SEEK Pioneer, Christy Kennedy, Shares Her Favorite Memories from Her Time at SEEK
For SEEK’s 20th Anniversary this year, we asked a few of SEEK’s pioneering alumni to share their favorite memories of working at SEEK. Christy Kennedy was a true pioneer in SEEK’s history, tackling many firsts along the way. Her story was just too good to be an Instagram post, so we’ve dedicated an entire blog post to Christy’s most beautiful memories of SEEK. We hope you enjoy!
There are so many memories from my 13-year career at SEEK that it is near impossible to pick just one. It was quite a ride! When I joined the company in 2004, we were a team of only five people. We experienced the many joys and hardships a startup goes through. I also experienced many firsts with the company, which was exciting because I am an adventurer and ideator, and I love to start new things.
I was the first female research consultant at the company.
I was honored to be a part of our first global project when "SEEK went Global!"
I moved to San Francisco to start our first satellite office.
Another first was significantly more challenging and devastating...I was the first SEEKer (and hopefully the last) to be diagnosed with cancer.
It was through my time with cancer in 2014 that I truly understood what SEEK was all about: empathy. I understood empathy on an intellectual level, but it wasn't until this diagnosis that empathy became a deep and transformational full-body experience. The day I began to lose my hair from the chemo, I was terrified. My colleagues invited me to join a video call, and as I clicked on the video I heard the buzzing sound of electronic clippers. Thirteen of my colleagues were back at SEEK headquarters shaving their heads. It was a powerful moment that brought me to tears and one I will never forget. My dear and amazing colleagues and friends understood that I had cancer, they felt deeply with me, and they moved into action. When I couldn't go first, my colleagues did so for me. Even one woman, Kathy, shaved her head. As her hair hit the ground, I heard her say, "I am not my hair." Her courage and the love of these beautiful humans gave me the strength to make it through an illness that almost took my life.
Happy anniversary, SEEK! I am delighted to have called SEEK my home for 13 of the company's 20 years. Thank you for your love and support, and for teaching me about empathy. Even though I left to start my own company in 2017, I am honored to have been (and will always consider myself) a part of the SEEK family.
Love,
Christy
Christy is Founder of Culture Conscious and a Certified Enneagram Practitioner, trainer and researcher. She also considers herself a 'SEEKer' for life.