Welcome back. This is your kind of well kind of toxic host Sarah Rittendale bringing you
another episode of Wellish.
Genevieve Petturo, welcome to Wellish. I am so excited to have you here.
I'm thrilled, Sarah.
So I'm going to just go ahead and let you introduce yourself.
So if you want to tell me your title, who you are and what you do.
Sure, I'd be happy to.
I founded Pajama Program, a national organization about 23 years ago because I met a little girl in an emergency shelter who asked me a simple question that changed my priorities in life, shall we say.
And I ran Pajama Program for 20 years nationally and then through that time, I realized that finding my purpose and then learning about human connection and how it started for me with that little girl and how it was the reason we grew nationally the way we did was really important to share.
I started speaking and the messages were resonating with other people.
So a few years ago, I handed off the reins of executive directorship to Jamie, who is our board president at one point she loved Pajama Program, and I decided to write a book and to speak about inspiring leadership, you know, purpose plus the human connection.
And so that's what I've been doing for the past three years through COVID, never expected to start this part two of my purpose, but none of us did.
So here we are, and it's going well thankfully and I'm happy to share.
That's amazing. That's so inspiring. That's incredible that you started from something so small, I feel like and it just became this massive thing and now I mean you've taken on a whole new project and a whole new aspect of it.
So that's really cool that you've been able to make that transition. I kind of wanted to talk to you about so I watched a lot of your interviews I watched your Ted talk.
And I feel like most of what you talked about is your story and how you came to have this. I was curious more so I wanted to talk to you more about today about your own personal experience on your ladder to success and kind of some mental maybe hardship that you might have
experienced over that time if there if any. So you started at a marketing executive job, correct you were working a corporate job. So what were some feelings that you were having while you were still working for that executive job that made you feel that you weren't doing the right thing for you.
You know, as I was working, I didn't have any second second thoughts because growing up, I used to watch Mary Tyler Moore play the character Mary Richards on the Mary Tyler Moore show, and I wanted to be her.
And she was single and she lived in a big city and she had this glamorous job and she was in a man's world but making her way and I wanted to be her.
So through college and interviewing.
I did get a job. And I did feel like Mary Tyler Moore wasn't the TV business, not exactly what she did working in a newsroom but I did work in a radio newsroom.
So I felt excited like this was happening I was creating this, and it was of course, a fun exciting job for you know young woman in the city I was single I bought my own place.
And I had that freedom and I just thought living your dream having your dream job was going to last forever and make me feel you know really, really fulfilled.
And it was 12 years in when I heard an inner voice, it didn't come from knowing of emptiness, but the inner voice did know I guess because I heard from inside me, the question to me.
I'm sitting alone in my apartment. If this is the next 30 years of your life, is this enough.
And Sarah that stopped me cold. And what also stopped me cold was my answer came pretty quickly.
I felt an emptiness in that moment and I guess that was the job of the universe. Well we're going to ask you a question and then we're going to give you the answer to help you get there.
And I realized, you know, being a first order of four kids in an Italian family, dad off the boat, you know, mom's family off the boat. They really wanted and expected me to be a little more traditional and raise a family, and you know give them grandchildren and
they thought that would come naturally and I really didn't feel that calling. But in that moment, I thought now I was in my, I was 38 so it was, it was not too late to have children but for me, you know, I didn't think I should run out and get married and have kids and do the traditional
thing without, you know, just because it was getting later and later by the day, but I did think how can I bring children into my life and that's when I knew it was children. And that's when my mind went to some reports I teen of children being hurt by those who were
in the police and I found the police where they bring these children in emergency situations and that started my visit. And that's that got the ball rolling for finding my way to that little girl and my purpose, you know, shining a light on my purpose.
Sure. So it sounds like it was a lot of like this intercalling that you have obviously but it sounds like it wasn't a hefty transition because it was, you know, so much so what your thoughts were your mind was already set is that correct.
Well, I knew what I wanted to do.
