09/22/2026
5 THINGS I SHARED WITH 300+ IOWA 4-H STUDENTS AT THEIR ANNUAL CONFERENCE AS THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER💚🍀
1️⃣ You don't need to have your future figured out RIGHT OUT.
Decide. Learn. Pivot. Make a better next choice as your favorite self. You'll get to where you're meant to be. Keep trying and trusting yourself
2️⃣ Confidence comes after DOING THE THING
We don't become confident AND THEN do the hard thing. We do the hard thing and show ourselves... we CAN do them (and likely we learn along the way) Growth and comfort can't coexist.
3️⃣ ALWAYS GIVE IT A WHIRL
There are so many "lanes of life" to explore.. and we GET to try any that we're interested in (how exciting is that?!). If our peers aren't interested in the same things as us..? That is okay. Don't leave yourself behind just becuase of someone else's opinion. You can't know what you're good at, interested in, or capable of if you never give yourself the opportunity to find out.
4️⃣ Good relationships multiply our happiness and divide our grief.
The people around you shape what you normalize, what you believe is possible, and ultimately, who you're becoming.
5️⃣ Resilience isn't given, it's uncomfortably earned (ugh) 🦞
It's lobster mentality... for a lobster to grow into it's purpose.. it has to crack out of it's old shell as it breaks. Then it forms a new, bigger shell.. closer to where they're meant to be. Even when its uncomfy - you're growing.
Back in June (we're doing a little summer catch-up over here 😂), I had the opportunity to spend the day at the Iowa 4-H Youth Conference!
I kicked things off with a keynote around becoming the leader your future self is counting on + and later got to go deeper with a smaller group during a 90-minute breakout on resilience and my Lobster Mentality.
The theme was Ride the Tide of Tomorrow!! G dang - I LOVE what that represents.
We can't control every high or low coming our way, but how we learn to navigate them can make all the difference.
We put SO much pressure on young people to know exactly who they're going to be.
And ya know... maybe our job isn't to help them perfectly plan their future (let's be real... does it go according to that perfect plan?)
Maybe it's to give them opportunities to try what they're interested in, fail, pivot, try another path, lead, meet people, change their minds, build skills, and discover what makes them feel like their favorite selves - no judgement.
Thank you, Iowa 4-H, for having me!! 🍀
