This is me at my going-away party at the Justice Department. I had been there fifteen years—through the birth of my three kids, through three presidents and seven attorneys general (eight if you count Sally Yates), through innumerable policy briefings, emails, and consequential meetings in austere conference rooms. 

It’s been five years. I miss the people so much. The work was meaningful, interesting, and fulfilling.

And I’m so glad I left. 

Launching my own business, particularly right before a global pandemic, was much harder than I anticipated. I’ve definitely had a lot of early morning anxiety and late-night frustration. I’ve spent hours trolling job sites when I wanted to give up. 

But I’ve also had this:

  • Sitting on a bus in Manila with World Health Organization leaders I’d trained in trauma-informed leadership, singing and laughing together, because they know that out of hardship comes community, trust, and even joy
  • Addressing a crowd at SXSW—twice!
  • Being published in the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Business Insider, Psych Central, and Thrive Global
  • Walking offstage at a recent conference and the organizer said to me, “That’s the best workshop I’ve ever seen”
  • Holding my book in my hands, and getting to write a second one.

Most of all, I’ve had the great privilege to support leaders around the world and in every industry who want to build organizations that are human-centered and trauma-informed; that support their employees, customers, and community when it matters most. 

I’m so grateful to my incredible friends and colleagues who are with me on this journey to build empathetic workplaces—like all of you! I can’t wait to see what the next five years bring!