Welcome to the 81st issue of Impact Curator! I curate this fortnightly newsletter for all of you who believe in transforming their community by amplifying the impact of the change makers around them.
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"You're not ambitious.", my husband says as we're driving to Charleston. It's the last week of March and we are a few hours into our first family vacation (ehem... ever). For someone who took on 'ambition' to be her middle name since first grade, that was a bitter pill to swallow. Debbie Irwin, former executive director at SCCF, took a new role and several people approached me about stepping into her shoes. While this would have been the logical next step on my career ladder (my husband's point), I knew instinctively that I had zero interest in more grant reporting, Board management, nights and conferences away from my family. April Rinne's book Flux: 8 Superpowers for thriving in constant change and the occasional conversation with her (listen in here!) keep me honest when temptation knocks to try tell me that more is better. More is not always better. I've long given up on the idea of climbing any career ladder. When it comes to building community and ecosystems, we're playing an Infinite Game. That doesn't mean we don't also want to get ahead. But, to me, this outdated script is not helpful as I try to design ecosystems for social change. Instead of chasing the next pay raise (though that would be nice) or bigger title, I want to be the BEST ecosystem builder I can be. There's so much more to learn about how to develop a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Shenandoah Valley. It wasn't that long ago that I couldn't have told you what I do for fun. I had tied my self worth so deeply to my work that I couldn't bring myself to take more than a weekend of, even when I had no clients, during a pandemic. I was terrified of who I would become if I didn't work diligently every day. Since taking my current role and our organization shifting to a four-day work week (highly recommend it!), I have found joy in things outside of work again. Reading, cooking, going to events with new friends, hiking, and even taking a one-week family vacation over my daughter's spring break. I agree that "enjoying life" doesn't scream AMBITION! and I, for one, am proud of how far I've come in separating my self from my work. And don't get me wrong, I genuinely believe I have the best job in the world, but finding joy in other things outside of work also allows me to show up fully present and motivated (dare I say ambitious!?) in my day job. My ambition has spread out into my personal life. It shows up in wanting to be a present mother who shows up for my daughter's spring recital (9.30 a.m. on a Thursday, seriously!?), who takes ten minutes between work and school pick-up to talk to my husband, who carves out some time for herself and who can show up for her community. What does ambition look like for you these days? Has COVID shifted anything for you? And for those of you who are self-employed, what does ambition mean to you? Between my earsLife, most recently: Things I'm excited about, pondering and trying out:
On my deskWhat I'm working on right now:
Featured Episode On my radarI come across a lot of resources that I want to share with fellow ecosystem builders and changemakers. If we're connected on LinkedIn or Instagram, they might already show up in your feed! In case you missed any, here's my curated list from the last two weeks: I was sad to hear that Zebras Unite is shutting down their co-op entity. From day 1, I was in awe of their commitment to experimenting in public so that we might all learn about this mutualistic culture experiment in real time. I know that neither the staff nor Board of Zebras Unite came to this conclusion lightly; on the other hand, what has emerged over the last seven years was a lot of social capital and a new kind of solidary culture that will persist even beyond the official structure of the co-op. I'm excited to see what the next chapter holds. Mark your calendars for 2024:
I will be back in your inbox in two weeks! In camaraderie, Anika |
I'm an ecosystem builder for social change. I love telling the stories of systemic changemakers around the world who make their communities a better place to live, work and play.
Welcome to the 92nd issue of Impact Curator! I curate this fortnightly newsletter for all of you who believe in transforming their community by amplifying the impact of the changemakers around them. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? You deserve your own, sign up here! That beautiful Gingko (and behind the scenes from our family shoot last weekend) "Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."...
Welcome to the 91st issue of Impact Curator! I curate this fortnightly newsletter for all of you who believe in transforming their community by amplifying the impact of the changemakers around them. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? You deserve your own, sign up here! We ended wedding season with the most beautiful reception last weekend. Congratulations to Katelyn & Rob. Hello Reader, Last week, my first grader went on a field trip to our local apple orchard. It's all she talked about...
Welcome to the 90th issue of Impact Curator! I curate this fortnightly newsletter for all of you who believe in transforming their community by amplifying the impact of the changemakers around them. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? You deserve your own, sign up here! Spending time with other ecosystem builders at EcoMap's inaugural SuperConnect conference Hello Reader, I've had my company Social Venturers for ten years but my transition back into full-time self-employment has put new...