Workshop is offically 10 this year.

I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting lately, retracing the arc of this company that we founded and built over the last decade. It feels important to pause and mark the moment.

When Ben and I started Workshop, it was the natural outcome of a personal journey to align our work with our values. We both wanted to do more meaningful work. By that point, we had learned a simple but foundational truth: if you want real change, you have to put people at the center of it.

Ten years in, I still believe in the power of people to create change together. If anything, that belief has only deepened over a decade of climate work.

One of our first projects was with the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, and it was our introduction to working in sustainability. Over the years, through our work with Google, Apparel Impact Institute, Environmental Defense Fund, Textile Exchange, and others, we’ve had a front-row seat to what it actually takes to activate climate ambition inside complex systems and across global organizations.

Here’s what I’ve learned over and over again.

Collaboration is the only path forward.

By now, it’s obvious that the only way forward on this complex work is together. What we need to do on climate is clear. Now we have to do the harder work of working together to make it happen. Across teams. Across organizations. Across sectors. That’s what it takes.

Climate action happens at human scale. And even though collaboration is now mission-critical, it’s still underestimated and under-invested.

The next decade of climate work will require leadership that knows how to steward collaboration well. Leadership that understands that how we work is just as important as what we are trying to achieve. Leadership grounded in relationship and capable of holding complexity.

Real collaboration can be uncomfortable.

You know you’re doing it right when the conversation moves past platitudes and into more uncomfortable territory. This is when collaboration stops being something you say you’re doing and starts getting real. How will we share resources? How will we make decisions together? How will we handle conflict?

At that point, the work asks more of everyone in the room. It means staying in the conversation even when it feels tense. It means getting curious about why someone is holding a position so tightly and taking the time to understand what’s underneath it. It often means realizing that you may need to give something up or consider a different way forward.

When a group is stepping into uncomfortable and messy territory together, that’s when I know we’ve shifted into real collaboration.

There can be so much joy in collaboration.

Everyone knows that collaboration can be hard and complex. I’ve certainly seen that side of it. But I’ve also had many experiences that remind me how good collaboration can be.

Doing purposeful work to change the world for the better with people you feel connected to and admire is pure joy. It’s one reason we’ve been so intentional about working with clients who align with our values. Many of our clients have been with us for years, and we count them as friends. We’re working together with genuine care for the work and for each other.

Building something meaningful with people I care about has kept me in this work for ten years, even when the challenges have felt heavy and, at times, insurmountable.

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It’s a big deal for a small company like ours to reach ten years. I feel proud of the impact we’ve had in stewarding people-centered climate action at companies, in communities, and across industries.If you’ve been part of our journey, thank you. If you’re just finding us now, we’re glad you’re here.

We’ve decided to celebrate all year long. This milestone feels like a chance to reflect, to share what we’ve learned, to celebrate the clients who have trusted us, and to cast a vision for what’s next.

You’re invited to come along for the ride.

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