Shannon Watts was a stay-at-home mom folding laundry when she heard the news of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. It was at that moment that Shannon decided to get off the sidelines and encourage other women to join her, starting the largest grassroots movement in the country, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Shannon and her army of mothers (and others) have bravely gone up against the gun lobby, proving that when you “fight like a mother” you can do anything you set your mind to. In this “Lesson on Doubling Down”, we talk about the business of building a movement.

Yesterday I was on a panel—via zoom—at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. If you’ve never been to the city, it’s located on the water’s edge and is a popular location for festivals, art, concerts and performance.

The topic was “Raising our Sons: White + Black Mothers Speak”. I don’t have a whole lot of experience being a mom yet but it’s something that I’m quickly forming opinions about. I had already held a similar support and thought session like this for clients shortly after the riots began. But yesterday was different because the audience was strangers and it was extra important for me to speak clearly from the truth of my experience.