This article is part of Finding the Words, a newsletter that delivers practical insights on the day’s issues.

My nine-year-old daughter is undeniably cool. She prefers playing on the boys’ baseball team because it’s baseball—not softball—that she loves. Her icon is Toni Stone. For fun, she researches women who have broken barriers in men’s sports. This kid knows her style and is proud of who she is.  At nine, she’s brave enough to be herself. May she always be so brave.

When I was a kid, I was not brave enough. On the contrary, I did just about anything I could to blend in.

But as I enter my 45th year, I’m starting to wonder if it’s time for me to be brave enough, too. Brave enough to move into this new year with my mind focused and my heart centered, ready to accept what this new year will bring, and ready to contribute something more meaningful and lasting to the work and people I encounter.

I believe this is a year for you to be brave enough, too.

Being brave can mean so many things. It can mean taking an unexpected detour in your career, only to follow the greater passion inside of you. Being brave can mean advocating for changes to your corporate policies to better support the mental health of your colleagues. Being brave can mean owning your power as a communicator for positive social change.

But getting to a place where we can fully embrace and advance our passions doesn’t happen without intention, and a commitment to grow beyond our comfort zones.

On this day one year ago, I set out on a blog series because I had something to say. By the end of the year, you were doing more than listening. You were deeply in this work with me. You gave me space to share thought-provoking ideas, and vulnerable truths. And because of you, we’re taking this series a step further in the year ahead. As we begin again, with week 1 of this 2023 year, I commit to keep delivering these essays each Wednesday morning and to further support your work as a communicator for change.

In return, I hope you’ll join me for some exciting milestones to come, including the release of a new book, which is based in part on these passages. As a Finding the Words reader, I promise that you’ll have early access to purchase the book when it’s ready.

So, as we enter this new day, in this new year, I invite you to be brave with me. Brave enough to follow your passions, and brave enough to own your power as a communicator for change.

Together, we’ll make impact–and each other proud.

This post is part of the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights direct to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.