I’m Coming Home

Posted on August 30, 2022 by MrsAustinNexus

In so many ways I feel like I’ve blinked and 7 years have flown by (somehow, it will always seem like it’s been just 3 years that we’ve been together – sort of like how the 90’s will always be 10 years ago)…yet at the same time, it’s hard for me to remember life before you, Brian.

As I’ve been in the road this week, I’ve been looking back on the last 12 years with you, and thinking of the things we’ve managed to pull off: me commuting 90 plus miles between OC & Palm Springs; endless business travel & many miles in between us for days; moving 4 times in as many month; sharing sub-500 square feet of living space (and living out of boxes for over a year during a global pandemic); starting a business; spending nearly 26 months together almost 24/7; and now learning to keep a living creature alive (and preventing her from destroying our house). I guess it makes sense that the days, weeks, and years have passed by in a flash.

I love thinking about the “god old days” and reminiscing about meeting you, our epic 45 minute drive home from Vegas, our Baker, CA Blizzard tradition, the countless “strategic alignment” sessions at Peet’s Coffee, all those rides to & from the airport, and me finally figuring out that we were dating (3 weeks or so after it accidentally happened). But I also wouldn’t trade a single moment of our life today, because somehow you’ve managed to make every year with you better than the one before.

I’m so grateful to know that whatever challenges we’ll face ahead, we’ll take on together. We’ve managed to become an unstoppable team & I know we can handle anything!

I know today’s just another day, and we were both resolved with me being stuck on the road, but I won’t deny that I have a bit of the Christmas Morning feeling 30,000 feet in the air, knowing I’m coming home after all.

Happy 7th Anniversary ~ being your wife is my most favorite job of all. Thank you for making it so easy to love you!

Now, can I get a ride from the airport tonight?

Orange is the New Blue

Posted on April 4, 2022 by MrsAustinNexus

Have you ever made a decision, then watched as everything around you seemed to fall perfectly into place ─ and step by step you saw, felt, and just knew in your heart it was the right choice? Well, let me tell you a story about the last few weeks…

It’s certainly not the first time I didn’t see the curve ball coming my way. I had just been promoted, and was happily humming along my merry way. One Friday afternoon, at the end of a very long week, my wiser half reminded me that there’s a big (Orange) world out there. In an attempt to prove his point, Mr. @AustinNexus asked me to make a phone call. After the last 12 years together, if I’ve learned anything at all, it’s to always do exactly what Mr. @AustinNexus says to do.

That 15-minute phone call turned into another, and another (thank you, Sona Akmakjian)…and before I knew it, I was falling in love with the thought of taking a leap, of joining a hungry team, of building something that years from now we’ll look back on with incredible pride, and most of all, of wearing Orange and officially becoming an Avalarian!

Today I begin a new chapter, as I accept the role as Director of Global Strategic Accounting Partnerships at Avalara. As the kids would say, I’ve got all the feels. I’m anxious to dig in and get to work building out our strategy. I’m excited to partner with new teammates and have the opportunity to learn and grow. I’m so looking forward to getting back on the road, finally, and being able to make eye contact and sit in the same room again with accounting partners. I’m quite frankly petrified that I’ve forgotten how to walk in stilettos (people, it’s been 25 months since my last business trip!).

Amid all these mixed emotions that I’ve navigated the past several weeks, three reminders have sustained me and become the perfect tag lines for this season:

Everything happens for a reason

I’m fully confident that although change can be uneasy, stressful, and even uncomfortable, God put me right here, right now for a very specific purpose.

Timing is everything

I’ve known Avalara longer than I’ve known Mr. Austin, and even talked about joining the “A Team” several times before (always indebted to Marshal Kushniruk), though it just wasn’t the right moment of harmonic convergence…until now!

The best is yet to come

If we don’t get uncomfortable, we don’t grow. I can’t wait to see all the ways I’ll be stretched for the better in the new role. I’m looking forward to this next season where I get to become the best version of me!

