Diary of a CEO: Entry #5
Dear Reader,
Happy December! The new month, and last month of 2022 has me reflecting and re-strategizing for the new year. I find that in order to enter the holiday season stress free do all my reflecting and planning by December 15th. So without further ado, let's get into some 2022 reflections.
2022 was filled with so many unexpected things for me, Ringlet changed in huge ways and so did I. I’m thinking a lot about how to appreciate this past year and prepare for the year ahead.
Professionally; I launched my second business, Cape May Getaway, with my best friends, managed Ringlet through Elise’s maternity leave, faced a recession with clients and our company, restructured our offerings, and became CEO.
Personally, this year I struggled with my mental health and I lost both of my beloved grandmothers. I’ve really struggled with in balancing this grief and still being there as a friend, daughter, partner, sister, business leader, and entrepreneur.
Anyone who knows me knows how important my Nanny was to me, she was a huge force in my life and truly a best friend. Losing her in August challenged me in ways I never imagined. I miss her everyday.
As I’m reflecting on my year, it was truly full of really high highs (buying a beach house rental property, and becoming CEO), and painfully low-lows (losing family members and struggling with mental health).
This battle between high and low calls to mind my grandmother, Nanny.
She lost her husband, my grandfather, in her 40s; never remarried, and certainly never stopped grieving him. Simultaneously Nanny was the goofiest, most joyful, loving, and funniest person I’ve known. She never missed a celebration or a chance to get on a dance floor. She set a remarkable example of carrying pain and grief equally alongside love and happiness. She wasn’t slowed down by the pain, instead she allowed it to exist while still allowing joy to grow. She saw life for its high highs and low lows and proceeded to find a way to enjoy the ride (although I genuinely think she’d never get on an actual roller coaster).
I’m trying to honor her by approaching this next year the same way she approached life; acknowledging that life is hard and it comes with big feelings, while also celebrating each happy moment in life and bee-lining for a dance floor.
In order to be good leaders and all around humans we’ve got to accept that life isn’t linear; but we have to find a way to carry all the parts of us and show up truly as ourselves.
I’m making my 2023 plan for the business and for myself in these coming weeks – I’ll be sure to share my plans here and take you along as I figure it out and define how I want to feel, and my goals and the company goals.
Also, thank you all so much for the support of this diary, it is such a fun outlet for me and I’ve been so grateful to hear from a lot of you each week. I’m hoping to find more ways for all of us to connect and to work through leadership, careers, and life together.
Have a great Friday! I hope you approach next week with gratitude for a new month and excitement for all that's to come for you.
XOXO