I wasn't expecting the struggles and the trauma of making the jump off the corporate ladder. I had, I'm not a saver. So it's, I started to volunteer and I started to read at night but then what started the the compulsion what made me really committed was, I saw after I read to them at
night, these were kids who the police or social workers were bringing in, they are in emergency situations they were harmed. They came in in the clothes that they've been wearing for days or soiled or bloodied or worse.
They were traumatized and they needed them to sit quietly while they process paperwork and make calls. And so I was reading to them at this time at night.
And one night, I went to follow, I wondered where they were putting them to sleep. The room I'd read to them in was very bare. And of course they were very quiet because they were afraid.
And they just sat there, you know, and listen to me read story after story. And then someone brought them to the quote bedroom. So when I followed one night because I was curious.
And they were in an equally bare room. And they were huddled together, you know, tour more on a cot or a futon or a single bed or there.
It was just nothing like my mom giving us bedtime which was flashing in my mind and I would see how they were sleeping and they were sleeping in the same clothes they'd been wearing for who knows how long.
And as they were closing the light and ushering me back to the exit I turned and I said, can I bring some pajamas next week.
And I don't know why I said that I can remember just like I'm telling you that I said it and she looked at me and she said, that would be so lovely knowing things of pajamas.
And I did I brought pajamas and I was so excited and I read to the children and I started handing them out.
And one little girl was so afraid of me she wouldn't take some the other kids took them and they were taken to that room to change it put them on but she was afraid she was afraid of me she was afraid to take anything from me she was about six but I don't know exactly.
She gave up my hips and her pigtails will lopsided and her clothes were soiled her pants were so short.
She has huge sneakers on, I guess somebody gave them to her.
And she wouldn't take them I coaxed her gently she watched me give them to the other kids and I kept the pink ones I had that one for her.
And when I knelt down and I tried one more time before they took her to the other room.
I tried to have her touch them and feel how soft they were and tell that she keep them she didn't have to give them back she could wear them whenever she wanted to.
She just looked at me and she she asked me, what are pajamas.
And that was the moment that I, there was no turning back.
Right.
And that's when the inner struggles and practical struggles began, because I was hiding where I was going I was a workaholic so by leaving early to go read to these kids.
You know, people were looking at me cross-eyed.
And I, you know, it's okay, people change and I figured I deal with it.
But it was an obsession now.
I had to shop I had to buy them I had to make the calls I had to answer the phone whenever called because people were telling other people this lady comes with pajamas caller.
Oh, okay.
Because of her and because my immediate thought was, this is this is not acceptable.
I have to do something I have to do everything. How am I going to get this done.
And that was, that was keeping me from doing my job in a good way and then I was, I was keeping it from everyone and I was lying and I was, you know, trying.
Oh, interesting.
Yeah.
It was, it turned into a very difficult situation for me personally trying to reconcile because I wasn't going to make any money. I didn't think.
I had a mortgage and a saver and so credit cards were piling up with, you know, pajama purchases and postage, you know, sending them everywhere.
So that's when, you know, it started to get to be a heavy load that I had to figure out.
Sure.
So what were your fears that were going to happen when you were trying to make this happen for yourself.
I think something interesting that you mentioned was that your parents wanted a more traditional lifestyle for you.
And that was really a factor as well because you were taking a different career path even not just the kids but now you're doing something on your own and not following your marketing path as much your corporate path as much.
They were afraid, they were afraid for me but they, they do trust me my father was worried.
And so I had those, those people who were naysayers that I had to, you know, had to deal with, you know, one friend just looked at me said why are you doing this why would you throw away your career what do you think you're saving their lives get you just do it on Saturday.
And I was like, Oh my gosh I can't tell anyone else because this is the reaction I'm going to get from, yeah, from people so I climbed up, but and my father was worried but he said you know, I can do anything about it you know, and my mother said, I don't know how you're going to do but you'll figure it out.
So it wasn't that I got over that it was financial fear.
Okay.
It was losing my job before I was, I didn't want to be fired I wanted to figure out an exit plan.