Remember Every New Beginning is Some Beginning’s End

Posted on April 1, 2022 by MrsAustinNexus

On October 28, 2013, I tweeted a tweet I never expected to tweet. It was a photo of my new Intuit badge, sent from an amazingly outfitted campus in beautiful San Diego, where I sat for my first day of new hire training. And, eight and a half years later, I’m sharing something I never expected to share, as I turn in that same badge today. Funny enough, the caption remains the same:

Remember every new beginning is some beginning’s end…

For those who haven’t known me that long, the story of my joining Intuit is one that I’ve often compared to “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”. I really wasn’t that interested, but with each conversation I had with tenured Intuit employees, I became more excited about the company, more enamored with the culture, and more impressed with so many of my future colleagues.

In some ways much is still the same, yet in others, everything has changed. When I got to Intuit I had just turned 30, and was racing to make all the accounting profession “lists” (much in part thanks to my then boyfriend, who I often referred to as my publicist). I had a few years of experience with large firms, and was anxious to continue building my personal brand with the incredible accounting professionals that had so graciously adopted me into their community. Today, as I prepare to say goodnight and sign-off one last time, I do so as Mrs. Austin (marry the guy who always makes you look better than you are). I succeeded in landing on the list of all lists (THREE times!),and before I’ve hit 40, I can talk about the decade of my career that I’ve devoted to serving top firms, and helping them reach their goals. I guess you can say that I grew up at Intuit.

I’ve been fortunate to work with some incredible people over the past eight years – some still here, and others have moved on as well. I found myself posing with Intuit CEO Brad Smith at the top of the rock in New York City, celebrating the top achievers at Sales Club (and would have had more of those adventures if not for Covid). I traveled all over the US – from Hawaii to Florida, and just about everywhere in between – sharing how QuickBooks Online can change firms’ practices, and accountants’ lives. I snapped selfies with Intuit Founder Scott Cook in a packed cafeteria one April 15^th while we both participated in the TuboTax LifeLine “all hands on deck” week. I spoke at national conferences, and I was able to give back by investing in the future of the profession while working with firms’ internship programs and guest-speaking to high school and college students. I had an amazing mentor, and I was privileged to be able to mentor a handful of my teammates too. To all of you who have been part of my Intuit story – thank you from the bottom of my heart, and know that I’ll forever have your imprints on me. I truly hope that I’ve made an impact on you as well!

Anyone who had the honor of serving at Intuit under Brad Smith knows the power of “Bradisms”. As I tried to find the right things to say today, it’s no surprise that I went straight to Brad’s words – to a personal note he left me here on this blog, shortly after he stepped down as CEO, which ended with one of his familiar mantras, and some of the best advice I could echo:

“Work Hard – Be Kind – Take Pride!!!“

To be continued…

Just for Today

Posted on December 31, 2021 by MrsAustinNexus

You know that saying, “there’s only one way to go from here!”? Well, be careful when you use that! How many of us had that attitude coming out of 2020, with no idea that an entire year later, “normal” would still be a semi-mythical term to describe the way things were in 2019. Granted, for many, things have relaxed or returned to at least a new “normal”, but living in SoCal, and working for a huge company like Intuit, we’ve still felt pretty un-normal this year.

2021 might have topped the scales in some regards for most challenging year yet (not exactly the achievement I was hoping for). I said goodbye to several grandparents, we worked ourselves to exhaustion, we didn’t even come close to the other mythical term in our home: work/ life balance.

On the flip side – there were a handful of highlights too: My auntie heart grew by 2 feet (and 19 inches), we upped our pandemic cardio game by adding a Peloton to my office décor (751 rides later), we managed to sneak away off the grid for just a couple days with Brian’s family for some Austin time (checked “explore abandoned gold mine” off the bucket list), and we got to celebrate birthdays and the holidays here in our new home with family.

One of the things I will always remember the most about my beloved Grandmother, is that no matter what challenge she faced, she never ever complained. She always looked at the bright side, talked about the positive, and sought out the joy in any circumstance. She even had a little song about it that my brothers and I rolled our eyes to as children, as she’d hum it along our merry way. What I wouldn’t give to hear her gentle voice humming that little tune…I miss her dearly, but somehow I feel like her gift to me this year was to remember that. I find myself thinking of her often when things get tough, and laughing about what her spin on it would have been.

