what we're thankful for
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." Melody Beattie
Growing up I had the above quote taped to my closet door. Gratitude was a principle my parents tried to instill in us from a young age, and, like any normal human, I was sometimes filled with gratitude and other times the concept was lost on me. Like my adolescent self, gratitude for most of us comes in peaks and valleys, often swelling in moments tied to deep emotion such as with family or around traditions and dissolving in moments of stress.
As I've grown older, my appreciation for the holiday season has grown exponentially, due in part to the outpouring of gratitude, love, and selflessness that we often see tied to the season. While I will argue that this principle and these feelings should carry throughout the rest of the year, I'm grateful that the world kind of pauses and looks outside of itself and we feel more aware and present as we wind down the year.
Here at Rhone, we value gratitude as a core principle of our company. It is one that drives our work ethic, our colleague relationships, and our day to day actions. We truly are grateful for Rhone, for our customers, and for the opportunity we have to continue to bring to you a brand that we are proud of. But it is often the things outside of our office walls that make us successful within.
Each member of our team took some time to reflect on what they are particularly grateful for this Thanksgiving and we would love to share their thoughts in hopes that it will remind you of all you a grateful for. Please feel free to express your own feelings of gratitude in the comments below. Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy Thanksgiving from the entire Rhone team.
"My children. I feel like I learn something new every single day from teaching them, and I have recently been really focused on being present, enjoying time with them, listening to them and celebrating everything that is good about them. It's so easy to see only the bad things our kids do, but this year I am really committed to making their childhood great and investing in them." Ben Checketts, VP of Brand
"Always thankful for spending time with friends and family during the Thanksgiving season." Chris Devine, Field Marketing and Events Manager
"Family, friends, and good health." Marisa Grimshaw, VP of Communications
"Doctors and miracles of medicine. I know we are all trying to live our healthiest life. The cards don't always have the same idea. Children who may be born with defects can live a longer life then first expected. Moms, Dads, siblings, and friends can get the attention needed, even though they have lived the most healthy life possible. It gives them the chance to see graduations, marriages, new births and celebrate so much more. All because there are doctors out there who use modern miracles to make life much more valuable. I have been blessed by doctors who have helped my daughter, my father and my niece who I may have not been able to know had medicine not been there to extend their lives and give us so much joy." Jessica Albrecht, Customer Experience Manager
"I am most thankful for my family and friends." Brittany Longo, Account Executive
"My incredible wife. There was a great article recently published called "The Myth Of CEO Work-Life Balance" and it highlighted how CEOs like to talk about how they can get an hour workout, seven hours of sleep, a full day of work and still be dedicated parents while also contributing to various charities. But the truth is that behind every hard working executive there are incredible people who allow them to succeed. And for me, that is my wife Dayna. She is a 1-man army/wrecking crew. She keeps me balanced and knows when I need time for myself or when I need to be pushing harder in one direction or another. I trust her counsel and guidance and am so fortunate to have a life partner I can always rely on." Nate Checketts, CEO
"I am thankful for my family, friends, and health! and this job of course! : )" Geeta Jethani, Senior Fit Designer
"This year has been CRAZY. My partner of nine years went to the Olympics and I was able to go to support him and the USA, I got a new family (thanks 23 & Me!), a new/safer vehicle to commute in, happily landed a new job with Rhone where my day-to-day quality of work-life has drastically improved, and the positive changes seem to continue coming my way. I'm thankful for the amazing people I work with and get to build this awesome brand with every day!" Shelby Caret, Digital Marketing Manager
"Family. They're my support system and the reason I strive to be better." Jackson Frame, Customer Experience Agent
"Health. Without my health I could not enjoy any of the other blessings of life." Adam Bridegan, SVP of Marketing
"Having a big family! As I'm sure everyone would agree that having a big family can be overwhelming. But around the holidays there is nothing like a big crazy family get together where the music is blasting in the house and everyone is pitching in to help cook, set-up, clean, whatever it may be. Nothing brings people together like good food." Frankie Moschella, Community Marketing Manager
"Family, health, and friends." Sari Martinez, SVP of Merchandising and Planning
"I am most thankful for the time spent with family and friends. To me, Thanksgiving is always a time of reflection; to count your blessings, treasure the people around you and appreciate the loved ones who are no longer with you. This year will certainly be a celebration of milestones: new life, love, and unity!" Marie Chiappetta, Account Manager
"I'm most thankful for my family. My kids are the most important people in my life and giving them a home filled with love and laughter is my greatest joy." Cortney Ansel, SVP Sales
"I am most thankful for a loving family who supports everything I do and backs me up every step of the way." Kyle Johnson, Director of Digital and Performance Marketing
"This Thanksgiving, I'm most thankful for my healthy family. We've just welcomed another addition to the family, as well as dealt with health issues in our extended family over the past year, so health and wellness have been more than just a background thought for us. I am so thankful that my wife has been able to be so strong throughout her pregnancy and that our daughter arrived happy and well. I've also focused on my own health this year, committing to be the best father and husband I can be - physically and emotionally. Having lost 40 pounds and established solid routines and habits for myself and family, I'm thankful for the energy I have to keep up with my kids." Zach Strickland, Senior Accountant
"I am thankful for my parents who are currently in another country for the next three years providing service to young adults. They're inspiring examples of charity and love to every person they meet. In the dark times of the world today, it is the light of people like my parents who I look to." Lily Shimbashi, Customer Experience Agent
"A family who supports me no matter what and helps me through the good times and the bad times." Chelcee Phelon, Director of Wholesale Operations
"Thankful for my family! This year I am so excited to celebrate Thanksgiving with my little niece Abigail who has filled our hearts with so much joy throughout the year!" Besty Collins, Senior Manager of Production
"Good health and great colleagues. This past October, I completed my first 'Chowdah Cup Challenge' in Cape Cod. The 'Chowdah Cup Challenge' is a two-day race in which challengers run the half marathon on Saturday and the full marathon on Sunday. The weather conditions this year were grueling—runners on Saturday were welcomed with a classic 'Noreaster' of 40-mile per hour howling winds, a downpour of rain throughout the race, and temperatures in the low 40s—and the 39.3-mile course was farther and hillier than I had ever run before. Nonetheless, accompanied by some great friends and of course all my favorite Rhone gear, I conquered the Challenge and even took third place! I am thankful to be sufficiently healthy to push the perceived bounds of my physical and mental limits.
This Thanksgiving marks my one year anniversary working at Rhone. The Rhone environment and culture is markedly different from that of my previous career in private equity—not least of all is because my Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy Bauer gets to join me in the office on select days—and this first year has been truly a terrific experience. One of the differences that I've found both challenging and immensely rewarding is the diversity of perspectives, backgrounds, and internal motivations at Rhone. Rhone is a 'team of teams' comprised of many different functions—product development, customer experience, web design, marketing, merchandising, sales, and more—and collaborating most effectively with all those teams requires understanding what makes each team and teammate 'tick'. Learning to better identify those 'ticks' and thereby better collaborate with these teams has made me a better team player, leader, and follower. I am grateful Rhone has opened that professional and personal development for me, and I feel very fortunate to work with such passionate colleagues." Luke Skarzinski, VP of Strategy
"My family! No matter what, they motivate me to keep going through hard days and bring me so much joy every day." Kymee Steenblik, Customer Experience Agent
"A healthy family." John Gallagher, Corporate Sales