Anita White

Change Can Be Beautiful: A Conversation with Anita *Robert: Anita, take me back to the moment you learned your job was gone.* Anita: I had been with the company for 19 years. I started as a graphic designer, moved into marketing, and eventually became an event planner. I had built a career there and was producing events that closed millions of dollars in business. I was in the Detroit airport, about to fly to Toronto, when my boss called with HR and told me my position had been eliminated. I remember thinking, “I’m doing good work. I don’t understand.” Then I got on the plane, sat in the last row by the bathroom, and cried. *Robert: Where did “Change Can Be Beautiful” come from?* Anita: After I landed in Toronto, I saw a construction sign showing eggs on a branch, a chrysalis, and then a monarch butterfly. It said, “Change can be beautiful.” It was about construction, but I internalized it. I thought, “Okay, Anita, this has changed. How are you going to meet it?” Later, during the Dear World experience, that became the message I wrote. *Robert: Who helped you through that moment?* Anita: My meeting-planner friends surrounded me immediately. We had studied for our CMP together and had become like sisters. One printed my résumé, another made business cards, and they started connecting me with people. They didn’t just say, “Let me know if you need anything.” They acted, but also gave me space when I needed to process. *Robert: What did losing that job teach you?* Anita: That a job is not everything. I had given 19 years, sometimes working 60, 70, even 80 hours a week. I learned not to put my entire identity into something that wasn’t giving back to me. It also taught me resilience. Losing a job is painful, but it is not the end of the world. *Robert: What does your Dear World photo mean to you now?* Anita: I keep it on my desktop and phone. When work gets stressful, I pull it up. It reminds me, “You’ve been through stuff. You can do anything. You can survive anything and still be happy.” Before that moment, I defined myself by my job. The photo reminds me that a job does not define me. *Robert: How did that lesson carry you through what came next?* Anita: When COVID hit, events disappeared and I was a contractor, but I had already learned how to face change. I became a digital event strategist, worked in virtual events, and pivoted. I didn’t miss a bill or a meal, and I eventually found my way to St. Jude. Now I know change may hurt, but it can also create an opportunity I never would have chosen for myself. *Robert: What values guide you now?* Anita: Take care of yourself before you try to take care of everyone else. For years, I poured into my job, family, friends, and other people without pouring enough back into myself. I’ve also learned I don’t have to fix everything. Sometimes the best thing I can do is sit still, give people room to solve their own problems, and remember I don’t have to save everybody.