We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jody LaVoie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jody, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

July 31, 2014 at approximately 9AM my life changed forever. I had just returned from a run on a beautiful summer day in Chicagoland. My three daughters were waiting for me so we could begin a fun outing to enjoy the outdoors. That day, I was a full time stay at home mom living an idyllic life.  It was also the day my husband was shot at work by an employee that he had demoted.  It was supposed to be like any other day, except it wasn’t.  The local police knocked on my door that morning to let me know that my husband Steve had been gravely injured at work.  The newstrucks swarmed to my house, and my family and our business were on the headlines.  The next day, August 1, I was now leading a large supply chain technology company, managing my husband’s health care that lay in the balance and solo parenting our three young daughters. 

Prior to becoming a stay at home mom, my professional career started in a variety of sales positions with AT&T. I then went to work for one of my clients in association management where I was the Executive Director of two trade associations.  I met my husband Steve on a blind date, we got married and started buying some apartment buildings as investments and I became the landlord and property manager.  He decided to start his company and I was all in.  Since we were a start up, I helped part time as our family grew.  However the business was always our fourth child.  We both lived it and breathed it everyday. 

What did I learn..I was already smart, resourceful, commanding and pretty badass as a mom.  I was now using those skills in ways that I had never had to. 

Jody, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

After I sold the business in 2017, I knew that I wanted to support women in business.  As a leader in a supply chain technology company there were not many women at the table.  I also joined a professional organization where women are also in the minority.  The challenges that women face in the workplace are unique,and I wanted to help women truly excel in their professional lives and be able to leave behind the baggage that so many women carry that holds them back in their careers.  

There was also the impact that my own grief journey had on me.  I learned so much during that time that I wanted to share all of that knowledge with other widows in the workplace. I knew I wanted to do that in the most informed way possible, so I  went back to school to become an International Coaching Federation (ICF) certified coach and a certified grief educator.  I wanted to be trained by the best so that I could provide the highest level of service to my clients.  

That is when my business Widows in the Workplace was born. I help career minded women who have experienced the loss of their spouse / partner to rediscover, reimagine and relaunch their lives.  I do that through one-on-one coaching via Zoom. Many women who become widows start to question themselves and their abilities. Grief is so all encompassing that having a trusted partner to walk alongside you on your grief journey is very powerful.  Powerful for the growth of all of the widows I serve and powerful for me to know that I have had a small piece in helping them rediscover themselves again.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

As you can imagine, losing my husband in such a horrific way brought so many angles to my healing journey both professionally and personally. What I realized later is that some of what drove me to accomplish all that I did was anger.  I was angry at what happened to my husband, and that fueled my intense desire to not let the business fail or my family fail. The man that killed my husband did enough damage by ending Steve’s life.  I was not going to let the result of his actions take even more. There were so many times that one bad thing after another would happen that I would just look to the sky and say “bring it on”. Failure was not an option.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Fear of the unknown.  There is so much that I could have questioned about myself, my abilities, my personal future and my leadership capabilities.  Everything that I encountered was something I had not done before.  I did not have time to become an expert in everything.  I surrounded myself both professionally and personally with those that were specialists in their fields to act as my personal advisors.  I joined a professional group called Young Presidents Organization (YPO). This group is composed of seasoned business leaders who have faced many similar challenges.  I learned from them. 

Was I solo parenting “right” if there was such a thing?  I had to make huge decisions involving support and interventions for my children that were all new to me.  None of my friends had to make similar decisions, so again I found a network of professionals and other moms who had to make similar decisions. I am incredibly proud of each of my daughters. They have had to do a lot of work on themselves emotionally to be able to not only function but thrive.  None of our healing is done.  It will be a constant mainstay in our lives. 

Financial fears.  Most of our money was in the business. This was my family’s financial future.  If the business failed, not only would it impact my family and the friends and family who had also invested, but the families of the 65 employees who were equally invested in the success of the business.  I did not let this weigh on my mind.  I think if I did it would have paralyzed me.  I just showed up every day and did the best that I could. 

I have stopped using the word forever. Forever could be tomorrow.  Life is short and it is so important to live it to the fullest every day and not to leave anything left unsaid.  I never had a goodbye moment with my husband since he never regained consciousness and passed away three months from the day he was shot.  But, what does give me comfort is that we did not have anything left unsaid.  I love you, my Steve. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.widowsintheworkplace.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/widowsintheworkplace/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/widowsintheworkplace
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodylavoie/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@widows-in-the-workplace
• Other: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jlavoie

Image Credits
Bela Acquino, Michele Graham