Leaning In and Leading On

Where has the month gone? Is it Christmas week already?

Today, I'm excited and grateful to have recorded this convo with the publisher of Birdie & Mipps. I admire Darrin so much and I savored every second of our connection on episode 183. Tune in {here} to hear about how we lean into leadership. 

Spoiler alert: Darrin gets a bit teary at the end, a podcast-first for him. 💜

It gave me pause when asked about how I am leaning into leadership now.

 

Am I even still a leader since I'm retired?

But as I talked about modeling, it became clear that yes, I am still leading.

Leading by giving.

When I gave this young reader a signed copy of my book,

he got SO excited about his "first author autograph."

Leading in my community by offering to be a guest reader. 

What fun, to share another author's story with these fifth-grade friends.

Leading on author visits, when I get to share Mr. Quigley's Keys;

I love that these firsties all put on their empaKEY necklaces for this shot!

Leading with Winthrop, who helps elevate empathy before we read Birdie & Mipps.

And leading at home, with my family.

For my mom's-side Christmas party, I kept her legacy alive

by making Danish Kringle for my aunts, uncles, and cousins.

My soul smiled when Aunt Linda said, "You made your mom proud."

So retired really just means finding new ways to keep on leading.

I'm especially looking forward to leading a breakout session 

at this conference in Wisconsin with my friend Trish next year.

Click the image for more information; we'd love to see you there.

As always, dear reader, thank you for connecting at the Corner.

Merry Christmas and a blessed 2025 to you.