Well, hello there! I'm Heath, People Champion at Footers Catering. Longtime MIBE reader, first time writer. I met Anthony over 21 years ago at the University of Oregon (Go Ducks!). I was fortunate enough to end up in Autzen Stadium for an upset of UCLA, one row behind him and a group of guys that would eventually become family to me over the next four years, and beyond.

That day we talked football, complained about play calls and laughed at our section's vulgar chants. During a break in the action, the big screen showed highlights of TCU's LaDainian Tomlinson from another game, earlier in the day. I can still picture Anthony turning to our buddy, Gunz, beaming, pointing and shouting, "That's your guy!" It's one of my favorite memories of both of them because, even though we didn't run into each other much more that first year of college, I somehow knew I had found my people.

Anthony and his group of friends seemed so tight knit that I thought they were sophomores, or had gone to high school together. It should come as no surprise to you that “The Coach”, as we know him today, rallied a group of people he had just met to enjoy three hours of football and smiles. Joy and inclusion are simply the fabric of the man.

I see this reflected in our Footers Family every day. I don't know anyone that feels judged. Everyone has an important voice. When we get together for lunch, the laughs are near deafening, and the conversations range from the completely serious to the utterly absurd. That leads to an amazing support system for all of us.

I know this embodies a lot of what you have already read from MIBE so far, and this can seem like re-hashing the same lessons over and over, but I also think that is how we become better leaders. Intentionally focusing on joy and inclusion doesn't come naturally to everyone (especially during a busy work day), but practicing it as often as possible can have a huge impact on ourselves, as well as the people around us. In closing, I'd like to leave you with my favorite quote from Thich Nhat Hanh, who passed away last week: "There is no way to happiness - happiness is the way." Find your people and forge that way.