2021
With very little fanfare, I've been coaching a small number of founders since January of 2020. The work of being a coach in this community is a tremendous honor. Coaching feels incredibly close to my heart as I have benefited richly from the space that coaching provides. I adore it as a client; I adore it as a coach. And so, I have slowly but steadily re-arranged the components of my life to coach full-time.
This could not have happened without the understanding and support of many people.
At the beginning of this year, I was the owner of the most important company I have ever created, Cuties. In August, I passed the ownership and leadership of the organization on to Sasha Jones. She is centering the needs of the Black queer community in ways I could never do. The mission of Cuties is increasingly realized every day under her leadership.
At the beginning of the year, I worked as a VP at Go Get Em Tiger. Under Kyle and Charles, I've had three years to contribute to a company imagining, implementing, and proving that they can raise the bar for the future of coffee and hospitality. My growth as a coach has been made possible with their support.
I must thank everyone who I have been lucky enough to receive coaching from over the years, both in group settings and individually: Jerry Colonna, Ali Schultz, and Claire Haas. I must thank my coaching instructors Belma González and Dewey Schott. Every single one of you modeled a way of being that I needed to see, a way of being I needed to know was possible. You created so much space for me and the people in my life, and I need you to know that.
And thank you to all my clients who have worked with me over the past year. I'm going to let you in on a not-so-secret secret: we as coaches grow because of our clients. You make us better humans by allowing us to witness your growth, your self-compassion, and your self-love. It is such an honor to work with you.
And finally, my deepest thanks go to my wife, Tara Patterson. The 20 years we have been together was the armor protecting us in this pandemic. You break my heart open with gratitude and love every day.
So here we are, nearing the end of 2020. Many of us have voted. Most of us have cried. We have said goodbye to someone we love.
My heart is very clear about what I want to do in 2021: just coach.
More about working with me: Coaching More about me: About Virginia