As I’ve taken time this year working on my own personal growth, and spent many hours in self-reflection, I’ve acknowledged that by nature, I’m a stresser, a worrier, and as my son would say, “if future tripping was an Olympic sport, I’d definitely take the gold medal”. Who knows what tomorrow will have in store for us – I’ve learned my lesson about planning too far ahead these days. But this year has allowed me to step back and look at the world like Grandma. To see the bright side, to celebrate the beautiful moments, stop stressing about tomorrow, and instead be content in the moment – even if it’s just for today.

May you find the joy in the normal, the reward in the struggle, and may 2022 be filled with countless (big and small) moments worth celebrating…Happy New Year!

Home Sweet Home for the Holidays

Posted on December 31, 2020 by MrsAustinNexus

I know, the first thing you’re thinking is “It’s 2020, aren’t we ALL home?!”. But trust me when I say, this is a huge milestone: we are actually home!

When we started packing our home up September 1, 2019, I told everyone “hopefully we’ll be home for the holidays!”. I never imagined that we not only would miss that deadline but would be an entire year beyond it. After 14.5 months (444 days to be exact, but who’s counting?) of being displaced due to the never-ending (self-induced) construction project, I can’t think of any better way to close the chapter on 2020 than saying, we’re finally HOME!

I heard someone say this past week that we’re about to get bombarded with all the year-end messages about how we all thrived in 2020 and came out of it so much better than we were at the beginning. I’ve joked about the book I’m going to write someday: “How to Voluntarily be Homeless During a Global Pandemic and Still Have the Best Year of Your Career”. But let’s be real. It’s been a rough year. Rougher for many others than for me (I know I’ve really been only minimally impacted). I miss my nephews. I miss my Intuit colleagues. I miss seeing my firms. I even miss the United Club. I really miss the gym! And I could go my entire life without another Zoom call and would be just fine. But more than me personally, my heart goes out to those I know and love who have been challenged far beyond my inconvenience of being trapped working at home for almost a year. We’ve seen friends & family suddenly lose their jobs, cheered on colleagues who navigated home schooling meets board meeting at the same time. When COVID-19 was not enough to deal with, we’ve buried loved ones & prayed some of our closest friends through cancer treatment and high-risk surgeries.

When I look back on my post a year ago (“2020 Vision”, now that’s funny!), It’s actually affirming to realize what we did accomplish, even though it looked a lot different than I expected. I laid out specific goals and promises that I wanted to achieve and keep: Positivity, Passion, Priorities, Play, and Protect.

One of my biggest challenges starting 2020 has turned into one of my greatest blessings as we end the year. It’s been such a perfect reminder to me that a positive outlook on a very trying situation can prove to be life changing. I’ve learned grace, patience, and been stretched in ways that have helped me grow as a person. Never forget that the mind is our most powerful muscle.

Speaking of muscles…I did get my Personal Training and Fitness Nutrition Coaching certifications! Not without some extra drama (nothing like deleting 60% of your final exam the day before it’s due to bring me right back to those college all-nighter days). When Coronavirus and lockdown threw a monkey wrench in our fitness routine, I managed to get creative. Brian and I have learned to enjoy our home gym, and my walking desk has become one of my favorite places to be. I’m grateful to be able to continue pursuing my passion for fitness and truly incorporate it into my work-life integration.

It’s almost funny (too soon perhaps) to look back a year ago and remember how unbelievably burned out I was. It felt like I hadn’t slept in the same bed for more than 2 nights in months, and I definitely was not getting any downtime at home. Brian and I have joked that we’ve spent more time together in 2020 than in the entire decade we’ve been together. This year we celebrated 10 years together, and our 5^th wedding anniversary…somehow take-out, Netflix, and carrot cake on the couch was as appropriate as ever! I’m confident that my priorities are officially reset. I also added a new term to my vocabulary in 2020: Road sick…

We might not have had enough play time this year, but even the playground needs to be built. I can’t wait for next year’s holidays when I can finally enjoy the smell of cinnamon rolls in the oven as our son predictably requests the middle one. Or for Summer weekends with my favorite little people gathered at our big kitchen island eating Uncle Brian’s famous breakfast (donuts). As we’ve worked to resettle in back at home, we are excited about all the memories we’re going to be able to make here with family and friends for years to come!

