One rainy day in 1999, I was sitting in my room in Pokhara,
Nepal, watching the downpour wash through the street outside my window. A spooked water buffalo dashed for cover and neighbors hurried indoors.
The weather seemed to be inviting me to write, so I picked up my journal. Memories of everything I'd learned flooded my mind. Every cross-cultural encounter, misunderstanding, and eye-opening discovery had changed me in ways I was still discovering.
Pen in hand, I scribbled an idea. What if I could teach people how to bridge cultural differences as a job?
That was the day my business was born. Years would pass before it became reality, but that journal page stayed with me, waiting patiently. I kept working at my corporate job, gaining every skill I could, saving money, deepening my understanding of cross-cultural theory. On May 28, 2004, I left for good, walking out of the office building into bright sunlight, ready to start a new life.
Twenty-two years later, I'm still in awe of how things have turned out. Because I embrace change, my work has evolved through so many stages. So have I. But my heart has been along for the ride every single day, even the hard ones.
In executive coach training, we were asked to write a life purpose statement using a simple fill-in-the-blank: "I am a (metaphor) who (your impact on the world)." I worked with my assigned partner, trading ideas back and forth.
Here's what I came up with: "I am a musical sparkler who lifts people up and brings them together."
After all these years, that still rings true. I think it always will. But times have changed, and those words have taken on new meaning. Now more than ever, my mission is to amplify diverse voices and support leaders as they navigate extraordinary complexity.
I bring my cross-cultural skills to every interaction, staying close to both my craft and my empathy. But most of all, I am immensely proud of my clients who have built bridges, overcome speaking fears, and stepped into the recognition they deserve.
I still think often of that day in Nepal, sipping papaya juice and sketching out my future.
I want to thank every person who has helped me along the Highroad. There are too many to name, but you know who you are. You are the friends, colleagues, and clients who mentored me, encouraged me, and trusted me with your challenges.
So today, I begin a new year of Highroad. And the younger woman who scribbled that idea in a journal in Nepal? I think she'd be pretty darn proud of how her dream came true.