Break Week Roundup: Q2 2023

It’s Break Week!

As you read this, I am in Greece with my husband, Spiros, and his family. Spiros lived in Greece for six years when he was a kid, and he still has family there. I’m so excited to explore this beautiful country that means so much to him and his family!

If you’re unfamiliar with Break Week: At the end of every quarter, our team takes a week off to disconnect, refuel, and rest before a new quarter begins. Doing so allows us to truly unplug, holds us accountable to actually taking time off, and helps us come back feeling recharged and refreshed as a team. You can read more about how Break Week started here!

And, of course, we always take time to reflect on our biggest wins, challenges, and lessons learned. We share those with you in each Break Week Roundup in the hope that it will inspire you to take some time of your own to pause and reflect.

Without further ado . . . The Break Week Roundup!

Kristen & the KH Team

Biggest wins of the quarter

I had 18 in-person sessions and 21 virtual events . . . It was a busy and impactful quarter!
I approached this quarter feeling very refreshed after my solo retreat in Mexico and was able to sustain that energy for a long time
Monique, our Chief of Growth, is pregnant! She is expecting her second child in December
We hosted our 7th Human Leadership Program!
This was our first full quarter of having the team travel with me to as many events as possible. They made it to a total of 9 events!
We got to kick off the quarter in Gainesville in person with our whole team
We also started the quarter with a really amazing, insightful, and challenging team discussion around our Culture Index results (this was a win and a challenge!)
We started working with a new branding partner who will help us with the next evolution of our brand since the Student Maid transition
We created a new structure for our content creation and publishing process and it’s working really well
We had two big work anniversaries in June: Cheyenne (our Chief of Operations) 6 years and Rachel (our Chief of Content) 12 years!
May 9th marked two years since we transitioned the company
Rachel, Cheyenne, and I worked together to facilitate our best hybrid event to date. Rachel and I were with half of the audience in person, while Cheyenne Zoomed in with the other half and handled all the tech. We were thrilled to see that a truly hybrid event can work and be successful, and we want to replicate it with future events and clients!
Because of our branding work, we’ve started working with videographers to film some of my events. We worked with a couple of wonderful videographers while I was on the road this quarter, and we can’t wait to see the results!
The team took an iPhone photography training so that we can take better pictures for social media at my events
We’ve also been taking a social media course together as a team, and it’s the first time we have figured out a way to do learning and development as a team that feels both manageable and beneficial to everyone
We had an open conversation about pay hierarchy that almost immediately translated into a couple of well-deserved raises for our team
I spent two weeks at home with my family and with the team
I got to hang out with one of my closest friends at an event in California
We created a new resource called the Impact-Fulfillment Chart
My bonus daughter came with me to a speech for the first time!

Biggest challenges of the quarter

Many of our clients are facing hard economic realities and they’ve had to have some tough conversations with their teams. It’s hard to watch clients I love go through periods of a lot of uncertainty and change!
Monique’s last nanny didn’t work out, which has been really disruptive to both her home life and her work. The process of finding a new one has been really tough—we are happy to support her has a team while she continues her search!
Because we are a small team and we prioritize taking time off, there are times when we have to double-down and work to get ahead in order to make those travels possible
Now that the team is traveling with me more often, they are trying to learn how to set realistic goals and expectations for what they can accomplish while on the road. It can be challenging to keep things moving for the business while spending all day at an event, on a plane, or with a client
As a small team, we sometimes struggle with what we should pause and what we should prioritize when so many things need to happen at the same time, and it all feels important
We are learning that our communication has to be in sync when working on big projects with clients, especially global teams and large organizations
It feels like I say this every quarter, but it’s true: Travel! When you travel as much as I do, you just have to expect that things won’t go as planned, and it’s outside of your control. That’s why we have backup plans for our backup plans—we used them this quarter!
It’s so hard to be creative on demand. I’m often writing content—blogs, speeches, etc—on a deadline, and when I’m struggling to get in the right mindset, it can be hard to do it well. I’m trying to find a better routine for writing, especially while on the road!
I had to reschedule an event for the first time ever because I was sick. I knew I couldn’t do my best. I’m so grateful that the client was absolutely amazing and encouraged me to reschedule and take care of myself. Our clients are the best!

Biggest lessons of the quarter

The Culture Index taught us that some of our team was being stretched unnecessarily, especially in our process for developing content
On a small team, there will always be tension around how much work there is for so few people. We’re learning to set more realistic expectations for ourselves when we think about what is possible
When you screw up, the best thing you can do is own it. We messed up with a client this quarter, and we owned up to it right away and put our humanity front-and-center
Explore more! When I was in South Dakota in April, I rescheduled a meeting so that I could go sightseeing after an event. The client totally understood, and I’m so glad I went!
When in doubt, over-communicate. Working with a videographer for the first time went so seamlessly because we didn’t leave any room for assumptions
Honor your capacity as a small team
A strength of ours is adapting to what the client needs instead of assuming that each client needs the same thing
When things are really busy, it's even more important for me to prioritize the relationships that matter. Sometimes, that means not getting work done.
Keep a positive mindset when travel gets messy. Things inevitably go wrong when I’m on the road, and what helps me most is staying focused on what I can control instead of what I can’t
During busy seasons, I tend to assume that my typical systems and routines will work, but I was reminded yet again that I need to revisit and revise those systems when things change.
Always look for ways to make things better. Don’t just do things because it’s the way we’ve always done them.
Your health comes first—no matter what!