Perhaps the biggest lesson 2020 taught me was perseverance. They say when you’re raising kids the days are long, but the years are short. Well, I think that goes for pandemics too. I feel like days dragged like never before. Yet I look back and everything’s just a blur. I was forced to get really creative on how to accomplish my goals, and even manage to set some new ones (did you know that it’s really, really hard to walk 1 million steps in a month?). I somehow managed to push myself to the point of exhaustion without leaving the house. I most definitely had to deploy a few Plan Bs (and possibly a few Cs and Ds), but in the end, we made it work, one day at a time.

So, while this past trip around the sun didn’t go quite as any of us had planned, I think it’s safe to say that how we’ve navigated these “uncertain times” (yep, I did it, I used “uncertain times”) will have taught us lessons that will last us a lifetime. Nothing’s really changed, our future plans, our mission, our mindset is all still the same, except this year I won’t dare say I’ve got perfect vision, but I can wholeheartedly confirm that hindsight is indeed 2020!

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and a wonderful 2021!

Delayed Gratification

Posted on August 30, 2020 by MrsAustinNexus

5 years ago, I woke up for the last time as Miss Hogan. As I opened my not-a-morning-person eyes, the first thing I remember was seeing my sweet grandmother sitting beside me with a beaming smile. As I started to sit up, she whispered to me “you’re getting married today, my dear!”…It was so fitting that she was there that morning, since she was the one who would constantly remind me that my time would come…I just needed to wait.

As any good Hogan woman, I jumped up into action. It was just after 6am and I had a whole laundry list of to-dos to get done before I got to say I do. But that was nothing new, I felt like I’d been waiting for this day forever…probably because I had. After all, it had been 5 years since my youngest brother had gotten married, but as he once predicted, when I finally did find someone, there wouldn’t be any doubt he was the one.

I wasn’t the little girl who dreamed about some big elaborate fairytale wedding. I had no interest in a poufy dress that trailed behind me half a mile. I didn’t need to come riding in on a rainbow unicorn pony. I wasn’t dead set on packing out my childhood church sanctuary with hundreds of people, and dancing into all hours of the night. I was simply just over the moon that after all the waiting, I was finally about to marry my best friend.

It wasn’t so much that I had known since 2010 that I was going to marry him, or that I had been commuting 90 miles between OC and Palm Springs since 2013, or even that by 2014, everyone around us was give him major grief about when he was going to put a ring on my finger. I knew it would happen. He knew it would happen. That’s all that mattered to us.

The waiting started long before I ever knew where I’d wind up…it started when I went through high school and found myself babysitting instead of going out on Friday nights. It continued into college when I threw myself into my studies and muscled my way through business school in 3 years (while basically working full time). It became a theme post-college when I had the most amazing friends, but never seemed to find anyone who I imagined could be more than a friend. When my three brothers and I all smashed into my 2-door Honda Civic on the way to my baby brother’s wedding, I recall my older brother declaring “3 down, now we just have to get Kim hitched” & I rolled my eyes, thinking “good luck with that”…

But as the saying goes, good things come to those who wait. Or in my case, good people. Even if I was the last person to realize it, the day I met Brian, is the day I finally met my match.

5 years after we promised forever, I don’t think we ever would have pictured being where we are today (once again, waiting). We should be walking the streets of Paris together, or exploring Bora Bora and staying in one of those over-water bungalows…or at least lounging on a beach in Hawaii reliving our honeymoon trip. But one thing the last 10 years with you have taught me…if you’re there, it’s always worth the wait!

Brian – You’re the answer to my prayers. You’re my reward for not settling. You re-taught me how to believe in myself. You re-ignited my confidence that I had let others extinguish. You massively upped my shoe game! I had no idea how great life could be before I had you to share it with me. You’re my proudest accomplishment. You’re my perfect dessert sharer: 3/4 for you, 1/4 for me (except for carrot cake – you better cut that straight down the middle)!

Happy 5^th Anniversary, Babe! I would wait forever all over again for you! #PSILoveYou

Lockdown-Life Lessons

Posted on May 5, 2020 by MrsAustinNexus

It’s been 7 weeks of #LockdownLife here in Palm Springs…life has become incredibly simple, yet complex at the same time. During one of my recent quarantine walks, I jotted down my thoughts on a few things I’m seeing and hearing through my social channels, so I decided I’d share my “Lockdown-Life Lessons” with you all!

