Six Things I Loved About 2022

As an exercise of end-of-year reflection, I wanted to celebrate six things that were particularly special to me this year:

1.????Publishing our book, “Social entrepreneurship: A practice-based approach to social innovation" (Jan./Feb. 2022)

Two semesters in, we have had such a strong, positive reaction to the book. I have had students say that it does not feel like reading a textbook due to how conversational and approachable its tone reads.

I always speak to the book as being a “reverse textbook” in that the main text is readable with stories mixed in to make the content alive, real, and memorable. The breakout boxes support it with definitions, examples, and further information, as to free the reader up to enjoy the text and dive into the content as they move along. Because the book is written by two people that take the content seriously but not themselves too seriously, the book allows for a lot of instructor and student presence too, so it has also been rewarding to see students own their learning and reflections when engaging with the book, rather than repeat back what they were told. In fact, many of my students never even knew I was one of the co-authors, which caused a good laugh when reading the final reflection papers each semester. This fits my teaching philosophy anyway: it’s about them and how they think and not me and how I think.

Thank you to all of those who have been using it along with us and to those recommending it to others! We are so grateful! If you are looking for a textbook refresh or to start with one, consider trying it out! Check it out on the Edward Elgar Publishing website, and feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. We’re always happy to chat about it!?

While 2022 was more of a writing rebound year following the focus on the book, shout out to my other projects that came out this year (and the co-authors that go along with them!): Go Baby Go: Scaling a social movement around mobility (social entrepreneurship case), Stakeholder power play: Delta Airlines, voter rights and Georgia Senate Bill 202 (business and society case), and Saskia Bruysten: Advocacy, perseverance, and vision for social business during challenging times?(social entrepreneurship/leadership chapter).?

2.????Celebrating being a Delaware Business Times 40 Under 40 (“DBT40”, Sept. 2022)

In September, I had the magical opportunity to celebrate being awarded as one of Delaware Business Times DBT40s. It’s funny—more than the accolade itself, the people that were there made the event special. I don’t normally take the opportunity to stop and celebrate with people I adore. I felt so special and loved. I will cherish that day for a long time.

?3.????Seeing out “Record of Change” (Jan.-July 2022)

Seeing this picture, it feels like both ages ago and yesterday. This photo is from the last recording of our podcast, Record of Change, which was a close partnership between us for two years. After us getting nearly a collective 30,000 listens over the years (as of the end of 2022), we are all still hoping to reunite at some point for a new project, but for now, Season Six was our last. My favorite episode with a 2022 release was the one, called “USA: Surfin’” with Mary Glazier and Dr. Nancy K. Schlossberg. While I enjoyed making all the episodes I was involved with, this one was special as the topic connected a bit with some of my dissertation work related to career transitions.

4.????Getting over “post-pandemic” travel anxiety through excessive travel (May-Nov. 2022)

As someone who really enjoys being around people and traveling, the pandemic really took away something I valued in my life. Surprisingly, during my time getting back into the world, I found myself being anxious to travel and be around people. If you saw me even as recently as this past summer, you would have noticed this.

To reconnect with myself, I planned way too much travel and interactions. To the point that I was away from home for over eight collective weeks in the six months between May and November alone. With each trip, I became more and more comfortable with knowing that it was going to be different.

In these travels, I walked, explored new hobbies, reconnected with colleagues, and met new people in eight countries and seven states.??These travels helped to get me out into the world, contributing to six presentations, five invited talks, two facilitations, one moderation, and one keynote panel.

Here's me getting back up on the saddle of traveling again (no, really…).?

5.????Going back to school? (Feb.-Oct. 2022)

In high school, it was a dream of mine to own a secondhand clothing store where I could refresh old, loved items for the tastes and trends of the day. While I am not “quitting my day job” to pursue a goal from my youth, I think it is essential to never lose sight of yourself and your values.

So, in 2022, I started slowly taking courses for UD’s graduate certificate in Socially Responsible and Sustainable Apparel Business. I am four courses down and five to go, but it’s a start, right? The courses have been helping me connect the old me and the current me. If you can ever dive into something that helps you connect with your childhood interests, I highly recommend it. It feels like I am making good on a promise I made myself years back.

?6.????Speaking of sustainable fashion: Three years into a commitment to secondhand (Jan.-Dec. 2022)

At the end of December 2019, I made myself a promise to only buy clothing secondhand for one year. Now, three years later, I have kept that promise to myself. I have been learning to enjoy what I have and to buy secondhand whenever I can. I have not bought one new clothing item since then, and I am proud of the individual impact my efforts are having. Now, there are certain categories of attire that are exempt, and for those (like shoes), I try to wear and repair if possible and buy from a sustainable brand when ready for something new. In fact, my DBT40 dress, blazer, and vintage purchase were all thrifted, which made it even more special to wear my values.

Have you kept a resolution longer than expected? Do you plan to make a New Year’s Resolution for 2023? For me, 2023 is shaping up to be an interesting year already. Four days into it, I am traveling to Thailand...

Much more to come on that, but for now, here’s to a happy and healthy end of 2022 to you all!