What graduation teaches us about leadership (and legacy)
Key illuminated insight
Both my kids graduated this June, and while the degrees were a proud milestone, it was their journey that reminded me what real growth looks like—messy, meaningful, and built on quiet systems and consistent support. As a mother and a fractional CMO, I’ve learned that growth isn’t just a metric. It’s a mindset. Whether you’re raising a family or scaling a business, presence, structure, and intention matter more than perfection. Legacy isn’t loud. It’s lived.
Step into full illumination
This June, I stood on two different campuses, heart full and eyes misty, watching both my son and daughter graduate from university. One from Guelph. One from Queen’s.
Two degrees. Two proud humans, ready to chart their next chapters.
And one mother, quietly reflecting on what it means to build something that lasts.
Because here’s the thing: milestones like this aren’t just about pomp and circumstance. They’re a mirror. They reflect back the values you’ve modelled, the systems you’ve built, and the support you’ve given. Sometimes quietly, sometimes fiercely.
As a woman and a leader, I’ve spent decades balancing growth—mine, my clients’, and my kids’. And if there’s one truth I’ve learned, it’s this:
Growth isn’t just a metric. It’s a mindset. A system. A decision you make, over and over again, to keep going even when it’s messy.
It’s true in parenting. It’s true in leadership. And it’s especially true in business.
So while last month was full of handshakes, speeches, and photos, it was also full of quiet lessons that show up far beyond the stage.
Here are a few:
1. Systems don’t stifle growth. They enable it.
Whether it’s setting boundaries in parenting or frameworks in marketing, structure creates space for real momentum. (That’s why my work as a fractional CMO isn’t just about tactics. It’s about building engines that scale.)
2. Your presence matters more than your perfection.
As a mother and a marketer, I’ve had to learn that showing up consistently, even imperfectly, is more powerful than showing up flawlessly. Trust is built in the reps, not the highlight reel.
3. Legacy isn’t loud.
Sometimes the biggest impact isn’t in what you say. It’s what you model. In my case, I hope it’s resilience, independence, and the belief that clarity beats chaos every time.
And finally, for all the other women juggling spreadsheets and science projects, boardrooms and bedtime stories:
You don’t have to choose between being ambitious and being present. You’re allowed to build both.
My kids graduating isn’t the end of a chapter. It’s a reminder of why I lead the way I do.
With strategy. With heart. And with the quiet knowledge that growth—real, lasting, meaningful growth—starts at home.