Navigating a creative, unconventional life – together
How She Rocked It emerged as a place to find our people
By Karen Gross
In 2002, I released a CD of my original songs called “Navigating.” The title was lifted from a lyric in the album’s first song, “Someone So Good,” where I sing, “I’m navigating through the winding streets of life, do I get off at the sign that reads: ‘man and wife’?”
I was around 23 years old at that time. Around 23 years later, I am still navigating, and still have that same question.
Once the young adventurous songwriter, now the grown artsy auntie, I am still figuring it out, still independent, yet also loving to love and be loved. I’m charting a course that – yes, even in 2025 – still feels rebellious for a woman: no kids, no ring, and no fulltime job (proud creative entrepreneur since 2013). My partner of seven years and I live in separate homes.
Perhaps due to my longstanding studies in the School of Joni Mitchell, I always felt that my creative life, career, and freedom were essential. I crave the space that comes with solitude.
Beyond Joni, my mom has always been a rockstar (and rock) in my life, teaching me what it looks like to be a smart, strong, strong-willed, and unapologetic woman.
The Path to She Rocked It
In 2021, I felt a tug towards something new in my life. This tug led me down a path of obsession perhaps similar to what I felt working on the album “Navigating.” At that strange time, in the midst of lockdown, with live performances coming to a screeching halt, I sensed there was something else I needed to do to ignite a similar electricity and connectedness as the live music experience.
I have always been a convener of groups of women, and involved in women’s groups. I was the house manager of “Womanist House” at Wesleyan University, where I hosted regular women’s gatherings. I would also host gatherings at the first apartment where I lived on my own, in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood in Philadelphia. It was a cramped but charming apartment, and everyone would chat freely and bring snacks. There was something deeply nourishing about being together, and being real together.
Over the course of my career in communications and speechwriting, I have also worked closely with women leaders and executives, helping them develop and share their public messages, and along the way learning about their personal lives. Through long conversations and one-on-one meetings, as I got the inside story on what really made them tick, I felt that others needed to know how these trailblazing women flourished and prevailed in worlds that weren’t always welcoming to them.
The title “She Rocked It” came to me during a long lockdown walk. But would it be a podcast? A talk show? A community? A social media page? All of the above? I envisioned turning the knob of a TV and finding the kind of channel I was longing for: a channel where we could hear from creative, courageous women and learn how they were rocking it. I hired a wonderful team to help me build and create this channel (thank you Tori, Jake, Erin, Teng, Amanda, and many other rockstars along the way.)
She Rocked It debuted on Instagram in 2021. I started hosting interviews on Instagram Live (when that was a thing) and loved seeing people tuning in and commenting in real time. I began actively reaching out to potential interviewees for our Instagram Lives and fledgling podcast, and I knew I was onto something when creative, courageous, accomplished women started to say YES! [Note: After a few ‘yes’es, you know you are on the right track. Then it’s up to you to keep going.]
Since then, She Rocked It has blossomed into a network of kindred, creative, courageous rockstars: the Rockstar Network. All are welcome, and it’s been awesome to also see the men in our community, cheering and listening.
Navigating Together
Over the past 4+ years, along the She Rocked It journey, I have met many others navigating an unconventional path and working to build creative, courageous, and genuinely fulfilling careers.
When we find each other, what a revelation! What a relief! It feels like connecting with long-lost family.
Here’s what I have found to be true about our Rockstar Network (as we call it):
We are seekers: unwilling to settle for the status quo, eager to push ourselves into new frontiers in our careers and personal lives. We are willing to say bye-bye to jobs, relationships, homes that no longer feel aligned with our calling.
We are outliers: facing down none-of-your-business questions from friends and family alike (“Do you think you’ll get married?” “Do you think you’ll have kids?” “Do you think you’ll have more kids?”), and holding fast to our own visions of happiness.
We are courageous: we boldly chase our dreams, pleasures, and passions. This may involve tackling ambitious professional goals like writing a book, starting a business, recording an album, or sharing our voice onstage or online. Or it could involve filling up our own cups and enjoying our own company, both of which take courage!
Newsflash: I like treating myself to a meal alone! Can someone in the hospitality industry please tell restaurant hosts to stop asking “Just one?” as if being “just one” at a restaurant is some kind of travesty!?
And lastly, we are creative: intentionally designing our lives so that we can follow our muse(s), find expressive and financial fulfillment, and do our own THING even if that very thing might evolve year after year. We are oceanic in our possibilities and vast dreams.
Okay, let’s get real: It’s not always easy to be a creative, courageous rockstar in a world that would much rather fit us into a box.
That’s another reason why She Rocked It was born: to serve as a lifeline for us. To remind us that there are others like us out there. To offer a regular jolt of inspiration, community, and accountability as we navigate our unique paths and ROCK IT our way.
Thank you for being here and tuning in. I’m so grateful to navigate this journey together.
