July 14, 2015
How My Backflip Landed Me at ABC's Shark Tank Casting Call
What does this image have to do with ABC's Shark Tank? Well, let me start from the beginning. And when I say the beginning, I mean when I stepped foot in the swimming pool with 3 of my 4 kids. And when I say swimming, I mean floating on an inflatable raft catching some rays. They swim all around me like little sharks and try to flip me over. I splash them and tell them mama just wants to relax and to swim away. "You're no fun," the youngest one says. I lower my shades to my nose and peer over at them swimming away, defeated. "Guys, what do you mean mommy is no fun?" I ask. "You're always so serious," Ava replies. I think, am I really? "Just yesterday I laughed about something didn't I?" I ask but they don't remember. "Ok, well then if you're so fun get out and do your famous backflip off the diving board," challenges the oldest, Bree. "Guys, mommy's too old." I say. "You always make excuses. We triple dog dare ya!" Ok, not one to refuse a triple dog dare, I climb out of the pool and do my mommy version of the walk of shame to the diving board wondering how the hell I can get out of this. They are all giddy and quickly swim as close as they can to the diving board as I begin my mount. From above, I scoot them away. "Safety first" I say which is met with hissing. "You're stalling mom." I kind of was. I felt all their eyes on me and I I was uncomfortable with this. I had gained weight since the last time I got on a diving board to perform a backflip and I'm embarrassed. I have been working out since my husband was kind enough to buy me a gym membership, so thanks for that honey (insert sarcasm here) but I digress. At that moment my kids don't care if I'm old or overweight. They just want me to have fun and jump off the diving board. Even bigger than that moment, they want me to let go. All of me. The me that's at the tip of a diving board with her toes tightly gripping the edge of the board. I start to bounce and realize, oh boy, "not much of a spring is there?" I say to them, looking over my shoulder. "Stop stalling and making excuses!" they yell. Damn, tough crowd! I do make a lot of excuses don't I? Stay focused, Sonia, you have a flip to do and little people are watching your every move. I feel the pressure. It's the same pressure I feel outside of the pool, in my business world.
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