Jennifer Goodman Linn You Fearless
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Fearless Blog

10.17.2013 Posted 9:59 am

On Fearlessness… and Being Stronger, Together by Marisa Thalberg

A beautiful and very heartfelt post on her mother, her dear friend, and defining “fearlessness”
by Marisa Thalberg
(originally published on The Huffington Post)
For all that can be said about cancer, perhaps we have to acknowledge it as a great equalizer; almost everyone is touched by it in some way. Many of us are touched in profound ways, either as the one whom cancer has personally engaged in battle… or as the one who loves someone whom cancer has so unkindly tapped.
After cancer was as cruel as it was terribly foolish to choose a dear friend of mine, she stared it right back in the eye and decided to build a personal platform around being “fearless” (which has become just one of her enduring legacies). The only other person I’ve ever known who may have surpassed her in positivity, determination and humor in the face of this same adversity was my mom, Marion. Her favorite motto which she fully lived was: “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”
In the role of …

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07.19.2013 Posted 11:56 pm

A message from Jen’s parents and a poem from Jen

Two years after…
we remember the bright shining light that was Jennifer Goodman Linn with a message from her parents and a poem. 
This Saturday July 20th will be a day to reflect on Jen's bountiful gifts to us all and to the world. Some of us will cycle, some of us will give in to our sadness and deep sense of loss, some of us will smile at all the beautiful memories and inspiration Jen still gifts to us today, but unquestionably, in whatever way, we will all remember.
Jen truly transformed people's perspectives on life – she made them feel more powerful, less fearful, more ambitious, more meaningful…
And so I share with you a message from Jen's parents and a very special poem from Jen.  As always, please reach out if you want to share your You Fearless stories at jsbalis@aol.com.  And Jen, I miss you…
-Janet Balis Allen

A message from Jen's parents:
Hard to believe, but it has been 2 years since we lost Jen. The ache in our hearts, the …

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02.14.2013 Posted 1:16 am

Fearless in Many Forms

I am honored to be able to share a blog post for You Fearless from Marc Lavine. Marc has been one of the most successful and passionate fundraisers for Cycle for Survival that I have ever witnessed. But he doesn't just lead his team to deliver results…he does so with extraordinary heart and deep authenticity. Here's Marc's latest take on what it means to be fearless:

Being fearless takes many forms. I recently had reason to reflect on that as I was doing some work to get my team ready for this year's Cycle For Survival event in New York City. One of my teammates approached me and told me he was nervous about riding and he did not know if he could do it. His apprehension grew when at a team meeting a few people asked if they could ride multiple hours. Intimated at the very least, he assured me that he would try it. This is the same person who had taken 6 months off of work to be treated via …

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12.21.2012 Posted 10:00 pm

Fearless Lisa (aka Team FabuLisa) – posted by Dave Linn

Hi everyone, it’s Dave here. I know I haven’t posted in a while, but something happened this week that compelled me to write.
From the first minute I met Lisa Gallup and her brother Barry, I knew she was a superstar.  I don’t say this about very many people, but Lisa had many of the same qualities that drew people to Jen – an incredibly positive outlook, beautiful smile, and the rare ability to live life to the fullest no matter the challenges thrown at her.  In short, Lisa was Fearless.
That makes it all the more difficult for me to come to grips with the fact that Lisa died this week at the far too young age of 26.  She will be missed greatly by me and by so many others who called her a friend.
For those who unfortunately didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Lisa, I’ll paint you a quick picture from the past year.  Lisa was working full-time as an overnight nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at NY …

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10.17.2012 Posted 11:24 pm

Considering “Fearlessness” (for the Rest of Us)

I realize it’s been a while since the last You Fearless post, but sometimes it’s not the easiest to get people to tell their fearless stories.  It takes: being fearless.   And I have to tell you how wonderful it feels to be able to share a new story – a new perspective.
This is a very special blog post from Marisa Thalberg.  I know Marisa through Jen – first, as a fabulous friend; second, as a fearless supporter of both Cycle for Survival and Breast Cancer Awareness which she champions in her leadership role at Estee Lauder; and third, as a very special “executive mom”.  It is a phrase Marisa coined to describe herself and others like her.  She brings them together on a powerful platform which connects professional women in a meaningful community at www.executivemoms.com.  But Marisa’s accomplishments across the many dimensions of her life, of course, comes as no surprise because – as we all know – Jen was an absolute magnet for extraordinary people.  “Like attracts like” as they say.
Jen and Marisa …

