Post by Colleen Lempa

LinkedIn is the place you keep it professional, but let me get personal for just a second here, and I promise it will all end up making sense in the end. My dad passed away almost 4 years ago from pancreatic cancer. And while everyone at CIPSolutions supported me through a very hard time in my life, I did not bring it into the field or discuss it with our clients. In the last two weeks, I have had two different clients approach me while out on crew visits. Different crews. Different departments. Not linked together other than by their employer. Not aware of what I went through almost 4 years ago. Each had just lost a parent and needed to talk. I listened to every word of their stories and to every emotion in their inflection, trying to keep my own grief from resurfacing in those moments. I didn't rush them to get back to the job we were both out there to do. I knew from experience that they didn't need my dad's details; a simple "I'm so sorry you are going through this, it is so hard, I lost my dad to cancer, too" was enough to strengthen the bond in the conversation. It wasn't about me in those moments; it was about them. But looking back, you could say part of it was about us - the clients and me. The relationships we had built while working together. The trust that had transformed from needing help with physical discomfort to needing support emotionally. That transformation is not something I take lightly. I am honored by it. Transitioning out of the traditional athletic training setting was an unknown - would an athletic trainer be able to connect with working adults the way they connect with young athletes? Turns out the answer is yes, and some of the most meaningful work I do has nothing to do with what I learned in a textbook.