At Alchemy, we use the phrase Pursue Your Legend. It comes from the book The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo. It means identifying your purpose in life, and then pursuing it. Your Personal Legend is something you have always wanted to accomplish, and there can be many ways to PYL in life. Maybe it’s pursuing an adventure, finally starting that passion project, golfing your dream golf course, climbing that mountain — many little things in life allow us to pursue our legend.
In February 2020 my purpose for life completely shifted in a way I never expected. I became a mom. On February 20, 2020 not only was Clara born, I was also reborn. Life as I knew it completely changed. As I stepped into motherhood in the early postpartum weeks, I felt lost, sad, confused, unsure if I was meant to be a mom due to the struggle I experienced. It was a full blown what the hell is going on?! But I quickly learned from talking to other mothers that I was not the only one who had felt this way at some point in motherhood, and that it truly ebbed and flowed. I started to question everything: why had nobody told me this? Why didn’t anyone speak openly about this? It felt like what I knew about pregnancy, postpartum and beyond was not anything I would actually experience. I quickly realized it was due to outside pressure, pressure to show up and smile no matter how hard things were, to carry on in life and to just keep on going. I wanted women to feel empowered to share all their experiences, their struggles, their learnings, their joys. I wanted women to feel like they could be their true self and not need to hide behind this idea of perfection because there is not perfect way to motherhood.
Becoming a mom brought to light my true purpose in life: to show up as my truest most authentic self, to love myself wholeheartedly, to fully believe in myself, and to know I am wildly capable and to empower others to do the same. It became clear I must pursue this legend to be an example for my daughter, to show her she is wonderful just the way she is, that she can achieve her goals, that she is strong and capable, that she is not alone, and that being your truest self is the most fulfilling way to live your life.
Pursuing this purpose challenged me to grow, to show up, to be real rather than let the worry or fear of what other people might think hold me back. I used it to push me forward. I had ideas, projects, stories to share and put out into the world. By following my purpose and pursuing my legend I took the next steps to actually putting them out in the world. I created a podcast to build community, to share real life experiences and create ripples of impact. I created a platform to be not only my truest self but to invite others to do the same. I began sharing my personal experiences as a mom, the challenge of breastfeeding, my birth story, the joys of watching my child grow, and what I had learned already from her resiliency. I co-founded a business to empower mamas those who are pregnant, post-partum, struggling with infertility, have experienced loss and beyond — a space to show up just as you are and know you will be loved, accepted and can share what is going on in your life and feel supported through the mind, body, and soul.
Motherhood is a unique journey for everyone, and it has shown me how extremely powerful we are as women. Whether you’re pregnant now, trying to become pregnant, if you’re struggling with infertility, or suffered a miscarriage. These are all parts of the collective motherhood journey, and know that you are resilient, loved, and wildly capable. We are strong, badass mamas. Becoming a mom was the catalyst in my life that pushed me forward to Pursuing my Legend, and I am so happy it did. Never have I felt more fulfilled in all that I am doing.
I want to ask you to step back, ask yourself: what is my purpose? and then go out there and pursue it.
Alex is the General Manager at Alchemy 365 Highland Park. When she’s not helping athletes PYL in-studio, you can hear her on the Creating Ripples podcast, empowering mamas at Embolden Mama, and going on adventures with Jordo, Clara, and Schmidt.
