Just a little something from me to you tonight. ❤️ If you're anything like me, there's always one more thing you could be doing. But maybe you've already done enough for today. A little over a minute of encouragement before you call it a day. Give yourself a listen. ❤️

Have you gotten to know @Jewels Sherriff yet? 🥰 She's the woman behind The Courage Collective, a community for midlife women finding their courage, supporting one another, and figuring out what comes next. And Friday, we get to hear more of her story! I'm curious about what first inspired her to build this community, what she's discovered along the way, and how her ideas have changed as she's gotten to know the women she's building for. Of course, I want to know what she's still trying to figure out! 😂 That's one of my favorite things about Behind the Build. We don't have to wait until everything is working perfectly to learn from each other. ❤️ Friday, October 30 at 11:00 AM Central We'll be LIVE right here in Skoolology. You don't have to be a member of Skoolology to participate, so if you have a friend that would enjoy meeting Jewels, you are welcome to invite them. Here's the link. You can find us on the calendar! Come hang out with us, get to know Jewels a little better, and bring a question if you have one. Jewels, I'm really looking forward to our conversation! ❤️🐼

Todd and I met in second grade. SECOND GRADE! Can you believe that? 😂 I never could have imagined back then that the little boy I met at school would become my best friend, my husband, and the person I'd share so much of my life with. Now here we are, building Skoolology together. Who would have thought? 😂 Todd is one of the funniest (not as funny as me 🤣), most generous people I know. He's creative, always coming up with ideas, and a tech wizard who can figure out just about anything. I still don't know how his brain works half the time! He makes me laugh, challenges my thinking, believes in me, and makes me want to be a better person. And I love that after all these years, we're still dreaming up new things to do together. Of course, I have some competition for his attention these days. Nick absolutely adores him! I'm pretty sure our cat thinks Todd hung the moon. Honestly, I can't blame him. ❤️ We've been through a lot of life together since second grade. Some wonderful, some hard, and plenty we never saw coming. I wouldn't trade our story for anything. Happy 60th birthday, Todd! I love you, and I'm so glad we found each other all those years ago. ❤️ Since so many of you are part of this latest adventure of ours, I thought it would be fun to celebrate him right here in Skoolology. If you have a birthday wish, a little wisdom for turning 60, or a good old-man joke, I’d love for you to leave it for Todd in the comments. 🐼❣️ I'd love for him to see a whole lot of love (and maybe a little teasing) today! 😂 And Todd, just so you know, I fully intend to keep getting us into trouble for many more years to come! 😂🐼

It's someone who has become a very dear friend of mine, @Christy Keeter ❤️ Christy, where do I even begin? You have such a heart for people. You're always encouraging someone, sharing what you've learned, or finding a way to help somebody take that next step. And I love that about you! For those of you who haven't met Christy yet, she's the heart behind Building Digitally with Christy, where she helps people explore building an online business, find their footing, and take those first steps without feeling like they have to know everything. She's building something that reflects who she is. Generous, encouraging, grounded in faith, and genuinely wanting to see other people succeed. But here's what I really want to celebrate today. The friend behind the community. Christy, I'm so glad Skool brought us together. What started as a connection between two community builders has become a friendship I truly treasure. Today, I hope you get to be on the receiving end of all that love and encouragement you're so good at giving everyone else! Happy Birthday, my sweet friend! ❤️ Skoolology friends, help me make Christy's day a little brighter!

@Jewels Sherriff shared a fun post about birth flowers in her community, and it got me thinking! October's birth flower is the marigold. And since Todd is an October baby, that makes it his birth flower! ❤️ But here's why I love marigolds so much. Years ago, when I was working in education, I came across an article called Find Your Marigold. It was written for teachers, but the message has stayed with me. Marigolds are often planted alongside other plants because they can help protect them from certain pests and create a healthier environment for growth. The article uses that idea as a beautiful analogy for the people we surround ourselves with. Marigolds are the people who help us grow. They're the ones who encourage us, share what they've learned, celebrate our wins, and remind us what we're capable of when we're having a hard day. And I've been thinking about how much that applies to building communities, too. We all need people who make the journey a little easier. People we can think out loud with, laugh with, learn from, and lean on when things get messy. And sometimes, we get to be that marigold for someone else. ❤️ Here's the article that started it all: Find Your Marigold 🌼 A little Common Ground fun for today! 🌸 🌷 What's your birth month, and do you know your birth flower? (I had to look some of them up!) 🌼 And who's been a marigold in your life? Someone who's helped you grow, encouraged you, or simply made life a little brighter? P.S. Thank you, Jewels, for the birth flower inspiration! I had no idea your post would bring me back to an article I've loved for years! 🥰