04/26/2026
Some of the best moments in leadership don’t happen in a meeting. They happen over a late lunch, with real conversation, when nobody’s performing.
This week, Crystal, Erin, and Bailey from our women’s home made the trip up from New York for graduation and spent a few days at SNE — and we carved out an afternoon together at Jacky’s. Good food, great conversation, and the kind of honest, real talk that only happens when you slow down long enough to actually be present with your ✨people✨
We laughed. We cried. We caught up. We worked through some things that mattered. That’s the stuff no meeting agenda can plan for — and it’s exactly the stuff that builds something.
Trust isn’t built in a single conversation. It’s built in the accumulation of moments where people feel seen. Where they know their leader is genuinely invested in them — not just in what they produce, but in who they are. Where they can bring the real stuff, not just the polished version of themselves.
And when that trust is there? Everything shifts. People stop just doing their jobs and start owning their work. They take risks. They speak up. They push themselves further than they thought they could — not because they have to, but because they want to. Because they know someone in their corner believes in them.
Trust between a leader and their team doesn’t come from a title. It comes from consistency — showing up the same way every time, being honest even when it’s uncomfortable, and making people feel like they matter beyond their output. It takes time. It takes intention. It takes afternoons like this one.
Crystal, Erin, and Bailey embody that. Watching them grow, show up, and step into their own has been one of the greatest privileges of this role. I see it in how they carry themselves, how they pour into each other, and how they show up every single day.
This is why relationship-building isn’t soft — it’s the strategy. It’s the foundation underneath everything else.
Proud of these women is truly an understatement. Grateful for this season of leadership. 🙌💙
-Deb, Sr. Director
