Leadership Spotlight: Kristynsmama

This month we honor the contributions of a truly inspirational mentor. @Kristynsmama is one of our longest-standing users, having joined us back in 2014!!

Kristy has made big impacts in several roles and has become the pillar of support in the Grief & Loss community. As a great natural leader, Kristy inspires all members of the Grief & Loss community to be open about grief, to share their feelings, and lovingly support each other. From the nominator:

“Kristy is a Leader with capital “L”, and an outstanding person. She embodies all the human virtues, and in particular the virtues of a 7 Cups Leader, to the highest degree.

Her goodness and compassion are unbounded. She has a vision for the Grief and Loss Community, where I have the privilege to work alongside her. She puts this vision into practice with much initiative, energy and talent.

Kristy is a superb writer, which allows her to compose very inspiring and moving pieces that enliven the Grief and Loss Community and convey the best practices and mindset for dealing with grief. These have been distilled with much wisdom by Kristy from her own lived experience, which make them very authentic and compelling.

Kristy is the heart and soul of the Grief and Loss Community, and as a Leader, she supports and inspires the whole Community in all possible ways with her healthy and wise vision and practical approach to dealing with grief.

Kristy is also an exemplary teammate, a natural team player, always sharing ideas, asking and giving feedback, and taking the initiative to coordinate all activities.

At a personal level, it’s a delight to work with Kristy. She is very clever, knowledgeable, and extremely friendly, making all interactions a wonderful and energizing experience.

I am hugely grateful to Kristy, for the vision, leadership, and hard work she brings to the Grief and Loss Community, and, personally, for the inspiration, warmth, and the many rewarding shared moments she brings to my life. I admire her greatly, more than words can express, she is a role model for me. And I think Kristy is a superb role model for the whole 7 Cups community.”

Q&A with Kristy!

What motivates you to be a volunteer: I have always had a servant's heart. My greatest achievements in life have always been around being of service to other people and my community. What originally motivated me to be a volunteer on 7 cups is because I discovered 7 cups during the most difficult time in my life. I was lucky and blessed to talk to a wonderful listener who although she doesn't realize it, she saved my life. I have two proudest achievements on 7 cups: First and foremost, I am very proud of the work that I have been putting into the grief and loss subcommunity on the forums. I have found great satisfaction in bringing life to the grief and loss community and using my own personal experience for the benefit of other people who are grieving.

Which fellow 7 Cups leader(s) do you admire and why? I admire quite a few leaders on 7 Cups. @AnnaSilverberg is my mentor and friend and I absolutely adore her. She has helped me to grow and change both as a listener and as a human being. @Jenna is someone that I have known since the very beginning of being a listener. They signed up to be a listener a few months after me. They do a lot for the community and I admire their dedication. @Tommy is someone who i just recently started getting to know. Asilentobserver is incredibly supportive and has helped me to become the leader that I am today. @Suryansh is another that I respect and admire. Every time I have taken on a mentor role and had a chat with them after my training, I have grown by leaps and bounds. @Fristo, @InternalAcceptance, @DreamTouch, @PositivePumpkin22, @HealingTalk, @Heartsandrosesandpaws, @Hope, and so many others have all made a difference in who I am as a leader on 7 cups. There are so many leaders who have been instrumental in my growth as a leader. And I am incredibly grateful to each of them.

Which active listening skills help you when communicating with your teammates and fellow leaders? The active listening skills that help me to communicate effectively with my teammates and fellow listeners are: healthy boundaries, empathy, validation, reflection, and kindness. Really I talk to my fellow listeners and teammates the same way that I talk to members.

What is next on your 7 Cups journey? I think my next step is moving into the Quality Mentor Leader role in the next few months. I have recently taken on two project agent roles so I want to settle into those roles before I take on a Mentor Leader Role. I also want to continue to put my energy into the grief and loss forums.

Congrats on reaching a 110 streak! What's your favorite way to spend time on 7 Cups? I love every aspect of Cups, to be honest. But I especially enjoy the chatrooms. I enjoy talking to other members and listeners in real time. 

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Thanks for leading with love and championing our community!

Join me in returning the love to @Kristynsmama!