The Aftermath that Changes Everything
- Jun 18
- 2 min read
By Whitney Duenas Richardson
It was the aftermath of crushing metal that changed everything.
One moment, I was driving to go to college. The next, I was waking up in the ICU wondering what had happened the week before. Years after healing, the realization that I was living on autopilot and that I had dreams buried under routine became very, very clear. But I didn’t rise up the next day and become a new woman. I became more aware of my inner voice. One that frequently reminded me, your life matters and you better make it count.
Three years later, I opened Barre by the Bay, a small fitness studio that became my first love letter to building communities. That community showed up on hard days. It was the kind that gets you through grief, breakups, babies and burnout. It became a sanctuary. And when I sold the equipment in 2021 for a 400% profit on the equipment alone, I was able to move to Florida and be extremely proud of the amazing community I had built.
Then I found myself living my dream life, I was living on a beach on the Gulf Coast of Florida that reminded me so much of my home island, Guam and found out that I would be a mom! And shortly after that, I became a temporary mom to my 14-year-old sister. It was beautiful. Exhausting. Transformative.
Everyone was continuing to find their new normal and then Hurricane Helene swallowed our home in five feet of water. Every baby book, every heirloom, every corner of safety....gone. I remember standing in what used to be my living room, looking at everything we had lost and thinking I had nothing left.
Fast forward a couple of months and I leaned on my community to pick me back up. I found the inner passion again. I found myself wanting to create a community again, but this time... a community of moms that want to raise the next generation to be better at understanding others.
Thats when I launched Global Sprouts. A cultural education box that turns playtime into a passport around the world. Each box is infused with the belief that kids can grow into compassionate citizens if we just give them the tools early enough. And for every 50 boxes we sell, we donate one to a family or classroom in need. Because representation, empathy, and cultural education shouldn't be a luxury, it should be accessible.
My life isn’t linear. An entrepreneurial journey isn't linear. Being a mom isn't linear. Life is simply choosing to believe that even when everything falls apart, you can build again.
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