Some of my fondest childhood memories are those of 30-40 family members gathered at the house cooking out, playing volleyball or badminton in the backyard, or playing foursquare, kickball, and jump rope in the schoolyard across the street. As a young adult, I was always the person initiating and planning group trips - couples’ cabin trips with zip lining and ATVing, girls beach trips, and family t
rips to college football Big Ten Championship and Bowl games. As a young adult, I also came to realize that we are so focused on achieving the next milestone, that we rarely stop to be present and appreciate the smaller, yet significant steps in between. I started hosting Celebration Circles where I gathered women around to share our achievements and acknowledge them together. At work, I joined employee engagement and holiday party planning teams because I wanted to ensure a representative planning committee that planned inclusive, enjoyable events that went beyond another office pizza party. Finally, after years of seeing and hearing all of the positive feedback from coworkers, friends, and family, I realized I wanted to continue helping remove barriers to celebrating, ESPECIALLY for the nearly missed opportunities to celebrate. So, Twist of Fête was born!