I have a confession. When I sat down to write this, I stared at a blank page longer than I'd like to admit.
Not because I didn't have anything to say, but because I had too much. I kept thinking about specific faces. Specific women. The one who runs a platform just to connect every good thing happening in this town with the people who need it most. The one who opens her arms and gives families a home and a second chance. The one who faced cancer head on, documented every hard and ugly and hopeful moment of it, and shared it all so that another woman sitting in that same chair someday would know, hey, here is what this really looks like, and if I can do it, so can you.
I know these women. Living in Gilbert, I am blessed beyond words to know them, and I am hoping with my whole heart that you are too. If this issue introduces you to even one more of these remarkable ladies, then that's a WIN.
Honestly, I wish I had unlimited pages to share everything I know and love about each woman featured here, because their stories deserve that and then some. But I only get to offer you a small glimpse, and I hope it leaves you wanting to know more. Because there are also so many more Gilbert women who belong in these pages, women who are leading, creating, and showing up every single day in ways that honestly take my breath away. Thankfully, there is always next year's Women of Gilbert issue, and trust me, I am already keeping a list.
So please, lean in. Visit their businesses. Support their nonprofits. Follow them on social media. Get curious about what they are building and why it matters. It is absolutely okay to become a super fan, because I can honestly tell you that I am.
I promise your life will be a little richer, a little brighter, and a whole lot more inspired for knowing each of these ladies, even just a little more.
Kristy Belley
Publisher of Gilbert City Lifestyle