Ask Aly Anything: The Power of Sisterhood
Question: This month’s question originated from Mel: Chelsea’s younger sister, one of our most consistent clients, and a woman with Down Syndrome. Her submission was: “Good friends Aly girl. Love, Mellanie. Miss you long time.” This submission, one of our favorite yet, led us to talk about how many of the women who attend STRONG AS A MOTHER classes aren’t mothers and have a variety of life experiences, but still feel the strong sense of community among women that the classes build. So, we decided to get to the root of Mel’s comment and answer the question: How is the STRONG AS A MOTHER Community fulfilling my emotional needs as a woman, whether I am a mother or not?
Answer: Women have been connecting and transforming their own worlds and the worlds around them since the beginning of time. The focus has been on sharing love, wisdom, traditions, and even recipes. Communities often need to change with the times, but one thing never changes, the potential we have as a community of women to turn sometimes ordinary experiences into extraordinary is exponential!
Holding space for one-another magnifies our voices and increases our self-worth
We can often get tied up in the hectic pace of life – this is your reminder to STOP. Recognize how important building a community of women is. Know, just reading this, you are part of the sisterhood. You may be part of other sisterhoods like “the sisterhood of the traveling hoodie” that I am a part of with Chelsea and Nicole. Don’t you love these? Well, now you are a part of the SAAMW sisterhood!
Sisterhoods are POWERFUL.
Some other transformational attributes of sisterhoods are:
Provide a safe space
Support and empower us
Help us succeed
Make us healthier
“The true wealth of a community is measured by how carefully it listens to its women and how sincerely it values their wisdom. Empowering women empowers us all.”
-Forest Whitaker
xoxo
Dr. Aly Wrisley, PhD RN
References
Olaya Sport (2024). The power of community and sisterhood: Why women coming together will change the world. Retrieved from: https://olayasport.com/blogs/olaya-sport/the-power-of-community-and-sisterhood-why-women-coming-together-will-change-the-world
