Reflections From the Corner Office: A Year of Growth, Gratitude, and One Very Good Dog

November often invites us to name what we’re thankful for. But in December we experience the quiet closing of one year and the hopeful opening of another, inviting something deeper. Reflection. Integration. A moment to pause and hold gratitude not just for the “what,” but for the who, the how, and the unexpected lessons that shaped our journey.

As I look back on 2025, I’m struck by how this year has unfolded in ways I could never have planned. Last year, I made a decision that felt both bold and necessary: to leave a place I had devoted three decades of my life to and build something new. Something aligned with my values, my purpose, and the way I believe people and teams deserve to be led.

What has unfolded since then has been one of the most meaningful chapters of my life.

Twelve months ago, SRJ Collaborative was little more than a vision, a domain name, and a healthy dose of nervous excitement. Today, as I look back, the clearest truth is this: none of it would have happened without an extraordinary circle of people, a few hard-won lessons, and one very fluffy co-pilot who reminds me daily that presence is more powerful than productivity.

Gratitude for the Leap

Starting SRJ Collaborative was more than a career move, it was an act of listening to my own intuition. I am grateful for the courage it took to step away from comfort and step toward what felt right. And I’m grateful for the clarity that formed along the way: that people deserve cultures where collaboration is alive, communication is clear, curiosity leads the way, and leaders feel both capable and inspired.

Gratitude for the People

No business is built alone and mine certainly has not been.

My clients trusted a brand-new firm with some of the most important work of their careers: becoming better leaders, building healthier teams, and navigating change that felt impossible on some days. They let me sit in the mess with them, ask the hard questions, and celebrate the wins both big and small. Every breakthrough we co-created is now part of the foundation of this company.

They allowed me to bring the SRJ Advantage to life in conference rooms, workshops, coaching sessions, and one-on-one conversations that reminded me why this work matters so deeply. You have given me purpose and partnership by allowing me to share in your leadership development both individually and with teams, and by sharing your challenges and aspirations.

My individual coaching clients have been going through seasons of transition, reinvention or rediscovery. Thank you for your honesty, your vulnerability, and your willingness to do the internal work that fuels external success. Watching your growth has been one of the greatest privileges of this year.

If you have mentors, peers, or friends who have provided you with thoughtful conversations, you are fortunate. Mine have also included encouragement, connections and sometimes a quiet reminder that I am on the right path. For WWW (you know who you are) you have shared your experiences and knowledge when I needed it most. And you have even talked me off a few ledges. Your presence and generosity are a gift. I hope I am paying it forward half as well as it has been paid to me.

Thank you all for betting on SRJ when we were still proving ourselves.

Gratitude for the Lessons

This year has taught me more than I anticipated.

I learned that building a business requires trust. Not only in others, but in myself. There have been lessons that arrived disguised as setbacks: the proposal that ghosted, the website that launched with broken links (on the same day Mercury was apparently in retrograde), the discovery that I am, in fact, not superhuman and sometimes need to close the laptop and take Snickerdoodle for a walk at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday. Every misstep taught me resilience, humility, and the absolute necessity of building margins into life and business.

I learned that clarity comes from action, not perfection.

I learned that collaboration is powerful, but only when built on shared purpose, curiosity before judgment, and the courage to try something new.

And I learned that joy matters. Fun matters. The lightness we bring to our work is not frivolous, it’s fuel.

Through it all my family and friends have become my unofficial marketing department. They celebrated the little milestones like they were IPOs. They forwarded my posts and left five-star reviews before I even asked (especially when Snickerdoodle was the author). Their belief in SRJ and our work kept me going on the days when imposter syndrome whispered a little too loudly.

Gratitude for My Chief Wellness Officer

Of course, no reflection would be complete without acknowledging my loyal office mate and the heartbeat of SRJ Collaborative: Snickerdoodle, our Chief Wellness Officer.

Snickerdoodle is a teacher at heart. Through my new presence with her, she had me paying a different kind of attention to the power of a pup, or CWO. She sat beside me through proposal writing, coaching prep, long strategy sessions, and the creative sparks that brought the SRJ Advantage, and countless other ideas to life. She reminded me to take breaks, soak in moments of joy, get fresh air, and not take myself too seriously. She ensured every Zoom call had at least one tail-wag cameo and reminded me that wellness starts with presence. She taught executives that it’s okay to get on the floor and wrestle with what matters instead of power-pointing it to death.

I am endlessly grateful for her quiet companionship, her big feelings about yard visitors, and her ability to bring warmth into every workday. Science says a dog’s heart rate lowers everyone else’s in the room. My lived experience confirms it.

Every Ending Shapes a New Beginning

As 2025 ends, SRJ Collaborative is no longer “new.”  It has been a year of building. Not just a business, but a calling. It has been a year of reconnecting with my purpose, refining my voice, and trusting that when we choose alignment over comfort, life responds with clarity.

We’re growing steadily, intentionally, and with the same commitment to depth over speed that we ask of our clients. And we’re doing it surrounded by people (and one very good dog) who make the hard days softer and the good days brighter.

December invites us into reflection, but it also reminds us of possibility. And for all of it—the challenges, the victories, the human moments, the laughter, the learning, and the love—I am grateful.

So, wherever you are as this year closes: wrapping up goals, recovering from goals that didn’t happen, or simply trying to keep the dog hair off your holiday outfit, I invite you to borrow Snickerdoodle’s year-end practice: 

• Flop down on the nearest couch. 

• Take a deep breath that sounds suspiciously like a sigh. 

• Name, out loud (try not to bark), three things (or people, or furry co-workers) you’re grateful for. 

The strategic plan for 2026 can wait another ten minutes.

From our little corner office to yours, thank you for being part of this first chapter. Here’s to closing 2025 with full hearts and to writing an even bolder one together in 2026.

P.S. Snickerdoodle has approved this message and would like to remind everyone that belly rubs are an evidence-based gratitude intervention.