Set (or reset) expectations – I see so many people (Instagram fitness influencers are most guilty) saying “oh just be ok that you’re not going to make gains right now” or “just stop looking in the mirror”. While I 100% agree we need to be kind to ourselves most of all, I don’t think we have to throw in the towel on reaching goals. Maybe you need to change your mindset? Set a new goal? My April commitment was to get 20,000 steps a day & I’m proud to say I did it. Even if it meant walking laps around the kitchen at 11:30pm, or walking for 2 hours in the rain, or bribing my husband to escort me around the pitchdark neighborhood with a flashlight when it finally cooled down below 100 degrees.
Be kind – everyone is dealing with SOMETHING. Some more than others, but even if it’s small things like missing the gym or your morning coffee house ritual, it matters. Don’t have a short fuse – cut everyone a little extra slack.
Unpopular opinion – if you don’t feel like dressing up, doing your hair & makeup, and setting up a proper “home office”, then don’t. Do what makes sense for you. If you’re working in a strange location (because you’re home, or perhaps, like me, are out of your typical away from home routine), it’s ok. You’re going to be just fine. Figure out what works for you & just do it one day at a time. Even if that means living in workout clothes with a headband on and your laptop at the kitchen counter.
You can never have too many headbands!
Find a way to give. My heart has been so filled during this time of disequilibrium by doing little things for people. It may seem like an insignificant gesture considering the grand scheme of what’s going on in the world, but I promise you it’ll be repaid by the joy you get by pouring into someone else right now.
To the mamas & daddies out there: You’re. Doing. Great. Don’t be afraid to lock yourself in the bathroom with a box of Kleenex for a “parent-teacher conference”. I was homeschooled K-12 (as were my 3 brothers), so I know what you’re dealing with right now, even if I was on the other end of it back in the day. Your kids will bounce back just fine. If you keep them alive, you get an A+!
I’ll never complain about going to Costco ever again…I miss Costco.
Move – you’ll be amazed how good it feels to walk around your block. Don’t let this be an excuse to permanently assume the Netflix & chill position. If you want to watch 2 hours of TV, force yourself to move at least half that much.
Be an encouraging voice – even when you might not think you are, your words, and actions, are being amplified during this time. The impact you make might surprise you.
You get out what you put in – if you decide this is a time to sit back on cruise control, by all means, take advantage! But if you have a mission to come out the other side of this better than you came in, don’t let anything stop you. I promise you won’t regret it.

Help for the Co.

Posted on April 10, 2020 by MrsAustinNexus

Meet Ivy, the name & face of Ivy & Co., a small boutique filled with unique handmade accessories & gifts located in a revamped warehouse space on Kauai. Ivy’s mom, Rebecca, and I go back to our college days in Orange County, when our paths crossed at Chapman University. After graduation, she moved overseas briefly, but then returned to her hometown of Maui. She eventually met & married her husband, Kit, and they’ve settled down & built their family on Kauai. 15 months ago, they expanded the Co. by adding Ivy’s little sister, baby Teak, to the team. Over the years, we’ve only seen each other a handful of times, but we’ve kept in touch in big part because of Ivy & Co., which is my go-to source for some of my own favorite accessories as well as adorable baby gifts. I’ll forever hold a special place in my heart for Rebecca as a friend who has been there for me when I needed it most. When this opportunity came up to do just a little something for a small business, I knew I had to pick Ivy & Co.

I’m beyond grateful to work for a company that’s made a tremendous commitment by launching our #SmallBizRelief initiative, in partnership with Yelp & GoFundMe. Intuit gave each and every employee the ability to sponsor a small business of our choice, which means up to 9,000 small businesses around the globe will be supported & highlighted during this uncertain time. It’s such a great commitment to our mission: Powering Prosperity around the World.

I’m typically a fixer, a doer, a problem solver. The impact of Covid19 on me personally is frankly quite minor: I don’t have small children, Brian & I already work from home, and as I have learned the past month of being in social quarantine, I’m apparently not very social in person anyway. Most of my relationships & interactions (by nature of my normal life traveling), wind up being online, via text/ FaceTime, etc. The hardest party of all this is missing my daily workouts at the gym (but I’ve gotten creative with that too, and I’ve settled into my new normal routine).

