2021 Highlights A Year with Lots of Views

Every year at this time, I think about the story of The Christmas Carol. In Dickens’ story, the ghosts of past, present, and future visit Ebenezer Scrooge. As he reviews his experiences, Scrooge decides to make some changes. Here are my 2021 highlights. Cheers to you and your successes!

2021 Highlights

SPEAKING

Visibility for Speakers In-Person at NASCAR Hall of Fame

My first in-person speaking engagement since February 2020 was in November. It felt SO good to present a program on visibility for speakers at the NASCAR hall of Fame. Thanks to NSA Carolinas for the opportunity. Presenting between two NSA Hall of Famers, [aka the best in the business] Jane Jenkins Herlong and Jeffery Gitomer, was a bit intimidating, but also inspiring. After all, we were all NSA Carolinas Speaker Academy faculty members.

Lesson Learned: Look for ways to collaborate with the best of the best. You belong!

International Speaker: Global eCommerce Trends

Thanks to Christina and Jane of the International Trade Council, a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization for the opportunity to present a program on ecommerce trends for global entrepreneurs. How did they choose me to deliver this important presentation? LinkedIn

Lesson Learned: LinkedIn elevates profiles to world-class levels.

International Speaker: Latin America

What an honor to present Linkedin: Your Passport to Speaking Business to the Latin American Speakers Association. Thanks to Victoria for asking me!

NSA Carolinas Board: VP of Marketing

Joining the NSA Carolinas board as VP Marketing started out with a retreat on a sunset cruise.

What a busy chapter! Volunteering opens new doors to new connections and I love interviewing pro speakers to promote our programs. We even made it onto TV! Well, it was just the Spectrum community calendar, but still.

Lesson Learned: You get what you give. Volunteering, the right way, takes time and effort, and you get results, not just for you, but for an industry.

PODCAST: Growing Social Now

Waaaaaay back in 2009, BlogTalkRadio asked me to start a podcast. That was at BlogWorld. Podcast was a word that was almost as unfamiliar as blog. Even though I loved radio and wanted to major in broadcast communications in college, I said no, not yet. I did produce two podcasts a few years ago, but decided to stop when it became too time-consuming. This year was the year. After speaking at two Podfest events, I got inspired to start my own. What stopped me before? Believe it or not, it was the name. I decided to run with Growing Social Now to get the show started. And I decided to interview friends in high places. After recording eight episodes, I was ready to launch on June 30, Social Media Day. With a new lineup ready to go for 2022, I’m excited about all the possibilities for my guests and my listeners.

Lesson Learned: Do. Not. Wait. What if I’d said yes in 2009? Also, don’t look back – look ahead and book everyone you want to talk to now.

Sales Training Courses for Global Business Development Reps

From Fortune 50 to regional banks to global manufacturers, my client list expanded. What did we work on? Custom social selling programs for business development reps {BDRs], account executives [AEs], and Chief Revenue Officers.

Lesson Learned: Be open to opportunities that build on past experiences. In the corporate world my last job was as a national sales trainer, a role that I’m happy to retheme for a new era.

PHOTOGRAPHY

When the Light Factory in Charlotte put out a call for art for a member’s show, I was nervous about submitting something. I didn’t even know what size or frame to use for my art. Because I thought, incorrectly, that there would be an array of fall foliage photos, I almost didn’t submit the “Blue Ridge Leaf Peepers” image. But, that’s the one they wanted. And, it was the only fall foliage image in the show.

Lesson Learned: When you have something beautiful, you need to share it so others can enjoy it.

FAMILY

Every one of our three grown-up kids has a new job! One relocated back to Chicago from Seattle. How cool to have all three in the same place. I can’t wait to hang out with them on my next trip to Chicago in February.?

HOME

This is our third Christmas in Charlotte. Looking back, I couldn’t see how happy we would be now. This month, we renovated two bathrooms. While we once had new toilets in our Glen Ellyn house’s living room on Christmas Eve, I wouldn’t recommend remodeling at the holidays. When you remodel, expect lots of little hiccups. For example, we bought five powder room vanities – long story. How many powder rooms do we have? One. In January, we’ll update the kitchen and the main bath is up for a redo in February.

Lesson Learned: Don’t remodel at the holidays and find a good contractor.

NATURE

What keeps me grounded and inspired? Walking in the woods and along the greenway. Within five minutes I can be bushwhacking down a trail with my dog, Holly Wood.

Although our trail hikes were on hold for a few months, one of our best hikes was in the rain at Grayson Highlands. I’d seen a few pics of wild horses and a foal in a Facebook group.

Was it worth going with rain in the forecast? Why not? It’s only a 2 ? hour drive. We got to the trail head and parked next to one of the 10 cars.

The last time we were here, we had to walk past dozens of cars for a quarter of a mile to get to the trailhead. The rain was pouring down as we walked up to the trail. We turned around, sat in the car and waited.

When we got back out, there were only three cars left in the lot. We had no idea where the horses would be, but we set off anyway. I didn’t think we’d see any people – or horses.

And then, a solo hiker started coming towards us. I wanted to ask if they’d seen any horses, but I didn’t want to be too friendly. “Good morning!” they greeted us. “If you’re looking for the horses, they’re right past the fence. The foal is really cute.” THANK YOU!!! We kept walking, hopefully in the right direction, until we found a gate at a fence. I didn’t see any horses. My husband spotted them in the distance. We carefully approached.

In this moment in time we were the only people in the world on a mountain top with the wild horses. We took some photos and videos. Then, we hugged and soaked up the beauty of the moment.

TRAVEL

2021 travel started with a trip to Charleston with the kids. It was cold, but we made it to Folly's Beach to watch the waves roll in. Because they were here for three weeks, we checked out Congaree and Columbia, SC as well as Winston-Salem, NC. We all enjoyed a winetasting at Childress Vineyards. In March, I went back to Charleston and Savannah with?Warren and Blanca. Walking through the azalea gardens and by the alligators at Magnolia Gardens was a highlight. In May, we drove up to Indy for the 500. Then, we visited friends and family in Chicago. I overbooked get-togethers because I missed everyone so much. Chicago was eerily quiet, but waking up to welcoming people back.

In June, we went to Wilmington for the NSA Carolinas board retreat. The ocean waved at us and we loved staying in an historic BandB.

September found me on a place for the first time since 2019. Going ro RiotFest with my three kids and their cousins was a riot, literally.

In October, I decided to go right back to Chicago to celebrate my birthday with my Glen Ellyn book group, a first since May 2019. These ladies know how to cook! We enjoyed a James Beard dinner.

For Thanksgiving, we traveled over the mountains and across rivers to Indy and then made our way up I-65 to Chicago where we went to see “The Magic Flute” at the Lyric Opera.

To round out the year, we took a quick trip to Raliegh Durham where?we learned about North Carolina's history and explored the beautiful gardens at Duke University.?

Lesson Learned: Last-minute travel can be the best! Pack up and go!!?

How about you - what will you remember about 2021?