Five years.

Come the beginning of November, I’ve had a tradition of writing an anniversary blog post about my business. It typically starts with some version of me walking out of an office building into the fall afternoon sun on Friday, November 1, 2019, scared and excited to chart my own course.

Well, I’ve been charting for five years now. And I don’t really feel like celebrating given what’s happening around me in the United States and in the rest of the world. It feels a little privileged, a little disingenuous, to celebrate my own success when the future seems so potentially wobbly.

So instead of celebrating, I’m going to offer up a little gratitude. I am grateful for:

• The nearly 300 clients who have placed their trust and confidence in me across nearly 2,200 hours of coaching.

• The countless others who spoke to me, and considered hiring me as their coach, before choosing someone who fit their needs even better than I could.

• The leaders who gave generously of their energy and attention during the workshops I’ve facilitated.

• The elected officials who made it possible for self-employed Americans and their families to buy decent health insurance (regardless of pre-existing conditions) at a somewhat reasonable price, and the judges who upheld the constitutionality of that law.

• The coaching and facilitation companies that keep me on their benches, bringing me into fascinating teams and organizations to do work that I really enjoy.

• The fellow practitioners who partner with me on projects, help support my business and push me to get even better at what I do.

Many thanks to you for reading these words as well.