Carry As You Climb

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking at an event where I met Kelli Rous, a professional with Huhtamaki. After my talk on self-advocacy, she reached out to share a phrase that has become something of a personal philosophy for her: Carry as you climb.

Kelli first encountered it in the context of Olympic track legend Allyson Felix, and it has stayed with her ever since. After she explained it, it has stayed with me, too.

To carry as you climb is to resist the gravitational pull of scarcity thinking. It is an active, intentional posture toward the people around you. It means acknowledging your peers, loudly and often. It means surrounding yourself with people who want to do the work, especially when the work is hard. It means looking for the systems that hold people back and having the courage to dismantle them.

It also means showing up with joy. Kelli points to Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu as a recent example, someone whose delight in her craft is visible and contagious. That kind of joy is not incidental. It is part of the carry.

There is something else Kelli said that I keep returning to. Someone once called her out of the blue, asked her to leave her job, and come work alongside her. At the time, it seemed like an audacious ask. Now, Kelli recognizes it for what it was: someone carrying as she climbed.

That is the thing about this philosophy. When we see it in practice, it gives us permission to do the same. In our careers. In our communities. In every space where we have the chance to bring someone along.

Who are you carrying?

Happy Networking!