In reflecting on these 7 sessions in the past 7 weeks, the team and I have come up with a list of 7 (oddly specific) lessons that we'll be keeping in mind from now on. Here they are:
 

1. The attrition rate for most "free" events is 70%. It drops down to 30% with the right pre-event messaging (that includes a video or two). 😉
    
2. Notion is the most underrated project management tool of all time.
    
3. Always check a country's import laws before bulk-shipping 60 Empathy Boxes over, lest they get stuck in customs for 42 days...
    
4. When in doubt, don't text – call. Several misunderstandings were avoided (and friendships strengthened) through this heuristic. 🙃
    
5. Never re-design a workshop the night before ... unless you have a crazy, amazing, dedicated team that's willing to do it with you. Even then, don't.
    
6. Celebrate the small wins. Send each other cake. Make gratitude a fixture in your weekly Retrospectives. I don't think the Client Team could've gotten through this mad time without knowing we were loved and supported every step of the way. 🥺
    
7. Space out your sessions so you never need to make a list like this again.

We're so grateful we took the time to bid goodbye to our past in May, so that we could fully step into the crazy, uncertain, but incredibly fulfilling challenge of growing a virtual empathy training company.

From teaching Empathy skills to 15–17 year old changemakers from five continents, to building stronger bonds as a cohort for the YSEALI ASEAN Women's Leadership Academy, it's been a wild ride... 🐎

... but we're finally taking some time off! The whole team will be taking a well-deserved break from 23 July – 2 August — giving us the space and time to recuperate, rejuvenate and prepare ourselves for the next half of the year. (Also, half of us are getting vaccinated this week!)

That's it from us! What about you? 💛

Do you have an opportunity to reflect on the first half of the year, take stock of what's been going on in your life so far, or maybe even take a break?

Everybody's journey is unique. Here's a simple reflection template that we use to guide us as a team (we just did it yesterday). If you try it out, let us know!

This is long enough already, so here are a couple of celebrations to wrap things up...