This Is A Story About a Girl Named Lucky…
From Burnout to Bauer: Gratitude, Graduation, and the Wins We Don’t Celebrate Enough
Hey there, Erin here!
This week’s blog is all about graduation, gratitude, and giving ourselves permission to celebrate our d*mn wins. No brushing them off, no downplaying the effort, and no jumping directly into the next thing.
*This is a story about a girl named Lucky* - Britney Spears
I keep getting asked that since finishing my master’s. And my go-to answer?
I don’t know yet.
Because honestly, it hasn’t fully sunk in. But I knew one thing the morning of my very last class and final presentation: I needed to stay grounded. So I did what I always do when my brain wants to time-travel into the next five years… I meditated.
I actually re-listened to it and wanted to share it with you here.
From B Student to Bauer Award Winner
Let’s rewind.
I wasn’t ever really a great student. Senior year of high school? Barely attended. College macroeconomics? I think I attended a whopping 4 classes my freshman year of college (I mean who uses that, LMAO, uh everyone...)
I’ve always been a solid B student. I honestly can’t remember a time in my life when I made straight A’s or even *mostly* A’s.
A lot of the time, it always felt like I just hadn’t ever found my thing.
I was good at everything, but a master of nothing. I was friends with a lot of people, but not best friends with many. I was popular, but not like that popular.
When I joined a sorority in college, I did it to fit in better, but I was constantly met with the idea that I actually didn’t. No matter how much I tried. “Friends for life,” I was told. It still felt a lot like I couldn’t find my thing.
However, I always showed up.
My husband and I both graduated with our undergraduate degrees in Business Administration from Wichita State University in the spring of 2009. One year later, his company moved us to Houston.
So, let’s fast forward, shall we?
Fast forward through college, moving to Houston in 2010, launching YESyoga in 2018, surviving my dad’s accident in 2019, the pandemic, a full-on business pivot that drained our capital, and—oh yeah—publishing a book in 2023.
I was worn out. Trying to “fix” the business. Searching for clarity. Drowning in pressure.
I hired a strategy consultant who was AMAZING, and I learned a ton. But she kept talking about our market, demographic, and my lease looming over my head. I needed some serious foundational support, it was time for REAL help. No more business bedazzelment.
That’s when Ramona showed up at YESyoga. Ramona was actually part of the University of Houston’s faculty–Executive Director of the EMBA program, to be exact. I may *or may not* have been Ramona’s normal 9am “meeting” (AKA 60-minute yoga class) on her calendar, ha! Anyway, I’d been hearing how great their entrepreneurship program at U of H was, and started looking into it.
I decided I was going to go for it, only to realize there was obviously a bunch of paperwork. I had to text my friend Lo to help me make a resume. It was the first one I’d made in about 10 years because that was the last time I’d had a corporate job and wasn’t my own boss.
Lo asked me, “What are some key skills we can put under YESyoga?”
Me, “Just write ‘I do f*cking everything’.”
It worked. I got in. (Okay, I didn’t really put that on my resume.)
What Happened Next…
In April 2023, Ramona asked me to come speak for her EMBA program and alumni at the Women on the Rise Event they put on each year. I got to tell my story, sell some books, and check out this place called Bauer. It was also there that I got to announce my acceptance into the program.
*Insert more time traveling forward.*
Two research projects later—one on mindfulness for female founders, the other on women angel investors—I walked across the stage in May 2025 as an entirely different version of me.
So here we are now: May 2025.
I received the Bauer Outstanding MS Entrepreneurship Student Award for Spring 2025, and was recognized with a celebration dinner and recognized at graduation for being one of 10 award recipients. Because of my grades (3.7 or above), I was also awarded the Dean’s Award for academic achievement.
You’re looking at an “A” student for the first time ever. I did it. I am grateful.
Practicing Gratitude Helped Me Get Here
A big part of our mental health and practicing mindfulness is in the practice of gratitude. I have a really bad habit of jumping straight into the next thing. This time has been so different. I finally celebrated myself.
Other female founders have this bad habit too. We tend to downplay what we’ve done, and yeah, it’s good to be humble, but sometimes it’s good to shout from the rooftops too.
5 Real Benefits of a Gratitude Practice for Female Founders
Remember, mindfulness is not just meditation, it’s just one form of the practice. It’s about building emotional resilience and clarity in your business and in your life. It’s just one thank you and one small celebration at a time.
Boosting your mental clarity and reducing decision fatigue.
Gratitude clears the mental clutter so you can actually think.
Backed by: UC Davis research (Emmons & McCullough, 2003)
Increasing emotional resilience
Gratitude helps you bounce back stronger when everything feels like too much.
Backed by: Greater Good Science Center + APA
Improves energy, motivation, & commitment to your goals
Even when the to-do list feels never-ending, gratitude brings you back to why you started.
Backed by: Journal of Positive Psychology (Emmons & Mishra, 2011)
Builds Confidence by Reframing
It’s not toxic positivity. It’s powerful perspective.
Backed by: Psychological Science + NYT on gender and self-promotion
Inspires Action (Not just Affirmation)
Gratitude fuels generosity and bold moves—even when you’re exhausted.
Backed by: NBER meta-analysis (Lambert et al., 2019)
Reality Inventory: The Full Circle Gratitude Check-In
It’s time to take a pause to reflect and actually feel the power of our wins. Whether you landed your dream client, finally hit your revenue goal, survived a really tough month, or graduated with all A’s…it’s about remembering how far we’ve come.
It’s not just about feeling lucky, it’s about a mindful practice of recognizing ourselves, being present, and creating the inner validation we deserve.
Take 5 minutes to reflect with gratitude.
Ask yourself:
What version of me would have dreamed of today?
What am I grateful for that I once thought was impossible?
What small thing can I celebrate right now?
Final Thoughts: Lucky? Sure. But Also—Prepared, Present, and Proud
If I look back or even think of my high school self, there is no way she would believe me if I told her everything. High school Erin would most definitely roll her eyes.
But it turns out I found my thing. My place. And, my voice.