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06.17.2012 Posted 4:35 pm

Perspective is an amazing thing

Perspective is a remarkable thing.  This morning, I might have had some fear around sending two of my children (the little ones) for their first week-long trip away.  This afternoon, I might have had some anxiety around my own trip to Europe for a business trip. I might have acknowledged fear in either situation.  But, instead I sat down to read two submissions to You Fearless that I had been intending to post to the site, and I realized I not only had nothing to fear, but also that those fears were so incredibly small relative to the courage of two people: Perry Zimmerman and Nikki Ferraro. 
And so I share with you a post directly from young Perry as she celebrates the end of her chemo treatment and a post from Robin Ferraro on behalf of her niece, Nikki who turned her challenge into a tremendous opportunity.  If you have even the slightest bit of fear today (or any day), I encourage you to read these and I am convinced …

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06.4.2012 Posted 11:23 pm

It’s a good day when good things happen to good people

Today's business press carried the incredible news of Buddy Media's sale to Salesforce.com.
From The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/salesforcecom-buying-buddy-media-in-689-million-deal-to-boost-social-media-marketing/2012/06/04/gJQAX5P8DV_story.html)
to Forbes (http://www.forbes.com/sites/forrester/2012/06/04/salesforce-buys-buddy-media/)
to The Wall Street Journal (http://online.wsj.com/article/AP6c632b9c68d244a7aee9c801da2fc38b.html),
everyone was talking about today's deal because it spoke to some of the most powerful trends driving the future of digital media – the power of social, the importance of cloud computing, and the vision and entrepreneurial spirit required to grow companies and create meaningful value. And, despite personally living and breathing the world of digital media every day as the recently appointed Publisher of the Huffington Post, I was not struck by what the news was today – rather, I was struck by who made it happen and the kind of people they are. And, I hope they will forgive me for taking the liberty of sharing their story here.
Buddy Media was founded by Michael Lazerow and his wife and business partner Kass. Michael is a serial entrepreneur with an incredible track record punctuated clearly by today's achievement, but that is not how I know him. …

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03.26.2012 Posted 4:00 am

A sparkle of fearless spirit we can all share

At Jen's service last July, I held on to every word, every recollection, and every beautiful story. And, I found that I was touched by the love that came through in every brave syllable.  Through my uncontrollable tears, I remember being particularly struck by the words that Alicia Sands, Jen's dear childhood friend, shared with everyone. As I heard her humor through her pain and felt her genuine love, I thought that all girls should only be so fortunate to experience the depth of true friendship that Alicia and Jen shared. To not only have a friendship that stood the test of time from childhood to adulthood but for it also to be so heartfelt is truly an extraordinary gift.
And so, it came as no surprise that Alicia found many very special ways to remember Jen – including the genius of developing a custom nail polish color with Opi to raise funds for Cycle for Survival. Here is a very special blog post from Alicia, whose friendship with Jen is …

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03.4.2012 Posted 10:33 am

Powerful, positive feelings from Cycle – the story of Sydney Becker

It's extraordinary to me how the impact of Jen and Dave's creation, Cycle for Survival, continues to grow.  And, when I say "impact", I am not solely referencing the incredible fundraising achievement of this year – the almost $8.2 mm that will now go straight to Memorial Sloan Kettering for cancer research.  Rather, I am talking about the human impact, the way the event makes people feel.
Over the days since Cycle this year, I have been struck by the number of people who told me how much the experience of participating meant to them.  For some, it was because they did not realize how big the event really is.  For others, it was that participating compelled them to want to do even more in coming years.  And, for others, it was simply of a feeling of hope and empowerment – that in a world that doesn't always feel influenced by the outcomes we want, we can take control and impact the future.
I wanted to share some of the reflections that …

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02.16.2012 Posted 11:50 pm

Perry Reflects on Cycle and Being Fearless

Dave introduced me to Larry and Anne Zimmerman at a kick-off event for this year's Cycle for Survival back in the Fall. Larry and Anne are the parents of Perry Zimmerman, whose book report was featured here a few posts back. Perry is currently undergoing treatment at MSKCC for osteosarcoma and is an amazing example of being fearless!  At this year's event, I felt very fortunate to get to meet Perry in person and tell her how special she was to me. I had emailed with her parents and thought of her often, but it was so meaningful to meet her.  When I talked to her at the Cycle event, I asked her if she would consider writing a post for You Fearless, never imagining it would work for her busy schedule. 
And then, just as I thought about how to reflect on the achievement of this year's Cycle for Survival on this site, the answer suddenly landed in my inbox. Perry not only had written a post – she had …

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