Right.
So those two things were pretty heavy.
Heavy, you know, especially the financial part.
What would you have done differently, do you say with anything or.
I couldn't have.
I couldn't.
Yeah, we all we all think we could have right but I don't know.
I don't know if it didn't if it didn't go well in the end. I'd have a lot of regrets, but sure.
I figured it out by the grace of God and so many people in my human connection.
Yeah, sure.
It worked out.
Is there anything specific that you think benefited you that you like that you're proud of from that transition.
Yeah, I'm good when I'm up against the wall. I'm good in those situations.
I know, you know, I always tease my husband and I say I'm a guy for I can, you know, I can make them all with a matchstick. But I when you have to you do one.
All of us are capable of it whether we, you know, have that purpose that's our North Star we want to do it or so that's important or backs up against the wall but I'll take another easier route.
That's a decision everybody makes.
And for me, I was just obsessed, obsessed, and I did meet my husband at that time, and he was supportive but couldn't financially support both of us.
Sure.
I was a burden, you know, even though he was supportive, and I had promised him I will work at McDonald's midnight shift.
I promise if I lose my job, I promise I will keep up my half of the bills some way. Yeah.
And, you know, and he just, you know, he just, he just wished me well and, you know, and we prayed.
That's incredible though that you had that support system and the recognition that you like, you know, you know, I'm a mess.
And also, you know, I was, I was single focused, you know, we were new, newly married, and I wasn't living up to being a partner in a lot of ways my tension, you know, I wasn't sleeping I was worried I was running all over we had one car it was
his and you know I was begging him to drive me here drive me there so I could be there before you know quicker time than a train.
And he did as much as he could but I you know there was a lot of a lot of my time that should have been devoted to someone that you're marrying that I just took advantage of you know.
Interesting. Yeah, absolutely. I can I can relate to that just with the podcast to I have I'm in a relationship and it's just totally like when you have your tunnel vision you have your tunnel vision so it makes sense completely with your transition.
What is your relationship with creating a life plan. I feel like a lot of people they like set this plan for their whole life and they're like this is how my life is going to play out and you're either like more spontaneous, or you're more structured.
Where do you feel like you fall into on that spectrum.
More spontaneous. I just say it's going to work out it's going to work out and I did a test a long time ago where they they ask you a bunch of questions and you fall into four categories and I fell into the number one priority in my life was adventure.
Okay, security.
There are different things and and that was so true and is still true and it's not always a good thing, but it's definitely me.
Yeah, what do you feel keeps you spontaneous. Is it just a character trait that you have or is there something that you know drives you to be that more of that way.
I think it's a trade I tease people because I keep jumping.
I could have stayed running pajama program which is my child I love it, but I knew it was time to try to reach the adults, you know, all the years taking care of the kids and they are still be taking care of I would never have given it to somebody trust and I'm involved, as far as keeping up and you know, showing up for them at special
times, but I just took another leap. And some of us have that have that gene I have a gene.
Right.
Have you ever been misunderstood about your work.
No, no.
I mean the one friend that I mentioned was the only one that questioned why I would want to do that, you know that. And I didn't know it was the word purpose.
And I didn't know everybody has one you know we were taught to get a good job and if you have a good job and you're relatively happy.
You know, you know, you're not going to get a job if you're not going to get a good job.
And I think that's what I did well.
But I've learned we all have a purpose.
And she didn't get that.
But I wasn't strong enough then to answer her in any way.
She just shot me down and that was definitely a weak point.
Because I hadn't told many people if anyone she was the first person that wasn't an immediate family member.
I didn't have my cheerleaders lined up and that's one of the lessons in my book.
Why not those cheerleaders because boy those naysayers are going to come.
Absolutely.
Did you so you had that experience with her do you ever feel that people don't understand.
I feel like being in a business that is more charitable.
I feel like people expect sunshine and rainbows all the time.
And I'm assuming that that's not the case is that correct.
I think people who don't aren't in the inner circle.
