Lessons Learned in TV Weather: #3 IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Seven months ago I walked away from a 25-year TV weather career. During the final days, I posted 20 lessons I’d learned throughout my years in broadcast meteorology. In case you missed them on Facebook or LinkedIn, here is # 3. (All 20 can be found on my website’s main blog page. Scroll through the posts to see which topics interest you).

• IT TAKES A VILLAGE

There is no way I’d have been able to sustain a long-term, successful career without a team of people in my corner. The phrase “It takes a village” is so very true and I do not know how single moms (or dads) do it all. You always saw my team on TV, but you never saw my team behind-the-scenes.

My husband and I moved to Florida in 2002 (before kids) for my job and didn’t know a soul. We found friend groups through work, church, and the neighborhood, who walked with us and did life with us. They invited us to dinner, listened to our troubles, and helped with our babies once they came along. A few years later my parents moved to Florida. They were a godsend. They took the kids as hurricanes approached so I could be at work and my husband could help neighbors with damage. They arrived at our house in the middle of the night, medicine in hand, to stay with sick kids while I reported to work. I can’t even begin to list all of the ways they have supported and loved us through the years, so I won’t try. But without them, I could not have kept all the plates spinning. Of course, they also supported me through college and helped me move many, many times. They raised me to work hard and reach for the stars.

My sister moved to the area a few years ago, too, and has been an absolute blessing.

We started homeschooling our kids part-time for no other reason than I thought it would afford me more time to see them on weekdays. It worked. If they were in full-time school every day, I’d have missed out on a lot more than I did. I never dreamed I’d be a homeschool mom, but it worked for us. Every 6 months or so, as the seasons of life changed, my husband and I would sit down and reevaluate our work/life balance. There were times I almost left the TV job. There were times I considered moving away for a weather job in another town. Each time we concluded our plan was working for us. We both loved Central Florida and the thought of moving back to snow and cold was less appealing with each passing year.

My husband gave up so many things to support my passion for my career. He sold a business, started over, worked full-time, part-time, and overnights. He changed jobs more than once to make his schedule work as mine changed. He rearranged his clients, meetings and events, numerous times when I had to stay at work for a tornado warning or a last-minute schedule change.

I don’t talk about my husband on social media too often. It was a conscious decision in the early days when he started getting friend requests from total strangers who watched ME on TV. That felt weird and like a violation of our privacy. So even though he became more of a silent partner, he was always there in the background, being called “Mr. Sweezey” in public (not his name) and supporting me at every turn. As I ended my TV news chapter, I couldn’t look back on the last few decades without recognizing that this was not a solo venture. I am so grateful to everyone who has been on my side from day one.

Leaving my job wasn’t an easy decision, but knowing I get to give back now to the family and friends who have supported me all these years, is a truly exciting proposition.

➡️ “My friends and family are my support system. They tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear and they are there for me in the good and bad times. Without them, I have no idea where I would be and I know that their love for me is what’s keeping my head above water.” – Kelly Clarkson