About 10 years ago, I was talking with a group of my Mineral teammates about how our HR Advisors should deliver a positive client experience even as the company grew. We were a small group (in an even smaller conference room), but we were dreaming big that day. I remember one of us said, “Whether we have one client or 1 million, every customer should have the same experience.”

Now here we are, 1 million clients strong. And everyone at Mineral has worked hard every day to deliver on that goal. In my years as an HR and compliance professional, 15 of them here with Mineral, I can tell you that the consistent drive to elevate teams every day is why I—and many of my fellow Mineralists—stay.

As I reflect on the incredible professional journey to helping Mineral reach the milestone of 1 million clients, as well as my own personal journey, it’s the Mineral mission and four core values that have been anchors for me along the way. Whether for one client or 1 million, I’ve focused on those values to guide me—as I help guide our clients—toward success:

1. Boldly driven.
2. Explore and innovate.
3. Inspire joy.
4. We’re in this together.

Be boldly driven to find meaningful work and solutions.

I am proud to share that among Mineral’s 1 million clients, I have personally answered 35,000 HR and compliance questions—almost half of those on the phone, and a third of those with first-time users to the Mineral Platform™. I still work with clients and partners daily and manage a team of Advisors who do the same. During my time here I have experienced many personal and professional milestones alongside the major events in our world that affected the HR and compliance landscape—some sad, some celebratory. But facing challenges boldly and saying, “Yes, if …” rather than “No, because” has helped me and my teams to find solutions for our clients—one step at a time, to reach one milestone at a time.

Explore and innovate, because change is the only constant.

In my years as an HR and compliance professional, I have seen many changes and many constants. For the most part though, the only constant has been how often and how quickly things change! On one hand, that’s great because there is always something to do, even if it feels like a mundane task. On the other hand, at times it can feel overwhelming. In both circumstances, exploring new ways of looking at solutions or approaching the same topic from a different perspective helps us to innovate through change.

When I first got into HR, I loved being the one in the know and someone people would turn to for answers. But at the time, I lacked the experience and emotional maturity to know what I didn’t know. By staying true to Mineral’s value to explore and innovate, I’ve found that there is always something to learn, and a hidden nuance to uncover that can help a business solve a new challenge in a new way.

Inspire joy at every opportunity.

I started with the company in 2007, the year before the Great Recession began. Since then, I’ve worked at Mineral through four different presidential administrations, along with multiple natural disasters, violent tragedies, and of course a global pandemic.

Then, 2008 was the year Michael Phelps became the first Olympian to win eight gold medals in a single Olympics. And over the course of my career at Mineral, NASA completed the first-ever flyby of Pluto, several animal species were brought back from the brink of extinction, and the most diverse class of lawmakers was sworn into Congress.

In my time here at Mineral, I moved across the country, became an auntie three times over, had major surgery, and became a dog mom. I consider myself incredibly lucky to work at a place that’s given me the space to grieve, heal, celebrate, connect, grow, and learn.

While working here I fired someone for the first time and had to lay off groups of employees. But I learned how to handle those conversations so that there’s respect, support, and closure for all involved. I lost sleep over the complexities associated with COBRA but am more confident in my ability to help Mineral clients avoid those missteps.

My point being: Focus on the good, and the good gets better. In other words, inspire joy.

Always remember we’re in this together.

Whether you are my colleague, a partner, a client, or a prospect—we’re in this together. Even if you and I disagree, it’s my job to hear you out and provide meaningful support based on where you, your business, and your employees are. I am, as we all are here at Mineral, a professional who cares about people and wants to make work and the world a better place.

Mineral is a place where I have learned so much, been supported, and in turn, have been able to support others. We have so many smart, caring people from a variety of backgrounds, in a variety of roles, who at the end of each day are working hard to provide the HR and compliance information, resources, and tools our clients need and deserve—all 1 million of them.