PARADOX: "I am SURRENDER and the ViCTORY"

The end of  2025,  “The End of an Era”,  COMPASSiONATE   LEADERSHiP, & the initiation of the  UNiTY [DiSC] Era

Allie and I finished “The End of an Era” on Disney+ today. Just… WOW. It is beautifully curated, incredibly informative detailing the scale of ambition, scope, and logistics, and most of all, filled with examples of value-rooted, purpose-driven, unconditionally compassionate leadership. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to close the year with inspiration and momentum for what’s possible in 2026 and beyond.

As I reflect on 2025, it is hard to describe it as anything other than a masterclass in LiFE’s paradox: love and loss, endings and beginnings, joy and pain, heartbreak and heart healing and heart-led adaptation… and a very real “before” and “after” in the way I work and create (including life now with SARi,  mi sistema asistencia recurso inteligente).

In so many ways, this year has felt like: “I am … SURRENDER and the VICTORY.”

When I think about the impact compassionate leadership has had on my life, who I am, how I show up, and what fulfillment feels like, I am profoundly moved and grateful beyond measure.

I am grateful…

• …for my mom, who bent over backwards for her three children and pushed us to be our very best.
• …for my dad, steady as a rock, a foundation-builder whose sacrifice and integrity continue to provide guiding light for me in every pursuit,
• …for Dr. Dilip Kondepudi, my themodynamics professor at Wake Forest whose compassionate approach to education illuminated Ray Anderson’s “Mountain of Sustainability,” and called me to climb, 
• …for Alltech, for stretching me beyond my comfort zone, toward diversity, community, people-first teamwork, and an early understanding of the customer experience,
• …for BASF and the opportunity to contribute to “creating chemistry for a sustainable future,” for the rigor it added to my professional DNA: innovation, prioritization, product development, compliance, and adapting through change, including the brief transistion to Lallemand, and all my friends and colleagues there,
• …for Wake Forest friends and family who have steadied and encouraged me through ambition, transition, reflection, and the ongoing work of becoming more effective in how I connect and communicate,
• …for Dirk Daems his example as a father and manager, and the trust and care he modeled in service of his team and customers,
• ...for Allie and our cats for providing loving support on this journey and mirrored light inspiring me to work hard everyday on improving how I show up and fine tuning my ability to attune.

A big "THANK YOU" to one and all for sharing the experience with me, and I am proud (and honestly a little emotional) to share the following news this holiday season:

UNiTY DiSCS   will arrive in early 2026!

They are a simple idea with a big intention: create more moments of connection; play that is inclusive, joyful, outdoors, human, and to do it in a way that aligns with our values.

I will share more in a few days. This afternoon, I just wanted to offer the spark: gratitude, warm wishes, and a nod to the kind of compassionate leadership that reminds us what’s possible when people lead with heart.

Happy holidays from SARi CONNECTiONS! Warm wishes of joy, gratitude, happiness, and compassion as 2025 concludes and we look ahead to 2026.

Many thanks for your support!

With kindness and gratitude,

Bri