Choosing Gratitude: A Thanksgiving Reflection from the Heart of Balanced Diversity

This time of year always invites us to slow down, take a breath, and ask ourselves a simple question:
What am I truly grateful for?

When I sit with that question, my heart immediately goes to Balanced Diversity.

A little over five years ago, I started this company in one of the hardest moments of our lifetime, during COVID. It was a time of uncertainty, fear, and disruption. And yet, in the middle of that chaos, a seed was planted: the belief that we could build something different. Something more human. Something that would help people not just find “a job,” but build a future.

Today, I’m deeply grateful that we’re still here and thriving. But when I say we’re “doing well,” I’m not just talking about revenue or profit (though as a founder, yes, those matter too). I’m talking about the kind of “well” that can’t be measured only on a balance sheet.

We’ve helped over 1,000 people step into jobs they now call their future, roles that let them grow, support their families, and feel seen. We’ve partnered with hundreds of clients, helping them find the employees who don’t just fill a seat, but bring heart, talent, and possibility into their organizations. And we’ve built a culture and a team that I am incredibly proud of.

They say an entrepreneur’s journey is a lonely one. And there are definitely days when the weight of responsibility feels heavy. But it feels a lot less lonely when you’re surrounded by a team like ours, a team that believes in what you believe in, is passionate about what you’re passionate about, and cares as deeply as you do about the people behind every resume, every role, every career journey.

That is what I’m grateful for.

Gratitude in Tough Times

We all know we’re living through some challenging times in our country. Division, tension, and uncertainty can feel like the loudest voices in the room. But every day, I get to witness something different.

I get to be surrounded by people who are not fixated on what separates us—but on what connects us.

Our clients, our partners, our community, and our team come together around shared beliefs:

• That diversity matters, not as a checkbox, but as a strength.

• That every person deserves to be seen.

• That everyone deserves a job and a future, no matter the color of their skin, their gender, their background, or the path they took to get here.

We are fortunate to do this work in a place where we are allowed and encouraged to see people for who they truly are: multidimensional, capable, resilient, and full of potential.

That is so much of what I am grateful for.

I’m grateful for a community that believes in this.
For clients that don’t just say they value diversity, but invest in it.
For a team that shows up every day with compassion, integrity, and a real desire to make a difference.

Choosing What to Focus On

This Thanksgiving, I’m making a conscious choice about where I place my focus.

I choose to be grateful for the good people in my life,
the people in our community,
the partners who trust us,
the candidates who share their stories with us,
and the team members who pour their hearts into this work.

I choose to be grateful for those who want to make an impact, who want to create opportunity, who want to build workplaces where people are seen, valued, and given a chance to grow.

Because at the end of the day, that’s what Balanced Diversity has always been about:
bringing humanity back to hiring and making sure that people are never reduced to just numbers in a system.

A Thanksgiving Wish for You

As you move through this season and reflect on what you’re grateful for, I hope you feel even a fraction of the warmth I feel as I write this.

I hope you’re able to look around and see the people who show up for you.
The ones who believe in you.
The ones who remind you that your work matters, your presence matters, and you matter.

From my heart to yours, and from the entire Balanced Diversity team:

Thank you for believing in this mission, for walking alongside us, and for being part of a community that is trying, every day, to make work more human.

Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with connection, reflection, and deep, abiding gratitude.