The Inspiration
I'm sad that 2020 is almost coming to an end. Yes, you heard that correctly. What world has she been living in, you might ask. Has she been living under a rock?
There is so much I wish had not happened this year. So much tragedy and loss on so many fronts. We in the hospitality and tourism industry can relate. In fact, my family business still hangs in the balance with by no means any certainty on what the future will bring. But in this year, my personal experience has also been about gains.
Don't get me wrong, there isn't a week that goes by that I don't feel stuck or like I am spinning my wheels. I've had enough career bumps, bruises and stories that have forced me to learn fast or drown, and drastically redesign how I set priorities both professionally and personally. And then came 2020, a year that would test my resilience like never before.
Accelerate was born out of my personal struggles and obstacles. In late 2018, I embarked on this journey to create Accelerate and break my feeling of isolation. My goal was to create an opportunity to learn from other women by creating space and time for like-minded industry women leaders to come together. This year has rendered the creation of Accelerate only more prescient. Who would have thought that all of the progress being made in women's leadership over the last several years, could quite possibly be wiped out in one giant sweep of a pandemic. In fact, the McKinsey Women in the Workplace 2020 Report revealed that 1 in 3 women in the corporate world are considering scaling back their careers or leaving them all together. The impact for women of color is even more devastating.
So how does one make gains in a difficult year like this? The key lies here: where there is struggle, there is growth. That's where Accelerate comes in. The pathway to, the process of, the knowledge attained and the relationships formed through Accelerate have been a central part of a personal growth and development process. This growth has provided what I needed to weather quite possibly the biggest storm of my career. As difficult as things have been, I believe genuinely that I am thriving, not just surviving. I know there are more stories out there like this, but I also know that there are people that are struggling and that's okay. Either way, we have an opportunity to learn from each other in both the triumphs and challenges.
After forming partnerships with the New England Inns and Resorts Association and Transegy LLC. a worldwide corporate coaching agency in 2018, the first Accelerate retreat was held in Stowe, Vermont in April of 2019. I felt fortunate to meet and work with women from four New England states from the hospitality and tourism industry. After cancelling our event in 2020 due to the pandemic, I'm very excited to announce the Accelerate 2021 virtual retreat taking place on April 27th and 28th, 2021. I am extremely grateful to my colleagues Beth, Paige, Val, and Sarah who form the Accelerate Advisory Board. I am indebted to them for their commitment to help Accelerate grow and evolve to meet the needs of women in the hospitality and tourism industries. We hope to see you in April 2021!
-Rachel Vandenberg, Founder Accelerate New England Women in Hospitality and Tourism
There is so much I wish had not happened this year. So much tragedy and loss on so many fronts. We in the hospitality and tourism industry can relate. In fact, my family business still hangs in the balance with by no means any certainty on what the future will bring. But in this year, my personal experience has also been about gains.
Don't get me wrong, there isn't a week that goes by that I don't feel stuck or like I am spinning my wheels. I've had enough career bumps, bruises and stories that have forced me to learn fast or drown, and drastically redesign how I set priorities both professionally and personally. And then came 2020, a year that would test my resilience like never before.
Accelerate was born out of my personal struggles and obstacles. In late 2018, I embarked on this journey to create Accelerate and break my feeling of isolation. My goal was to create an opportunity to learn from other women by creating space and time for like-minded industry women leaders to come together. This year has rendered the creation of Accelerate only more prescient. Who would have thought that all of the progress being made in women's leadership over the last several years, could quite possibly be wiped out in one giant sweep of a pandemic. In fact, the McKinsey Women in the Workplace 2020 Report revealed that 1 in 3 women in the corporate world are considering scaling back their careers or leaving them all together. The impact for women of color is even more devastating.
So how does one make gains in a difficult year like this? The key lies here: where there is struggle, there is growth. That's where Accelerate comes in. The pathway to, the process of, the knowledge attained and the relationships formed through Accelerate have been a central part of a personal growth and development process. This growth has provided what I needed to weather quite possibly the biggest storm of my career. As difficult as things have been, I believe genuinely that I am thriving, not just surviving. I know there are more stories out there like this, but I also know that there are people that are struggling and that's okay. Either way, we have an opportunity to learn from each other in both the triumphs and challenges.
After forming partnerships with the New England Inns and Resorts Association and Transegy LLC. a worldwide corporate coaching agency in 2018, the first Accelerate retreat was held in Stowe, Vermont in April of 2019. I felt fortunate to meet and work with women from four New England states from the hospitality and tourism industry. After cancelling our event in 2020 due to the pandemic, I'm very excited to announce the Accelerate 2021 virtual retreat taking place on April 27th and 28th, 2021. I am extremely grateful to my colleagues Beth, Paige, Val, and Sarah who form the Accelerate Advisory Board. I am indebted to them for their commitment to help Accelerate grow and evolve to meet the needs of women in the hospitality and tourism industries. We hope to see you in April 2021!
-Rachel Vandenberg, Founder Accelerate New England Women in Hospitality and Tourism
Rachel Vandenberg owns and operates the Sun & Ski Inn and Suites, Stowe Bowl and Stowe Golf Park with her husband and family in Stowe, Vermont. Rachel also serves on the Board of Trustees of her local destination marketing organization, the Stowe Area Association. In December 2018 she completed a certificate in hospitality management from Ecornell. She is currently training to become a leadership coach and working towards her International Coaching Federation certification. In 2020, she founded her coaching practice called PEAK. Rachel is an avid reader, community activist, proud wife and mother of three and loves to mountain bike and nordic ski in the woods of Vermont.