2024 Recap - Lessons Learned

The ever present "Bucket List" has been something I have added to over the past few years but have not had an opportunity to check anything off the list. 2024 presented opportunities for me to check a few things off the list as well as a few challenges that I did not anticipate facing. Both the opportunities and challenges came with a set of "Lessons Learned" that I am working on applying in various areas of my life and thought I would share.

• Caregiving is HARD! I mean really, really hard. In May, my step dad's health finally hit the place where I could no longer be the primary caregiver. Within a matter of 5 days, we went from trying to piece together a care plan to keep him independent at home, to skilled nursing, and finally to assisted living. Lessons Learned: 1) Caregiving is hard. 2) There are only difficult decisions to make when you find yourself in this role. 3) I needed to reframe my expectations from "he's getting better" to "lets try to maintain this level of function as long as possible". 4) Dementia truly sucks - I mean it really, really sucks.
• Consulting is a good fit for me. In my last few newsletters, the jury was still out on whether consulting would be a good fit for me and my skillset. This past year it has finally clicked. I was able to develop a solid client list and engage in work that I truly enjoy. I have a strong pipeline of projects already lined up for 2025 and I am truly hitting my stride at Clearlink Partners . Lessons learned: 1) I feel like the past two years have been some of the most growth I have had in a long time in my professional life and I am grateful for the journey. 2) It takes time to start a new role at a new company and I needed to give myself time to learn the ropes.
• Life/Work balance is getting better. While I still struggle with times of being super busy and having down time, I can honestly say that this past year I had better life balance than what I had in the past. In 2024, my "work" categories consisted of, building my consulting practice, teaching at Antioch University and I co-authored a book that American College of Healthcare Executives is publishing on Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity. In my personal life I completed 9 months of executive coaching on the Enneagram (I am an 8 BTW), participated in three community boards with Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project , Wright-Patt Credit Union Sunshine Fund, and Women in Christian Leadership , took a pottery class and thoroughly enjoyed cultivating flowers in my yard. Nate and I celebrated 29 years of marriage, completed 8 camping trips with family and friends and planned a week long family retreat in a place we have never visited before. My granddaughter turned 3 and my son and daughter-in-law celebrated 5 years of marriage. Lessons Learned: 1) The bucket list is obtainable as long as it has both professional and personal goals. 2) Before making the list, truly consider what is important and make decisions based on a very limited number of priorities.

I am incredibly blessed to have a good support group including my husband, family, very close friends and great co-workers. There are a few things that I am working on to continue on my path of self-discovery. They are:

• Find a faith community. I have missed being in community as most of my professional and community interactions are now virtual. This past month I have been visiting a few different churches and am looking to find a new faith home.
• Find ways to travel. The last two years I have resisted travel as I truly was exhausted after work travel in 2021 and 2022. However, I am ready to find ways to incorporate travel back into both my personal and professional life. The launch of the book in January 2025 will give me an opportunity to re-connect with the healthcare conference circuit as well as engage with those who are working to impact health outcomes through partnership between community organizations and healthcare. As far as personal travel we have scheduled a trip for our 30th wedding anniversary to Alaska and will continue to do monthly camping trips with the family.
• Learn something new. I have been thinking about this one a lot. Should I complete a life coaching certification? Take an art class? Learn a second language? Truly dive into cooking classes? I am not sure, but this one is staying on the list as I want to find a structured way to keep learning.

Thank you all for your support since I launched this newsletter. I am committed to posted at least once a quarter in 2025. I look forward to your feedback and how you are navigating your path.

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