Yeah, that's so nice.
You know, it must be.
They've never said these words must be an easy job.
But I don't.
I don't think that they consider it a business.
The way that there's stress from the bottom line and there are people senior, you know, presidents who are looking breathing down your neck and it's a, it's there.
You know, a board that you report to that's different than a nonprofit board because everybody's like rah, rah, this is.
I don't.
I sometimes I think that they think that when those of us in nonprofit, especially at a certain level know this is a business and yeah, tough, tough restraints restrictions with the government with the public.
We all adhere to them, we all do our best to, you know, to smile and love our every day but it's, it gets to be stressful raising money it gets to be stressful trying to, to take care of the people you're serving, and know when you have to start doing the business
and when you can spend time with the part that took you to them the first place being with them seeing them feeling like you're helping them. That's what we all love and that's what drew us.
And I don't think there's anybody who regrets growing the nonprofit but it is a business and it is difficult and it's just like running any kind of business you need lawyers you need attorneys you need CPAs you need marketing people you need to hire people.
So what then would you say are like some common mental setbacks that you have with running pajama program. It's the same thing I think we all struggle with.
Self doubt. Am I good enough.
I don't want to ask too many questions are going to look down. I should know these things by now if I asked these questions of people now they're going to say, you know, wow she really didn't, didn't learn anything and all this time or.
And we just think oh look at that person does it so much better than I can do it and it's crazy I don't know why we all have that in common but it does give me some, some comfort to know that when I am vulnerable and I put myself in a vulnerable
and I asked the question why cringe inside to say oh please don't laugh at me that they don't laugh that they people are they want to help you know they want to answer the question they want to, especially if they're the expert and you're going to them for advice you know they are
happy to share. Absolutely.
It took me a while to get over it but that that's why I speak about you find your purpose and then the human connection works its magic. Absolutely.
So making things then from a taking action versus letting fate take its course perspective how much back work went into making from like starting at the shelter to then donating all of the pajamas during hurricane Katrina and then actually founding the nonprofit of
the program when I was listening to your story. And I know that this is not how it was is that it sounds so like, and then this person called me and then it worked out that way and then this person called me and then that worked out that way is that I mean I shouldn't say I know that it's not is
that how it was that it just naturally fell into progression, or was there a lot of work that you were doing personally to make that happen.
And so I think that's, you know, in when you start any, any business, you're working so hard, and you, you hope to see every day a win. You know, you think I'm working this hard where's my win where's my, you know, where can I see my signs to keep going and then it pops up, you
you maybe giving over here to the right side and pops up on the left side. So this faith that you have to, you have to believe that pushing in the right direction doesn't mean that that pushing is the right way because it might come out of left field.
So, I was working very hard to try to get supporters to try to find ways to have an answer come to me that would take care of me and show me that there's another financial way available to me, or, you know, so I was doing all that behind the scenes, losing
my sleep, you know, really making myself anxious and bringing on the agony myself of you know, gotta get this done gotta get this done waiting.
And things did fall into place. So, I think it's, it's both that I didn't, you can't, no matter what you're doing you can't sit around do nothing and just wait for fairy godmother to come and say here's something here's something here's something.
You know, it's both looking back on your life before any of this happened. Do you can you connect any dots about experiences that you had or qualities that you have that kind of led you to where you are today.
Didn't lead me but helped me market the best thing I could have measured in and had as VP title marketing, because I learned short and sweet.
I learned how to write a press release I learned what that what picture to pick. I learned the words to use. I always spoke for my heart I'm a crier so that was not easy to be a crier when you're working with these children let me tell you I'm hiding on awful
day or the adults wouldn't see me still to this day but I think being a very emotional person working in an emotional field.
It gave me access to my heart and knowing and praying that my heart was reaching someone else's heart with the words I use with the photos I chose with what I could write short and sweet to someone.
So, I would say that in the business world my marketing experience was my, my best asset.
