WHAT MOMMY
Never Told You BY ERICKA PITTMAN
Are you ready for something completely different? Here’s the message that may jump-start your life as you finally gain the focus and pathway forward you’ve been waiting for. What Mommy Never Told You offers thought-provoking options to creating success in your life once you’ve done most of what society has told you to do as a girl. The book takes you on a woman’s journey beyond the general rules and guidelines of adolescence — opening up a point of view or broader lens for the possibilities for the next stage in life. As society continues to accept women as equal power brokers, the rules are ever-changing. While you can find numerous examples of phenomenal women who have achieved unprecedented success in business and even greater success in work-life balance, limited platforms exist for women embarking on their “next phase” of life. They learn etiquette, they get good grades in formative school, they achieve higher education, and they land a good job or a “good man”... AND THEN WHAT?? NOW WHAT??? All the rulebooks go away? There is no more advice for us; it's like we’re on our own. But what if we want to move beyond our coordinator position, or stockbroker status, or full-time wife or parenting role. What do we do now? How do we do it? What Mommy Never Told You is designed to inspire all women to courageously take on and accomplish the next great thing in their lives — acting with integrity and tenacity, insight and strength. It’s a tough balance being a woman and a lady. It’s even tougher being powerful domestically and professionally. Young women should have a point of view that allows them to laugh at themselves — the world around them and everything that society says is wrong about it all. Life is ONLY what each individual perceives it to be yet great nonetheless. Every human being should have the right to concur with their own powerful force. Even LADIES! 10 | MINDBLOWING MAGAZINE
The inspiration behind the concept derives from a consistent need in my personal life for direction. I have always been the “blind leading the blind” in my own life, with an unquenched thirst for success and crystallized understanding of what appears on the outside to be second nature for the boys. How do they just know how to play the game? It’s almost intuitive for the male counterpart to master his path to his next phase, while young women are increasingly creating paths that have rarely been traveled by women before them. Ericka Pittman does not pretend to have the answers. What I do have is a series of experiences and a network of wonderful successful women who have experiences that we as a collective are willing to share with whoever is open to listening. What Mommy Never Told You is almost a virtual “Favorite Auntie” to women looking for empowerment and growth. The book will serve as a precursor to a series of extensions focusing on key areas of women’s lives. The extension publications will be simple, easy-to-read guidebooks on areas of life such as: • Personality and Relationships • Money and Finance • Vitality and Wellness • Networks and Charity For the past 18 years I have been in a fog about what to do next, who to be next, how to behave in the next situation, relying on my own personal intuition and interpretation of what I see the boys doing — “plussing” up with a feminine twist and hoping for the best. Oftentimes I have stubbed my toes, acquired a few bumps and bruises, and made a complete fool of myself, but through these experiences I learned what works and what doesn’t. If this memoir equips one young woman with the courage and know-how for what’s next in her life, then my bruises and scars were well worth it. We as women need guidance and, quite frankly, license to think beyond what conventional teaching has told us. We need the green light to GO in the boys’ world but still come home to our roles and coexist in both spaces authentically.
