315: 10 Ways to Practice Gratitude in Your Business: Fan Favorite Replay

Hi there. You’re listening to The Leading Lady Podcast. I’m your host, Alison Loftus, and I’m a certified professional coach specializing in leadership and work-life balance. I work with clients to shift their limiting beliefs, insecurities, and self-doubt. This podcast will be filled with tools and strategies to help high-achieving women like you feel connected, empowered, and in the lead of your life, both personally and professionally. Let’s transform your life starting now. Lead yourself. The rest will follow.

Hi there, Leading Ladies, and welcome to today’s episode.

We are in the season of Thanksgiving, and while I know many of us strive to practice gratitude in our daily lives, it is especially prevalent this time of year. As we go into the week of Thanksgiving, I know that I personally have so much to be thankful for from this past year, and especially the month of November.

I’m excited to share with you all the cool things that I’m celebrating this year and also to thank you for being part of it.

On November 19, We Lead Volume 2: Building Connection, Community, and Collaboration for Women in Business launched, and we did incredibly well. We hit bestseller status in six categories: Small Business, Business Mentoring and Coaching, Self-Employment, Business Strategy and Competition (which I thought was funny because we’re not really about competition), Starting a Business, and Women in Business. We hit bestseller in six categories and reached #1 in three of those categories.

Super exciting.

I’m the lead author of that book, along with 24 other authors. This is book two of a series of three, so stay tuned because Volume 3 will drop in 2025. It’s had a really great energy to it. The authors have been incredibly excited about this project, and they really poured their hearts and souls into their chapters.

What I love about each chapter is not only are they sharing their personal stories, experiences, and perspectives, but they close every chapter with a practical tool that readers can immediately apply to their lives and businesses.

Someone once told me that women don’t write leadership books—they write self-help books. I’m here to tell you that with We Lead Volume 1 and Volume 2, we’ve changed that narrative. Women do write leadership books. We have powerful, profound stories that have a huge impact on other women in business, other leaders, and our communities.

Definitely check it out. I’ll drop the link in the show notes. If you’ve already purchased the book, thank you so much. I would be incredibly appreciative if you would leave us an honest review. Reviews are really hard to collect for books, and it would mean the world to me.

For the holiday season, you’ll also be able to find these books in many local stores here in Annapolis, Maryland. If you’re interested in stocking your independent bookstore or small business with these books, please reach out to me. I’m happy to ship you a box and would love to partner in that way.

Celebrating Business Milestones

Not only were we celebrating the book launch in November, but my birthday is also in November. I have purposefully and intentionally lined it up so that many milestones and celebrations in my life happen around my birthday.

For those of you who don’t know, my father passed away pretty tragically when I was turning 30. The last 13 years have been difficult in many ways, and I very purposefully curate and create big things in my life around this time of year. I schedule them around my birthday to reclaim this season and fill it with happy celebrations and memories.

My business, Leading Lady Coaching, was founded eight years ago in November, and I cannot believe I’ve been coaching for eight years. I’ve had the privilege of working with incredible, bright, brilliant women in business and leadership, and I’m so thankful for the connections I’ve made through Leading Lady.

We have the Facebook group, which I started shortly after launching my coaching business, and we now have just under 7,000 women in leadership and business in that community. I’m continually impressed and inspired by our members.

If you’re not part of that group, I encourage you to join. You’ll find your people there. It’s an amazing group of women who are movers and shakers and truly committed to empowering, uplifting, and supporting fellow women in leadership and business.

The Annapolis Collective Turns Three

Another thing we celebrated this month was the third anniversary of The Annapolis Collective, which is a Leading Lady business community and brick-and-mortar hub for events, networking, and education.

I remember purchasing the building during COVID and everyone thinking I was absolutely crazy to buy commercial space at that time. But I knew it was going to become something special.

I had spent years renting event space for workshops and events, hauling myself and all my materials all over town. When this office space became available, I thought it would be perfect—a place for my offices upstairs and a large event room downstairs where I could host workshops.

The vision really came to life when I realized I wasn’t the only woman in business looking for coworking space, event space, and opportunities to connect with other women entrepreneurs.

The idea of The Annapolis Collective was born from a desire to create a beautiful place where women business owners could come together, learn from one another, and provide valuable resources, workshops, and events to the broader community.

Today, we have two groups that meet monthly: a Breakfast Collective and a Lunch Collective. On any given day of the week, there’s something happening in that space that’s open to the community.

