be at that table.
I sometimes wonder where I would be if I had been allowed to give up my seat at the table. That simple interaction 9 years ago has shaped so many of the decisions I have made in my professional career and my personal life and me pushed me to say yes to things that scare me and hold my position even when my voice shakes. I think most powerful thing you can do when you finally sit at the table, is to open the door and hold space for others.
