A full-circle moment

This morning, I had the honor of kicking off St. Louis Organizational Development Network‘s 2025 with a keynote, and it felt like a full-circle moment. Five years ago, this event was one of my very first speaking engagements. It’s also where I met my now dear friends, Ryan McCrea and Becki Feldmann, for the first time.

Today, I stood in front of that same room, this time sharing my own curriculum, Courage is Built Here™. Honestly, I don’t think I have the right words to fully capture what this morning meant to me. For now, all I can say is this: so, so, so good.

I’m profoundly grateful for friends like Ryan and Becki, who have championed me over the last five years, trusting me and my work enough to share it with their loved ones and their orgnaizations. This year, they’ve walked beside me through a huge transition, cheering me on through every milestone and challenge.

I know there were lots of photos taken today. Let’s be honest, though; it is hard to capture a decent pic of this very emotive speaker, so you get this screenshot of my text from Becki—something I truly cherish.

It was so good to be with you all this morning and to catch up with so many of you. Thank YOU!!!

Side note: Yes, I mean it both ways.