Have you ever had a full-circle moment that made you stop, cry, laugh, and fist pump the sky all at once?

That’s where I was when I hit “record” on this episode of the Unperfected Pod—a moment where a 21-year promise met reality.

Let me take you back.

I was a party girl at CU Boulder—drinking, dancing, bar-hopping, and barely scraping by in classes. I had no clue who I wanted to be or what my future held. And then life cracked me wide open: I found out I was pregnant. Feet in the stirrups, ready for a biopsy, my doctor casually said, “You’re actually pregnant.” Just like that.

Frozen. Freaked out. But then fiercely clear: I was going to have this baby. I was going to become a mom. And I was going to do everything I could to give that child an extraordinary life.

In that hallway, walking out of the doctor’s office, I made a promise to my son, the universe, and myself: He would go to college. I would find a way to pay for it. And his life would be filled with love, stability, and opportunity—not scarcity and chaos.

And 21 years later, I made the final payment on Camden’s college tuition.

Some of the most beautiful things in our lives won’t come fast or easy—but they are worth staying the path for.

I raised that baby through college classes and bar shifts, corporate ladder climbs and solo parenting. I walked CU’s campus nine months pregnant and returned with my newborn to finish my degree. I built a career. I built a business. I built a life. I kept my word.

This story isn’t just about me—it’s about you, too. It’s about every woman who’s ever been told she couldn’t. Every mama who’s done the unpopular, “irresponsible,” wild, brave, heart-led thing that made no sense to anyone else.

It’s about deciding you don’t need anyone else’s permission to live life your way.

I share this not for applause but as a reminder: the dreams you carry are sacred. The promises you make to yourself matter. And even when the timeline is long and the path is messy, you can absolutely make good on your word.

That’s the heartbeat of Unperfected. We break the mold. We defy the odds. We become the kind of women who look back and say, “I did what I said I was gonna do.”

So, mama—what are you staying the path for? What promise are you carrying that the world may not understand, but your soul knows is true?

Take five minutes today and write down one promise you've made to yourself that still matters deeply. Reconnect with it. Let yourself feel the fire again. And if you’re ready to walk that path with community, courage, and real tools—come join us inside the Unperfected world. Because your dreams deserve a place to rise.

Take care of yourself and there for each other!

XO, Brooke Jean