Jenni Cathcart

Transcript

Yes. Hi Jenny, it's Kate. The sky is so blue. The sun is shining. I hope you're outside today enjoying this beautiful winter day. When I heard her voicemail, I never would have guessed it would be the last time I'd hear her voice. The next day, they found Kate. She had a to-do list in her pocket. All of the items were checked off. The pills that she promised she was taking every day. They were all still in the bottle. She had sent her daughter away a few weeks prior.

At the time, I thought it was to give her space to heal. In retrospect, I see it as an act of a drowning woman whose last selfless act was to lift the person she loved most in the world to higher ground. I'm told that she did her hair, her makeup, she put on a nice outfit. It didn't make any sense to me cuz Kate didn't care about appearances. She had red straight hair. It was a no fuss style. She had these beautiful light blue eyes that shone, but she didn't wear any makeup.

She dressed practically. loose- fitting jeans, a cozy wool sweater, a cardinal red barn coat that went down to her hips. The irony of the situation still pains me. Kate didn't want to burden anyone even in that moment, even though she was the one who carried many of our burdens. Kate looked after our whole neighborhood. She was the one that would help you in any way she could. She also made sure that there was nothing going on that shouldn't be. I felt safer just knowing she was there.

Her generosity took so many forms. It came in the form of slices of orange honey cake served fresh from the oven, an invitation to go apple picking, lavender plants for my front garden, but the most thoughtful gift of all came one birthday. [snorts] Kate had noticed that my husband and I were struggling. We had two demanding jobs, three spirited school-aged children, and we rarely had time to have a whole conversation with each other. So, she invited us over for a birthday dinner, and she sent her teenage daughter over to our house to watch the kids.

When we arrived, she ushered us back into her backyard where there was this beautiful platter of sushi, a chilled bottle of wine, and then Kate disappeared inside, leaving us to quietly reconnect. Kate listened so deeply. I would feel it in my bones. When I'd go to her house, I would sit on her cream colored couch, my legs tucked under me. I'd be holding a mug of hot tea. [snorts] Kate would sit across from me, holding space for my confidences. Kate loved the outdoors, so it was only fitting that there was a bench and a tree that were dedicated to her memory.

It's down by the lake, a place where her daughter and she once stood so still that birds landed on them. The first time I was there, a cardinal ellighted on the back of the bench. It cocked its head and gazed at me. It was about this far away. In that moment, I had this strange sense that it was Kate telling me that she was still listening. Kate's legacy lives on through those of us who experienced the warm generosity she offered. Her daughter, who came to live with us for a time, is now a third year in university, and she's thriving.

Kate changed me, too. I now reach out to people who are struggling even if I don't know them because what I have realized is that having the courage to connect is a generous choice that each one of us can make again and again. [snorts] And I know that's what Kate would do. Thank you. Thank you.

Transcript generated from the recording and lightly cleaned. Some names and wording may differ from the spoken speech.

Transcript

I was standing in the grocery checkout line contemplating Do I really need the familysized jar of Nutella? Spoiler alert, I did when I ran into my neighbor. Jenny, I hear my son is working for Emma now. Emma, my daughter Emma. Turns out Emma had created a multi-level marketing strategy. Her team got one free product for every three they sold. Even Shark Tank would be impressed because this spunky entrepreneur was only 9 years old. Emma's business, Fun Slimes, was stemmed in a powerful consumer insight.

Kids love slime. Moms, not so much. Emma sold slime on the playground during recess. For only $3, you got a freshlymade container of slime, a friendship bracelet, and a handwritten note from the CEO herself. Initially, Emma sold only one product, but then she added a purple slime that smelled like lavender, a birthday cake slime with sprinkles galore, and this green translucent sparkly slime that she called cucumber cactus. Now, what was the secret to Emma's success? Emma had a team that believed in her, that gave her the space to do things her own way.

When Emma ran into a business problem, we didn't give her business advice. Instead, we'd say something like, "Emma, what else could you try? What have you seen other businesses do? Now, it wasn't always easy. There were times when I really wanted to protect Emma from making a mistake. But you know what? In those moments, she took the learnings in stride, totally unfazed. As the weather grew warmer, I noticed that Emma's friends were playing outside more and more. But Emma, she was holed up in her room making slime.

And contrary to her business name, she didn't seem all that happy anymore. Noticeably absent was her megawatt smile. The one that revealed that she was still missing her two front teeth, as she'd say. I started to worry. One afternoon, Emma came home from school. She dropped her backpack with a thud on the floor. She went over to the couch. She flopped down. Oh, mama. Running a business is so stressful. That night, Emma and I worked for hours and hours to fulfill all the slime orders she had.

And when the final order was lovingly packaged up, ready to be delivered, she declared that she was closing up shop. I was so proud of her for coming to this decision on her own. A few days later, I asked Emma, "What did you learn from this experience?" Oh, mama, now I know how to run a business. When we give emerging leaders the ability and the agency to learn by doing, they are able to become more adaptable, more resourceful, and more confident.

Every one of us here tonight, whether we are parents, teachers, managers, mentors, can empower the next generation of leaders by cultivating curiosity, nurturing creativity, and then getting out of their way. And like Emma, they may leave a small trail of glitter and glue behind.

Transcript generated from the recording and lightly cleaned. Some names and wording may differ from the spoken speech.