I began to take these wise women’s words to heart and see the fallacy of mine. At first I had to force myself to do the retreats, and energetically it was hard, sloggy-type work. Over time, I created more of a structure that allowed for a full quarterly assessment and a full visioning sequence, but one that also built in rest, moments for recharge, and time for celebration. And, lo and behold, it increased my productivity, focus and clarity when I returned.

The San Juan Islands Ag Summit is so close to my heart, and dang is it wonderful to be back with this smart & fun lot.

On creating something wonderful from the ground up.

Full hands in, full hands out. This saying can get extraordinarily annoying when being yelled at you by your boss fifty times a night, but golly. This great advice can extend across all sorts of situations.

Sometimes you need to raise your hand and say: Ok, I’ll do it. I will be the leader this time, and I will support you in your leadership role the next.