"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" Kelly Clarkson bellows from the speaker above me while I lay in the endodontist's chair. With my jar pried wide open, I wonder Are we sure about that? and chuckle to myself.

As the drills and scrapes continue to clean out my root canal, I remember how often in my career I hung on to these words.

• When I couch surfed in Paris only to work an unpaid internship.
• When I fell asleep at yet another internship because I'd been working breakfast shifts at Soho House to pay the bills.
• When I added an unpaid internship on top of my full-time master's degree at Uni of Queensland business school (waiting tables in the weekend).

With each one of them, I thought they would bring me closer to professional success. When, in fact, each one just brought me closer to a martyr complex and low self-esteem (did you catch the word "unpaid"?).

Two weeks ago, the president's executive orders temporarily put a stop to one of my client's operations. It brought the launch of season 7 to a screeching halt.

Did it kill us? No?

Did I suck anyway? Absolutely.

In fact, this type of "shock" - a sudden change in the (legislative) environment - and an ecosystem's response of evolving into something else is what earns them the name of "adaptive". As ecosystem builders, we are well positioned to absorb these shocks and help our communities adapt.

This work is not easy and I'm concerned that the next four years are doing to take their toll. Fortunately, we don't have to face them alone. There's a growing community practitioners who have each other's backs and who are here to support.

I recently caught up with Fay Horwitt to talk about the future of our profession (this special blogpost will go live on February 14 - how very appropriate!) and she left me with these wise words:

While we can never control the chaos, we can make sure we take care of ourselves and each other, and remember that we are well equipped to manage change.

Between my ears

Life, most recently: Things I'm excited about, pondering and trying out:

• For those keeping up on my side project 40 Bookshops Under 40:
  • ​Minoa Berlin is a haven for book and coffee lovers in the heart of Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin.
  • ​Kramers is an institution in Washington, D.C. , that's been around since 1976.
• I finished up five Ecosystem Consults and here's what I learned:
  • 45 minutes is not enough - to really get to the meat of things we need at least an hour, likely more. I might break them into two sessions - one for information gathering and one for an in-depth conversation.
  • A pre-questionnaire helps clients distill their specific challenge and ask - there's a plethora of issues we could have tackled.
• Here's some of the feedback I received:
  • "It wasn't a therapy session. We got the the problem at hand and immediately starting collaborating on a solution."
  • "Anika "wowed" me with a follow-up email full of curated content. The content was customized to our discussion and arranged with care to match the flow of that discussion. The quality of the resources in that email impressed me and their level of depth will carry me forward for some time."
  • "What I liked best Anika's are active listening skills wrapped up in a warm and relaxed manner. She made me feel both comfortable and valued which sets her apart from other consultants."
• After 10 years in business and everything being hand-created by me, I'm finally investing in a brand refresh. I realize this is exciting only to me, but I'm excited for all of us!

On my Bookshelf

My bookshelf these last few weeks has been unintentionally internatioal:

• ​Land of Milk and Honey, C Pam Zhang (American born in China). One friend told me she had to put this down, it felt too real and scary. Which I get. It hit a little close to home but the storytelling was excellent and I enjoyed the arch.
• ​Bei euch ist es immer so unheimlich still, Alena Schroeder (German). This was part of my German book haul in December (danke Sandra!) and I enjoyed this story about family, career and a divided Germany.
• ​Normal People, Sally Rooney (Irish). I picked this up on our ski weekend and read it in two days. Well written and already picked up as a mini series that I hope to watch over the coming weeks.
• ​The Vegetarian, Han Kang (South Korean). We read this for our international book club (every two weeks at Staunton Books & Tea - come join us!) and it was... different. I felt like witnessing a woman's descend into madness. Not sure I would recommend it but if you're looking for something different, this book has had a lot of hype - maybe for good reason!
• ​The Feel Good Foodie Cookbook, Yumna Jawad (born in Africa to Lebanese parents). I received this as a gift and after looking for modern Mediterranean recipes for weeks, this book checks all the boxes! Fresh and flavorful recipes with just the right amount of fluff (rose water and pomegranate molasses). I also just added my 5 favorite cookbooks to my Bookshop storefront:

On my desk

In partnership with my friends at EcoMap and UpSurge Baltimore I'm hosting a webinar about Best Practices in Convening Entrepreneurial Support Organizations (ESOs) on February 27, noon - 1 p.m. EST.

Convening changemakers through meaningful formats and conversation might just be one of the most valuable tools in your toolkit:

I'm stepping up to facilitate active problem-solving sessions with my local nonprofit community. If you're a changemaker in the Shenandoah Valley who has knack for cracking tough nuts, likes investing in his local community and meeting like-minded impact makers, join us on February 19 from noon - 1 p.m.

Shen-ANIKA-ns

We're once more at home this week with another big snowstorm bringing life (and public schools) in the Shenandoah Valley to a standstill. With two working parents, I struggle to get anything done during these weeks. I'm torn between wanting to make the most of these special days and still getting client work done. While I'm flexible that doesn't mean I can just take an entire week off to build snowmen in the front yard.

In case you, too, have kids at home this week not wanting to lose your mind, here are some things that work in my house:

• Create a schedule and put it in a conspicuous place (use a whiteboard if you have it). Let your kid (and yourself!) know when it's time to play, go outside, eat and/or spend some alone time. Bonus points if your kid can help design the schedule.
• Run out the wiggles as early as you can. We do best when we play in the snow first thing.
• I'm not a crafty person and my daughter rarely sees a craft through to the end (maybe neither one of us is crafty). I make sure to pick up some age-appropriate crafts that I enjoy too (in case I have to finish by myself) and pull these out when we get bored.
• I call other parents who are also affected by snowday closures and see whether we can divide and conquer. The kids keep each other entertained for the most part and the parents get a well deserved break.
• Check whether your local library or YMCA are open. A change of scenery can do wonders to prevent cabin fever.

If you have other tips that work for you, hit reply! I sure could use it over the next few days!

I will be back in your inbox in two weeks!

In camaraderie,

Anika

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