As I breathe new life into Hostile Sheep, I find myself looking back before I look forward. I want to pause and acknowledge a place, and a group of people, who left their mark on me and Hostile Sheep in ways I am still uncovering. No one asked me to write this. I am writing it because Hostile Sheep is built on relationships, and relationships deserve to be honoured.

My time at The Moment was a paradox. It was the best year of my life, and also the hardest. A year of discovery, connection, challenge, and joy. A year where I stretched beyond what I thought possible, stumbled, got back up, and learned. The highs were bright, the lows cut deep, and together they shaped me. This is not a list of every story or a tally of wins and losses. It is a way to honour the good: the people, the moments, and the lessons that shaped both me and the next chapter of Hostile Sheep.

The Moment gave me more than work. It gave me a season of my life that still hums in my memory. I shared space with people who brought both skill and heart, people who challenged me, encouraged me, and in their own ways, taught me something I needed to know. Every one of them left me with a gift I will carry.

I learned new ways to think, tools I now reach for instinctively, and ways of working together that raised my standard for what good truly feels like. Whether we were mapping systems, shaping prototypes, or dreaming of better ways to serve people, the work was alive with curiosity and a desire to make something meaningful.

There are moments I can still see and hear. The buzz of a room alive with ideas. The instant a stubborn problem finally cracked open. The shared laughter at the end of a long day, when we were tired but still proud of what we made together. These were more than work moments. They were human moments. They reminded me that the best ideas grow in the space between trust and courage.

The Moment gave me skills, yes. But more than that, it gave me a clearer sense of the kind of leader, collaborator, and friend I want to be.

Not every day at The Moment was easy. Some days were heavy with pressure or uncertainty. Some moments asked more of me than I felt I had to give. And some challenged not just my skills, but my patience, my resilience, and my sense of self.

It was these moments that left the most noticeable marks and also made me stronger than I thought I could be. learned to stand more firmly in my own voice. I learned to navigate complexity without losing sight of the people at the center of the work. I learned when to push forward, and when to pause and listen.

The hard edges also brought clarity. They helped me see the kind of work I want to say yes to, and the kind of space I want to create for others. They taught me that courage is often quiet, showing up in small choices made consistently over time.

Looking back, I would not trade the challenges. They sharpened my perspective, deepened my empathy, and gave me the resolve to build Hostile Sheep into a place where people can do their best work and still feel whole.

To everyone at The Moment, past and present, thank you. 

Thank you for the mornings that began with laughter, for the afternoons spent deep in thought, and for the late days when we kept going because the work mattered. Thank you for sharing your talent, your ideas, and your patience. Thank you for showing me what is possible when people care about both the craft and each other.

Thank you to the shadows of The Moment, the ones who had moved on before I arrived, yet whose presence lingered in the way things were done. Thank you for the small kindnesses, the conversations that stayed with me, and the moments of trust that turned colleagues into friends. Thank you for letting me learn alongside you, for letting me stumble and find my footing, and for making space for my voice.

I am grateful for the light moments and for the hard ones, too. Together they made this time vivid, real, and unforgettable.

One hot moment, held in my heart, always.