December, 2019
Hi Gretchen,
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the impact you have made on my life. Our chance ( <– maybe) meeting at the HR conference will forever be a defining moment in my life, one where I went in with blinders on to the opportunities life has to offer and left with such an amazing outlook on the future. I was instantly energized and have carried that energy with me ever since, even more so after the class.
I literally thought/obsessed about retirement every day, multiple times per day, trying to find the quickest way to escape the drudgery of the 9-5 path I was on until we met. I had gotten to a point where I couldn’t see a passion for anything work-related and thought the only way I could be happy with a career was to not have one. The clarity that came with your coaching, helping me verbalize why the other path I was looking at would not be more personally fulfilling, empowering me to reflect on what I am truly passionate about, which was so far removed from my site at the time, has provided me with a level of excitement I haven’t felt for a long time. Thinking that I can have a similar impact for people who are in the same boat, people who are striving for something better, feels like a true calling.
During the class I may have been outwardly reserved, but I was constantly moved by everything happening around me and within me. I never opened up about any of my spiritual beliefs or my emotions, but that’s because the beliefs are hard for me to verbalize and the emotions are something that I have always desperately tried to keep hidden (both blocks 🙂).
-side note: walking into the office this morning I subconsciously observed many of my colleagues walking into the office and a word came into my mind, “strangers”. It was pretty amazing when I realized what had happened, I have spent 2+ years with these people and realized that I know nothing about them and preferred avoiding them to even making small talk. From there I figured out that the word “strangers” and the disappointment I felt came from the connections I had made in class and being genuinely excited to see the people I was surrounded with for the past week and not having the same feeling this morning felt different.
Yesterday I had the longest conversation I have probably ever had with my mom, the topic was focused on my growth from your teachings, and I followed that with actively listening to my wife, asking powerful questions, not to practice, but because I truly felt that it would be beneficial. It felt weird to my wife at first, assuming I had an agenda, but ended up being such a rewarding experience for both of us.
It’s hard for me to be able to express myself verbally in the moment, which is why I felt the need to write you this note. If I can have nearly the impact on someone else’s life that your teachings, intuition and strength have had on mine, I will chalk that up as an amazing win. Who you are and what you do matters and the ripple effect you have had and will continue to have on the world are an immense deal.
Thank you for being you.
