For as long as I can remember, my family's mantra has been two simple words: Go Brave.
My grandmother, Grace Beckles, raised nine children in Trinidad, and as the grandchildren came along, she passed those same words down to us.
"Go Brave."
She didn't mean you couldn't be nervous, afraid, or uncertain about what came next. She meant you should try anyway. Do the thing that scares you. Take the chance. Trust yourself enough to begin, even when you don't know how the story will unfold. And somehow, the path would appear.
As I finish my first month as Executive Director of Grandmother Collective, I've been thinking a lot about my grandmother's words. After years of nonprofit leadership, here I am, a beginner again. Learning a new organization, meeting extraordinary people, and helping shape what comes next. It's exciting, humbling, and, if I'm being perfectly candid, a little scary.
There is something wonderfully uncomfortable about beginning again. You bring everything you've learned along the way, but you also have to make room for what you don't know.
I've been thinking about the women in Barefoot College International's solar engineering program, many of them grandmothers, who leave their villages and familiar surroundings to learn something entirely new. Imagine the courage that takes. To step into an unfamiliar place, acquire new skills, and return home with the ability to bring meaningful change to your community.
They are going brave, too.
Their stories remind me why I am so honored to lead Grandmother Collective.
Throughout my career, I've believed that the people closest to their communities often hold the greatest insight into what those communities need. Grandmothers have always known this. They are problem-solvers, organizers, caregivers, advocates, and leaders. They hold families together, preserve traditions, and quietly build the systems that help communities thrive.
Yet too often, their contributions go unseen.
That's what excites me about Grandmother Collective. Through research, convening, and grandmother leadership, we have an opportunity to make that wisdom visible, connect remarkable women across the world, and ensure their voices help shape the decisions that affect their communities.
I come to this work as a nonprofit leader, a mother, and the proud granddaughter of Grace Beckles and Alma Robinson. I also come with curiosity, a willingness to listen, and the knowledge that I won't have every answer. And that's okay. My grandmother never said we needed all the answers before we started. She just said, "Go Brave."
As we begin this next chapter together, I hope we'll do exactly that. We'll listen, learn, take a few chances, and build something meaningful along the way.
I'd love to hear from you. What wisdom has a grandmother or elder woman passed on to you? What does going brave look like in your life?
I'll be sharing reflections here each month as we grow, learn, and celebrate the remarkable women who make up this collective.
Please reach out anytime at executivedirector@grandmothercollective.org. I'd love to hear your stories.
Warmly,
Nicole G. Epps
Executive Director, Grandmother Collective