Brave New Girls is a brand that inspires girls to find strength in their unity and power in their individuality.
There’s a Brave New Girl in every girl.
BRAVE NEW GIRLS
In 1989 I moved from West Hartford, Connecticut to Nashville, Tennessee to become “Garthina” Brooks. That was my dream and I finally got up the courage to go for it. I packed up my truck and U-Haul trailer, turned the keys to my newly remodeled house over to my renters, 4 college guys and a Great Dane, and like the pioneers, my guitar and I headed west …in search of gold records!
When I arrived in Nashville I met that famous band of thieves, The Naysayers. You may have heard of them. Their only mission in life is to steal your dreams, because they never made it themselves.
At first you feel so grateful to them, because they’re “showing you the ropes”, but after awhile you realize that what they’re actually doing is getting a kick out of telling the new kids that they’ll never make it, because they didn’t. They are subtle at first, casting out little sarcastic digs like, “Wow, Nashville could sure use another singer/songwriter,” and, “Hey, did you write another Hit for the Drawer today?” Meaning the song you just wrote is never going anywhere. I actually had one guy say, “You know sweetheart, you have a better shot of having a song of yours played on the moon than on the radio.” Clever!
Once I was onto them, I would run in the opposite direction when I’d see any of them and soon they just disappeared. I mean, who has time for that kind of darkness? I’m a positive person and never had any use for negativity and sarcasm. I went about my business, hitting all the open mic nights, singing and meeting people, and a few years into it, I landed a record deal with Sony Music. Where were the Naysayers now! I guess I showed them, didn’t I?
I was understandably excited about my good fortune and I couldn’t wait to tell the world, especially my best friend, Cady. You see, Cady is the friend who beats me at everything. You may have one of those, too. She graduated from MIT with honors and a Phd in Polymer Science, which is simply “Plastic.” That’s right. She majored in plastic. Well, it’s a little more complicated than that, of course, but I like saying it. It makes me feel better.
When I first met her, I was a student pilot. Cool, right? Wrong. Cady had already logged hours and hours in her own private airplane and clocked time in a T-38, that’s a fighter jet! She was a real pilot. I guess you can tell where this is going.
Now, don’t get me wrong, she never brags, she’s a doll. In fact, she’s pretty spectacular. But, naturally, Cady was my first call after I got my record deal because this was my chance to show her I was cool, too. So I rang her and when she answered, I said, “Cady I’ve got great news.” She blurted out, “Me too, I just got my launch date.”
Did I mention she’s an astronaut? That’s right; Once again beaten. Talk about timing. What were the chances we’d both have our dreams come true at the same time? And, you know, hers is a lot cooler.
Anyhow, after I congratulated her, she remembered that I had called her and asked me, “Hey, what’s your news.” “Never mind,” was all I could say.
After I was over being mad at her for once again beating me, I was actually quite impressed and thrilled and proud of my girlfriend the astronaut. Ultimately, I was inspired by my Brave New Girl friend. And a song was born.
When I sent Cady the recording of her song, she played it for her fellow astronauts and the NASA Administrative staff and they declared Brave New Girls the official Mission wake-up song. So I got to go up in space with Cady. How cool is that!
And whom do you think I thought of when that happened? That’s right, the guy who had said I’d have a better shot of having one of my songs played on the moon than on the radio. He was actually pretty close. Though I didn’t quite make it to the moon, I did make it out of this world. And Garth Brooks can’t say that!
So, there are a couple of morals to the story here.
Lesson #1. There’s a Brave New Girl in all of us, astronaut, songwriter, mother, daughter, friend, and I’ve come to learn first hand that you don’t have to be an astronaut to be considered brave. Cady helped me see that it was brave of me to leave the comfort of my home to find my way in Music City. Being brave isn’t being fearless, it’s really the opposite. It means forging ahead in spite of our fears. I heard it said somewhere that it’s not brave if you’re not afraid. So very true!
Lesson #2. Stay away from Naysayers. They’re bad news! If you have a chance encounter with one, just know that they’re negativity comes from fear, and sadly, their fear has made them unable to forge ahead, and the site of you doing so scares them to death.
Lesson #3. Lift up your Brave New Girl friends; They are not your competition, they are your strength. Inspire, challenge and encourage each other. That’s what my Brave New Girl-friends do, and have done, for me…..Cady, Kathy, Shelley, Jayne, Patricia, and countless others have inspired and supported me and I hope they all feel I’ve done the same for them.
Since I met Cady, I’ve come to look for BNG’s and what they have in common. They try. They dare. It’s pretty obvious that being an astronaut takes courage. Sitting on a rocket that is virtually a hydrogen bomb that’s set to launch you off the planet is pretty scary, but for Cady, the payoff outweighs the fear. That’s what it means to be Brave; Pursuing your dream or your calling despite the fear factor. That’s my definition of a Brave New Girl.
Cady, is the Original Brave New Girl, but she helped me find the Brave New Girl in me! Know there’s one in you, too! Unleash her. She’ll make the world a much cooler place.
See you the playground. Sending you and all the Brave New Girls out there lots and lots of love.
xx Teresa