Gina Hamadey: A Year of Gratitude

When was the last time you wrote a thank you letter? For most of us, the last time was as a child to thank friends or family members for gifts or other generous acts.

But the long forgotten act of writing thank you notes is more powerful than a simple thank you. Letters of gratitude can spark upward spirals of positivity and connection, among other things.

Gina Hamadey especially knows just how valuable writing thank you letters can be.

Gina is the author of the forthcoming book I Want to Thank You, about her year writing 365 thank you notes to friends, neighbors, family members, mentors, and more (much more!) She was the travel editor at Food & Wine and Rachael Ray Every Day and started her career at the groundbreaking titles O, the Oprah Magazine, and George. She founded the content and social strategy firm Penknife Media. She has written for The New York Times, Real Simple, and Women's Health, among other publications.

In this episode, Gina thoughtfully shares with us key lessons around gratitude from her new book.

Listen to this episode and learn about:

  • Gina giving credit and thanks to her 5th grade teacher, Mary C. Hall (3:24)

  • The role of mentorship in destiny (5:53)

  • The synergistic nature of writing and gratitude (7:24)

  • If gratitude is selfish (10:09)

  • If a letter is always the best way to express your gratitude (17:13)

  • Giving and expecting nothing in return (22:07)

  • The importance of reliving the past (25:07)

  • The strength of reactivating weak ties (34:31)

  • Gina's message to her 5th grade teacher (42:00)

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