Gratitude in Motion: The People Who Changed My Career

Gratitude isn’t just a feeling. It’s a mirror.
It reflects who shaped you, what you’ve learned, and the values you carry forward.

As I look back on my career, two names come up first: my dad, Ed Douglas, and Stewart Butterfield, the co-founder and former CEO of Slack.
They represent two very different chapters of my life, but both taught me the same truth: success means nothing without integrity, trust, and humanity.

The First Lesson: From My Dad

Long before leadership books and “authenticity at work” became buzzwords, my dad was living it.

Business, to him, wasn’t about closing deals. It was about people.
He’d encourage customers to shop around, confident enough to know they’d come back if it was the right fit. Most did.

His success was steady, not flashy.
He built a reputation on relationships, fairness, and doing the right thing even when no one was watching.

He never told me what I couldn’t do.
There was no talk of barriers, no suggestion certain paths weren’t for women.
So when I entered accounting, then tech sales, then leadership, I never questioned whether I belonged.

Dad taught me that trust isn’t a skill, it’s a standard.
And that kindness, when it’s genuine, is a form of strength.

He passed away in 2021, but his lessons haven’t left me for a day.
They’re the foundation of how I lead, coach, and connect, with clients, teams, and anyone navigating their next chapter.

The Second Lesson: From Slack

A few years later, I found myself in a toxic situation that drained every ounce of belief I had in corporate leadership. I was good at my job, but exhausted, unseen, and questioning if integrity still had a place in high performance.

Then I discovered Slack.

Culture was my top priority. Impact was second.
From everything I read about Stewart Butterfield and his leadership philosophy, it sounded almost too good to be true, values-driven, human-first, thoughtful about work in a way few companies were.

But as I moved through the interview process, it kept being validated.
Every conversation felt real. Every leader cared about people as much as performance.

Once I joined, I realized what I’d been missing: a place where excellence and empathy could coexist.
It reminded me of my dad’s way of doing business, quiet confidence, mutual respect, genuine care.

Slack was my professional reset. It reignited my belief that high performance and humanity aren’t opposites. They’re partners.

The Third Lesson: Paying It Forward

Now, through my coaching work, I see those same lessons come full circle.
The professionals I work with are brilliant, capable, and driven, but often burned out by environments that reward speed over substance.

My job is to help them rebuild what my dad and Stewart modeled for me: clarity, confidence, and integrity in how they lead their careers.

That’s what gratitude in motion looks like, not just being thankful, but carrying forward the impact of those who shaped you.

This Thanksgiving, think about the people who changed your path.
Reach out. Tell them what their belief made possible for you.
Because no matter how far we go, none of us get there alone.

In memory of Edwin Scott Douglas (1949–2021)

And in gratitude to leaders like Stewart Butterfield, who remind us that culture can be kind and high-performing.

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