Hello Baltimore Community!
As we head into this week, we ask that you check in with yourself. Grief, processing traumatic events, and the impact of stress comes in waves and might sneak up on you. Processing your grief, for example, may take longer than you expect.
Something may trigger our consciousness leading to anger, denial, sadness, or depression. We were thankful to have support from BHS in navigating the past few weeks for our team and the ecosystem. Our counselor encouraged us to prioritize balance. To check in with yourself, validate your feelings, and find balance between work, play, hobby, and rest. Acknowledging that you are not at 100% capacity and being kind to yourself is important as we collectively process the events of the past few weeks and stay fit for the marathon that is tech/company/talent/culture – building.
For the UpSurge team, putting one foot in front of the other has been a helpful way to cope. Physical activity, being outdoors, or doing something with our hands can also help us ground ourselves and build resilience in community. Last week, we partnered with Loam on a grief walk to ground and connect with Baltimore women in tech. Our COO, Maddy Stokes, noted – “Being in nature taught us a lot about what it meant to reconnect and made me feel human again. With all of the emotions we’ve been feeling, especially the ones around fear, lack of safety, and all the frustration to be feeling all of that, I immediately thought of Sam as someone uniquely adept at intentionally and gently bringing people together to process and grow.” If you are interested in joining this week’s walk on Friday October 12th at noon, there are a limited amount of spots so please reply to learn more.
We also have a KudoBoard for Pava if you want to commiserate and share your Pava memories with everyone. Our team was comforted in reading the board and knowing how loved Pava was in the community. Seeing the outpouring of love and remembrance for Pava, we feel the warmth and fondness of the Baltimore community.
As we remember Pava, our ecosystem is supporting women founders at Loyola’s Women Founders Pre-Application Bootcamp this Wednesday (10/11) where they will discuss resilience and mental health, along with a chance to pitch for a $500K prize, and tips on how to apply to Baltipreneurs Accelerator Program.
Lastly, if you are in need of support during this time, please call or text 988. The call will be answered by someone local and is for anyone who just wants to talk. For a 30-minute free counseling session with a professional counselor, call Pro Bono Couseling’s Warmline at 410-598-0234 from 10 am to 8 pm. For any other referrals to other resources or peer support, please call NAMI Metro at 410-435-2600.