You Can Change Your Stars: Rossana Snee

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What happens when you push past fear and make decisions, even crazy-sounding ones?

Rossana Snee will tell you that doors swing wide open so that you can step inside of the life you’re meant to live.

Decision-making is integral to Rossana’s Fearless Females story. Not so long ago she was terrified with a capital T. A fulltime secretary with a new baby, going back to school for six years seemed like a crazy decision.

“I’d always wanted to help others find solace, validation, and the freedom to be themselves,” she says. Rossana took the scary educational leap and found her calling as a Marriage & Family Therapist.

Through her monthly group, An Afternoon With Josh’s Mom , Rossana guides and empowers young women to make decisions in their best interests. While she’s worked with individuals, couples, and families, her current joy-filled focus is working with young women in their twenties, specifically woman ages 21-26.

What Rossana brings to her work—helping young women make good decisions—is empathy gained from her own deeply personal realization: “I realized it was FEAR doing the deciding, not me.”

That’s in the past for Rossana and she’d love for you to feel self-confident enough to put fear in your rearview mirror too!

Fearless Females Forum 5Cs with Rossana Snee

“Women can change their stars. They just have to believe they can.”

1. What’s the most courageous decision you’ve made?

When I was 31 years old (1991), after having been a secretary for more than a decade, I decided to go back to school and get my B. A. and Masters in psychology. I was terrified. I’d just had a baby, and going back to school to become a Marriage & Family Therapist seemed crazy. Nevertheless, I applied to Antioch University, got accepted, and dove in, head first. It took six years of challenging work. I often wondered late at night coming home if it was worth it. It turns out, it was.

2. What choices are most important to you?

Any choice that moves me forward in life is important to me. We have the opportunity to choose every day. The outcome will depend on what we choose. For me, choosing to go back to school changed the playing field in ways that I could never imagine. That choice opened the door for me to do what I’d always wanted to do: help others find solace, validation, and freedom to be themselves.

3. What fears have you conquered?

When I was about to graduate with my Masters, I was asked to try out to be one of the key speakers at graduation. The thought of talking in front of my professors, and peers scared me to death. I convinced myself that I didn’t really want to do it. The more I thought about it, however, I realized it was FEAR doing the deciding, not me. I tried out, gave my speech, and was runner up to talk at the ceremony. I didn’t care that I wasn’t the winner. I’d already won by “auditioning” in front of professors and peers alike. It was then, I felt like I’d conquered the fear of public speaking, of being judged, and criticized.

4. What conversation made the most impact on you?

I’ve had many impactful conversations in my life, but I’d have to say that one of the most important ones was when a friend said, about Askjoshsmom, “I have a good feeling about this. You’re destined for something great!”

5. What do you want women to get clear about?

I want women to realize that it’s never too late to start a new life; that self-confidence is the key that moves us to higher places.

Women can change their stars. They just have to believe they can. They must tune into what they want, and then chase after it. It can be done. I’m living proof!

Cheers and gratitude to Rossana for sharing her courageous, life-changing decisions! I guarantee you’ll love connecting with her infectious positivity on Twitter: @Askjoshsmom.

Fearless Females Forum is a monthly showcase for inspiring women who found the courage to meet their calling, solve a problem, or take a road less travelled. How fearless are you? We’re ready to put you in the spotlight! Calling All Fearless Females tells you how to share your story.