Every year, as the year comes to a close, my team and I engage in a deeply meaningful practice. We each write acknowledgements to every member of our company, expressing our sincere gratitude for the impact they’ve had on our lives and our work. This exercise, inspired by my friend Peter Docker, is a cherished tradition. It’s the final, heartfelt act we undertake as a team before the year ends. We dedicate time to penning these letters of appreciation, and in our last meeting of December, we receive these personal messages, sometimes even sharing them aloud. If you’re curious to learn more about this acknowledgement process, we offer a guide which you can find here.
We are still a few weeks away from our December meeting, but as I’ve been reflecting on the acknowledgements I want to write to my team, my thoughts naturally turned to you, our incredible community. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, my heart is overflowing with gratitude for you and for this space we’ve built together. And in this moment of reflection, I don’t want to let the opportunity pass without expressing something truly important. Have I Told You Lately That I Love you? Because in so many ways, I truly do, and I am profoundly thankful for you.
First and foremost, thank you for creating a space where vulnerability feels safe and encouraged.
Writing can be a daunting endeavor at times. Maintaining a blog and engaging on social media can feel like navigating a landscape of expectations. Each time I sit down to write, I challenge myself to delve into what truly resonates within my heart and to articulate that truth. But the reality is, expressing what’s truly in my heart isn’t always easy. Sometimes, the fear of judgment creeps in. Sometimes, I question if my thoughts are “professional” enough or sufficiently “work-related,” leading to self-doubt. Sometimes, sharing feels like stripping away layers and revealing something deeply personal and raw. Yet, every time I choose authenticity and share my genuine self with you, I am met with messages that resonate deeply. “Thank you for sharing,” many of you write. Your comments, your replies, your acknowledgement of my shared experiences – these are the sparks that ignite my continued writing, my commitment to vulnerability, my dedication to authentic sharing. And I know that even when you might not fully agree with my perspective, you approach me with kindness, challenging my viewpoint with understanding. For this, too, I am deeply thankful. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Because of you, I feel safe, and because of you, I write, and will continue to write.
I also want to extend my heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support when I shared news of our company’s significant transition earlier this year. In a poignant moment of reflection, I’m writing this to you from the very same coffee shop, in the very same seat, where I sat in January when I penned the blog post announcing our decision to sell the cleaning division of our business. It’s almost unbelievable that a year has passed since that pivotal choice. I vividly recall sitting in this exact spot, overwhelmed with trepidation as I prepared to write the words that held so much weight in my heart. My fears were numerous: would this new direction succeed? Would our leadership development business maintain its trajectory after this announcement? But my deepest fear, the one that truly resonated within me, was the fear of losing you.
Over the years, we’ve cultivated a bond of trust, a connection that I deeply cherish. It’s highly likely that many of you discovered my work through Student Maid, my cleaning company. The thought that closing Student Maid might erode your trust in me was a heavy burden. I worried you might disagree with or misunderstand our decision. I feared it could alter the very essence of our relationship. And because the mere thought of that was unbearable, I clung to the company, even when my inner compass pointed me towards a different path.
However, as you know, the moment arrived when I made the definitive choice to step away from cleaning and fully commit to our leadership development business. The pain of staying stagnant had simply become too intense. Yet, even after making that courageous leap, the fear of losing your connection remained. The night before I published the blog post making our transition official, sleep eluded me. I tossed and turned, my mind racing with questions about your potential reactions. But as soon as the post went live at 8 a.m. ET, I was enveloped in an outpouring of love, support, excitement, and encouragement. You acknowledged the courage it took to follow my heart, to make such a significant decision. How unfounded my worries were! You have always been there for me and for our team. Your faith in me and in us empowered me to believe in myself, and us to believe in our collective vision. Thank you for standing by us when we needed you most. The narrative of your incredible support is one I will share endlessly, a testament to the power of authentic living and following one’s heart, even when fear looms large.
And have I told you lately that I love you for celebrating my wedding and my love story with Spiros? This year brought another monumental moment into my life. Even though we are connected through screens, your presence and joy during the biggest moment of my life felt incredibly real. Your happiness and excitement about our celebration were palpable, radiating genuine love and warmth. Thank you.
Finally, and with immense sincerity, thank you for your unwavering support of our work. Thank you for believing in the transformative power of leadership. Thank you for dedicating your time to reading this blog, for joining our LIVE sessions, for downloading our resources, for engaging with Permission to Screw Up, for sharing our ideas and insights, for participating in the Human Leadership Program and our R&R Retreat, for being part of our coaching communities, for inviting me to speak and collaborate with your teams, for investing in our Student Made initiative, empowering the next generation to access our programs, and for spreading the word about our mission. Each and every act of support has created a ripple effect, making a profound impact. Together, we are building a more courageous and compassionate world. And your financial contributions are instrumental in enabling our company to provide for our team in ways we’ve always aspired to. Because of you, we are able to prioritize our people, fostering a company culture where they come first. Every morning, we wake up with purpose, driven by our shared vision of creating a better, more human-centered world.
Thank you. Have I told you lately that I love you? I am eternally grateful for you. You have inspired me and impacted my life immeasurably. You have made me a better person. You have given me purpose. Everything I do… I owe it to you.
Big hugs,
Kristen
PS: No LIVE this week, but I hope you’ll join us for our LIVE on Wednesday, 12/1, at 11 a.m. ET! I’ll be interviewing our CPAs about all things money! We’ll be talking about our company’s approach to finances and how our CPAs helped us build a people-first culture where metrics matter. You can register here:https://bit.ly/3kWe2kT
