Work-Life Integration!

People kept asking me how I was spending my time in the last four weeks. And all I can say is that it was a September to remember.

Where do I start? It was a remarkable, magical mix of business and personal. If you know me, you’ve heard me say I prefer the term “work-life integration” to “work-life balance.” Because if we do this well, we can experience the fullness and fluidity of great work and a great living experience, and each makes the other better.

Here’s some of the remarkable: our Fragomen family continues to grow and flourish. In September we welcomed back several stars who grew up with the firm, decided to experience another journey, and as in many families, made their way back home, enriched with great perspective and experience that’s already making our company even better.

Adding to the pride our leadership feels is the delight of seeing people grow into the leaders they have become, remembering their first days and all the possibility we saw at the start - and now, years later, we see those skills in full force as they move forward with confidence to grow others.

Also in September, we started to work with several significant companies who placed their trust in us to help them grow and thrive in an ever more complex legal and talent environment. For as long as I have been part of this industry and organization, the thrill never fades: I am proud and honored to learn from new organizations and people. It’s not always an easy path, but it’s these challenges that allow us a lens into what is most important today and help us solve the problems critical to our collaborative success.

Here's the magical part of September: my family and my life at home! We greeted another grandchild, as son Hunter Horsley and daughter-in-law Allison welcomed their beautiful daughter Wendy Ann into the world. (That’s our number three grand, for those counting at home!) She and her parents are thriving, and Laura and I are already experiencing the joy of watching her and her cousins, Bryce and Avery ( RJ Horsley 's and Alexandra Horsley /Ally's two kiddos), grow and flourish. We wished a happy housewarming to Blake, our third son, who moved into his first solo home in Los Angeles a few weeks ago. And I began writing this piece during a flight home from our initial parents’ weekend for our youngest, Madi, who just started university. In just over a month, she’s already dialed in (and settled in) to her new life, complete with her own game day ritual! ?

I’m not going to lie – there are lots of monumental feelings happening in the offspring area. And with Madi, the last to launch, it’s a pleasure to see her thrive on her own, but it’s bittersweet that we’re returning to a home with no children. At the same time, it’s kind of thrilling!

I’m reacquainting myself with myself, too! After giving up the game of golf for over 30 years, I decided a couple of years ago to give it another shot (no pun intended, I swear). I have become obsessed, and it’s opened doors to a lot of new friends and travel, support for meaningful charity events, and the opportunity to take part in some phenomenal experiences in which friends have graciously included me. ?

My September 2024 tally looks pretty great:

·?????? Firm Growth

·?????? Family Growth

·?????? Colleagues growing up

·?????? Kids growing up

·?????? Robert’s growing up, too!

·?????? Business travel

·?????? Fun travel

·?????? Opportunities to make the world better

I know how fortunate I am to be situated so well between the integration of great work and a great life. It’s so rewarding, I want everyone to experience it! And I hope, if there’s something I can do that moves you toward more of the things you want in your environment, you’ll let me know how I can help you.

And one more thing...

Welcome, again, Wendy Ann. You're already quite a light in the world. In our world, especially.