I have been a Flight Attendant for 23 years. I was jet-setting across the globe, experiencing the 4 am wake-up calls, sporadic hours, flight delays, and the joys of working most weekends and holidays. My travel developed my communication skills, enhanced connecting skills and expanded my knowledge of cultural differences. I was truly enjoying interacting with passengers on board, and loved exchanging stories with them on their reason for travel. I developed lasting friendships with fellow crew members, and gained an amazing “family” of support that I never thought possible. While I was grateful for all those experiences, the sense of lack of control in my life was ever present. During my layovers, I started reading business leadership books. At the same time, I was looking for ways to eat better while travelling. The food had to be portable, easy to prepare and fit the acceptable requirements for customs. The products I found gave me better health and more energy to cope with the sporadic hours. The products came with “a business in the box” model. This was the perfect storm. While flying, I was able to work part time around a crazy hectic airline schedule, and started slowly to build my business. This gave me another source of income. Fast forward to today, I got laid off after 23 years of flying. I applied the triple A model from the airline: “Assess, Adapt, Act”. The perfect storm has realigned itself. The difference this time is, I have a sense of control in my life. My business is already established. The ability to work from home has never been more crucial. My connections with people now are all on line. Zoom calls are now the norm. The best thing of all, my network ‘family’ and my flying ‘family’ are not exclusive. For that, I will be forever grateful!

Agnes Gavin