Leading the Way with Audrey M. Nelson (2021)

Pages: 124, Printing: Amazon Kindle Direct, Editing: Marjorie Toensing

The Story of My Journey

Many times over the years, people have asked me if I had written about the many firsts in my career, and my answer had always been no. Recently, as I have recounted various aspects of the Mayo Clinic history that I knew, because I had been a part of much of it, I was told that I should write my memoirs; so here we go.

       It seems that just expanding on my CV would not be interesting and would in fact be a long and very boring read. Since I grew up in a time when a woman’s and a man’s roles were clearly defined and I chose to enter a man’s world, it seems that analyzing how that happened and where it took me would be the path I should take.

       We all were probably asked as young people what we would like to be when we grew up. I don’t remember what I would have said, but looking back from the age of eighty-one, I see threads of how it evolved. We are a product of genetics, parents, upbringing, environment, and God-given talents. Growing up in the 1940s and ’50s meant taking the traditional path. Girls would be mothers and homemakers, and boys would be heads of households and bread winners. Somehow that wasn’t me. My mother would buy me dolls, and I would play with my brother’s Tinker Toys and Erector Set. Times have changed and continue to change in many ways. This recounting is of a person who followed her interests and was oblivious of the expectations of society in regard to gender roles.

       The advice I have passed on to young people from my experience has been to pay attention to what you enjoy, because that is most likely what you are good at and where you should aim your life and career. Opportunities may come up along the way that you may not even have thought of because you had no exposure to those areas of life. They are something to be considered.

       The important thing is not to look for the endpoint of your perceived ultimate goal/reward but to point yourself in that general direction and follow your successes and opportunities. Who knows where that may take you? The important thing is, if you like what you are doing, it will not feel like you are working. There certainly will be bumps in the road, but do not dwell on them. That is the story of my journey.

Audrey M. Nelson