This past year got a bad rap. Deaths, election results, terrorism, war. It all occurred and it created all the feels.
Amongst the chaos and crazy, 2016 was still a great year.
My last post each calendar year is to say thank you to all the people who made it great. If ever, for one second, I give off the impression that this dream I call life is all by my doing – then I haven’t been clear in my gratitude for the wonderful community I have around me. While I take responsibility for this life, these are the people that are by my side, in my corner, have my heart, and teach me more than I could put into words.
Without further adieu, I’d like to say thank you to…
January
- To Anton for trusting me completely to lead the personal development aspect of your yoga teacher training.
- To Adam & Erica for giving Ange and me the mic on your wedding day. #30 achieved all for a couple we love.
- To Billy for creating the space for in-the-closet artists to come together and take two. deep. breaths.
- To Nana. 1928-2016. May my life be my thank you for all the things you’ve taught me.
February
- To Ariel for being the best partner to my man and getting The Salon Sessions launched.
- To Warren for crossing another Vancouver First Half start line with me.
- To Whit for a deep weekend of Vinyasa Krama to welcome you back.
- To Dave for putting a pineapple rock on my sister’s left hand.
March
- To Chris for the pics and Terry for the structure – all in the name of taking #TeamCorker digital.
- To Michelle for getting your fingernails dirty as we volunteered (and chased goats) in Guatemala.
- To Jen and Danielle for showing me where the hub of white sunglasses are. #Texasftw
- To Kristian and the LearnKit crew for inviting me to speak at DisruptHR YVR (and later handing over the reigns).
April
- To Seth Godin for showing us your favourite shop to get hummus and throwing down some serious business advice while we hustled through NYC.
- To Jian for taking the time to develop yourself and come back an even stronger teacher (and mentor).
- To Lauren & Chuck for sharing your beautiful day of love with us.
- To Warren, Ellison, and Steph Morris for making our first lipserviceYVR performance one for the memory banks. #bumwiggle #hairflip
May
- To my team of high schoolers who competed in the Young Entrepreneur Leadership Launchpad with a great business idea – all while wearing matching outfits, arriving first, and always sitting in the front row… that’s how we do.
- To the TurF crew for the sweatiest trip to NYC I’ve ever been on. I am so excited for your doors to open in 2017!
- To Chesley and the CampYoga crew for giving me the time to relax, play, and connect with new forever friends. I’m lookin at you gents.
June
- To my chosen family @ The Distrikt for a Crush Hush Retreat that reminded me who I could be for the world – on the weekend before I needed that reminder the most. #Pulse
- To Connor and the ManTalks tribe for being active participants in the conversation around redefining masculinity.
- To the Slow Hippos for running around Vancouver – singing, swimming in fountains, and dropping your pants – all in the name of celebrating Movement108‘s 2 year celebration.
- To Jaryd and Ayla for petting Hope, the sweetest little African penguin. #90
- To Kent for inviting me to talk about the writing process, how we teach yoga, and the power of language on your podcast.
July
- To Mark for inviting me to take the stage at the Masters of the Universe Summit – best stage of the year.
- To Jeremy and the LearnKit crew for saying yes to helping us develop the, now live and changing lives (!!), Manager Start Line program.
- To Pete & Shaina for hosting a love party that had all the Clarks on the dancefloor!
- To ADJ for crowning me with my first gold star.
- To the athletes and crew of #irontribe16 at Ironman Canada – ya’ll are beauties! Best race tribe we’ve had on that course yet. (Same time next year, yah?)
August
- To Jeremy, Warren, and Lawrence for braving the storm warnings and going camping instead.
- To Martin & Michelle for bringing some Danish hygge into our lives and introducing us to new friends for life. Heyo Chantel!
- To Mikayla & Caleb for showing us that, at weddings and always, ‘nugs are great and family is even better.
- To lululemon West 4th for the love package to help me enjoy the SeaWheeze Sunset Festival that much more.
- To August 19th. The day I got punked by so many of my loves to celebrate my 30th. I’ll never forget those moments.
- To Jonas and Ellison for a work trip/surf trip that reminded me of the adventure that is in the everyday.
- To Carolyn for bringing me on to assist you as you rocked a #604series class for the masses
September
- To Jonnie and Pernille for the best double date to the Okanagan. Cue the rain, drenched servers, pouring another glass, and signing up for start lines.
