The Courage to Create: What My Week at the Inc. 5000 Conference Taught Me About Significance

Celebrating entrepreneurship, the power of reflection, and the lives we change along the way.

I am so grateful. ❤️

As I left Dallas after celebrating Luma Brighter Learning’s fourth recognition on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies, I found myself reflecting on why I chose entrepreneurship. Luma Brighter Learning was #3556 on the INC 5000 fastest growing companies list this year, but I didn’t choose to be an entrepreneur for the awards. It wasn’t for the recognition. And it certainly wasn’t because I thought the journey would be easy.

It was because I believed that learning could change lives.

When you have the courage to create something you believe in, you have the opportunity to make the world a little better than you found it.

My panel at the conference was the power of looking back to move forward

This year, I had the incredible honor of speaking onstage at the Inc. 5000 Conference alongside Ben Lamm, founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, and Nate Schelhaas, a senior leader at Principal Financial Group, in a conversation moderated by Abigail Bassett. Our discussion centered on how reflecting on the past can unlock value for the future. As entrepreneurs, we move fast. We celebrate a win and immediately move to the next challenge. We experience failure, learn from it, and keep moving. But how often do we stop long enough to be present? To appreciate the people standing beside us? To recognize the moments that shaped who we have become? I believe some of our greatest opportunities for innovation come not from moving faster but from slowing down long enough to understand what our experiences have taught us. Reflection gives our experiences meaning. Being present allows us to recognize their value. And those moments can change how we lead, how we innovate, and how we show up for others.

Success is measured in numbers. Significance is measured in lives.

Standing in front of the Inc. 5000 sign was significant to me. It represented the entrepreneurs who came before us, those celebrating alongside us, and the future innovators who have yet to take their first steps.

Of course, we celebrate growth. Revenue matters. Building a sustainable company matters. I think about the people who believed in us. The employees whose families we have helped support. The learners who have gained confidence, developed new skills, or made safer decisions because of something we created. I think about the lives we have had the opportunity to touch. Success tells us how much we have grown. Significance reminds us why that growth matters.

The people who make the journey worthwhile

Entrepreneurship can be a crazy journey. You can celebrate a tremendous victory one day and find yourself crying on the bathroom floor the next.

There are moments of uncertainty, exhaustion, laughter, joy, and incredible gratitude. But there are also people who make every moment worthwhile.

I am grateful to my husband and co-founder, D. Scott Anderson, for taking this journey with me. We have experienced so much together, and weeks like this remind me why we had the courage to take the chance.

I am grateful to our incredible team at Luma Brighter Learning, whose passion and commitment make our mission possible. And I am grateful for our clients and all the entrepreneurs who have had the courage to create. Being surrounded by people who understand the challenges of building something meaningful is a gift.

My greatest takeaway: Show up for someone

As I reflect on this week, I keep coming back to one simple thought. Everyone is trying their best. We all want to feel that our lives matter. That our work has purpose. That someone sees us and appreciates what we bring to the world. So today, fill your cup with sunshine. Celebrate one person. Hold someone’s hand. Learn something from someone who sees the world differently. And remember that the courage to create isn’t reserved for entrepreneurs.

Every one of us has the power to create something better through the way we show up for another human being.

If we each lifted just one person up instead of putting someone down, imagine how much brighter our world could become.

I left Dallas with a full heart, new friendships, renewed inspiration, and an even deeper commitment to our mission.

When people learn, their lives improve, and so does society.

That is why I became an entrepreneur.

That is why I continue to believe in the courage to create.

And that is why I will always believe that significance matters more than success.

Let’s keep loving, learning, showing up, and changing lives. ❤️🌈

Talk originally given Friday, October 16th at INC 5000 Fastest Growing Company Conference