I believed it could be different, so we started a company. Now, we celebrate HIHR LLC's 6-Year Anniversary!

If you asked me 6 years ago if we would be here (even if you asked me 3 years ago; we all lived through a lot), I'm not sure what my answer would have been.

Still, I have always believed greatly in this mission as has my family. There is a lot of power in our faith and what we believe is possible.

Here we are! We are conversing about the next 6 years - a completely different conversation from where we started.

We value gratitude and celebration. In tune with this, we have two exciting announcements to celebrate this 6-Year Company milestone:

1. "Go Higher!" Scholarship Award - We have a "Go Higher!" Scholarship Award recipient - Congratulations Sean Southard!

2. "Go Higher!" Art Collection - We've officially launched the "Go Higher!" Art Collection - so much more to follow here. Inspiring artists, inspiration and so many ideas!

I'm excited about all of it but especially need to highlight and celebrate this bright young man we have selected for our "Go Higher!" Student Scholarship Program - Sean Southard.
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In honor of Sean, a great role model for our own kids:

You are extremely deserving of this award, and we hope this recognition can build your resume and support your efforts for years to come!

In particular, your talented artwork, volunteerism, work ethic, academic achievements and positive attitude embodies our company values of Results. Quality. Trust.

Your Elephant Art Piece is so thoughtful, beautiful and
accurate. It really struck us and got our attention.

You may know, we are now collaborating with people in India. Some of the leaders we work with often navigate elephant herds going through their villages. Your art piece is very relevant and captivating.

You are an incredible young man, and we are so happy to give you this scholarship award.

Thank you for making the world a better place.

Nancy Southard Michael Southard, CSP (Had to include Sean's amazing, supportive parents). If either of you write a book, I will read it cover to cover. :)
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It takes a village to raise children well; it takes a village to grow a business, mission and impact. We are beyond thankful for our village.

For those who want to start or are just starting, go for it and keep showing up! There is a lot of beauty through the hardest parts, life lessons and community that we never would have experienced!

Congratulations to Sean and to our amazing HIHR Team who makes this all a reality! Happy 6 Years!!!

Erika Bulter, CEO

It's all about lifting each other up and creating value.  This was a big theme from the International Communications & Tech Conference I was recently part of in the Baltics.

• Keep showing up.
• Be consistent.
• Bring your passion.
• Giving up is not an option.
  
  

I had the privilege to converse with some of the most amazing women I have ever met who are female founders changing the game in their fields!

The best part for me was the speaker's dinner where we spent most of our time talking about our kids and how we want to make the world a better place together (100%).  This always seems to be the main discussion point - which continues to show me how many amazing people there are all over the world.

One of the most exciting things was the opportunity to offer a 3-Month "Go Higher!" Exec Coaching Scholarship to a member of the hosting organization.

I love and believe in our Coaching Program.  It is packed with tools and resources leveraged by the best organizations globally from DiSC (DiSC 360 Feedback, DiSC Leadership Assessment, etc.), to Inter-Cultural Intelligence (3 World Views, 12 Dimensions of Culture assessments, etc.), to leadership training/tools and more! The last few years we've been part of many life-changing experiences, and it fuels us to do much more!

I can't even share everything that is happening.  It has been a very exciting time for our organization, and we truly are grateful for the amazing people and organizations we work with.

More to follow on our 6-Year Anniversary Celebration (Nov. 2nd) and where we are headed together!

Who knew all that can happen when a good friend recommends you attend a Women's Business Conference in Nashville and you end up opening your LLC in a hotel room? just sayin'! :)

Thank you, Riga TechGirls, for the opportunity to play a role in RIGA COMM 2024! You are amazing!

​Often times, interns are considered for Summer opportunities. However, there are many win-wins to creating part-time internship opportunities throughout the school year.  This is great for a business and for students preparing for their future careers.
 
Here's some great advice for the next generation of interns (maybe our sons and daughters/etc.) to prepare them for landing wonderful opportunities. 

It's been neat to see how much flexibility has evolved and improved in the work place the past decade+.   In many cases, there is more flexibility in the workplace than ever before.  This can come with some challenges but in general is a huge win for families and organizations alike.  

Organizations who provide flexible work options have higher employee retention, employee engagement, top- candidate offer acceptance rates, and trust in leadership (to name a few).   We love coming alongside companies to craft, structure and support processes that uphold these initiatives!

One way we recently are enjoying this at HIHR is pulling our kids into a team volunteer event we had this, Summer.
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Stay tuned for our Q3 newsletter this month! Not only are we happy to highlight our Summer Retreat, but we are going to provide a behind-the-scenes look at the volunteer efforts of our HIHR team and our Future HIHR Team Members in training. It was a genuine HIHR family affair, and we can’t wait to share more with you!

Author: Erika Butler, CEO

Legacy. What a concept. What a reality.

What legacy did you inherit?

More importantly, what legacy will you leave?

My parents visited us in Latvia for several weeks. It was a really special time together. This had me thinking a lot about LEGACY.

I realize now how fortunate I am to come from such a dependable, high-integrity family. That is a huge part of the legacy I received from the generations before me (no matter how little money or opportunities – they kept their integrity in tact).

This provided real stability throughout my life. Many people around the world are not as fortunate to receive this type of family love and support in their early life.  We care greatly about this.

As I think about my own legacy…I'm starting to grasp the following:

Every routine, every rhythm, how you spend each day.... will eventually turn into how you spend a month, year...your life…your legacy.

What habits/beliefs/examples are you passing on to your children, your nieces/nephews, your community, our world?

I aim to stay focused on our vision/mission/goals/legacy.  To help, I pick 3 HARD things a day to “win the day”.

The kicker –

If I do these 3 hard things, I won the day.

If I don’t do these 3 hard things, I STILL won the day.

Why did I win, even when I didn’t do all 3?
I still WON, because my day was more purposeful/exciting/fulfilling than if I did not set my Big 3. I still won because I believe I acted with the best intentions, integrity and kindness. I still won for my own self-care, my mental health, the “imperfectly perfect” example I’m setting for my kids (full of mistakes & not giving up).

My 3 hard things are often connected to our “Go Higher!” mission. However, many times they are more personal. They could include increasing weight for my exercise routine or helping to solve a challenge our kids face.
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My Big 3 drive me in a very focused way towards my faith, health, family, and our mission. My Big 3 drive me towards making the legacy on my heart a true reality!

YOUR Big 3 will make the legacy your heart wants to leave your family, community, the world, etc…a true reality as well.
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Our “Go Higher” Team US Retreat is rapidly approaching next month!  This is something I look forward to every year. It's a time for the HIHR Team to celebrate, enjoy quality time, talk about our vision/plans/future! For me, legacy will absolutely be woven into our discussion.

I know MANY people in our community share the heart and willingness to leave a positive legacy. It's not tied to their name/fame/fortune. It can be put so simply....

"We care, do you?" - Novatore

Author: Erika Butler, CEO

​We're thrilled about our collaboration with KnowledgeWorkx. Aligned in our objectives and principles, we anticipate maximizing our collective proficiency alongside KnowledgeWorkx's top-tier development resources like DiSC, ICI, Promote, and more. The successes we've already experienced working with Marco Blankenburgh and his team over the past few years have been incredibly motivating. We eagerly look forward to celebrating many more victories as we grow our impact in the years ahead!