Celebrations

Good news to brighten this February day

I’m excited to say that today marks 14 years of business for VMH Qualitative Research. On February 22, 2008, I left a position with a local research firm to go out on my own. I had been planning for it and had new work lined up, but this was the biggest leap of faith I had perhaps ever taken. That day I drove home through a snowfall and passed under a telephone wire, atop which was sitting, silently and majestically, a barred owl, which became the totem for my business. Fittingly, this morning as I stood in my kitchen drinking coffee and looking out on our little backyard, a hawk swooped down and alit in a tree, ready, I suppose, to usher me through the next few years.

It’s impossible to reach this point and not be grateful, especially for the clients who have trusted me with their customers and their questions. So, thank you for being an integral part of this journey.

And finally, a big congratulations to WETA, the leading public broadcasting station in the nation’s capital, for their groundbreaking work exploring mental health issues with the Well Beings Tour, a series of community-based outreach events hosted by local public media stations across the country to demystify and normalize mental health matters, address discrimination and stigma, and encourage compassion. This work recently won an award for excellence in community engagement from NETA, the National Educational Telecommunications Association. I’ve had the pleasure of working with WETA for the duration of the Well Beings Tour, surveying and interviewing event attendees to help WETA understand the impact of this programming. I’ve heard first hand, numerous times, how Well Beings events encouraged, supported, informed, and helped people with mental health issues and their families, teachers, and neighbors. I encourage you to take a closer look here.

What’s happening in your neck of the woods? Please let me know how I can support your marketing efforts in the coming months.