The year is 2012.

As a young mom living with two little ones at home, I was more than a little desperate for conversation that didn’t only revolve around cars, trucks, dinosaurs, or – let’s face it – bathroom habits. My youngest had just started preschool at the public school-run program down the road from us. I looked forward to the preschool drop-offs and pickups and the lovely, albeit brief, conversations with my son’s teachers. Fast-forward a few months into the school year, and it’s mentioned in passing that the school needs an instructional assistant for one of the classrooms.

A lightbulb moment.

Could this be for me?! In our home, I was, admittedly, one of those moms who planned crafts, kid-friendly recipes to make together, and science experiments for my children since the time they could walk, talk, and – well – eat. So, it was not far-fetched to picture myself in a classroom. I decided to throw my hat in the ring and was offered the position.

I don’t remember those first few weeks of teaching specifically, but I do remember very vividly the first time the lead teacher in my classroom was absent and I was filling her role. It was a make-or-break moment. I saw 18 adorable little 4-year-old faces staring up at me during morning meeting, on the brink of complete chaos, and I knew either I had to be in charge, or I was going to resign myself to the longest ever six-hour shift known to humankind. Thankfully, the former prevailed and that was really the moment I fell in love with teaching in an early childhood classroom. I love the challenge of understanding someone’s needs while knowing I have my own goals to achieve, and using storytelling to meet an audience where they are.

Twelve years of experience later, about a dozen continuing ed classes, three Massachusetts early ed teaching certifications, my own successful educational products small business created during the height of COVID, multiple age levels taught, and I, like so many of my colleagues, was fighting teacher burnout. The parts I loved about the career, I still love about the career. And the parts I could do without, well—that’s for another blog post. But it became clear to me that it was now or never to try something new using so many of those skills I had honed in the classroom every single day.

Enter Henrich Communications. My husband Michael, a gifted communicator, had struck out on his own three years earlier, creating a successful public relations and communications training business out of his award-winning career in journalism. The business was thriving. On several occasions, we had discussions around the dinner table about the possibility of hiring someone or bringing in a partner. But that was followed quickly with questions of how and who and when. We joked about me casting aside my teaching career and making it a true family business. And then one day, we realized that it really wasn’t a joke. This idea had real promise: Simultaneously benefiting Michael’s need for a leading partner and my need to expand my career outside of teaching. To make it even clearer to us that it was meant to be, when I started building my new resume, I began seeing all the transferable skills that so easily fit the bill for a career in communications. The leadership, organizational, and writing skills required for a teacher in a classroom segued seamlessly into a principal position at a communications agency.

So, in spring 2024, I put away my curriculum planner and that summer, I started working at Henrich Communications. Learning the ins and outs of the business, the common lingo, and, yes, how to create compelling PowerPoints again. Client wins came early, as did the thrill of helping them advance their goals. Little did I know that the previous 12 years leading a classroom of children was just the precursor to managing our communications agency.

I’m thrilled to still be telling stories. Just differently. A way that connects people. Informs people. And, in our own little way, improves the lives and livelihoods of the clients we serve.