Reflecting on 2024

As I read others' reflections on 2024 here in the first week of the new year, I am inspired by tales of growth and breakthroughs as well as those in my network who got through some hard times. I am sharing my reflection on 2024 because I think some may find parallels and hope in my story, especially if they're facing hard times or uncertainty. And I'm also sharing to document my 2025 vision, publicly, for my own accountability.

Dark Days of Winter

My mom got sick in mid December 2023. We knew she wasn't well, because she missed our girls' holiday ballet performance. She and my dad were always there for our kids. By Christmas Eve, she had been admitted into the hospital. Things took a bad turn Christmas night. She spent several days on a ventilator in the ICU. It was heartbreaking. She couldn’t speak, but she was alert and communicated with nods and taps.

At her bedside, my dad, her husband of 57 ? years, comforted her as they recalled decades of memories. Over the several days, it became increasingly clear that she wouldn’t be coming back home. My dad patiently filled a notebook with messages and last wishes derived from her reactions to his “person, place, or thing” categories and yes/no questions. ?

On January 3, 2024, we lost my mom. ?

We worked through that notebook and delivered every message and saw every single final wish through – including an unspoken one to return some of her ashes to her hometown in Scotland to rest with her dad, brother, and sister-in-law.

My mom was an amazing woman – kind, strong, smart, hard-working, generous, and often comically blunt in her feedback. You always knew were you stood. I think a big part of that was her Scottish upbringing and Glasgow-area roots. I miss her every day. To honor her memory, I applied for British birthright citizenship in 2024. It’s a way to feel closer to her. And closer to Scotland, a place that has become increasingly important to me.

About a week after my mom passed, upon returning to work from a brief bereavement leave, I learned my job would be eliminated. There had been a global restructuring in the months prior, but this was unexpected. I had just delivered my team's 2024 forecast and it was going to be a great year. It was not an easy message for my leader to deliver via Zoom, I’m sure. I don’t remember much about the specifics of the conversation; I do recall that he was kind and compassionate. And my former leaders and colleagues there were supportive through a difficult time.

In that moment, though, I was gutted. Deep in my grief, it had already felt like I had hit the bottom when my mom died. But with the layoff, I was also afraid for the future. It was a ton of loss and all within the first few days of 2024. ?

If I’m honest, I didn’t love the job I lost. I was good at it. And I was proud of my contributions both in terms of revenue performance and positive cultural impact with my team. And unlike the jobs that I did love before, this one sat neatly in a mostly 9-5 compartment in my life, which was new and different from 20+ years in hospitality. When the dust settled, though, it was just a job and I was quickly at peace with not working there. That’s not to say I wasn’t anxious about what I’d do for work.

A Path to Progress

I worked through my grief. I navigated unemployment. I reworked my resumes and profiles. I death-scrolled LinkedIn. I applied for jobs. I got snagged in ATSs. I was left unread and ghosted by recruiters. ?I also met some top-of-their-game P&C pros and leaders along the way.

Much of my recollection of early 2024 is a blur, though. I had trouble getting out of bed some days. I sought help and found a great therapist. I focused on my family including spending as much time as possible with my dad. My parter in life and love did/does so much to support me. One of her brilliant ideas were these "game nights" where friends and family would come for mini-house parties around games like Uno that the kids could play as well. Parties were the last thing I thought I wanted at the time, but they were so much fun and an effective distraction.

Over time, and with tons of support, I shook off the dust and focused on what I wanted to do next.

Starting Second

In the early spring, I refreshed a consulting business that I had started back in 2021: Second to Won.

The name is a play on words. Second Street was the tough city block where I was raised. On Second, you relied on smarts and grit to get by (or get out). ?And Won. my sales friends know, refers to the stage of business in a CRM. When the deal is done – it’s Closed-Won.

It was time for some Second Street toughness and resilience. And a chance to use my knowledge and experiences to help others Win and grow their business.

By March I had some consulting leads. One was with a new startup: Monstera Event Connections , a meetings management business led by Matthew Waltersdorf . I’d worked with Matt 15 years before and always appreciated his passion and his conscientious approach to work.

In a conversation about his new business, Matt shared that he had some important early-stage sales and marketing projects that needed attention, but he was very busy operating the business and serving his clients. I was able to tap in and execute on those projects so that Matt could focus on delivering excellent service to Monstera clients while also planning for future growth. Win-win.

In April, through SIOBHAN O'LEARY a friend and former colleague, I was introduced to the leadership team at CordeValle. CordeValle is a luxury golf club and resort with a beautiful secluded setting in the Santa Cruz foothills with an extraordinary culinary program and a world-class Robert Trent Jones, Jr. championship golf course.

Luca Rutigliano, Marcel Eichenberger, and the team at CordeValle are among the most talented and committed hospitality pros that I’ve met. A dream client and engagement; I spent May - December 2024 supporting CordeValle in its continued transition from a brand to an independent luxury resort, collaborating on a new marketing strategy, planning for 2025 growth, and the successful search and onboarding of their permanent Director of Sales and Marketing at the end of 2024.

I am very thankful to my clients and industry partners for helping to make 2024 a success.

Word of 2024

Siobhan, who introduced me to CordeValle and who leads Aubergine Partners , a coaching, culture, and people strategy consultancy, has an effective exercise that I’ve borrowed for my own reflection. Siobhan will ask clients to sum up a whole year in just one word. And then to similarly use one word as their theme for the coming year.

It's difficult to summarize a whole year in a post, much less with a single word, as there were tons of other impactful events (ask me about the wedding I officiated - in Spanish!). I thought about "steadiness," as managing the twists and turns of 2024 called for a steady hand. But the truth is that I wasn't always steady. And I didn't enjoy a completely linear progression. There were days in the fall that felt as bad as last winter. And the grief and the self-doubt aren't completely gone either. So, for me, the best single word to describe my 2024 is resilient - the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.

2025 Focus

For 2025, it's about focus to drive growth.

Yes, of course, I would like to grow my business. But even more importantly, when you are in survival mode, which is where I spent too much of 2024, you're not in a growth mindset.

I know that I am at my best when I am seeking out new opportunities and experiences with an open mind and a desire to learn. And when I have the awareness and self-confidence to acknowledge gaps where I need to up-skill in order to show up as the best version of myself in whatever I'm doing: as spouse/partner, as a dad, as a son, as brother/friend, and, of course, in my work. To start, I'm taking skills gaps head on with hands-on learning and with continuing education opportunities this year.

With effort and attention to detail in these key areas, namely keeping sharp focus on what's most important, leveling up my communication, and up-skilling on my knowledge gaps, I’m optimistic about growth in 2025.

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