Elevate

My word for 2026 is Elevate. It’s something I’ve been thinking about intentionally as we head into this year. Through Influential Encounters, we focus a lot on three things. Meeting the right people. Inspiring one another. Influencing the rooms we’re in.

Those conversations happen everywhere. At events. On calls. Around dinner tables. When the right people get into those rooms and choose to grow together, the impact starts to ripple far beyond that moment. Eventually the impact reaches something bigger. The industries we’re part of.

So the question becomes pretty simple. What does it actually look like to elevate the industry you’re in?

Last week at Storm Academy in Minnesota, I got to watch that play out in real time.

A group of women from across the snow industry flew into Southern Minnesota, drove down a muddy driveway to a lake house sitting on a frozen lake, and spent a few days doing something that every strong industry is built on. Learning from one another and getting better at the work.

Watching the week unfold reminded me of a few things that go way beyond snow removal or equipment training. The kind of things that make the industry better.

Get in the Room

One thing I admire most about the women who attended Storm Academy is that they made the decision to come. That might sound simple, but it isn’t.

They left their companies, their teams, and their families to show up somewhere unfamiliar with people they didn’t all know. They put themselves in a position where they might not have all the answers and were willing to learn anyway.

That takes courage.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Growth happens when you put yourself in rooms where you don’t quite feel like you belong yet. When I first started attending snow conferences years ago, I remember sitting there thinking, what am I doing here?

But those are the rooms that stretch you. Those are the rooms that elevate you.

Learn From Experience

One of the things that makes Storm Academy special is the people behind it. They are patient, generous with their knowledge, and deeply committed to helping others understand the work.

There’s no one trying to act like they’re the smartest person in the room. No one holding information back. Just people who genuinely care about helping others get better.

Watching the women run equipment, ask questions, and work through real scenarios alongside people who do this every day was powerful. That’s the thing about elevation. It doesn’t come from theory. It comes from experience. From practice. From someone standing next to you saying, try it this way.

The best industries share what they know.

Invest in People

Another thing that stood out to me last week was how many people and companies played a role in making the experience possible. Storm Equipment opened their doors and welcomed us in. Partners supported the training. And companies made the decision to send their people.

When a company chooses to invest in training like this, they’re doing more than giving someone a few days away from the office. They’re giving that person the chance to grow. To ask questions. To try things. To build confidence in skills they’ll bring back to their team.

Every woman who attended Storm Academy is heading back to her company with new ideas, new perspectives, and a stronger understanding of the work.

And that’s how an industry moves forward. One company deciding it’s worth investing in its people.

Stay Humble Enough to Keep Learning

One of my favorite moments from the trip didn’t happen during a training session. It happened during conversation. Someone said something along the lines of, “I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know.”

Everyone laughed, but honestly that’s the starting point of growth.

The people who elevate industries are the ones who stay curious. They ask questions. They listen. They keep learning. The moment you think you’ve got it all figured out is usually the moment you stop getting better.

And the truth is, every single person in that room had experience. Many of them are already leaders inside their companies. But they still showed up ready to listen, to learn, and to try something new. That mindset is what separates people who continue to grow from those who decide they’ve already learned enough.

If you stay humble enough to keep learning, there really isn’t a limit to how far you can go.

Bring It Back With You

The most important part of experiences like Storm Academy happens after everyone goes home. The real question becomes what you do with what you learned.

Will you teach your team? Will you share the knowledge? Will you improve systems or processes?

Elevation only works if it spreads. The goal isn’t just to attend something great. The goal is to bring something back that makes the people around you better too.

That might look like teaching someone a new skill. It might be sharing an idea that improves the way your team works. Or maybe it’s simply showing up with a little more confidence in the work you’re doing.

But that’s how industries actually move forward. One person learns something… and then brings it back to the people around them.

Where Elevation Starts

Elevating an industry rarely happens because of one big speech or one big moment. It happens through small decisions. Choosing to show up. Choosing to learn. Choosing to invest in people.

Watching the women at Storm Academy last week reminded me exactly why Influential Encounters exists in the first place.

Put the right people in a room. Create an environment where they feel comfortable asking questions, sharing ideas, and learning from one another. Growth starts to happen naturally.

That’s how industries get better.

One room at a time.