Finding Our Next Day

This is, first and foremost, a heartfelt review of The Next Day by Melinda Gates. While our lives may look very different from the outside, I found myself relating to her story in ways I didn’t expect — especially her belief that every woman deserves the power to chart her own course. I’ve titled this piece Finding Our Next Day, because Melinda’s story reminds us: The Next Day isn't just about getting through the hard times — it’s about reclaiming your story, your choices, and your future.

I recently listened to Melinda Gates’ powerful new book, The Next Day. As I reflected on her journey, I couldn’t help but recognize a few parallels between our lives — though certainly not our bank account balances!

Melinda and I share many important attributes. We are both mothers to two beautiful daughters, born in the late '90s — a generation straddling the line between millennials and Gen Z. Like Melinda, there is little I wouldn't do for my children. She speaks candidly about the challenges she faced in the delivery room, and the delicate balancing act of raising daughters while striving to be fully present for her family. I related to every word.

In The Next Day, Melinda also recounts the painful decision to file for divorce from her husband of over twenty years, Bill Gates. Regardless of wealth or status, parting ways with someone you once envisioned as your life partner is gut-wrenching. I, too, have faced long, sleepless nights grappling with what life would look like as a divorced woman in her fifties. (Melinda just turned 60; I am about five years younger.) Our circumstances may differ, but the emotional terrain is strikingly familiar.

We were both fortunate to be raised by supportive parents who championed our ambitions. Melinda credits her father with encouraging her to pursue engineering — an unusual path for women at the time. Similarly, both of my daughters graduated from Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering, a source of deep pride. While Melinda’s daughters attended Stanford, our mutual belief in the power of education to create freedom and stability shines through.

Another inspiring aspect of Melinda’s story is her career pivot. After decades of transformative work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, she stepped away to focus on her own venture, Pivotal Ventures. Her mission is clear: to expand women’s power and influence as a catalyst for broader social progress. Through strategic investments, philanthropy, partnerships, and advocacy, she is helping to place more power in the hands of more women.

This commitment resonates deeply with me. I, too, am passionate about empowering women — but my focus is financial literacy and independence. Research consistently shows that financial insecurity is the single greatest barrier to women’s freedom, self-confidence, and agency over their futures. Without financial stability, it becomes nearly impossible to leave an unfulfilling relationship, walk away from an undervalued job, or chart a new course for oneself.

Unlike Melinda, I have faced real financial struggles. I do not have a trust fund for my children. I do not have unlimited freedom over my calendar. But I do have something equally valuable: a life built on resilience, gratitude, and fierce independence — a life I would not trade for anything.

I am currently writing a guide focused on the importance of financial independence — what I call FINDEPENDENCE™ — and its role in empowering women during life transitions. I believe that financial well-being is not just about spreadsheets and savings accounts; it is intimately tied to personal freedom, dignity, and emotional health. In fact, I’ve coined another term — FINTIMACY™ — to describe the often overlooked relationship between money and intimacy. Money and sex remain two of the most taboo topics for women. While platforms like Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy have helped destigmatize sexual agency, the financial struggles that many women endure — the shame of unpaid bills, unread investment statements, or financial dependence — are still discussed in hushed tones, if at all.

The truth is, money cannot buy happiness, but financial security can build the foundation for it. Financial literacy is no longer a "nice to have"; it is a survival skill in an uncertain world. Without it, women risk losing agency over their lives, becoming dependent on others for basic stability, and limiting their choices when life demands reinvention.

So, I invite you to join the movement — Melinda’s, mine, and countless others working quietly and courageously to empower women. Especially if you have a daughter, niece, sister, or friend you care about, share this message with her: Financial independence is the greatest gift you can give yourself.

As Melinda Gates so powerfully reminds us, the next day is not defined by what we lose — it’s defined by what we choose. We choose to rise. We choose to rebuild. And we choose to own our future. The Next Day is a testament to that quiet, courageous choice — and a call to all of us to find the strength, the agency, and the hope to begin again.