That's incredible, especially because sometimes it can feel like you're wasting your time when you're not doing what you are your purposes. And obviously you spent 15 years doing it and it was for a reason so that's that's incredible.
Yes, the universe has its own plan for you.
Exactly.
Yeah, right.
Also I completely relate to the crying and emotional thing that's 100% me too.
We talked a lot about the human connection you've mentioned it several times what is the correlation between human connection and finding your purpose.
Well, purpose comes in many ways you, you have a personal purpose, which I, you know, I'm working to try to share how everyone has a purpose and so many of us put it on the back burner.
So many of us think we need the job and of course get caught up in obligations financially and otherwise and think okay, that singing thing that drawing thing that working, you know with nurses thing is on the back burner, one day one day one day.
So I tried to tell people how different your life will be. If you follow your purpose because there's magic in the universe is magic in the human connection. More so I believe when you are on your purpose.
So, when, and if you're personally looking for your purpose. That's one thing, and that should be the first thing.
You can work for a company and be on purpose, because your contribution will feel like that's naturally where you belong it's not fitting a square peg and around whole.
So, you can, if you love to draw, you can get a job drawing and fulfill both your personal purpose and financially get a job and that's perfect.
No matter what you do, you need to feel that your purpose is what's leading you to that result job or career.
And then the more you talk about it the more you share it from your heart because nobody's talking about their job from their heart but they're talking about their purpose from their heart.
So if you're talking from your heart, there is a connection to another human being's heart that is inexplicable, but you will talk about.
You want to sing I love to sing I'm taking lessons, you know, and everyone knows what a hard road that can be. But if you share it, there's going to be someone who says, Oh, I know this group, I know this person, I know this, I know that.
And you share because you're sharing from your heart and it's invisible human connection, and somebody else will show up to take you to the next level.
And I've seen it for years with pajama program. Every time I told the story about the little girls, I was channeling her. That story went from my heart to someone else's heart to someone else's heart to someone else's heart and it can happen not just with a little girl who asked you that question.
It can happen with your dream. Share it talk about it.
I cannot explain it I can just promise you it's in the air is in the universe.
I feel like that is a lot of, like if you believe in like manifestation or prayer that it's like when you that's a lot of the time I feel how that happens it's like when you speak about it out loud to yourself, or to other people.
That's kind of how the things that you want most in life show up for you because you're speaking it into existence in a way.
Absolutely, absolutely. And we're afraid because it's a big, it's a big leap to that trust.
But what happens when you're back is against the wall.
So many stories you hear about how somebody was, you know, in that predicament and out of the blue.
It's not really out of the blue if you understand it.
You know you're talking to people and can you believe that person you somebody who's like, yes, I can believe it but now I'm glad there's one more person who can believe it.
Yeah, that because you just keep talking about your purpose from your heart.
That's going to keep happening.
So would you say that then that is you talked about invisible human connection is that what that is the invisible human connection.
Yeah, I think the human connection is obviously physical because you want to go and you want to talk to people, you know, on the physical plane, but there's more that's going on.
There's more than just you talking to a physical human being a flesh and bones.
I believe that there's an energy that is there that's why COVID was so difficult for so many of us because we're not built to talk with a screen, we're built to share in person as much as possible.
Sometimes it's impossible. Of course we've had long distance zoom calls before COVID, but when there's opportunity to be together that energy is 100 times greater and I believe that I agree.
Absolutely.
So what do you feel people struggle with the most when trying to find their purpose.
First, I don't know that people because I didn't believe that we all have a purpose. You know, I went through the first half of my career thinking, Oh, purpose. Well, nobody ever asked me to consider my purpose.
That wasn't a conversation. Now more and more, we know that word, right? We want that in our lives, but before it was get a good job.
So, if you had asked me and looking back, I would think, you know, special people had a purpose that changed the world or that did, you know, like Einstein and Oprah and Deepak Chopra and, you know, Alexander Graham Bell and every president of the United States, they had a purpose.
But for the rest of us, sorry, you came in second.
Yeah.
