Growing in a Strengths World

A few weeks ago, the garden was still full of color. Zinnias reaching toward the sun, butterflies lingering on the last blooms of the season.

Now that frost has settled in, those flowers are gone. But I find myself remembering the beauty and growth. Savoring it a bit longer.

It’s the same with our strengths. Each season brings its own color, its own purpose, its own lesson in resilience.
What strengths are you leaning into this season?

Momentum Mail | Reconnecting and sharing what’s next

Over the years, many relationships were formed through internships, career fairs, programs, and conversations that mattered. In this message, I reached out to reconnect with colleagues, former students, and friends from my time at the University of Nebraska at Kearney and to share the new work that has taken shape through Strengths Connection.


November 2025

Over my 35 years at UNK, I had the privilege of connecting with many of you through internships, career fairs, programs, and conversations that mattered. Those relationships have stayed with me, and I’m excited to share where my journey has led since then.

Earlier this year, my role at UNK was eliminated. It was a season of loss, but also one of reflection and possibility. A friend told me, “God is not done using your light, just relocating it.” That message has continued to shape the path ahead.

Today, that light shines through Strengths Connection, the coaching and training practice I launched to help individuals and teams uncover and apply their God-given talents. Through CliftonStrengths® coaching, workshops, and team experiences, I help individuals and groups uncover their potential and move forward with greater clarity, confidence, and purpose.

As an encouragement, I want to share something simple yet powerful: the importance of recognition. Gallup research shows that celebrating wins, both our own and those around us, fuels motivation, strengthens connection, and builds momentum. Recognition does not have to be grand or formal; even a few sincere words can make a real difference.

→ View the November Momentum Mail in full

Broken Yet Still Standing

Ever been blindsided by a storm you didn't see coming?

A storm rolled through last night with strong winds and soaking rain. Our sweet corn is now leaning east, our watermelon vines tangled, and one of our trees is still rooted, still upright yet lost a major limb. Storms are part of life in Nebraska. Sometimes they hit one area and leave another untouched. This one found us.

And this morning, when I saw the tree, it mirrored a memory.

At the beginning of this year, an unexpected storm came through my life and left me broken. My long-held role at the university was gone. After 35 years, I found myself cut off from a place I had poured so much of myself into.

But I was still standing.

Why? Because of my strengths.

• Connectedness became a lifeline woven through friendships, texts, quiet coffees, and the incredible coaching community I had slowly become part of over the years.

• Learner gave me motion as my curiosity turned into pages of notes, insights, and energy.

• Responsibility and Activator moved me to act by saying yes, reaching out, joining the Chamber, showing up.

• Ideation gave me options and vision when the path ahead was unclear.

• Belief reminded me: this isn’t just work, it’s calling.

We don’t get to choose the storms, but we do get to choose how we respond.

You may be weathered.

You may feel broken.

But you’re still rooted.

And your strengths are still alive within you.

If you're in a season like that, I want you to know that healing and new growth are possible.

It would be an honor to walk alongside you in the journey.

Big Idea Contestant

With nerves in check, I entered the 2021 Big Idea Contest. The first step was to record a 2-minute blurb about the business I was proposing. I utilized some of the work from my Special Project which was the capstone of my Master’s Degree in Youth Development that I completed in May 2021. I was selected to compete at the competition and provided my pitch to a packed house at the Nest, which included family and friends. The judges brought me to the next level which was then voted upon by the audience. I won 2nd place! And, I gained the confidence to being the journey of starting a business doing something that I truly love and see great rewards for those who unleash their strengths. Special thanks to Lisa and Aliese in the UNK Center for Entrepreneurship and Rural Development who were helpful and encouraging throughout the process.

Envision

Basic nuggets about CliftonStrengths were shared with about 70 sophomore and junior students from Buffalo County Schools as part of the Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce ENVISION 2022 on April 20th. What fun it was to share this knowledge with these students who took the assessment as part of being selected to participate in this one day leadership summit.

The session ended with each student putting together word pairs from the Theme Dynamics cards based upon their strengths.

Youth of Buffalo County were encouraged to name, aim, and claim their strengths.