To help us breathe life into as many organizations as possible, we brought in Client Relationship Manager, Leslie Ann Yell.

Instead of me telling you about Leslie, I asked her to share a few details about herself and then asked her if she would share her thoughts about the first time she attended a Spiritus Communications event.

Birthplace: Charleston, SC—I still love the heat!

Current Home: Pittsboro, NC—I’ve learned to enjoy a tad of snow every year too.

Education: B.A. Journalism and Mass Communication, UNC-Chapel Hill; M.Ed. Curriculum and Instruction, UNC-Greensboro; and all of the people and events that educate me every day!

Family: David is my husband and best friend of 20+ years. Together we have two teenage daughters and a 1^st grade son. We have extended family from Pittsboro and Charlotte, NC, and Sumter and Charleston, SC.

Favorite Food: Oh, I can’t pick—I love to eat!

Hobbies: Reading, spending time with loved ones, all adventures in the great outdoors—hiking, backpacking, paddling, cycling, running, swimming, floating, chasing fun!

Best Book: Too many good ones out there to pick just one, but All the Light We Cannot See is a recent well-loved read.

Favorite Movie: “Love Actually”

Secret: Can’t tell, it’s a secret! 😉 _______________________________________________________

Greetings! I am Leslie Ann Yell, the newest member of the Spiritus Communications team. I started working with Scott and Jocelyn last fall, and I feel like a very lucky girl!

Anticipation

Just after I started working at Spiritus, I attended a conference for human resources professionals where Spiritus CEO Scott Carbonara delivered the keynote address. I was eager to hear from my new boss, especially to learn more about what I might have gotten myself into!

Cold Reality

Eager, that is, until the morning of the event. I awoke that morning in a mood. I had not slept well for a few nights. I was tired and worried about my mom with Alzheimer’s. My kids were fighting over breakfast cereal. Traffic slowed on my commute. It started to rain. I dropped my umbrella while juggling my laptop into its bag.

Aaargh! By the time I entered the conference center, I had made up my mind that was the last place I wanted to be at that moment.

Breathe…Relax…Repeat

But as soon as Scott started talking, my breathing started to return to normal and my cynicism started to vanish. He told stories, and he made me laugh (I needed that!). He opened my eyes to truths I knew but needed to hear again in a new way. He lightened my load as he spread joy—joy that lifted the whole audience. He connected with all of us.

Reminders

I left with three points to elevate on my priority list:

1. I need to continue to surround myself with the right people, people who are positive and passionate about lifting up the spirits of those around them.
2. I need to develop a mantra, one that will keep me focused on my ultimate goal, one that calls me to breathe renewed life into my big picture.
3. I need to sharpen my attention to the positives in my life. If I stay invested in the positives in the people and processes around me, I won’t have time to look for things to complain about. Positivity begets positivity. I will breathe, sow, and reap more positivity.
   

Serving Others

In less than an hour, I completely forgot about the rotten attitude and mood I arrived with on that rainy morning. He breathed life into me and the audience, into our very spirits. And that, I learned, is what we at Spiritus strive to do for you: breathe life into your spirit and the spirit of your organization.