Finding Purpose After Heartbreak
How the choices you make when no one is watching shape the legacy you leave behind.
Recognition Is a Moment. Influence Is a Lifetime.
When people hear that I was named a 2026 Influential Woman Honoree, they often see the recognition.
What they don't see is the journey.
They don't see the years of quietly working toward a vision that only a few people understood. They don't see the setbacks, the unanswered questions, the moments of self-doubt, or the prayers whispered during seasons when the path ahead wasn't clear.
Recognition is a moment.
Influence is a lifetime.
I've learned that influence doesn't begin when your name is announced, your picture is published, or someone hands you an award. It begins in the small, everyday choices we make when no one is watching.
- It begins when we choose integrity over convenience.
- It begins when we continue showing up after disappointment.
- It begins when we encourage someone who may never be able to repay us.
- It begins when we serve without expecting recognition.
Those moments are where influence is born.
When I think about influence, I immediately think of my mother.
She never sought recognition for the life she lived. She simply showed up every day. She worked long shifts as an ICU nurse, cared for patients with compassion, advocated for families during some of the hardest moments of their lives, pursued her education, and raised three daughters with unwavering determination.
She probably never realized how much she was influencing me.
She wasn't trying to build a platform.
She was building character.
She taught me that leadership isn't about being the loudest person in the room. It's about being someone people can trust. It's about serving others with humility, showing compassion when it's needed most, and continuing to do the right thing even when no one notices.
Those lessons became part of who I am.
The Patricia "Nurse Pat" Edwards Nursing Scholarship
Years later, after losing my mother, I found myself asking a difficult question:
How do I honor a life that meant so much to so many people?
That question led to the creation of the Patricia "Nurse Pat" Edwards Nursing Scholarship.
It wasn't created to gain recognition.
It was created to continue a legacy.
Every scholarship awarded, every fundraiser, every partnership, and every student encouraged represents another opportunity to invest in the future. It is a reminder that influence doesn't stop when a person's life ends. It continues through the lives they touched and the people they inspired.
That has become my mission.
One of the greatest misconceptions about influence is that it requires a large audience.
I don't believe that.
Some of the most influential people I have ever known have never stood on a stage or received an award. They are teachers who believed in a struggling student, nurses who comforted frightened families, parents who sacrificed quietly so their children could dream bigger, and friends who offered encouragement at exactly the right moment.
Their names may never make headlines.
But their impact is unforgettable.
We often spend so much time chasing recognition that we forget to focus on what truly matters.
Recognition is something others give you.
Influence is something you earn through consistency.
- It's built in the conversations no one else hears.
- The acts of kindness no one applauds.
- The prayers no one knows you prayed.
- The hours spent serving when there is no spotlight.
- The courage to keep going when the results aren't immediate.
Influence requires patience.
I've also learned that influence requires patience.
We live in a world that celebrates quick success, but meaningful influence is rarely built overnight. It grows through trust, relationships, and years of showing up with the same commitment and purpose.
Sometimes you won't see the impact you're making.
Sometimes you may wonder if your efforts matter.
Keep going anyway.
The seeds we plant today often become someone else's opportunity tomorrow.
This recognition is not the destination.
Being recognized as a 2026 Influential Woman Honoree is an incredible honor, and I am deeply grateful.
But this recognition is not the destination.
- It is a reminder to continue doing the work.
- To continue serving.
- To continue leading with integrity.
- To continue creating opportunities for those who come after me.
If my journey has taught me anything, it is this:
- Don't wait for recognition to believe your work matters.
- Don't wait for applause to know you're making a difference.
- Don't wait for a title to start leading.
Influence begins the moment you decide to live with purpose, serve with compassion, and leave every person and every place a little better than you found it.
Long before anyone recognizes your name, someone is already being changed by your example.
And to me, that is what true influence is all about.
