Sarah Tucker is a force. She's an impact maker to the highest degree. A dedicated public servant who has spent years navigating political minefields and coming out the other side as a trusted voice pushing for yeses in a room much more known for nos. When Dr. Tucker, the Chancellor of the Higher Education Policy Commission in West Virginia, finds a problem, particularly a problem for the students she is called to serve, she doesn't shrug it off as an unfortunate part of life. She and her team find a solution. It's not always the right fix. It doesn't always last. But the state, and the kids within, are lucky to find her when they go looking for help.
That dedication - the protectiveness that has made her such an effective educational leader - also permeates into her personal life. You'll find in this Walk a couple of professional parents, in different stages of motherhood, perpetually learning to balance the work they love with the ones they love a whole lot more. The 24-hour-a-day, nose-to-the-grindstone priority shift. You'll hear the ebbing and flowing of impostor syndrome, the grief of loss and the impact it has on future decisions, the uncertainty of the next step with July 1 always on the horizon...and the joy of coming home.
What a walk. Thanks, Dr. Tucker.
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When Ed Lando enters your orbit, whether as a trusted teenage safety net or a friend heading for a walk, he is locked in. He is presence in every sense of the word. He's looking you in the eye...direct, decisive, and warm. And he's ready to talk. Such was the man who walked for more than an hour, speaking to philosophies of business that more than doubled as philosophies of life and certainly carried more depth than their base mantra of 'keep it simple.'

Ed spoke about his key pillars of leadership: sincerity and trust, but also adds a bit of faith in the future and agency in the present to reinforce those beliefs. These are evident in this discussion and any other you may be lucky enough to have with the man. Call it ego ('there's a difference between ego and arrogance') or faith ('it's going to work out in the end'), but he believes in his...your...everyone's ability to make it work ('and if it's unworkable, then fix that') through positive actions based on two small words.

Not much simpler than that. Thanks for the Walk, Ed.

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Last week we talked about not sweating the big stuff by accepting and appreciating the fact that life always moves on. The sun will come out tomorrow and all that. This week, we're talking about the small stuff. The first thing in the morning, easy but sometimes annoyingly tedious tasks that make the world the slightest bit more welcoming at night. You know, the stuff that makes 12 and a half year old Jadon ask, 'but why?' and makes his mother, Jessica say the words she swore she'd never say...'because I said so.'

But these small wins aren't important just because someone said so. Or just so you get into a clean bed at night. Or just for the sake of passing the time. They are important because they give us hope, they prepare us for the road ahead, and they offer a hint of success when we feel like we're 'doing literally everything wrong'.

As this Walk stretched beyond the parent and gave the child a voice too, we found the words 'big and small' popping up in a variety of ways. Of course, making your bed as soon as you wake up is a small way to set the tone for the day. But finding your voice and embracing your faults are small ways to help you feel big. Or at least keep you from feeling small. Trying and failing and learning and trying again help establish 'keystone habits' and resiliency from the pressures of perfectionism. And accepting the vision of yourself from the eyes of your children...well that can change the whole game.

Here's to small wins and growing big. Thanks for Walking, Jessica and Jadon.

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