Hello Reader,

Even though we are still a month out from Christmas, I'm already feeling the pull of the holidays, end-of-year things and the reflection that inadvertently comes with it.

Here in the US, the holiday season starts with Thanksgiving (this Thursday now). My professional work slows to a crawl while shopping madness (Black Friday! Cyber Monday! Santa's list. Buy! BUY! BUUUYYY!) ramps up.

After a few heavy weeks, however, my view on the world has shifted. Sitting with discomfort and giving my heart a chance to catch up with my head worked. I didn't rush to fix anything. When my friends asked how I was I responded honestly. And slowly but surely, the heaviness shifted like a slowly receding tide.

We just hosted our last Creative Mornings in the Shenandoah Valley. We're close to being down with hosting entrepreneurial events. I'm wrapping up a two-year pilot program and am stocking up on reading materials for some downtime between the years. Oh, and I'm looking forward to visiting my family in East Germany for a week right before Christmas! Christmas markets here we come!

Between my ears

Life, most recently: Things I'm excited about, pondering and trying out:

• My friends Katelyn & Maggie hosted a Friendsgiving lunch for our group of friends. 20+ people brought dishes to share and we spent the afternoon eating and catching up while enjoying some stunning views of Little North Mountain in the Shenandoah Valley.
• I'm halfway done with Christmas gifts. Each year, I start earlier because the last thing I want is to rush through December with my hair on fire because I can't find the hairdresser kit for my five-year-old that I spotted downtown in late October. I'm proud to report that the hairdresser kit is purchased and is sitting in the back of my closet - together with 90% of the presents I planned on - patiently awaiting Christmas morning.
• If you're looking for ethical and sustainable gift ideas that do good, check out better made easy! I especially like their gift baskets which are great for client appreciation or if you're - like me - into hamper baskets ;)
• I've been enjoying a lot of cooking recently. Wild rice pilaf. Apple & cinnamon baked oatmeal. You name it. While I was whisking my vinaigrette last Sunday, I wondered whether anyone would like a collection of my recipe as a digital cookbook download. Is cooking wholesome, healthy meals for you and your family a gift you want to give yourself? I put together a little order form. If you're interested in this little experiment, let me know here (US only):

Order recipe collection

• Social Venturer Shelly Rose is offering a 1:1 program to keep your health on track through the holiday season. If you want to enjoy the holidays without worrying about fitting in your jeans the next day, check out Balance & Joy here.
• We booked flights to Germany! I haven't seen my family and friends since May and I can't wait to spend the week before Christmas perusing Christmas markets and sitting in front of my parents' fireplace supping Gluehwein!

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On my desk

What I'm working on right now:

• We're hosting the 2024 Startup Champions Spring Summit here in the Shenandoah Valley! This is a huge project not only for our ecosystem but for the state of Virginia! I'm very excited to bring my peers to our ecosystem to show what we've been working on over the last two years, collectively problem-solve and have some honest, deep conversations about the purpose and toll of this work! If you're keen on meeting other ecosystem builders from across the US and want to see our work in action - JOIN US!
• In early September, I applied to a journalism fellowship to secure funding to tell the stories of under-resourced entrepreneurs here in the Valley. $15,000 to create a story campaign with a journalist and photographer whose work I adore. I wasn't selected. And rejection stinks. So next time you get rejected for something, know that you're not alone.
• ​Yearbook Indiana 2023 was just published! I contributed several articles about ecosystem building and am super proud of how they came out!
• We've been piloting different event formats to better engage local entrepreneurs in the ecosystem. And - as you may have suspected - I wrote a little thing about it:

Beyond Networking

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Featured Episode

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The rise of an ecosystem builder I hope to welcome a lot of new ecosystem builders at the next SCN Summit; here's what Debbie Irwin's journey might looked like and what role SCN played: Listen & subscribe

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On my radar

I come across a lot of resources that I want to share with fellow ecosystem builders and changemakers. If we're connected on LinkedIn or Instagram, they might already show up in your feed! In case you missed any, here's my curated list from the last two weeks:

Social Venturer Julia Firestone (season 5, episode 3) is hosting a virtual workshop on Mindful Goalsetting on December 8th.

My new friend Damian Grey - a talented videographer who has filmed Creative Mornings twice! - just launched a virtual course to teach small business owners, entrepreneurs and creatives how to use video to tell their story. All you need is a phone and a computer. His early-bird pricing ends this Friday: For $67 (instead of $200), I figured I'm going to give it a try.

Mark your calendars for 2024:

• March 8-16: SXSW, Austin, Texas
• April 14-17: INBIA's 38th annual conference (accepting speaker applications until November 30!), San Antonio, Texas
• May 6-8: Main Street Now Conference, Birmingham, Alabama
• June 16-18: IEDC's Economic Future Forum​

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What's on your reading list this winter? I'm here for all of your recommendations! Historical fiction? Non-fiction. Total fiction. Let me hear it!

I will be back in your inbox in two weeks.

In camaraderie,

Anika