A Note from Denise Cagan

In December I like to share more personal sentiments to close out the year. No marketing, no sales. Just what’s in our minds and hearts.  

My year has been pretty good. In July, I got a chance to visit a childhood vacation spot – Tupper Lake, NY. It’s probably not a place you’ve heard of, although you may have heard of one of the neighboring towns – Lake Placid. The Adirondack area of NY is absolutely gorgeous. As children, we didn’t notice the beauty that surrounded us. We coveted the time with cousins, swimming in the lake and the 4th of July fireworks across the lake, plus the occasional black bear visit. Tupper Lake still looks largely like it did when I was a child, and I got to share this with my daughter and granddaughter – can you believe she is in kindergarten now? It seems only a short while ago that I was moving from Charlotte to Richmond to be nearby.

Now, on to my incredible team. A couple of years ago we had built up to a little over 20 team members. Now we’re at a nimble group of 12. This year, we scaled back some. It wasn’t part of the plan, and yet, we’re grateful. It gave us time to be more strategic and see what is working and what is not before the new year begins.

Before setting out to write this note, I asked my team about the lessons they learned that they would carry into 2026. Each person shared a personal insight, focusing on growth, adaptability – like I said, we’re nimble, and practical skills that have shaped their professional journey. Another theme that showed up was letting go of outdated practices or relationships that were no longer working. As Dee likes to remind me often, people are in your life for a reason, season, or lifetime.

Learning new technology – prospecting member management tools was cited by several team members. The use of AI has been encouraged this year. We strive for responsible usage with human oversite. The team noted this in their responses. Mikki and Andrea both talked about hands on training and work accuracy to enhance their skills. Technical skills weren’t all that the team celebrated as lessons from 2025. Soft skills such as empathetic listening and collaboration were taught in our Emerging Leaders Program.

Honestly, this is such a big win for me to see these types of lessons and feedback coming directly from the team. Our hats off to you 2025, and we’re looking forward to what 2026’s lessons look like. Here’s to the approaching new year and all it will bring.