My heart aches though for everyone around me – here in our small town & around the world – who are struggling personally & professionally. We’ve seen the doors close, we know the owners who are scared that they won’t be able to reopen. We know those who have lost their jobs & are just hoping their employers make it out the other side & rehire them. I know moms who are desperately trying to keep up with their new roles as teacher on top of everything else they’re holding together. And I have friends with new babies, or sick babies, or who are sick themselves & carrying heavy loads with very little help.

While I know I can’t save the world, as my great grandmother always said, “if everyone does a little, nobody has to do a lot”. So even if it’s just a little, I’m thankful that it’s something. If everyone can make a little difference, then together, we’ll make a big difference – who knows, maybe we can even change the world?

GoFundMe – Ivy & Co. in COVID-19

2020 Vision

Posted on December 31, 2019 by MrsAustinNexus

2019 has been a doozy. Filled with record setting milestones that make me cringe instead of celebrate (like the realization that I’ve spent over 1/3 of the year in hotels, & flown 20,000 more frequent flier miles than I did last year). My everything is exhausted. If I can feel it, it hurts. And mentally, I’m so beyond drained that I literally can’t see straight.

But somehow, somewhere in the midst of all the craziness (probably on the stair master, or 30,000 feet up), as the final few months, weeks, and now days of this decade approach, I started focusing on what the next decade will look like for the Austins. Those thoughts led to lots (and lots) of late night gym parking lot & phone chats with Brian (usually while I drive across numerous state lines en-route to my next firm visit). And in that, I’ve managed to come to the realization that 2019 didn’t defeat me, but instead brought me down to a place where All the fuzzy, blurry roads ahead suddenly are in perfect focus. So while part of me is just frankly willing myself across 12/31/19, the spark deep down inside of me is lit. My now perfect clarity seems to be shaping up for a new day, year, decade filled with 2020 vision. I know exactly what I need to do to achieve my goals.

As Intuit CEO Sasan Goodarzi declared on stage at QuickBooks Connect, “To own the future, you have to create it!”

Just like that, day all the stress & worry seems a small price to pay for this reality I can clearly see in front of me. Ask anyone who knows me, they’ll tell you I’m no princess. I’m scrappy, resilient, determined. I’m not scared of hard work. And when I set my eyes on a prize, the only thing to worry about is anything standing in my way.

I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. Just this morning I was reminded that in reality, tomorrow, January 1, 2020 is simply just another day. But as I milk a few precious moments of downtime with my husband (mind you, our version of “downtime” has nothing to do with down & never seems anywhere close to enough time), I’m going for it – here are my goals for this next lap around the big sun…

Positivity– Brian shared this lightbulb WSJ article with me this past week. Man, our minds are so powerful. Let’s be sure we’re using them for good.

Passion– over the past several years, my passion for fitness has brought me through some of the most trying times in my life. Exercise is my therapy. It’s the one thing I do for ME. I never “have the time”, I always “make the time”. And I’m never sorry I did. In 2020 I’m committing to finish my Personal Trainer Certification that I started this Fall.

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Priorities– I have had such an amazing opportunity to be led & mentored at work the past few years by such a strong woman, Sue Pratt. One of the goals we set for this Intuit fiscal year was for me to remember my priorities. While the goals was meant as a work metric, Sue & I know full well that this is a life goal for Kim. I may no longer roll up to her on the org chart, but I promise to strive to prioritize each task in & out of work this year!

Play– when your world never slows, it’s so easy to brush off seemingly inconsequential happenings around you because you simply don’t have time. But in 2019, I’m proud to say I pushed pause just a few times to make sure that I didn’t miss some of life’s most important moments. Grandma turned 90, I saw my TX nephew & nieces more this year than in the rest of their lives combined, I took a trip to see the world with my soulmate, and was there on the other end of the phone when my big “kid” needed a “mom” to tell him he’s awesome. I can’t wait to have more moments with some of my favorite people in the coming year! Oh, and pancakes, there will be a lot more pancakes in 2020!