But it's not and first people need to believe that and I think we were trained to be subservient somewhere along the line and that we were that special person won the lottery.
But we are we all have won the lottery and it's just about believing in yourself and taking the time and I do exercises with people to get them to really focus on what their, their purpose is.
And then you have to take action, you know, you have to take action. But I think the first thing to get over is the feeling of, you know, I don't have a purpose. It's, I wasn't one of the lucky ones.
I might not use those words, but I know that phrase. I wasn't one of the lucky ones that, you know, I have this big purpose to do.
I can totally picture that how true that is and how many people settle because of that. They think that.
Yeah.
What would you say are some key indicators that you're on the right path that you're on the track to finding your purpose feels good.
Okay.
It's plain and simple.
Yeah, yeah, that's how my my exercises go with people.
You have to you have to feel.
And we feel all day long we feel when we don't want to do something we do it anyway we know how that feels. Yeah, we know when we do something that we love that's, you know, we don't want to stop drawing we don't want to stop writing we don't want to stop.
You know, playing with the child we don't want to stop sitting at the bedside of someone that we love, whatever it is, we don't want to stop organizing flowers we don't want to stop, even running a meeting I mean there's plenty of things that you do in business that
people love their job and really your job.
Totally good and it's such a big indicator that we don't pay attention to when we're doing something, especially job that feels all wrong.
That's so interesting because the way you word at that to find what you don't want to stop doing, because I feel so much we think about from a starting perspective that you're like, what could I do what do I like what do I don't what do I not like but it's like if you think about just like
what can I help myself from doing and looking further into that and really digging into that that totally would put you on the right path that makes absolute sense.
What unique personal quality do you feel that you have that has carried you towards your success.
I guess perseverance.
I still have all those nasty, you know, doubts and self confidence, especially when you start something new again.
You know, like, take yourself sometimes why didn't I just, but know why in the next breath you know why you're meant to do the next thing and you know starting over.
So I think, I think, I think I believe in the universe, because I've seen too many things that couldn't have been just man made, should we say, you know and I don't mean to be all, you know, who will we love here that's okay.
I don't believe that and or I do believe it and I love it and I want it. I just, I just believe that I was called and I believe all of us were called to do what we're doing if we're not giving up.
You know if you don't give up, even though it's very hard at times.
There's a lot about your belief in yourself and that this was meant for you to do because it's very easy to give up and get a job. Believe me. I, you know, I used to think about that and people said that.
But if you don't do that, then you're on the right track.
Right.
What do you like the most about who you are.
What do I like the most that's an excellent, excellent question Sarah.
What do I like the most about all I am. I think I like to feel happy. I know that sounds crazy but I know the difference so what I what I'm not feeling happy. I will plan something to make me feel happy.
It sounds kind of trite, but I'm not going person so I love to be with my friends I love to be with my family I love to eat I love to shop.
I love to be part of the eating part. I don't know where I got.
And I love to be out maybe it's the adventure gene. I don't know. Totally. Yeah.
So if I'm not in that place. I do anything almost anything to get in that place I do not like being depressed or sad and of course there are times when things happen and make you sad but I don't know I like that I can turn myself around and make a call and get in the
position and call up someone and make a date and have something fun, because I know it lifts me and it lifts my vibration and when your vibration is high and you feel good. Good things happen you know again, you're attract good things and I hate being in a bad place because then I feel like I'm
attracting all these bad things and I want to get out.
Absolutely. Absolutely. You spoke. Well you actually you mentioned it at the beginning of this, but you also spoken your Ted talk about having that goal to be Mary Tyler more and watching her on the show and wanting to emulate who she was.
The impression that I got from what I understood was that that was the reason you decided to climb the corporate ladder to achieve that goal. How do you feel about that goal now.
That definitely drove me from a very young age I just was enamored by her and her position and everything her apartment or friends all that freedom that she had. So, um, how do I feel about it now well of course, I would say I was happy to go through it because I do think it's a funny
story.
