One year later

I’ve been sitting here thinking about how much can change in a year.

Today is the anniversary of selling the cleaning side of the business and going all-in on leadership development. I remember so vividly how I felt on this day last year.

I was so excited. So relieved. So proud that I was finally following my heart. And at the same time, I felt terrified to step into the unknown. So uncertain of what the future would look like. Afraid of failing in front of everyone. Wanting to know exactly how the journey would pan out and frustrated that I didn’t yet have those answers.

In the last year, we’ve led more than 200 leadership sessions. We’ve hosted monthly coaching groups with 60 leaders from around the globe. We’ve introduced our flagship Human Leadership Program and graduated nearly 1,000 participants, some of whom are students. And most importantly, in our review just a few weeks ago, our team reported the highest “happiness at work” score we’ve ever reported in our history: We averaged a 9.9. Almost a perfect 10.

I originally thought I would write a big, long post to honor this day and this anniversary. But you know what I realized? It doesn’t need a big, long post. It’s actually quite simple.

What I want to say is this:

Today, my life looks nothing like I thought it would and everything like I hoped it would.

But if you had asked me a decade ago what I saw for myself and my life, I can promise you I wouldn’t have said anything about the life I’m living now. At that time, I wanted to have a Student Maid location in every city in the country. I remember being so certain about that, and I wouldn’t have listened to anyone who told me otherwise.

And then I grew. And I found that I wanted something else. And now, when someone asks me where I will be in 5 or 10 years, I know the only answer I can give is . . . I don’t know. Because it’s the truth. And that’s the beauty of life, isn’t it? We never know how one step will lead us to another. How powerful and freeing it is to let the journey just . . . unfold.?

Change is scary. Change is beautiful. May we all have the courage to evolve, to grow, to change our minds, to live in the question, to not need all the answers, and to go after what we want, no matter how scary it feels.

You get one life. Make it count.

Big hugs,

Kristen?

PS: You won’t believe what the team did to celebrate our anniversary: On Saturday, they flew to Houston to surprise me with a weeklong retreat. It’s our first time all together since 2019. What a way to celebrate this special milestone!