Womens_Health_USA_JulyAugust_2017

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women stopping their car to tow a rival
out of a patch of sunken earth or change
a flat tire. Part of the eagerness comes
from self-interest (after all, you could
be the one in distress tomorrow). Still,
there was a kindness in the execution
and an acceptance that collaboration
is the best way forward, which the
women told me they didn’t always find
in their day-to-day lives. “In my work,
sometimes women don’t support each
other because it feels like we’re
competing for the same projects and
promotions, but here, even in the tensest
moments, it’s more important to support
each other than to compete,” says Julie.
LESSONS FROM THE (OFF) ROAD
As most of us know by now, life itself is
more like an unmarked course than a
paved highway, with twists and turns
and unexpected obstacles. And the
challenges the Gazelles Rally presented
were too much for some participants.
By day four of the race, five teams had
dropped out (here, that’s viewed less as
a failure and more as just an unfortunate
reality). One team’s car broke irreparably.
Another competitor was hit by her own
truck while trying to dig out from a
riverbed (she was shaken but not hurt).
Still, the women told me, it was the
hardest moments that led to the
greatest rewards. The second time
Julie and Gen had to conquer massive
dunes, they were better prepared. They
plotted their course, deflated their tires
(to better maneuver on soft sand), and
even remembered to take a selfie. They
started to believe that not only could
they complete the race, but that they
had a good shot at finishing near the
top. (They were right: Out of 104
first-time participants, Julie and Gen
placed seventeenth.) That kind of
self-assuredness doesn’t always come
easily to women, who, historically, and
ridiculously, haven’t been seen as
capable of conquering this type of
physical challenge.
Having seen their own strength—
and reconnecting to what’s really
important—it’s not unusual for Gazelles
to go home and quit their jobs, divorce
their husbands, or make other big
changes. That confidence in knowing
what truly matters to you is worth
developing, whether it takes a risky
desert race or a less extreme experience
to shake up your POV.
For some Gazelles, the takeaway was
learning to love what they already had.
“My life isn’t perfect, but if I’m able
to do this rally, I’m able to figure out
everything else,” says Julie. “I was
reminded that when you get lost, you
don’t get found. You find yourself.” Q
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