Reach Out and Touch Someone (Metaphorically Speaking)

Pick up the phone (or log into Zoom) and reconnect

I haven’t seen Amy in more than 20 years.

It makes me feel old saying that, but Amy and I met in college, and lived together in Los Angeles when we were interns during our junior year.

Amy and I had a lot in common – we were both from the Midwest (she from Michigan, me from Indiana).

We were both good students and both raised to be ‘good girls.’ 

And we were both fans of pop culture.

We were also both in an Honors program that let us spend a semester working in the media, and we were happy to trade the brutal Midwest winter for the California sunshine.

Amy and I spent some time driving go-carts around this lot

Our adventurous spirits took us on different paths after graduation, though we saw each other a couple of times over the years when our travel and work aligned (once in Hawaii and another time in Las Vegas). 

But then I moved to New Zealand, she moved to Maine and we just fell out of touch.  

But fate (or rather, technology) brought us together again.

Though we took different paths, we both share a desire to help people, and especially women.

Amy took the struggles she experienced as a working, nursing, and traveling mother, and turned it into pumpspotting, a community-driven breastfeeding and baby feeding support platform.

Amy outside the Pumpspotting RV in New York City (Photo: Pumpspotting)

Whenever I see posts about Amy’s work I feel a mixture of inspiration, pride, and joy.  She was always so creative, and I’m so happy to see her doing something that uses her talents and helps others.

I had read about Amy’s company and we exchanged a few messages on LinkedIn and decided to have a Zoom chat.

Even though it’s been 20+ years, and we’ve both gotten married and become mothers since then, Amy is still the smart, kind Midwestern girl I remember. 

And there’s something about reconnecting with someone who you knew (and who knew you) when you were in those formative years of ages 18-24. 

People who knew you when you were a young adult, still bumbling through the world trying to figure things out. 

They didn’t care what your job title was, or how much money you made. 

They still remember the boys you liked and the questionable fashion choices you made (and in our cases, the haircuts). 

This was a very cool hairstyle in 1998!

And they still like you anyway.

Sometimes distance and time pull us apart. 

Sometimes you see people (or read their social media posts) and you realize your paths have diverged so far it’s hard to imagine a time when they were ever aligned.

But sometimes you meet people who grow and change, but the core person they are remains what you remember.

So, who have you lost touch with? 

Now might be a good time to send an email or make a phone call. 

There’s a chance the person you remember is a lot different from the person you once knew. 

And there’s also a chance they turned out to be even better versions of themselves than you could have imagined.

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Beth Collier loves writing, pop culture, and was a big fan of the Melrose Place haircuts.

She also loves helping companies, leaders, and teams improve their communication (and creativity and leadership) through consulting, coaching, and workshops.

Her clients benefit from Beth’s global corporate experience, Midwestern practicality and enthusiasm, and an endless supply of pop culture references.

To find out how Beth can help you become a more confident, creative, and compelling leader – or improve communication in your company – visit www.beth-collier.com or drop her a line at beth@beth-collier.com