Do Better. Be Smarter. Be More.

Sometimes I think I need to pinch myself and ask if this is my real life. If the girl who grew up in a small town in rural West Tennessee, (Halls, TN: population 2,000 with one stop light) could see the woman I am today, she wouldn’t even recognize her.

The last week and a half has been utterly surreal. I work alongside so many fantastic colleagues and teams to pull off a global conference for our franchisees every two years. We just wrapped it up last week in Vegas and I’m still processing it all. Not only did we pull off a successful global conference (with 1,700+ attendees) where we wowed our brand franchisees, the entire industry, and company, but we simultaneously pulled of an amazing company rebrand (HELLO #GoToFoods), a killer brand expo and insightful and informative brand sessions for our attendees. We truly had a No Limits mindset, and our franchisees could definitely feel it!

These events are massive undertakings, and it takes preparation, perseverance, passion, and patience to make them happen. We prepare for well more than a year for these events (we are already working on 2026) and we do this alongside our regular day jobs. The obstacles we all overcome, along with the pivots we make (which most of the time others don’t even see) are crucial to the success of the event.  The patience needed is unlimited… patience with your teams, with your colleagues, and patience with yourself.  

The career I have been blessed with is something that is almost unfathomable for me at times. I get to lead a communications, PR and social media team full of smart and strategic professionals. I get to work alongside great colleagues to drive our business forward every day. And I get to learn from an amazing CEO and boss Jim Holthouser, who I have known for 20 years and am honored to call my friend.

Like so many others who grow up in a small town, my brother Jeff Ezekiel and I are first generation college students, both with Master's Degrees, I might add. Our father dropped out of school after the 8th grade and went on to work in a factory for his job. Our mother was a high school graduate who went on to be a hairdresser (think Steel Magnolias, in our home and everything!) We didn’t have too much left over, but they always made sure to provide everything we ever NEEDED (and most things we wanted.) And while I didn’t know it then, I definitely know it now, they were grooming the both of us for better lives than they had. They wanted us to Do Better. Be Smarter. Be More than they were. And if they could see us both today, I know they would be proud.

One of the biggest lessons my parents taught me is that you can’t get to where you are in life (in anything, really) without others. There are way too many people to name in this post, but I want to thank my colleagues on the GoTo Foods executive leadership team, the mainstage speakers, the amazing CBOs and brand teams, the development and franchise sales team, the legal team, the IT team, the most amazing meeting planner I’ve ever worked with Candice Crossfield , and of course, the BDCT (Best Damn Comms Team) at GoTo Foods. Apologies if I have missed anyone, but please know I wouldn’t be here today – we at GoTo Foods wouldn’t be here today -- without so many people who have helped me and made their mark in my life (even those who aren't in my life anymore.) I know you, I see you, and I appreciate you so much.

And even though he hates the recognition and attention, I have to mention my partner in life and husband of nearly 24 years, Tom Ray . He is my biggest supporter and an amazing role model and father to our two incredible boys. He took a step away from his own career 3 1/years ago so I could pursue my dream and I couldn't achieve any of my goals without him by my side. (and yep, #TeamRay made it onto the big screen!)

So Mom and Dad, I hope you see me and see all that I have accomplished. I hope you would say that I did better. I was smarter. I did more. But if I can be even half as good of a parent and humans as you both were, I will have outdone myself.