An excerpt from the foreword of Unwinding Perfect, as spoken by the author, Christine Clyne-Spraker
What would it look like if you stopped living for everyone else and started living for yourself?
Christine Clyne-Spraker wrote Unwinding Perfect for anyone who isn’t yet comfortable in their authentic self; to hear they don't need permission to prioritize themselves or to embark on a journey of self-discovery. She’s a reminder to everyone that they are Enough.
By building deeper connections and creating more meaning and purpose, Christine believes that a shift can occur that will impact not only the individual, but will ignite a ripple effect of transformation in society at-large.
Since stepping away from the inherent structure a controlled life necessitates, I’ve had to become more comfortable in the messy middle, where “success” isn’t so clearly defined. Although I’m thankful this self-discovery journey has broadened my perspective on “how to do life”, I simultaneously have to acknowledge there are aspects of my world that feel more challenging now. I constantly have to remind myself that the opposite of control is surrender – and some days that’s harder to embrace than others.
Making fast decisions and activating on them is often necessary when time is not a luxury, such is the case for most start-ups. I used this skill while helping to build the health tech company I resigned from as co-CEO last year. Considered impetuous by some, acting fast and decidedly, without waffling, actually prevents failure to launch and aligns teams around initiatives. Had I been a more methodical thinker, I might not have launched Unwinding Perfect into the world.
As I began showing up for myself more and more, things shifted. Yes, hard decisions were made, and yes, there was loss. But it also allowed for the new to enter, which included friends, opportunities, and growth that could not have happened otherwise. The reclaimed and more authentic me was energetically attracting more aligned matches.
A lot of people have asked me why I wrote Unwinding Perfect, and the truth is, I never set out to write this book. Instead, it poured out of me as a result of the unwinding of childhood patterning work.
When I made the decision to move out of my family home, separating from my husband of almost sixteen-years, I had no idea the decision would be a catalyst for a string of subsequent life changing decisions. Join me as I share my journey through the pain and sorrow of divorce, as well as my decision to step away from my role as an executive during the height of my career at a health tech company I helped build. By learning to follow my inner voice, my choices have changed me in ways I never could have imagined.
As a working mom, guilt is rampant. It doesn’t matter what your position or title is, because ultimately, the mom role is the most important role you will ever have. When I decided to resign from my position as co-CEO, a whole host of emotions emerged and as I worked through them, I became more present. And ultimately a better mom.
I affectionately referred to our rental home that my kids and I lived in as the Tiny House. It was so small that the two bedrooms, bath, family room, kitchen and dining room could all be traversed in about 20 steps. The Tiny House wrapped me in its coziness like a warm blanket, and allowed me a safe place to land through all of my transition. In this safe space, I was able to do the necessary work to begin healing core wounds and learned childhood patterns.
Having built a social structure and an identity around being a married, working-mom, I was suddenly very alone after separating from my husband and resigning as co-CEO from a company I loved. Social dynamics shifted, and days that were once filled with meetings and kids were suddenly empty. The emotional pain was excruciating. But through it, there was growth, and eventually, light and hope began to filter back in.
Labels are words that most of us rely on to define who we are. I know I sure did. Wife, mother, co-CEO, daughter, perfect… But who was I really when I started peeling back these labels? What did I truly care about, and what was I without them? In the first four months of 2023, I found out. I stopped being a wife and I stopped being a co-CEO. This short piece shares some of the inner work I did to process who I was actually without the labels I had used to define me for so long.
When a mentor challenged me to write down what matters to me, what I like doing, and where I want to go next, I didn’t imagine my introspection and retrospection would one day become a blog post. As I contemplated my next move post resignation as co-CEO from the company I helped build, I realized my next overture would include service to others - empowering and inspiring people to step into the life they desire and deserve.