By Lara Henneman, TechChange Special Projects and Communications

With Thanksgiving this week, we here at TechChange wanted to share some thoughts on gratitude. To keep things interesting, we decided to ask some of the most inspiring people we know: the coaches in our Impact Coach Network, the only coaching platform specifically designed for purpose-driven leaders in global development, climate change, philanthropy, and non-profit work. Our Impact Coaches work with social impact professionals to help them discover their goals, plan for difficult transitions, and achieve their full potential. 

Here are just two of these amazing individuals on gratitude, resilience, and hope for the future.

Lauren Goldberg

Areas of Expertise: Corporate Social Responsibility, Climate Change, Tech for Good, Social Enterprise, Disability Justice, Cooperatives, Transportation, Urban Design 

Lauren Goldberg acknowledges “the historically flawed origin story of the holiday, and the erasure of Indigenous genocide.” Still, she says that “the theme of gratitude is a sentiment that [she] can appreciate, including the gratitude for your personal journey, for the many people that have helped you to navigate along the way.” Goldberg is a social entrepreneur who specializes in helping emerging leaders break free from traditional models of leadership that are rooted in systems of oppression and supremacy culture. She helps clients embrace their own style of kind, compassionate and bold leadership. She had this to say about a mindset game-changer she’s discovered:

“We often talk about expressing gratitude for where we’ve been, but in recent years I’ve learned a gratitude gamechanger: having gratitude for the future. No matter how we feel about where we are now, it’s about keeping a sense of optimism that good things are coming our way. And if you experience anticipatory anxiety like I do and worry about all the things that could go wrong to prepare yourself for when all the things go wrong – you already know worrying doesn’t really prepare you; it only drains you. So doing the opposite can feel like a radical act. Regardless of your spiritual beliefs and practices, this sense of faith in where you are heading, how those future experiences will continue to shape you, inspire you, motivate you, teach you, and ultimately bring you closer to where you are meant to be–that is some next-level gratitude we can strive for, especially in these times of uncertainty.”

Julia Firestone

Areas of Expertise: Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Enterprise, Education, Nonprofits 

After working in nonprofits, the corporate social impact sector, consulting and social entrepreneurship, Julia Firestone knows what it feels like to get burnt out during a job search– and to need to heal from a toxic workplace culture. The ICF-certified Transformational Coach and founder of The Purpose Career Lab specializes in leadership development for social impact professionals, teams and organizations. When asked about gratitude in the context of an evolving career, she had this to say:

“I encourage people to think about gratitude with this question: What are all of the things that had to happen in order for me to be here right now as the person I am today? Not only in the recent past, but going way back to the single-celled organisms that had to grow and morph and evolve from billions of years ago to land me in this moment. This pause can help you acknowledge the ways that humanity–and you as an individual–have learned and grown already, as well as the many people and experiences who helped you to learn these lessons, both inspiring and challenging.”

We hope these words struck a chord.

If you’re struggling this season with not feeling good enough or not knowing what’s next for you in your career, consider working with a coach as an investment in yourself. As Lauren Goldberg told me, “working with a coach can help get you movin’ and groovin’ towards your social impact career goals–in a way that works for you.”