If you’re local to Annapolis, check out the events calendar. We also host virtual and hybrid events, so even if you’re not local, you can still participate.

Three years later, the connections I’ve made, the women I’ve met, and the resources available through this space are truly inspiring. I’m grateful that I was able to take this vision and create something of value—not just for our members, but for the community as a whole.

A Heart Full of Gratitude

There are so many wonderful things to celebrate, and I’m so thankful to all the members of the Leading Lady community. Whether you’re part of the Facebook group, The Annapolis Collective, have purchased a book, or listen to the podcast, thank you for believing in this vision and mission.

At the end of the day, it’s about making connections and supporting one another to become the best versions of ourselves. I’m incredibly proud of this community and everything we’ve celebrated this month.

As I reflect on 2024, my heart is truly bursting with gratitude.

I know it sounds cliché to talk about gratitude as Thanksgiving approaches, but I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t say it.

So today, I want to share ten practical ways to practice gratitude in your business.

1. Write Handwritten Thank-You Notes

I think this is a lost art.

I personally write three to five handwritten notes every week. You can send them to customers, employees, team members, or vendors. There’s something special about a handwritten thank-you note. It feels good to write and even better to receive.

2. Celebrate Milestones

Acknowledge key moments for your team and customers, such as anniversaries, birthdays, or loyalty milestones.

Business is hard. When you hit a milestone, celebrate it.

3. Host Appreciation Events

Let people know you’re thankful for them.

Whether they’re customers, team members, or vendors, appreciation events create meaningful opportunities to connect in a fun, festive environment outside of normal work interactions.

4. Give Back to the Community

When we are blessed, we should bless others.

Consider donating a portion of your profits, volunteering, or supporting local causes. Gratitude expressed through generosity can have a powerful impact.

5. Publicly Recognize Contributions

Highlight team members and customers when they achieve something meaningful.

This year, we launched The Feather Report, a quarterly newsletter where we celebrate members of the Leading Lady community and share their accomplishments.

Public recognition goes a long way in amplifying the success of others.

6. Surprise and Delight

Offer unexpected discounts, gifts, or upgrades to loyal customers and hardworking team members.

These small surprises don’t have to be extravagant. They simply show people that you’re thinking about them.

7. Offer Gratitude Discounts

Create loyalty rewards, special promotions, or discounts for people who continue to support your business.

I love recognizing long-term clients and showing appreciation for their trust and commitment.

8. Create a Gratitude Wall

This idea really excited me.

Set up a space where employees, customers, or community members can share what they’re thankful for.

We’ve done this in my preschool business, and it’s incredibly meaningful. I plan to implement something similar within the Leading Lady community.

9. Provide Growth Opportunities

Investing in someone’s development is an expression of gratitude.

Whether through training, mentorship, education, or resources, you’re showing appreciation by helping people grow.

People don’t just want to belong—they want opportunities to develop and thrive.

10. Express Gratitude Daily

This is simple and often overlooked.

Make it a habit to thank at least one person every day.

Whether it’s a customer, employee, contractor, team member, or vendor, acknowledge their contribution to your success.

None of us do this alone. We all rely on people who support us, believe in us, and help us move forward.

Final Thoughts

Gratitude strengthens relationships and fosters a positive culture.

I truly believe gratitude is medicine.

Whenever I’m having a rough day or going through a difficult season, I sit down and make a list of everything I’m grateful for. It’s one of the reasons I’ve intentionally built celebrations and milestones into my life around a time that was once filled with sadness.

Gratitude has the power to shift our perspective.

So here’s my invitation to you: share your gratitude with me.

I play a game called Gratitude Ping Pong with friends, coworkers, and colleagues. One of us sends a text asking, “You up for gratitude ping pong?” Then we take turns sharing things we’re grateful for.

I read and respond to every email, so if you’d like to send me your gratitude list, I’d love to hear it. Share it with me through email, social media, or wherever you connect with me.

Gratitude is never not appreciated.

I hope this resonated with you.

Thank you for celebrating with me. Thank you for being part of the Leading Lady community.

And until next time, take the lead.

Thanks for tuning in for another episode of The Leading Lady Podcast. You can find all of the links and information mentioned in this episode at LeadingLadyCoaching.com.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow the show so you don’t miss future episodes. And while you’re there, it would mean the world to me if you would take a few seconds to leave an honest review. This helps other high-achieving women find inspiration, connection, and strategies to live and lead with purpose and intention.

See you here next week.