Megan Barry - It's What You Do Next

In 2015, after a historic run-off election, Megan Barry became the first female mayor of Nashville, TN.  Quickly becoming one of the most popular progressive politicians in the Bible Belt, Megan was a beloved leader with a sky-high approval rating and an unshakeable hope for the new, forward-thinking, modern South. 

For her first few years in office, Megan was one of the most important voices at the table.  Until she became the most nortorious.

Barry loved three things the most in the world - her son, Max, her husband, Bruce, and her job as the mayor of Nashville.  She lost two of them.  Her monumental lapse in judgement led to a painful public reckoning and the fall of her rising political star.  A battle with substance-use disorder robbed her of her only child.  Grief, pride, shame, longing, and resentment nearly destroyed her marriage.  Barry had to start again, the right way, with humility, hope, and humor. 

She will leave you knowing that what matters most, is what happens next.

At some point, all of us will be at our worst, and while some of us will be remembered for it, none of us should be defined by it.