One Plus One Equals Three
This month’s GROWTH event opened with an easy icebreaker: What instrument did you play as a kid? Answers ranged from piano to clarinet, with our speaker’s reveal during the Q&A bringing it full circle. Before the talk, attendees stocked up on CrashMurderBusiness coffee and wildly inventive treats from Donut Vision, including brown butter miso and taro coconut flavors. Magically delicious.
Shout-out to our door prize winner, Sherry Sullivan, who won two tickets to the symphony!
At the podium, Emma Scherer, Executive Director of the Santa Fe Symphony, framed growth as both collaborative and personal. “The parallels between business growth and personal growth are infinite. You can’t grow one without the other.”
Using the symphony’s merger with the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association as an example, she explained how the two organizations combined strengths under the premise that “one plus one can equal three.” Instead of layoffs, they hired more staff, expanded programming, and deepened their connection with the community. But not without a few growing pains.
Her hard-won advice to us was to lead with a growth mindset, embrace the gray areas, and ease the pressure of urgency with a motto that applies to most jobs: “There are no symphony emergencies!”
During the Q&A, someone asked about Emma’s musical background. She smiled, saying she played sax and piano growing up, then went to college to pursue opera. But after receiving constructive feedback on her voice, she realized her skin wasn’t thick enough and thought, “You know what would be great for me? The music business!”
One attendee reflected on the talk: “I’m in a new job, so the growth mindset was very applicable, especially learning different ways to handle challenges.”
In keeping with the theme, here’s what our chapter volunteers are working on if you’d like to support their growth:
Monty Montgomery- Space Helmet Pictures
A cinematic production company that creates high-end video for films, brands, artists, and storytellers.
Corrie Reynoso- Wild Forest and Fauna
Helping protect the habitat of endangered bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Shelley Singleton- Fora Travel
A travel advisor offering fee-free travel planning for anyone dreaming up their next trip.
Ivan Barnett- Serious Play
A creative consultant for artists, galleries, and cultural leaders who helps unlock creative clarity for growth.
Lana Abeles- Action Dog Santa Fe
A canine adventure facilitator with client openings in 2026 for off-leash adventure hiking and overnight boarding.
Amy Lin- In-house CTS
A start-up transforming human waste into a regenerative resource. Seeking volunteers and offering free in-home trials.
Zivi Krieger- Zivi Records/Zivi Rocks
Musician, songwriter, and producer bringing other artists’ music to life through vibrant professional recordings.
Hillary Spittle- Eloqui
Leads training workshops that build confidence and clarity for presenters in both meetings and public events.
Jim Spittle- Percussionist
Looking to join a band or musical project, and help others in their music coordination.
Zak and Lauren Hardage- Hardage + Hardage
For artists or designers with something to sell, this husband and wife team builds Shopify websites.
Dae Knight- Dae Design Studios
Looking to collaborate with museums in 2026 for high-end event design and marketing.
Kaela Waldstein- Mountain Mover Media
This Emmy-winning video production company focused on arts and culture now offers headshots and event photography.
Travis Fowler- Directed by Travis Fowler
Our chapter videographer who also directs and shoots docu-series and branded content is leaving Santa Fe for Detroit 😢
Tracy Sprinkle- Rainmaker Productions and CreativeMornings host
Creative consulting and design is his day job, but CreativeMornings is his baby and he wants to see this community grow… so please support your fellow creatives!
You can watch Emma's talk here.
Check out November's Flickr Album.
Photos by Travis Fowler and Marisa Gjurgevich
