If a client changes his purpose, it may disrupt your work and schedule. This is especially true in the private sector, where you are dealing with deadlines and profitability; This can be a challenge that is not always easy to navigate. You, as a leader, must deal with it; therefore, see it as an exciting situation, as one of learning a new way that sets new expectations, and new ways of delivering value. Welcome that shift because leaders succeed no matter how difficult a path may be.

The first year of my new bakery we got hit by the wild fires raging in Southern California. I had to shut down for several days and I was terrified for our survival. I donated cakes to a local high school shelter and, a few days after our bakery reopened, a firefighter sat quietly at the door as I attended to the line. He approached and asked if I was the owner. When I said yes he began to tear up and told me that an elderly woman who lost her home in the fires would not eat, drink, or sleep. She sat in the corner, despondent. He said someone brought in one of our cakes and it was the first food, and smile, he had witnessed from her. In that moment, I realized that I was not in the food business, but the people business.

While living in Los Angeles, California, in my early twenties I almost gave up on writing. I sought elementary school teacher opportunities. This is when my father said, "You were born to be a writer. Do not give up." I listened and never looked back. He was right. I feel fresh and new whenever I write and happy. Now, I have a repertoire of many, many stories. They have built upon the years and each one is special. I almost lost faith but thanks to my father, I am still writing twenty years later and I feel in my heart that creative writing is what I want to do all my life.

One conversation with a reader changed the way I understood the reach of bibliotherapy. She told me that for the first time, a book hadn't just helped her escape her life, it had helped her return to it with more compassion. Since then, I've stopped thinking of books as an intervention and started treating them as a relationship, building every offering around reflection instead of recommendation.

The most influential feedback I ever received came on my first day of working for the WWE after graduating college when my boss simply said, 'Never sacrifice your integrity.' Those five words have stayed with me throughout my career and became the foundation of both my leadership style and the values on which I built Spotless Organization.

The experiences that have shaped me most weren't always the ones that went according to plan. They taught me to listen, adapt, and never be afraid to rethink the way I'm doing something.

When I first started working on my publishing business in February, I had 5 logos on 5 different social media platforms, none of them even remotely connected. I was running around in circles trying to start a kids publishing online website, a Youtube religious channel, a business marketing company and several others. My creative advisor was trying to help me blend all 5 companies into 5 merging, blended companies, although some were too unrelated. Finally we both realized this was ridiculous and too overwhelming. So I threw away all but one niche, narrowed it down and created a beautiful brand with a narrow positive focus. Straight ahead instead of in circles and everywhere. I can think and breathe and focus. Thank goodness!

One client changed the way I viewed remote work forever. During a challenging time in their life, they reached out for support and guidance. Through virtual communication, I realized that meaningful connections and positive impact are not limited by distance. Their trust and appreciation reminded me that great service is about listening, understanding, and being present when people need you most. That experience strengthened my commitment to helping others with compassion, professionalism, and dedication every day.