Signing the Jeans Wall
What a week it’s been!
It started with our Human Leadership Program: 200 leaders from around the world joined us on Zoom to elevate their authenticity and humanity as leaders, and I’m still struggling to find the words to describe the experience. We laughed, we cried, we were challenged, we were courageous, and together, we grew. I didn’t know it was possible to feel what I felt from behind a screen. If you were there, thank you for touching my heart and inspiring me beyond measure.
And then, on Saturday evening, I flew to Gainesville for Student Maid’s official transition, which took place on Sunday. This weekend was everything I hoped it would be and then some, and just like our Human Leadership Program, it’s hard for me to put into words, but I’ll give it a shot.
It started with my parents surprising me and picking me up from the airport. I had thought that only my mom would be able to join, but my dad was there too, and they stayed throughout the whole weekend. It was extremely meaningful to have them there because they’ve been with me on this journey since the beginning.
On Sunday, the day started with my sister FaceTiming me and sharing her congratulations for 14 years. It was so funny . . . I had been focusing so much on the transition that I had totally forgotten we were also celebrating Student Maid’s 14-year anniversary! We reflected on that together, and she asked me how I was feeling about the “big day.” I told her I felt completely at peace, which is exactly how I hoped I’d feel when I got to May 9th.
Before heading to Student Maid headquarters that day, my dad and I took a walk and talked about all of the learnings over the last 14 years. He described my Student Maid experience as a “graduate course in leadership, entrepreneurship, and business,” and I couldn’t agree more. My mom made me a book of Student Maid memories that I will treasure forever. My most favorite part was a letter she wrote where she told me that she felt like Student Maid helped her find her purpose, and that our inclusion of her in our journey gave her one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences in her life. She said that by working with me at Student Maid, she was able to see a side of me that she would have never been able to witness otherwise, and that she will always treasure the way we grew together. Let’s just say I needed tissues . . . a few times :)
And then, there was our event with the team. It was a small crowd, given that our anniversary also happened on Mother’s Day this year. There were members of our current team, our leadership team, and even team members from years past, which made it so very special. As we shared an amazing meal, I asked everyone to share their favorite Student Maid memory. We heard everything from cleaning for 12 hours straight during move-out season and having a dance party to keep the energy going to picking up what looked like a piece of paper that was actually a roach trap infested with roaches (sorry for the visual, but that’s just what it’s like sometimes), and the best . . . a couple who met at Student Maid, got married, and just had their first baby. All three were there to join us. My parents shared their memories, including the time I asked my dad for money for a pair of jeans and he shared those three infamous words that started everything: “Get a job!” I ended with giving my mom flowers for Mother’s Day, which was truly a full-circle moment because Student Maid was incorporated in 2009 as her Mother’s Day present. She was so worried that I was operating a business that wasn’t registered at the time, and she said an official business registration was the best Mother’s Day present I could ever give her so that she could sleep at night. And now, here we were, celebrating the last day of the Student Maid journey.
I shared some closing thoughts with our team members. I reflected all weekend on what I wanted to say when it got to this part. What do you say for your last team meeting? Hard.
I shared that one of the lessons I learned in Student Maid is about letting go. That at first, it was hard for me to let go of people. In the early years, whenever someone wanted to leave the company, I would do everything I could to convince them to stay. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, and the more I learned about leadership, the more I learned that it was selfish to build a company where people felt like they couldn’t leave. I began to see my role as the person who helped our people identify what they wanted in life, and then to encourage them to go after what they wanted. Eventually our whole company transformed to be a stepping stone. Student Maid was never supposed to be the place where you stayed forever. It was supposed to be the place that helped you learn about yourself, discover what you want in life, and then catapult you to your next step. There was just one thing: I had never considered that maybe that’s what Student Maid was for me, too. In this process, I had to give myself permission to reach for the things I really want in my life, just like I had taught others to do for themselves. I thanked everyone for their love, support, and commitment through the end, and I told them that I hope they always follow their hearts. I advised that they not get too obsessed with the final destination . . . just take one step, and then another, and then another, and then one day, when you look back, it will all make sense.
On our way out, each person signed the Jeans Wall, the place in our office where a pair of jeans hang to remind us how this story began and that you never know what can come of taking just one step. Each person signed their name with the date, and then I signed my own to make it officially official. I walked out of Student Maid HQ with nothing but immense gratitude in my heart, and on Monday, I woke up to Chapter 2.
And with that, I’m excited to announce our first step on this new journey . . .
We have decided to launch another Human Leadership Program on August 11th + 12th, and this time, there is a twist: In addition to welcoming 200+ leaders, we will also be awarding student scholarships so that we may equip rising leaders with the skills to lead in a more compassionate, human way. As a reminder, this program is open to all humans, in all roles, in all industries. The only requirement is that you are passionate about your growth as a human and leader, and that you are striving to live a life of authenticity, courage, and compassion. If you would like to join us for the program, click here to get your ticket with early bird pricing. And if you’d like to invest in our rising leaders and sponsor students so that they can attend our program, click here to fill out a brief form, and we will be in touch when we have more details.
Here’s to Chapter Two!
Hugs through the screen,
Kristen
PS: Join us for our LIVE show this Wednesday (and every Wednesday!) at 11 a.m. ET! Think of it as Real Talk. I share all the things on my mind and heart as a leader, and our team is there to give their perspective, too! You can register here: https://bit.ly/3kWe2kT. Hope to see you there!
