Celebration isn’t always something that comes easily to me.
When I coach and mentor other leaders, I hear that it’s a struggle for many of us. We might celebrate getting the big gig, but not the thousands of decisions we make afterwards.
Many of us in leadership get caught up in being better, finding ourselves in a never-ending cycle of grow, grow, grow.
But that’s risky - what if you put all your attention on trying to grow the thing you aren’t meant to be?
Recently, I was watching this hummingbird in my backyard and thinking about 360 reviews.
Can you imagine if someone decided to do a 360-degree review of this hummingbird?
Does well:
Fast flier
Changes direction quickly
Well-adapted to finding resources
Able to operate independently
Brilliantly beautiful, gets a lot of attention
Can hover and get a great birds-eye-view
Needs to improve:
Does not pause and sit still often enough
Beak is too long, cannot drink from all available flowers
Iridescent pink head is nice, but it seems a bit showy and takes attention away from other critters
Moves too fast for others to keep up
Tends to migrate from flower to flower instead of focusing on one place
Recommendation for growth:
Could benefit from mentorship from a heron to understand how to stand still
Consider trying to be less showy and blend in more
Perhaps consider learning how to be more resilient to avoid torpor
You can see how absurd this becomes. It’s not to say that 360s don’t have value; they do. But we are often comparing people to some mythical leader who can be all the things, who is navigating entirely different conditions or leadership contexts.
When it comes to people in trailblazing and changemaking roles, we are often uniquely adapted for that work and for leading through uncertainty — which means we cannot typically be both hummingbird and heron.
Yet, due to the nature of most changemakers also being people who see potential and opportunities for growth in everything, we tend to orient most to those areas of improvement and recommendations for growth without first taking stock of what we need to celebrate and thus, do more of.
In short, if you’re a hummingbird, don’t take too much stock in lessons that might turn you away from your essential hummingbird-ness. Start instead by seeing where you shine and lean more into those capacities, especially if they are ones that already serve you well in being a trailblazing leader.
The best way I’ve found to reorient my brain to center my essential strengths is to make a habit of celebration. Noticing where I find joy and what lights up my curiosity is typically a quick guide for staying true to being a trail-blazing leader. A practice of celebration helps me hone the skills that are uniquely mine rather than trying to be everything to everyone.
I'm curious—does celebration come easily to you, or is it a practice you're still building? How do you take stock of tiny wins along the way in your change work?
For me, celebration is still a practice I’m building, which is why I’m intentionally pausing to celebrate what 2025 brought.
On the writing front, I made significant progress on my nonfiction book about creating Seattle’s Equity and Environment Initiative (shoutout to Storia Retreat and Unicorn Author's Club!). This included receiving my first artist grant from 4Culture to launch Seeds of Climate Justice (interviews coming soon!) I'm hoping to shop my proposal with agents in 2026.
Alongside that project, I launched Bend the Horizon, my strategy, social impact, and storytelling advisory firm. As part of this, I created a 1:1 Vision, Strategy, and Narrative incubator to support other leaders to grow their external presence, unlock their story of impact, build power for communities, and connect to their joy.
Other celebrations for connection, creativity, and thought leadership:
Got my first byline in Fast Company
Became IRL PNW coordinator for Sustenance and hosted our first PNW gathering
Started writing a romance novel and read dozens for research.
Brought my community together to celebrate women of color authors as they launched their books, including Vanessa Daniel, Jasmine Guillory, Sonora Jha, and being a conversation partner with Dimple Abichandani for her Seattle book event! Building my platform in a way that amplifies others is a core value. If you're an author with a Seattle event, let me know.
Collaborated with subscriber and friend Jon Gould on a panel about the power of trust and relationships in advocacy work. (Thank you, Jon, for this invitation!)
Continued to lead the Board of global climate intermediary Sunrise Project Inc as Board Chair in a way that centers the joy and care for our leaders, orients us towards purpose-driven ecosystem leadership, and keeps us aligned to our values even during turbulent times.
2025 was a year of intense change and growth. It required me to commit to myself in ways I never have before as I built a business from the ground up, centered my creative energy, and continued my sabbatical practice of connecting to my joy, community, and curiosity.
Many of these celebrations would not have been possible without this community. Your emotional and financial support of my writing and thought leadership journey means the world to me. Having nearly 300 people here in this community and getting to build relationships with each of you is magic. I can’t wait to do more in 2026.
I’d love to know - what are you celebrating from 2025 and what lessons are you bringing with you into 2026? Big or small, drop them in the comments so we can celebrate together!
Your cheerleader in chief,
-S
PS: Thanks to many of you who have already completed the winter reader survey. There’s still time to add your interests to the mix to inform my 2026 planning and ideation for what ends up in your inbox. I look forward to bringing you vulnerable, story-driven essays, inspiration offerings for trailblazers, and leadership learnings in this new year.
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