Blackbird Fly!

Photo by Nancy Range Anderson

When people asked how I came up with the name Blackbird Learning Associates, LLC, I tell them a story that sounds unbelievable, but is true.

In 2009, I founded Blackbird Learning Associates after the loss of a career I had loved. But the name itself came to me during one of the hardest moments of my life.

In 2008, I was let go from my Learning and Development role at a large pharmaceutical company in New Jersey. I had spent 21 years there. I loved my job, my coworkers, and the work I had accomplished. I had started there as a young single mother in my early 30s, and in many ways, I grew up in that company.

On June 8, 2008, our team was called into a conference room and told that, because of restructuring, some of us would be outsourced. I was not worried. I was the only person doing my particular job, I had strong performance reviews, and I believed I was valued. But that wasn’t enough and I lost my job.

I was devastated.

The following week, I returned to pack up my office. I still remember how painful it was to see outside consultants already eyeing my workspace as if it were theirs. I packed what I could, labeled the rest to be sent home, got into my car, and drove away.

And then I fell apart.

I cried. I yelled. I pounded on the steering wheel. There was a song playing on the radio, but it was just background noise. Through tears, I spoke out loud to my mother and father, both of whom had passed away.

I said, “Mom and Dad, if you can hear me, please send me a sign that everything will be okay, because right now I am drowning.”

Almost immediately, the song on the radio changed midstream and was replaced by “Blackbird” by The Beatles.

I was stunned.

The words felt like a message meant just for me, “Take these broken wings and learn to fly, All your life. You were only waiting for this moment to arise.”  I've since learned that the song was written for the civil rights era and much, much bigger than me. Still, right then, I thought it was a sign for me.

 In that instant, I felt comforted. I felt, somehow, that my parents had reached down in my pain and sent me exactly what I needed.

That moment stayed with me.

When I started my own company the following year, I named it Blackbird Learning Associates. To me, it represented heartbreak, hope, and the beginning of a new chapter.

Through that work, I realized I was doing what I was meant to do, helping others find their way during times of change. Whether it was guiding someone through a job search, helping them build confidence, or supporting them as they stepped into something new, I was part of those moments where people began again.

In many ways, I was helping others find their wings too.

Looking back, I truly believe that in one of my darkest moments, I was given both comfort and direction. A reminder that even when something ends, something else may be waiting to begin.

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