- To Mikey P, Christa, DLP, and Allison for donning orange jumpsuits and jumping onto a boat all in the name of “craft night” with our favourite girl.
- To Mireille for sharing your gift with us and helping make Salon Sessions round two so darn magical.
- To #CampFrey. What a day for the memory books. Everyone. Everything. It was awesome to see Steph and Dave so friggin happy!
October
- To the Kona #irontribe for showing up. For seriously showing up. And for speedos. A million mahalos.
- To Ariel & Shahed for hosting (yet another) great party – this time with wedding bells and fun dances we didn’t know the moves to. We love you.
- To HRMA for inviting me to speak to the Recruiter’s Roundtable on how to have influential conversations.
- To coach Chany and the cheer crew of the Rock N Roll Half Marathon for never giving up on me and my goals.
- To Mama Watkins for finally making the leap and moving out west!
- To Steph & Richard for sharing your new bundle of love with the world.
- To Gordon for making movie magic happen in order to have great videos in our Manager Start Line program.
November
- To Zoe for being the friend I needed to see when I was stuck halfway across the world (and then again for all the sandy adventures, camels, delicious meals, and naps during our regularly scheduled visit occurred).
- To Rebecca, Ragav-ji, Sharada, Anton (and Annie!) for being the best teachers of what living yoga is like.
- To Laura for saying yes to Warren.
- To Peter and The Room crew for welcoming me in and inviting me to teach your Abu Dhabi community.
December
… this month reminded me of the people who’ve been with me all year in the most meaningful way (and have been absent in my thanks thus far because – heck – they’ve been a part of so much of this year that their name would show up in every month)!
To my crew – the ones I feel at home with at the Distrikt, the ones who come over for late night pizza or even later night board games, the ones who host brunch, who come to my morning yoga classes, who watch BB with me, who open your home up in Whistler, who sweat alongside me (be it as part of our weekly regime or as part of #irontribe), who show up at the Juice Truck to #coworknowork, who stay an extra night . Thank you for giving me the space to be me this year. For being with me in the tough times and in the celebratory times. Thank you for every word of advice you gave and every ounce of listening you provided. It made a difference.
To my sister – a year ago you said we’re in this together and I have never given up on our vision since then. Thank you for being a phone call away, for plane rides to LA and New York (where we create the most epic business plans or finalize wedding details), for bringing over beet muffins to business meetings, for getting your hair done when requested, for being the one the #irontribe would travel the world to cheer on, for winning Ironman Canada (and showing the world how amateur athletes are a force to be reckoned with… especially now that you’re going pro), for bringing the most authentic version of you every Wednesday morning at Method, for sitting in the front row, for chasing me on race courses, for choosing Dave as your teammate for life, for real talk, for real food, and real love. This was an epic year in your life and I’m so proud of you.
To my man – thank you for being the easiest yes in my life. Thank you for letting me chase my dreams without requiring any permission, for crying at all the weddings we went to, for holding my hand at my Nana’s celebration of life, for launching the Salon Sessions and sharing your incredible talents with the world, for loving my sister, for letting me take over our windows and mirrors with sticky notes and business ideas, for not taking yourself so seriously (especially when running around Vancouver in the rain – all in the name of winning), for every meal you’ve cooked (or ordered off DoorDash), for running half-marathons like it ain’t no thang, for being a great uncle to Grace, for planning the best surprise party of my life, for being up for the adventure (even when it involves catching the next flight out), for opening up yet another great restaurant, for fajitas (frig, for. fajitas!), and for being the first person I see whenever I come home – be that to YVR or to our pad. You have supported me so much this year. 2017 marks a new chapter for us (!!) and I’m so excited to cheer for you, love you, and watch you fall asleep on the couch in all the spaces between the upcoming milestones. I love you.
My last thank you goes out to you. Yes, you.
You may be have been following along on my site all year, or perhaps this is the first post you’ve read. Either way, thank you. Thank you for spending a few minutes with me, for indulging in my annual act of gratitude, and for witnessing the possibility that 2016 wasn’t a horrible year that we just need to push past and forget about. I hope this has warmed your heart as much as it has warmed mine as I wrote this. Maybe you write out your thank yous now too?
In gratitude for all that 2016 brought,
and in conviction and in confidence for all that 2017 holds… let’s do this.
