Next week, a room full of graduates will cross a stage in their caps and gowns. My name will be called. My chair will be empty.
And honestly? That feels exactly right.
Because while everyone else celebrates the piece of paper, I’m celebrating the person I became while earning it, the version of me that no stage could ever honor properly.
The Quiet Confession I Haven’t Said Out Loud Until Now
I didn’t start my MBA for ambition. I started it because it was required – a checkbox on someone else’s definition of leadership.
But halfway through the program, the role that required it no longer existed in my life. My career moved. I evolved. And suddenly, the reason for the degree was gone.
So what do you do when the finish line you were running toward disappears?
Most people stop running. I didn’t.
I kept going and that decision became one of the most defining choices of my career.
Not because of the knowledge I gained, but because of the message I sent myself:
“I finish what I start, even when the original reason no longer applies.”
What My MBA Really Took From Me and What It Gave Back
If I have to be honest… The hardest part wasn’t the exams. It wasn’t the papers.
It was the time. The time away from my husband. The time away from my kids. The time I could’ve spent resting, growing the companies, or being present in the moments mothers are terrified to miss.
When people ask me, “How do you do it all?” The truth is: I don’t.
I choose. I compromise. I sacrifice.
And this MBA demanded all three.
But it gave me something priceless in return:
→ A stronger internal voice saying, “You can do hard things, again and again.”
→ A new standard for the work I produce – nothing below A-level effort, ever again.
→ A stackable win to silence the inner critic on the days she pretends she owns the place.
I didn’t earn the degree for the credential. I earned it for the proof.
The Truth Most People Don’t Want to Admit About Degrees
People love to say an MBA will unlock new doors. That it guarantees promotions. That it elevates your leadership.
But what I want you to understand is that: A degree won’t save you from yourself. It won’t wake you up early. It won’t make you adaptable. It won’t give you emotional intelligence. It won’t give you courage. It won’t fix a lack of initiative.
Degrees don’t create leaders. Life does. Pressure does. Experience does.
The MBA gave me frameworks and language, but I was already doing the work long before the textbooks told me what it was called. (And if you’re reading this, you probably are too.)
The Real Celebration
Next week, when my classmates cross the stage, I’ll be in Arizona with my family. The ones who missed me. The ones who carried the weight with me. The ones who deserve the celebration more than any auditorium.
And honestly, finishing the MBA wasn’t the transformation. Choosing to finish was.
A Question I Can’t Stop Thinking About
In a world obsessed with credentials, titles, and letters after your name…
Do degree requirements truly set people apart or are they just an easy corporate shortcut for filtering talent?
Because after everything I’ve lived through – leading companies, founding brands, building teams, raising daughters, managing multimillion-dollar decisions, I know this:
The most powerful qualifications can’t be printed on a diploma.
And the people who rely only on degrees to define themselves… Often don’t realize they’re outsourcing their confidence.
Final Thought
Don’t get me wrong,I’m proud of this achievement. But I’m even more proud of the resilience that earned it.
No stage required. No spotlight needed. Just a moment in the Arizona sun with the people who matter most.
If you’re chasing a degree, a title, or a credential… Make sure you’re not hoping it will give you something only you can build: belief, discipline, and direction.
Because the degree didn’t change me.
I did.