Day One at LE25 Reminded Me Why I’m Here

Day one of Leadership Experience? I don’t even have the words. It was so moving—so gratifying. It reminded me that I’m in the right place, doing the right work. After COVID, I think a lot of us questioned everything. Am I doing the right thing? Should I still be here? But today, I felt it in my bones: I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.

I’ve been with Starbucks for 20 years. I’ve seen a lot. But what never changes is the feeling you get when you reconnect—with the mission, with your peers, with your purpose. Today, I ran into Josefina, a partner I hired years ago. And Dustin—I didn’t hire him, but I sat in on his first sip as an ASM. Seeing them here, growing, thriving—it’s the most rewarding part of this journey.

When [our ceo] Brian talked about connection, it hit me. That’s what leadership is. It’s not just about operations or schedules—it’s about the moments. Like when my DM quoted a song I didn’t even know she knew and said, “That’s my roller skating song.” Those are the moments that build trust, that build culture. You don’t always get them in the day-to-day, but you get them here at LE.

And then Mike spoke about the coffeehouse experience and Green Apron Service. What really stuck with me was the idea of turnaround. I just took over a new store three weeks ago. It’s been a challenge with staffing, Back to Starbucks culture not quite where it should be. But we’re turning it around. Last Friday, during peak, my supervisor—our peak play caller—told me, “This is the best peak I’ve had” We hit a 47-seconds out-the-window. That’s what turnaround looks like. That’s what leadership looks like.

Regarding the new assistant store manager role coming to most stores? I love it! I think it’s an awesome thing. I remember when I first joined Starbucks, I had two ASMs and that helped create a great culture in the store, so I’m excited for where that’s going. It means having someone on your team working toward the same goal and vision.

What made me emotional today were the partner stories. As managers, we know those stories. We live them every day. Every partner is going through something, and we’re their support system. That’s our responsibility. But it’s also our joy. We love what we do. It comes naturally.

So thank you — for this experience, for this reminder, and for the chance to showcase my team. Day one of LE25  was everything I needed and more.