mutual support + celebration

There’s a beautiful mural near my home of a marching band with the quote, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” ― Helen Keller

As 2025 wraps up, I’d like to celebrate how Circle and Spoke centered in collaboration and mutual support with some gratitude. And with these thank yous (which I must say aren’t limited to those named below), I’m sharing some of the lessons.  

Nora and Allie, thank you for holding down the fort at local tabling events to encourage the community to take and leave a pep talk. The events wouldn’t have been possible without your presence and care. 

• And I’ll be totally honest, asking these folks to support me at these events was an exercise in stretching myself! A table had to be set up by 7:00am in Downtown DC. My head thought this was an absurd ask, but with advanced notice, a friend gladly said yes!

  • Lesson: Just because a request might seem absurd to you, doesn’t mean a friend doesn’t want to support you in your absurdity. Ask! They’ll tell you if it’s beyond their capacity.

Robert, thank you for taking my vision of the pep talk wheel and doing the work to make it possible! 

• I wanted this pep talk wheel to stand, but I was in a pickle. Even after borrowing my cousin’s drill, I couldn’t get holes in the wood to bolt the wheel on. After engaging in a networking mapping exercise to figure out who might have woodworking or superior drills, I recalled that the husband of a fellow board member of Many Hands DC was an avid woodworker. Robert gladly welcomed me into his wood shop and took my vision and got the pep talk wheel to stand! 

  • Lesson: Think big about your connections and who might be able to support you.

Natalia, thank you for creating a warm and welcoming environment at our July retreat!

• Natalia is truly the best and after thinking through who might be the right person to assist me on this event, I realized that Natalia was the right gal for the job. The retreat would have gone seriously sideways without her steady presence and care. In fact, after a hiccup with our campsite, Natalia welcomed the participants to Pedal, Paddle and Pause, while I took action and found a new campsite.

  • Lesson: You never know how someone is going to be a tremendous help. Having a teammate you trust in can make a difference when the unexpected arises. 

And I’d love to give a major thank you to you… Spokers! This community and our work is possible thanks to you cheering us on, showing up to our gatherings and retreats and leaning into our vibe and energy to build connection and have fun riding together! 

Whatever happened in 2025, the highlights, the lowlights, the everyday, I hope you can celebrate the relationships and support that got your through. Understanding how you needed support this past year (whether it materialized) can be a guide post to determine how you want to lean into support in the coming year!

Wheels up, 

Ellen

PS: Starting in January, for the first four months of 2026, I’ll be publishing one newsletter a month, on the first Monday of each month. I love writing this newsletter and in reflection, recognize that scaling back is the “write” move for me.