"Do you know who cares most about you at your company? You!"

Today is Employee Appreciation Day, so take a moment to recognize yourself—your dedication, how you show up, and the value you bring to your work.

As I return to leading my own consulting practice, I now hold the dual role of Founder and Employee. That means I have a new boss—me. When I told my kids about relaunching my practice, I joked, "Do you know who Mom’s new boss is? Me." My son, influenced by having an HR mom, replied, "I hope you’re a good boss to yourself!"

I hope so too. And I hope you take a moment today (and every day) to be a good boss to yourself, to appreciate your contributions, and to celebrate the work you do.

I’ve been an employee since 1989, when I got my first job at 13 years old—and I’ve worked every week since. Throughout high school and college, I juggled 1 to 5 jobs at a time, clocking 10,000 hours of work by the time I graduated in 1997. A few months later I moved to NYC to land my dream job in the fashion industry and have since logged over 55,000 hours of work (for real).

Along the way, I’ve had incredible bosses (Carmilla, Hans Dorsinville , Kellie Cronin, Neil Wilks) who shaped my journey, and some difficult, even toxic bosses (who shall remain nameless). I appreciate both.

The great ones made me believe in myself, and I worked even harder for them. The tough ones—unknowingly—pushed me onto a path where I became an even stronger advocate for employees. They also fueled my passion to study mental health, to better understand how we show up at work, and how we impact individuals, teams, and company culture.

Now, after 65,000 hours of working, I’m combining my professional experience with my academic learning in mental health counseling to build It’s HR Therapy—a practice dedicated to supporting founders, executives, people managers, and HR professionals in creating healthier, more productive teams. Because work isn’t just about what we do—it’s about how we feel while doing it.