What Motherhood Taught Me About Letting Go of Control
By Kendra Stearns Drozd, Bluffton, SC The Planner Meets the Unpredictable I spent the first part of my career in environments where control mattered. In advertising, I coordinated Colonel Sanders lookalikes at Cubs games, making sure they followed the rules (no smoking, no drinking). At Kraft Foods, I managed brand launches with timelines, budgets, and […]
Why the Hardest Conversations Are Often the Most Important Ones
By Kendra Stearns Drozd, Bluffton, SC The Conversations We Avoid We all know the feeling. Someone close to us is struggling, and we want to help, but we don’t know what to say. We worry we’ll make things worse. We rehearse opening lines in our head and then change the subject when the moment comes. […]
What Recruiting Taught Me About Recognizing Potential in People
By Kendra Drozd, Bluffton, SC Looking Beyond What Is Written on Paper When I first moved into executive recruiting, I thought my background in marketing would be the biggest thing I brought with me. After all, I had spent years studying consumers, understanding what motivated people, and learning how to communicate ideas clearly. What I […]
Why Community Matters More Than Ever During Life’s Hardest Moments
We Are Not Meant to Walk Through Life Alone If there is one thing life has taught me, it is that none of us is meant to carry life’s hardest burdens by ourselves. There are seasons that bring joy and celebration, and there are seasons that bring grief, uncertainty, disappointment, and heartbreak. During those difficult […]
Why Empathy Is One of the Most Underrated Leadership Skills
Leadership Is Not Just About Direction When people think about leadership, they often picture someone making decisions, setting strategy, or guiding a team toward a clear goal. I have worked in environments where results, performance, and execution were always part of the conversation, especially during my years in marketing and recruiting. Those experiences taught me […]
How Youth Sports Shape Confidence, Discipline, and Resilience Long After Childhood Ends
More Than Just a Game When I was nine years old, my parents asked me whether I wanted to focus on tennis or swimming. They knew that the high school I would eventually attend, New Trier High School, was incredibly competitive athletically, and they wanted me to commit to one sport early on if I […]
Navigating Infertility and Pregnancy Loss: What Helped Me Through Years of Uncertainty
The Season of Life I Never Expected There are certain experiences in life that completely change the way you see yourself, your relationships, and your understanding of control. For me, infertility and pregnancy loss were among those experiences. When my husband Tim and I started our family, I did not expect the journey to become […]