From the Bottom of My Heart

I have to write this letter because, over the past few weeks, I have felt an immense amount of gratitude and have been in awe of the incredible support I’ve received from my work family.

I feel strongly that this deserves to be acknowledged because I don’t know that many workplaces would have allowed me to be away from the office for a month. My boss, CEO, and amazing friend, Katy Rhamey, did the complete opposite. She and our queen of Operations Director, Michelle, worked together to reorganize my schedule so I could continue getting my work done, but during the hours that worked best for me while I was in Sweden.

I was born and raised in Sweden, and three weeks ago, I received an urgent call that my father had fallen critically ill. I understood that I needed to fly home. In fact, when I initially said I would wait and see what happened, Katy urged me to go home right away. She never once made me feel like, “Oh sh$t, how are we going to make this work?” Instead, she simply trusted me to take care of what needed to be taken care of, and trusted that I would continue to get my work done.

In my 27 years of working in both small and large offices, this kind of flexibility would not have been possible, accepted, or supported. And yet, here I was, surrounded by people who made it possible without ever making me feel guilty for needing to be somewhere else.

I’m incredibly fortunate to have a profession that allows me to work from virtually anywhere in the world. But the flexibility itself is only part of the story. The support, understanding, trust, and unequivocal kindness I’ve received are not things you can easily find in a workplace.

I was able to spend my days sitting with my mom by my dad’s bedside in the ICU, then go home, have dinner, and start working in the evenings in Sweden, hours that happened to align perfectly with our U.S. office hours. Katy and Michelle checked in with me every day, not only to ask how my father was doing, but to make sure my mom and I were okay, too. Their messages were filled with genuine care and love.

My father fought incredibly hard for three weeks to recover, but sadly, he lost his battle. He had just turned 80 in April, and I’m grateful that our family was able to celebrate that milestone with him.

I’ll fly back to the U.S. for three weeks and then return to Sweden again for his funeral. It’s not an easy schedule to navigate, but being there for my father, supporting my mother, and staying connected to my work and my team has been worth every bit of the effort.

Mostly, I’m filled with gratitude.

Gratitude for having a boss who told me to go home when I needed to. Gratitude for a team that helped make it all feel manageable. Gratitude for the trust I’ve been given. And gratitude for working alongside people who understand that sometimes life happens, and when it does, work can make room for it.

I will never take that for granted. 🤍