I think about it a lot. You know I want to be Mary Tyler more people who know that is they they chuckle so it breaks the ice a lot. I did and do love the cast members who are still with us and I was just you know in love with her and I've met people who knew her, and I've
gotten a warm feeling. And I think you know but of course on the negative side you know sometimes I say or I write that I spent so much time wanting to be a fictional character.
And I guess we all do growing up in some of us want to be Cinderella.
Me too.
And that's looking back you know I wish I wish we had a people who said, you know, purpose, you know find purpose it's great she's fun happy you're watching her.
But there are things that make you special what do you love to do and that just wasn't a conversation so a lot of us were left with mimicking our favorite, you know characters.
And I think that's why I actually feel just like from doing my homework on you that I feel like you did almost accomplish that goal you just did it in your own way, because at least what you had said in the TED talk was that you
admired her for her status and her power and her success.
I feel that you really have accomplished that you've just done it in Genevieve's way, not Mary's way. So, would you say that being yourself through this process with something intentional or do you think that's something that just kind of happened when you were progressing through this.
Yeah, I guess I found myself as I, as I jumped off that corporate ladder and figured it out. And so, it felt like putting on clothes that really fit or putting on skin that really fit.
And when I was climbing the corporate ladder I was trying to be something and be someone and I was happy on good days when you know I accomplished something and I got a raise, and I saw was respected among men in the office and when I look nice and nice outfit like Mary had and
my own apartment like Mary had and when I went on vacation like Mary did. So, whenever as a young Mary Tyler Moore want to be. I measured myself against her and clearly my inner self the universe God said, you know, okay enough.
Yeah, we're going to show you what you're missing here what you're really supposed to be doing. And then, you know, then I felt like me now I feel like me obviously it's been 20 some years.
Sure. Yeah, but there was a time when I could look back and say that wasn't me but if you asked me then I probably say, yeah this is me want to be married but it's really me.
Right. So, in what ways do you feel you are best able to tap into your true self on your journey to find your purpose.
I think the most difficult times. I think I had to figure.
When you climb in the corporate ladder, you don't have to figure out everything you just have to figure out how to get to your next step or how to figure out the problem they give you to solve or you have to figure out some stuff but when you start something doesn't matter if it's nonprofit or or
whatever you start something, you have to figure everything out. And, and a lot of the time there's a lot of stuff there that could go very wrong.
And it's all, it's all on you it's all on it's good that you have a dream of the end result but I found that when I was really stuck the worst times the financial crises that we had and
not getting enough people and not getting enough pajamas and the credit cards being canceled and people calling me because I owed, you know, owe the bills paid and all of that I found some inner extra, you know, gallon of gas to just come up with some idea that was
crazy or, or be open to somebody else's idea.
Okay.
You know, and you have time for a quick story.
Yeah, absolutely.
And so, during the 2007 2008 financial crisis, we had, I was watching here in New York nonprofits go under left and right, left and right.
And I was praying every day I said we can't I cannot disappoint these kids we cannot be another person or company that doesn't show up for them.
I can't, you know, please God I can't I can't I can't.
And so I was by myself, like so many of us are in our own heads thinking this is mine I have to do this I have to figure this out I can't tell anyone how great I am I can't tell anyone.
I can't beg for money. I have to find a way to keep us respectful and to still find some help. So it got, I was just not sleeping and it was awful.
And we were still standing though. And at the next board meeting we have a small board then I said I was vulnerable I said, I can't do this on my own. You've always been there.
Anybody, anybody can anybody help anybody have an idea. And one of the board members said, seriously, took a minute and she said, I think we should go bowling.
Let's have a building fundraiser. Sarah, I can remember it like it was yesterday.
I said to myself, first, does anybody bowl in New York City.
Something they do in Arkansas.
In New York City.
And then I said to her, I don't know how much money we're going to raise bowling and I don't know how to bowl and I'm sort of confused I didn't want to insult her.
I think I think we should go bowling. And I had no other idea. I have some friends will ask friends will come. They'll come. And, and we're going to bowl. And I said, okay.
