The past few weeks have been a time of rest and recovery for me and my team. We’ve tried to unplug, catch up, and spend time with family and friends we love. I’ve enjoyed seeing my team and consultants post pictures of holidays, vacations, and fun family photos. For me, the past few weeks have meant warm fires, sleeping in (to the crack of 7am, vs. 5am), laughter, yummy food, and a lot of games! Fun fact, my family is competitive – there were hours of poker-playing, Pictionary, Phase 10, and Taboo – and yes, we keep score!
And, I had a lot of time to reflect on all of the work we did in 2024. You know that song, “I’ve Been Everywhere” by Johnny Cash? That’s what 2024 meant for me. Here are some highlights and fun stats from 2024:
8 states – from California to New Jersey – I had the honor of sharing messages of hope, the importance of relational health, resilience, and organizational wellness. This included consultation with hospitals, Head Start sites, child welfare, child abuse centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, national conferences including National Head Start and The American Academy of Pediatrics, and several schools. I’m so grateful for the ability to travel, maintain great health and safety, and see beautiful parts of our country. More so, I can still see the eyes of professionals filling with hope and experiencing more confidence impacting the lives of children and families.
34 sites – Within Oregon, I traveled to 34 sites across our state. Similar to the nationwide work, I spent a lot of time with professionals who work with children in families, healthcare providers, educators, and child welfare workers. Messages of relational health, the impact of trauma, and how to support professionals who are child & family-facing in our state.
100’s of Zoom meetings – If you hopped on a Zoom call with me, received a training via Zoom, or found support from our team, I LOVED seeing your face. Zoom has offered greater accessibility for folks, more connection, increased support, and flexibility.
Here are my top 5 memorable moments from 2024. If these don’t make sense to you because you don’t have context, reach out to our team so that your organization can experience these magical moments with us!
- 20-second hugs
- Dance parties with the hospitality staff
- Farm walks
- Scavenger hunts
- Dad jokes – lots of them
My greatest accomplishment of 2024? 99% of professionals I worked with in 2024 reported having more HOPE as a result of working with me and my team.
Friends, it’s my honor and privilege to work with you! Here’s to 2025!
