The only way out was a private jet. Last year, I enrolled in an executive MBA through Goldman Sachs. The application was intense. The interviews? Even tougher. Most don’t get in. So when that acceptance email came, I didn’t just feel proud – I felt ready.
(Left photo) 36 entrepreneurs. 9 teachers. One intense journey.
(Right photo) Goldman Sachs paired each of us with an advisor to guide us through this demanding program. I hit the jackpot with Cristel!
The pace was brutal: full days of class, ten hours of weekly homework, all while running Better Co. and raising 5 young kids. And the finale? A 100-page report due four days before Passover.
There was one rule: Don’t miss class. Miss one day and you fall behind – fast.
Then my niece got engaged. The wedding? A Thursday. Same day as class. In our family, weddings aren’t optional – especially when it’s family we’re close with.
There was no way out. Until there was.
✈️
At our program’s opening reception, while everyone mingled, I pulled Cristel, my advisor, aside. “My niece is getting married. On a Thursday. In Cleveland. The exact day I have class.”
Cristel didn’t flinch. “Your family will understand” she said. “This program is your future.”
I shook my head. “You don’t get it. I’m Jewish. We don’t miss weddings.”
Without missing a beat, Cristel replied, “take a private jet.” She said like it was the most obvious solution in the world. Suddenly, I realized I could be in class AND make the wedding.
✈️
That moment shifted everything. It wasn’t about the jet. It was about opening my mind to new possibilities.
The wedding was still on a Thursday. The rules hadn’t changed. But I had.
Juggling family, business, and school – all at once wasn’t for the faint of heart.
This hangs beside my desk as a quiet testament: I can handle anything.