I had no, nothing else to offer nothing. Right and not expecting much out of this I'm assuming right now. Not at all. What do we charge $25 I mean it was, it was like, okay, but something inside me just maybe go through the motions.
And a lot of people came. We didn't raise a million dollars, but we raised our spirits.
I can tell you the joy of being in that bowling alley with everyone while outside everyone was scared to death of losing their own money of losing their business losing their job.
All of us nonprofits seeing all the other nonprofits we were going under.
It was a cocoon of love and support and joy and new connections and people who then said, Oh, I can tell this person I have this person I know this person.
And we came out of it.
And I was fine. And I credit her and I love her as a special place in my heart, because I don't know if she knew we just needed to get out of that depression that we're all in to shine light on our dream and our connections to each other.
And we came out of it and that was the most wonderful quote fundraiser we've ever ever had because we were the perfect example of the human connection for forming miracles. Everybody knew somebody everything happened after that.
And we just breathed again.
I think that's so cool too just because you're thinking so literally like you're thinking so this is what I need to do this is the number I need to hit in order to get there. And it might not have been what you needed and you did you couldn't you can't even see that until it actually is in front of you and you put yourself in that happiness cocoon like you said I liked that word.
I think it's cool too that that coincides with your own personal wants in life that you you want to that happiness and that's something that's important to you. And it's like you don't you don't think about how much who you are and what you're trying to accomplish really do go hand in hand
especially when it is you're trying to find your purpose seems so obvious but for some reason we don't think about it.
So I want to ask you just last five more fun questions.
What advice would you give your younger self.
Think about what you love to do now saying that I would never have thought I love to give pajamas and a good night to kids that wasn't that that happened to me.
That's not something that I knew I loved and went after.
So I don't know if that doesn't really work and I'm talking it out loud here.
I think it's a.
Relax more and believe in the universe earlier than you were sort of put in the position where you had to trust that there's a support out there trust that if you point yourself in the right direction and and you are happy for the most part or work to find happiness and everything that that will attract good things.
To your credit though you did say earlier how you had to look inside of yourself in order to find your purpose and from what I understand you felt you know that you were missing the children in your life and that's why you wanted to bring them in.
And I think that you did something from more of something that you were trying to have in your own life and it turned into this like huge selfless helping millions of children's children thing and it was such a simple thought that you did have inside of you so I think that that's a good answer to what you originally saying as well.
Yeah, I guess you're right.
What is your way of showing up for yourself every single day.
Oh, I usually go to the gym. So that's, that's a good thing and I swim my swim laps, and that makes me feel really good.
But I don't do it every day I need to do better at that.
Medicaid, I guess I do meditate every single day so that that's important to me.
Great.
What is one thing you wished you are you wish you had known before you chased your purpose.
How fast time goes.
Enjoy.
Enjoy as much as you can travel. That's what you love, which is as much as you can and don't, don't forget about where you are because you're planning the next thing.
You know, turn around and you know you're an age and you turn around and the other people are growing kids are growing and people are passing it's just kind of fast.
Do you have a guilty toxic trait like procrastination, perfectionism, people pleasing, something like that.
Yeah, people pleasing, I guess you said that that rings true. Yeah, always been that way. Yeah, yeah, why everyone's like me. I don't know. I think I have company there but yeah, I want everyone to like me.
Same way. I'm the same way.
And I mean, technically it played out to your advantage because that's what you're doing right. You're doing things to please people.
Yeah, I guess it wasn't like that would listen to me.
Okay, if you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be?
The drama program.
Yeah. Is there anything specific about the pajama program you would want to be remembered by just that I heard that little girls question in a way that inspired me to do something about it.
Because I know we all including me hear things, see things all the time that need attention and we don't usually pay attention and I just I thank God every day I do.
Where can people find you?
They can find me at my website, jennethypeterro.com.
Awesome. Thank you so much. I really appreciate you being here. It was an absolute honor to talk to you today.
I loved every second's era.