Hallie Bodey '12 '23
June 2, 20251
Trigger warning: miscarriage, stillbirth and infertility
College life, and life in general, presents us with challenges that seem insurmountable, pushing us to the brink of what we believe is possible. Ideally, this boundary pushing leads to our students’ growth. In my career, I’ve helped students and faculty navigate impossible bureaucratic processes to travel on once in a lifetime experiences.
In my personal life though, I’ve been far more “realistic”. I was diagnosed with hormonal infertility at age five and told I’d likely never have children as I was born without a thyroid. My endocrinologist explained my infertility, by telling me that it wasn’t “impossible”, but becoming pregnant would be like winning the lottery, and if the baby arrived, it would be like winning a second time. He told me if I became pregnant to not tell anyone, because it would likely end in miscarriage or stillbirth. While he said it wasn’t impossible, I certainly saw having a baby as impossible. As a result, infertility became a critical part of my identity, and I truly believed I would never have children. My spouse, an SCU Law alumni, failed to be convinced. He dreamed bigger than me and through an IUI treatment, we not only became pregnant, but our fetus additionally survived my contracting of Covid, my being treated for gestational diabetes, and more challenges. I gave birth to a baby in March.
This experience has profoundly reshaped my understanding of what it means to pursue what entrepreneurs call “moonshots” or “seemingly impossible ideas.”
"My experience with pregnancy, against such bad odds, has taught me the value of believing in the seemingly impossible and the strength that comes from taking risks."
Reflecting on my pregnancy journey, I realize how deeply it resonates with the entrepreneurial spirit we nurture at the Ciocca Center. Taking a leap of faith, to pursue an audacious goal, or starting a new venture, requires a mindset that embraces uncertainty and dares to dream big. My experience with pregnancy, against such bad odds, has taught me the value of believing in the seemingly impossible and the strength that comes from taking risks. It has also taught me the value of our community - infertility is far more common among SCU staff and faculty than I knew and I am lucky to have had a number of colleagues who shared their own painful experiences and stories with me, while supporting me through my infertility journey.
Parenthood is a distant goal for most current university students at SCU, if it is a goal at all, but this story is about much more than having a child. It’s about seizing opportunities and pushing boundaries. In their academic and professional pursuits, our students will face moments where the probability of success seems slim - landing a dream internship or building a new technology or addressing a social issue in our society or getting an A in a difficult class or any number of other challenges. It is in their pursuit of these efforts that true growth and innovation occur.
Leaders do not achieve change or success by playing it safe. They venture into the unknown, take risks, embrace the potential for failure and dream of the moonshot. The concept of a "moonshot" is about aiming for extraordinary outcomes, despite the high likelihood of falling short. This bold thinking is what drives progress and leads to groundbreaking achievements. In our Ciocca Center Design Thinking programs, like Idea Lab and Innovation Fellows, we aim for students to come up with moonshot ideas and to develop their seemingly impossible ideas.
In our personal and professional journeys, we must remember that a chance at something remarkable is worth the risk - even if it seems as impossible as winning the lottery twice. The courage to take risks and pursue dreams, no matter how improbable they may seem, can lead to extraordinary outcomes. Just as I experienced the joy of welcoming a baby against all odds, we can all achieve great things by embracing the moonshot mindset.
Still not convinced to take that risk?
Well, maybe this will convince you. People have in fact won the lottery twice. A Canadian family won the lottery twice buying tickets from the same store, seven years apart.2
1 This newsletter article was drafted with the support of OpenAI’s ChatGPT software
2 What are the odds of winning the lottery twice? Mathematician weighs in.