I chose this path 10 years ago on my 29th birthday.
At the time, I did not fully understand what I was choosing.
The basis of Radical Minds was formed then. This is the path I naively chose for myself.
In the months that followed, I listened to hours of the podcast How I Built This to try to cobble together wisdom from leaders of successful companies. I was fascinated by their stories of struggle and opportunism, and the intersection of optimism, skill, hard work, and luck.
One of the first episodes I listened to was with the founder of Zappos. It was an early episode, and for many people Zappos may be an unfamiliar name. But it always stuck with me because he said he viewed the company as a greenhouse and the people that worked there as the flowers. He did not need or want to be the tallest flower, but rather saw himself as the architect, or the gardener.
For someone who is introverted and introspective, I latched onto this as a way to pursue my own role. For a long time, years, this is how I saw my place. Behind the scenes, making sure the plants in the greenhouse received adequate light and water, while avoiding the spotlight in whatever form it took.
For a while, our flowers did thrive. We grew, and we grew in ways that were not always intentional, without a real plan or the knowledge of how to truly tend to a garden of that size.
Over the years, I have learned a lot of lessons about that. About what it actually takes to grow something like this. I wanted to share a few of them in the same way I have learned from reading the stories and experiences of others.
This place gave me something I did not know I needed, and for a long time resisted. Purpose.
For many people in our industry, the goal is to scale quickly and get out as fast as possible. Sell to a larger company. Relieve yourself of the stress. This company grew during the boom of private equity and a broader climate where IPOs were all the rage. It is easy to follow that path. Most people do.
But one of the most important lessons I have learned is that on the highway of life, we are all driving in the same direction. Along the way, there are countless exits. Those are decision points.
You will see others taking those exits. Some of them will look appealing. But you cannot lose sight of your direction.
Your values provide that direction. If you are clear on them, you know which decisions align and which do not. For some people, certain decisions will make complete sense. For others, they will not. But if you simply copy what others are doing, you lose your sense of direction. And eventually, your purpose.
You end up looking in the wrong places to fill something that cannot be filled that way.
So, what is my purpose?
My purpose is serving people.
This place allows me to do that at a scale I never imagined possible. The people we work alongside. The people we serve. The broader community.
The ability to offer a place of stability in this field, in this area. A place where people can focus on doing their job at a high level. The ability to serve families who come to us and show them what this field can look like when services are done the right way. The ability to advocate for the field and speak when something is not right.
That is my purpose. It will not be everyone’s. But it is important to be clear on your own, and to pursue it.
Why are people worth serving?
In a world where it is easy to feel wronged, and where we are encouraged to feel polarized, it is important to step back and actually look at the people around you.
Our community, viewed through my lens, is full of incredible people. If you allow yourself to see it, there is a lot of good. The joy in our spaces. The dedication to children and their families. The willingness to do the right thing, even when it is harder.
The families we serve reflect that as well. Their trust. Their gratitude. The impact that can be made in their lives.
There is meaning in that.
But just because something is worth doing does not mean it is easy.
Over time, I have learned that the highs come and go. There are periods where everything feels aligned, where you feel like the wind is at your back. But those periods do not last.
They are always followed by a low.
That is not a sign that something is wrong. It is just how it works. Without lows, there are no highs. Only plateau.
So when those moments come, it is not the end. It is part of the cycle. And you work your way through it.
Last, and probably the most important lesson.
Evolution is necessary.
Who you are today will not meet the demands of tomorrow.
That does not mean changing your values or who you are at your core. But it does mean growing. Stepping outside of what is comfortable. Taking on things that do not feel natural at first.
That kind of growth is slow. It happens over years, not days. And most of the time, you do not even realize it is happening until you look back.
It took me a long time to accept that. I still resist it at times. But it is necessary if you want to continue to be effective in whatever your purpose is.
To everyone who has taken the time to read this, to those who have trusted me to lead them, even in moments where I did not fully trust myself, to the families who have trusted our care, and to those who simply follow along:
Thank you.
It has been an incredible experience with incredible people, and I expect it is far from over.
To the next 10 years of service. Radical Minds may look different in the future than it does today, but the values, the purpose, and the people will remain the same.
And I am grateful for that.
I would choose it again.
