Our 2023 Client Appreciation Guest Speaker: Ivy Kusinga
It’s the last days of countdown to our Client Appreciation Event. And it is my deepest and dreamiest pleasure (as I can’t quite believe it’s happening), to introduce our speaker-guest of honor this year: Ivy Kusinga, founder of Career Vines.
Ivy has over two decades of sharp, specialized experience in culture, talent equity, inclusion, and high-potential talent development. On Thursday, she’ll be talking to our clients about How to Build Mental Toughness: a key skillset of Endurance as a Small Business CEO.
For the past 14 years, Ivy has been one of my most important sponsors, executive coaches, and friends. She’s my greatest cheerleader and toughest, um… prodder?
Eleven years ago, in concert with two other sponsors, she helped me secure my corporate-career-high dream, global role. Seven years ago, she sat alongside me, sopping up my tears and sharply questioning me, as I navigated a painful professional low. And in all the in-between phone calls, Facetimes, and letters, she always strikes an uncanny balance between support and challenge. I never leave one of our conversations without a new stretch assignment (that I don’t want to complete, ha).
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot and studying what different generations want in work (and life); my take on how southern culture is different from others; and the difference between men and women. And I’ve been observing a phenomenon in my little corner of the world about how much people just want to feel good and want (exclusively) a cheerleader.
Personally, that’s never been my approach. I’m more from the school of: “Give me what I need, not what I want.” And I believe that there are few individuals in the world, willing to take the time to give that gift. Which is exactly what Ivy has bestowed on me (and many) over the years. She has an extremely different vantage than I ever could, and she is wildly open-hearted in sharing it.
Fourteen years on, I continue to be flummoxed by the balance of all that Ivy knows (technically and in wisdom and experience) and her unwavering growth mindset. It’s a humbling and necessary reminder for me. As we’ve worked on the content for this year’s event over the past few months, she’s shown this time and time again – eagerly engaging with our team to learn from us, while pushing us way out of our comfort zone on content, delivery, and ensuring that this year’s event is truly multidimensional.
Dear clients, we will see you Thursday. And I promise: after hearing Ivy Kusinga speak, your mindset will never be the same.
