As 2025 came to a close, so did an incredible 30-year journey with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. I knew change was coming, and I found myself asking an important question:
What will keep me interested, challenged, and engaged in the years ahead?
The answer has become clearer over the past several months.
My role as an Executive Council member with DRJ | Where Risk Meets Resilience gives me the opportunity to continue sharing insights and lessons learned from decades in the resilience profession and, just as importantly, to learn from the many great professionals I have met along the way. 🏆
My role as a Strategic Advisor to MEO Continuity gives me the opportunity to help organizations think differently about resilience, apply best practices, and demonstrate how resilience can create real business value. 🏭
My role as an Instructor at The Academy of Self Defense https://lnkd.in/eFA5HY5t keeps me focused on another form of resilience: personal resilience, discipline, fitness, and continuous improvement. 🥋
My role with Impact Analysis https://lnkd.in/eVSNVXcV allows me to advise leadership on significant crises that could affect them along with key takeaways to avoid them or minimize their impact. 🎙️
But through every chapter, there has been one constant.
My wife, Debbie. ❤️
For 40 years, she has stood beside me through every challenge, every career change, every success and every adventure. Together we’ve raised our children, welcomed grandchildren, loved our pups, traveled, laughed, and created memories that mean far more than any professional accomplishment.
And recently, we had the opportunity to step away and reflect on all of it.
We spent a couple of weeks celebrating our 40th anniversary, traveling through Greece, Türkiye, Italy, and Spain. 🇬🇷 🇹🇷 🇮🇹 🇪🇸
Travel has a way of putting life into perspective. Seeing new places, experiencing different cultures, and simply having time together reminded me how fortunate we are and how much there still is to experience.
Now, I’m looking forward to the next chapter.
In just a few short weeks, I’ll be heading to Dallas for DRJ Fall 2026 to spend a few days with colleagues, friends, and many of the people who have become an important part of my professional journey.
Looking back, I’m grateful for the experiences that shaped me.
Looking forward, I’m excited about the opportunities still ahead.
And perhaps most importantly, I’ve learned that planning for the future is a whole lot more enjoyable when you’re doing it with the person you love. ❤️
Here’s to the next chapter and all that it brings. 🥂