I sit down at an outdoor table for lunch. It’s spring of 2015 and I’m staying at a beautiful Palm Springs hotel for the NICU Leadership Forum. I’m feeling quite happy because, well, I’m sitting down to eat lunch outside in California instead of plowing through piles of work in my office. Simple.
Kelli Kelley, the Founder and Executive Director of Hand to Hold, spontaneously joins me and we begin catching up on all things NICU and life. Bursting with excitement, she says she’s found the perfect keynote speaker for a future NANT Conference.
Now, this is what I love about the NANT community – you totally get our mission and vision. You see it so clearly that when you come across a powerful, brave force like Glennon Doyle Melton, you think, “NANT Conference”. It’s like having thousands of people on a research and development team, only better. And who thinks of speakers like Glennon for a ‘medical conference’? You do. I do. Kelli does.
Why does that make sense? Why did Kelli think of the NANT Conference? I mean it’s a professional medical event. We should be super-serious and focus on all things NICU right?
Yes, and…
Here’s the thing. Part of NANT’s mission is to support you personally. When you read our mission you might just skim over that part, but we included it with 100% intentionality. Why?
Here’s an example. I’ve received a variation of this comment after every single NANT Conference in which the keynote speaker does not solely focus on practical content related to clinical practice. Which is to say, every single year.
It goes something like this, “I paid my own way to this conference and I would appreciate it if the keynote speaker presented about something clinically vital that I can bring back to my NICU practice on Monday.”
To which my eager response is:
YOU are something clinically vital that you will bring back to your NICU practice on Monday.
In addition to our knowledge and skills, if we do not understand the baggage that we bring to the incubator with us – our stress, frustration, fear, perfectionism, failure, expectations, and judgment – I believe we’ve missed out on bringing a truly therapeutic experience to the infant and family. And when we ignore or stuff down that personal baggage for weeks, months, and decades, it affects all parts of our lives leading to burnout, depression, or simply feeling disengaged or flat at work. I happen to believe that your hospital needs someone like you, so hey, I hope you stay – but more importantly, I want you to feel like staying.
To be clear, I completely understand where the person who wrote that comment was coming from. I used to feel the same way. We’re not taught to believe in our own personal contribution to healthcare.
But when I think about what I want NANT to provide for you professionally, I cannot in good conscience leave out what NANT can do for you personally. We work with fragile babies after all! You are a whole person and you bring that whole person into tiny spaces to help tiny people at a critical period of their development. No way am I letting you go in there unsupported.
Which brings me back to Glennon, the best supporter ever. I want you to get to know her before hearing her speak at the conference, because the sooner you enter the Glennon vortex, the better you will feel.
First, you can certainly read her book, which I highly recommend. You may want to plan to read it in one weekend, because from what I’ve heard from you so far, that’s pretty much how it’s going down.
Second, I want you to understand 2 (amazing) things about her:
1. Glennon tells the truth.
She does not sugar coat it or tiptoe around it. She tells the vulnerable truth about herself and it hits you right in the gut. There is no hiding. She also tells the kind of truth that makes you laugh hysterically because you can’t believe she’s brave enough to say this true thing out loud to the whole world. And because she can write the truth like no one else.
When sitting in your seat for her keynote, be prepared to feel all of your emotions at some level, and maybe even all at the same time. And understand that she’s in full support of you as you do the really hard work you do.
Read this article Glennon wrote to catch a glimpse of her hysterically funny truth-telling.
Her words will fill you with relief and hope.
2. Glennon spreads hope.
Beyond her NY Times best-selling book, beyond her blog that is read by tens of thousands of people, beyond sharing her own raw truth in real time, Glennon also spreads hope. Her non-profit Together Rising is a giant hope-machine for the world.
Since NANT is a group in which supporting mothers and babies is paramount, I want to share Together Rising’s most recent adventure. It says so much about Glennon’s vision for the world. And what the world collectively provided for mothers and babies in just 24 hours will leave you cheering.
Her commitment to bringing action to hope, thereby producing life-changing results for people in need of real solutions, will expand your vision while providing a fabulous example of how to make hope tangible in endeavors closest to your heart.
So yes, the NANT Conference will provide the latest evidence, advancements in clinical practice, and the unparalleled support of your colleagues.
The thing is, former NANT Conference keynotes like Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, Dr. Brene Brown, Mary Coughlin, (even me!) and now Glennon were sought out to support the most sensitive and advanced form of healthcare delivery on the planet.
The common thread, the through-line, is YOU.
