My partner is a teacher, so I find myself describing my six-year-old business much as I would a first grader: I'm familiar with many of the routines (sometimes even swagger a bit down the hall), but I'm still coming into my own as a learner, explorer, and community member.

This past year has been full-to-overflowing with opportunities to contribute, collaborate, and produce extraordinary results for my clients. I helped Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan give away nearly $2 million in grants. I teamed with Don Percy to guide the Madison Water Utility Board through wholesale governance reinvention. I listened carefully to my friend Jessica over tea, then put words to her enthusiasm to fuel the grand opening of her new shop, Hand With Seeds.

Looking ahead

What can you expect from Writing Barefoot going forward? More of the "barefoot" sensibility: simple, practical, engaging, energizing, and refreshingly unconventional.

In this next year I look forward to bringing "barefoot" to learning communities, expanding the toolkit of practices and approaches I draw on to serve, and saying "YES!" to projects that expand my clients' ability to make the difference they're committed to making in the world.

What could we create together? You choose.

• Creativity and innovation
• Clear communication
• Participatory decision making
• Enthusiastic implementation
• Appreciation and collaboration

What might I do to fulfill those intentions?

• Facilitate productive, engaging meetings, retreats and workshops
• Combine words and images to convey the essence of a concept or organization with style
• Translate academic findings into materials useful in the "real world"
• Support teams and organizations through stages of growth and completion
  
• Listen to and coach leaders committed to systemic change