Protect– above all, I promise in 2020 to fiercely protect everything we’re building together, Brian. The reason we’re willing to haul our computers on vacation, or move 4 times in as many months. The late-night gym trips & marathon meal-preps to ensure we’re staying on track. All the highs & lows of our so-called life, and all the adventures awaiting ahead of us – I know we can do it, I can see it. My vision is 2020.

“I can see clearly now the rain is gone…I can see all the obstacles in my way”

Thanks to @IntuitBrad…

Posted on January 18, 2019 by MrsAustinNexus

This post comes a bit belatedly. Technically, Brad Smith’s last day as Intuit’s CEO was December 31, 2018. But this past week we had a chance as an Intuit family to come together & celebrate Brad’s impact on each of us that wear Intuit blue. He may not be sitting atop a Silicon Valley org chart anymore, but his inspiration, influence, and imprints will remain in and on each of us forever.

So, before it’s too late for me to have an excuse to do so, I wanted to say a quick “Thank You” for some of the lessons I’ve learned from our amazing leader these past 5 years…

Thanks to Intuit Brad, for teaching us to have empathy. There’s no question in my mind as to why Brad’s 2^ndnumber in his SOI is a 5. He literally radiates empathy for everyone around him: his employees, his partners, his customers. This is quite possibly the attribute of his that I admire most, as I firmly believe if we don’t have empathy for those we serve, then our relationships can never truly flourish.

Thanks to Intuit Brad, for leading us by example each day. Since my earliest exposure to Brad, I was always impressed by his approach to serve with his team. I’ve seen him roll up his sleeves, get his hands dirty, and walk through the mud with all of us in order to bring us out the other side stronger, together. When you hear “We Care & Give Back”, Brad doesn’t just mean that from an air-conditioned office in Mountain View, but from his hands & knees in a public park in lower Manhattan where he shoveled dirt, pulled weeds, and raked leaves with all of us.

Thanks to Intuit Brad, for reminding us to never forget where you come from. The photo that so many of us have seen of Brad on his mom’s front porch is about as authentically Brad as it gets. No matter who you become in life, you’re still just someone’s son or daughter & we need to always remember our way home.

Thanks to Intuit Brad, for prioritizing physical fitness. I’m someone who works hard each day to maintain a healthy lifestyle, while also showing up as the best possible employee I can. It’s been such a huge inspiration to have a leader to look to who also makes time to take care of his physical health, and has cultivated a culture where I don’t have to feel bad for taking a lunchtime break at the gym. I know it’ll make me a better asset to Intuit in the long run.

Thanks to Intuit Brad, for refusing to get cocky. Years ago, during a Global BDM team summit, we had a Q&A with Brad. I remember asking his advice on how we could always stay hungry in the US even though we were the front-runner in our region (unlike several of our fellow country teams). His response to me was so humbling & I’ll never forget it. He said that we’re not #1. There are more businesses in the US using something else, or nothing at all, than there are using QBO. So, he said, never forget that we’re still chasing #1.

Thanks to Intuit Brad, for showing us to never treat your spouse like you’re married. I know I’m not the only one who adores the way Brad looks at his “girlfriend”, Alys. She’s absolutely his rock, and he never passes up a chance to say it. It’s such an important lesson that he’s shared with all of us to never stop pursuing your significant other.

Thanks to Intuit Brad, for instilling in us that life is a team sport. There’s no question that Brad was our quarterback, but Intuit was his team. He didn’t just sit on the sidelines calling plays, he was on the field, with us, leading us, each step of the way. But through it all, it was all about the team.

Thanks to Intuit Brad, for leaving us wanting more. I admit I’ve shed more than a few tears since the first email announcing his passing the torch (however, we’re so thrilled to be in amazing hands with Sasan!), but it’s Brad’s gentle reminder over & over these past few months that have brought me so much comfort: “Being Intuit’s CEO has been the job of a lifetime…but it’s not the job for a lifetime”.

Brad – you’ve been the most amazing leader, and I count it such a privilege that I’ve been on your team. I can only hope that the wisdom I’ve picked up from you over the years will somehow continue to rub off on everyone around me. Thank you, thank you!

View From My Shoes

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