Top Ten Thanks
By: Anna Robinson | Founder & CEO, Ceresa
I love having the chance to reflect on the year, and focus on things for which I am thankful. “Thanksgiving” holiday is not one I grew up with, but I fully embrace the concept.
A year of challenges
This year, being thankful is more important than ever. If I am brutally honest, I will be glad to see the back of 2023 – and I never like to be that person wishing time away – yet it has been a year that has offered more challenges than most.
As for so many other companies, this has been a challenging year – with so many of our potential customers having to tighten their own budgets and many employee layoffs. Despite investors of course wanting to see growth, it will be no small feat for my incredible team to just maintain revenue this year!
And with a company as small and early as Ceresa, where we have still been investing heavily in our underlying technology and product, that puts additional strain on us in a tough fundraising market.
Combine that with some of the hardest team situations I’ve ever gone through – and this has been a bumpy year, to the say least.
I want to acknowledge that while these existential challenges for Ceresa loomed large for those of us committed day in and day out to Ceresa, they certainly pale in significance given the backdrop of two wars throughout the world. There are far too many people going through daily trauma and violence due to these conflicts. I can also see the toll this takes on people around the world who feel heavy every day with the weight of human compassion.
This year, I’ve also seen several very close friends experience the pain of health issues or relationship strain.
And.. a small one in the big universe of pain – our beloved family dog, who greeted all of our human babies with big licks when they arrived home, passed away very suddenly.
Despite – and perhaps because of – all these challenges, it is so important to be thankful for the good things surrounding us.
Here are the top ten things I am thankful for.
I am thankful…
1. That it is okay to acknowledge and seek help for mental health (and, in particular, thankful to my therapist).
2. That I, and my family, are healthy and therefore able to pursue life to its fullest.
3. For financial stability, which affords access to healthcare, many enriching experiences, and the ability to pursue a crazy entrepreneurial journey.
4. For people that love me, and let me love them. To have healthy parents, in-laws, a husband, and three children that offer so much love and joy. And to those very special friends in my life who let me show up in my full craziness with joy, laughter, tears, adventures, and advice.
5. That I get to live in the mountains surrounded by awe-inspiring scenes of nature that make me feel small and insignificant, providing an enduring sense of peace.
6. I have been able to travel to fascinating, beautiful places this year that make me feel connected as a global citizen and provide perspective on my own life (including Israel, Hawaii, Utah, and South Africa in 2023)
7. For the work I do – the reason I get up every day excited to keep going with Ceresa, is because we are helping people. We hear from our members every week about how meaningful Ceresa is, how their mentor or coach helped them, and how transformative the experience has been.
8. For believers in Ceresa. This year, when others walked away or would have given up, a core group of my investors (Gerald, Mike, Ian, Liam, and Denny, among others) leaned in and said they would support me in continuing to build Ceresa and the vision we have.
9. For the people that left our team and what each person brought to Ceresa over the last several years – especially my co-founder Nicole who gave so much for four years – and Azucena, who built an incredible mentor community. For people to walk away when their journey is “done” is a true gift. That means we can move forward with a smaller, committed team who believe in our future and are giving their full heart to our mission and work.
10. Last, but certainly not least, for the wonderful people that are still in it. I smile every day thinking about this amazing – small but mighty – team. Each person has stepped into a bigger role with whole hearts and full commitment. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a team as much as this one – and can not wait to see what we do next. Thank you Kelli, Meghan, Kate, Kate, and Corrine. And, a core part of our team is of course our coach and mentor community – Ceresa exists to enable them to deliver the biggest possible impact for the next generation of leaders. Thank you.
2024 promises so much for Ceresa. I am beyond excited to see what this small team will do next year.
Ceresa continues to show how unique and transformative our offering is in helping companies support their own talent and rising leaders…. And I can’t wait to bring that to more of the world in 2024.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving,
Anna