Business and Leadership

Reflections on Business, Leadership & Life

Richelle Calicott sitting on a couch

Business leadership is wild, crazy, and scary on a good day. On the hard days, it can feel like the ground is shifting beneath you, and every step forward carries something heavier than you expected.

And when you add in the very reasons many of us do business in the first place, like our families, relationships, and passions, balancing the weight of work and life can leave little room for reflection and connection.

This page is a place where I share what I am reading, experiencing, learning, and working through in real time, along with occasional insights from our team and the work we are doing together. Some of it will come from what is going well, and some of it will come from what is hard. My hope is that this can be a place to share ideas, resources, perspectives, and encouragement as we lead in the places we have been given to serve. We do not have to do this alone. So join me, leave a comment, and let’s help each other grow.

In it with you,
Richelle

What’s on My Radar

  • TV

    Picture of tv series Patriot

    Patriot

    Steven Conrad

    This TV series is not about leadership, but in the spirit of balance and downtime, I wanted to share something great that I watched recently. "Patriot" is an Amazon Prime series that ran for two seasons and was later canceled in 2019. I happened upon it in 2026, and honestly, I found it odd that I had never heard of it before. It seems to have gained more traction after being canceled than it did when it originally aired. It is a fantastic action dramedy that is bizarre, quirky, dark, and lovely all at once. I fell in love with the characters in a way I would not have expected, and the humor lands right when the story starts to feel almost too heavy to manage. There were a few sections I thought could have been explained better, and the ending definitely had the feel of a show that was not sure whether it would get another season. But it still gave me enough closure that I did not feel cheated. It was a nice reprieve from work, and a great reminder that sometimes the best shows are the ones you randomly stumble into years later.

  • PODCAST

    A title for the Simon Sinek podcast

    A Bit of Optimism

    Simon Sinek and Will Guidara

    Coming off the high of reading "Unreasonable Hospitality", I wanted to go back and listen to this 2022 conversation between Simon Sinek and Will Guidara. It is basically a condensed version of the book. Granted, you cannot summarize a book of that size and depth in a 30-minute discussion, but Will Guidara does a great job of sharing the essence of the message. I also loved hearing Simon Sinek talk about their friendship and the impact Will’s work has had on him. It was a great follow-up to the book and a reminder that hospitality is not just about restaurants. It is about intentionality, care, and the way we make people feel.

  • BOOK

    Unreasonable Hospitality

    Will Guidara

    Wow! I loved this book. "Unreasonable Hospitality" is one of the best books I’ve come across on servant leadership and caring deeply for both your clients and your team. The author comes from the restaurant industry, but his message goes far beyond hospitality. It applies to anyone who works with people in any capacity. I listened to the audiobook, which the author narrates himself, and you can hear his passion in every chapter. He is also a fantastic storyteller, which makes the lessons memorable and easy to connect with. There are so many takeaways that it is hard to capture them all, but the biggest theme for me was the idea that servant leadership can be intentional, scalable, and still deeply personal. Creating an exceptional experience is not about grand gestures all the time; it is about noticing people, caring enough to act, and building a culture where your team is empowered to do the same. The book is a great reminder that how we make people feel matters just as much as what we deliver. I would highly recommend this book to leaders, business owners, managers, customer-facing teams, and honestly anyone who wants to serve people better. It is inspiring, practical, and full of heart.

Recent Reflections

Article

Are IT Costs Tax Deductible? What Small Businesses Should Do Before December 31

Read More
Business owner sitting poolside on vacation while working on a laptop and holding his head in frustration as his family relaxes and plays nearby.
Article

5 Things Business Owners Should Ignore While on Vacation

Read More
Article

It’s Spring. Do You Know Where Your New Year’s Goals Are?

Read More

What Has Shaped My Thinking