Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/287250
April 2014 | brAvAmAgAzine.com 15 expand in more ways than you realized were possible," Charbonneau says of her diffi cult decision to leave her job at a re- search center at UW-Madison. "For me, it was believing in myself, believing in Tori and believing in what we were going to bring to the world." Sager echoes that decision to leave what she thought was her dream job as an el- ementary school guidance counselor, was much harder than actually turning in her letter of resignation. "I have three kids and was giving up security for something where success was not guaranteed," she says. "You have to be willing to take on that risk." ere's that word again. Willing. Will- ing to step out of your comfort zone. Willing to answer a thousand times the question of what exactly it is they do. "We're more than just a company that sells apparel and colored fl owers," Sager explains. "We've created a space where women can fi nd inspiration, motivation, their 'why' for running." e "space," which includes a Facebook community of nearly 8,000 women from across the country, continues to grow. Sager and Charbonneau also connect with women by putting in long hours at race expo booths. "Yes, expos are great for getting the word out, but what happens after is the most amazing part," Charbonneau says. When a woman fi nds something she believes in—like fi nding the pink fl ower (gratitude), she also gets one for her girl- friend. en that friend buys a yellow (authentic) and black (for those rock star days), and two more for another friend. "Seeing a woman run with a certain color fl ower in her hair, you immediately connect without even having to say any words," Sager explains. "Had that wom- an run by me without that, she's another woman running. Sure she has a story and a unique reason why she's running, but because of that fl ower, I know a little bit more about her." Both women are still in awe of the re- sponse they've gotten, but have big ideas for building ways to connect with more women outside of expos (look for soirees before or after a race for the Fellow Flow- ers community, and the third annual Declare it Day in early 2015). As Charbonneau says, "Who would've known that if you put a fl ower in your hair it would turn into a national move- ment?" Meet up with Fellow Flowers at spring and summer races around the Midwest and at the Madison Mini Marathon in August. Find their schedule at fellowflowers.com/events.