Unintentional Transitions

When Josie* met with a Self-Sufficiency Counselor at Life-Work Planning Center for the first time in October of 2021 she was pregnant & homeless in an unfamiliar town. “I joined drug court to avoid going to prison. I wanted to get my life together so I could raise my daughter, but I didn’t know anyone in Mankato. It was a very hard start for me.”  According to Connie Chapman, a women’s empowerment mentor, “the process of transformation is rarely a perfect, linear path that we walk through with grace and ease.” Josie was certainly in the first stage of an unintentional (and beautifully messy) life transformation.

When interviewed, Josie spoke fondly of her childhood and family. She shares that she had everything she ever needed and “my parents made me who I am today.” At an early age, she created a successful career for herself. Josie was working full-time advancing her position and opportunities in a male-dominated competitive environment, until substance use impacted her life.

Josie started out in Mankato living in sober housing, where another woman shared information about Life-Work Planning Center. By December, she was living in a hotel and working part-time at a donut shop. “This wasn’t the job I wanted. I kept applying for jobs I knew I was capable of getting.” Due to her recent criminal background, housing options were very limited. With her due date quickly approaching in February, Josie began sincerely considering adoption. “I didn’t want to even think about giving my daughter up for adoption, but I knew she deserved a better life than I could offer her at the time.”

She spent that winter participating in Life-Work Planning Center’s pre-employment workshops. Josie went through a full eight weeks of essential skills building alongside other women. “This gave me something to do during the hard times and reminded me I was making choices that would only benefit me and put me in the direction that I wanted to go.” Josie’s unintentional transformation went slowly but clearly became very intentional.

Once the workshops were complete, Josie was ready to turn her attention to what she calls a long and daunting job search saying, “I had submitted my resume on Indeed about a thousand times.” Once she completed the Myers-Briggs and Strong Interest Inventory Assessments, a Self-Sufficiency Counselor provided feedback on her resume.

At 39-weeks pregnant, Josie finally obtained housing after she had been denied due to her record. She moved into her apartment and had her daughter within days of moving. “My heart was and still is so full, I knew I was meant to be this little girl’s mommy and now I had a home to bring her to.”

In May 2022, Josie was invited in for an interview with an employer she was very interested in but had forgotten she applied for the position while still living in the hotel. Through referrals from the Counselor that she was working with, Josie obtained appropriate and well-fitting interview clothing and day care so she could fully focus on interviewing. “When I left, I felt they would offer me the position, but I didn’t hear back from them until June.” Josie was offered the position on the same day she was drafting a “thank you” with a Self-Sufficiency Counselor.

An often not-talked about part of transformation is the grief and loss that comes alongside new beginnings. We experience shifts in our values, beliefs, and expectations that can be uncomfortable. When Josie began work it was difficult to keep up with breastfeeding, and she was left with no choice but to supplement with formula. Now with an income, Josie was no longer income eligible for financial assistance. Life-Work Planning Center provided support dollars and a referral to another organization that would provide formula, diapers, and wipes to ease this transition towards self-sufficiency.

Josie says knowing there were people there to support her was the most helpful factor in her transformation journey. “Life-Work Planning Center gave me the opportunity to grow and grow over and over again.” She wants other women to know they are worth it and to never give up. Moore Wellness LLC calls transformation “a dramatic change in form or appearance.” Today in May 2023, Josie is a mother, a woman in recovery, a full-time employee, and she is housed with goals of home ownership on the horizon.

*Name has been changed to protect the privacy of the subject of this story.*