IAM1161- CEO Shares Family Christmas Tradition with Others

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00:15 – Intro

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO podcast.

00:42 – Gresham Harkless

Hello, Hello, Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast And I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Beth Desson Duffy of Christmas Tree of Kindness at Beth. It's great to have you on the show.

00:54 – Beth Dessen Duffy

Thank you, Gresham. It's great to be here.

00:57 – Gresham Harkless

Super excited to have you on as well too and hear about all the awesome things that you're working on. Before we jump into the interview, I want to read a little bit more about Beth so you can hear about some of those awesome things. Beth was a landscape architecture major for 2 years before graduating with a bachelor of science in environmental education from Cornell University. She began a career at Florida Power and Light Company educating homeowners about how to save money on electric bills.

And Beth transitioned and became involved in Pennsylvania state politics lobbying educating and discussing pertinent issues. Beth is now a CEO and entrepreneur and the creator of the Christmas Tree of Kindness app. She is sharing their family's Christmas traditions with others in hopes of helping individuals, families and groups teach and practice kindness by using this app activity. Beth, great to have you on the show. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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01:46 – Beth Dessen Duffy

Yes, what a great intro. I don't know if I have anything else to say.

01:49 – Gresham Harkless

There we go. Exactly. We dropped the mic from there because you're already doing some of the awesome things. I just ain't reading the bio, but to kind of kick everything off, I wanted to rewind the clock a little bit. Here is a little bit more on how you got started when I call your CEO story.

02:03 – Beth Dessen Duffy

Yes, thank you, Gretchen. When our children were little, we started a fun activity in our kitchen. We would tape a construction paper tree to our cabinet and add paper ornaments as each one of us completed a kind act. Our goal was, as a family, to have the tree decorated by December 25th to celebrate Christmas, and also in the month of December to keep the focus on kindness and giving, and not just the anticipation of the receiving of gifts. But what we quickly learned as a family is, that it was also a wonderful way to focus on and practice kindness. We did receive positive feedback over the years from friends and also perhaps most importantly, it was enjoyable for us as a family. So after 16 years, my husband and I decided that either we stop talking about it or we, you know, move ahead and share the activity with others and the Christmas tree of kindness app happily is the result.

03:14 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome. I love, that, I don't know if you call it a game or tradition probably is a better word, everything that you're doing with your family and how you're able to share it. And of course, you'll get that opportunity to kind of put the pedal to the metal. I always say that the signs of an entrepreneurial decision are when you see something that's not out there and you're looking around to say, well, why does this person create it or why doesn't he or she create it and you realize that you have to be the one to kind of step up and put the pedal to the metal.

03:42 – Beth Dessen Duffy

Yes, that is so good. Gresham, that's a terrific description because I must say that, you know, we look to the right and look to the left and we thought, wow, nobody else is doing this and this is a pretty good idea and you know, we, it's our, we have to bring it forward. So thank you for helping us talk about it and educate others about it too.

04:02 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you for creating Junior Husband for creating. I truly appreciate that opportunity to kind of share that kindness. And often we'll forget about, I think, one of the best gifts and opportunities of times like Christmas is really giving. And I love that that's kind of, you know, within the app and the spirit of the app. So I know you touched a little bit on how the app works. Could you tell us why the app came about? Can you take us through a little bit more on how it works and how we can get, I guess, to download it?

04:30 – Beth Dessen Duffy

Sure. So Gresham, everyone can learn more and download the app from christmastreeofkindness.com or the Apple Store. And there are 3 main features of the app that everyone can enjoy. The first is a new Christmas story that we wrote with a group of Duffy's. And it's about a young evergreen tree named Spruce and his puppy friend Holly, and how they overcome their doubts, make new friends, and how they really inspire everyone to decorate trees with kindness. And the next feature is a virtual activity. It's the app activity. So the creator of a tree may decorate independently or invite friends and loved ones living down the street or around the world to join the same tree and add ornaments as Kynax is completed.

Now the neat thing is, for instance, if I created a tree, I could invite you to join the tree And if you activate the notifications, I can see when you add an ornament. So I can go in there and see Gresham picked the Santa Claus. And I can see your Santa Claus ornament. And then if I tap on it, I can see your name and the actual Kynak that you did. In the end, we would both receive a star for the treetop and Christmas music to celebrate that the world is the kind of place. Then the final element of the app, Not everybody is wild about apps and they like something more tangible. So we do have a printable version of the same activity. It's 2 pages and it's the first page is a blank evergreen tree. The second page includes 39 ornaments that can be cut out and added to a tree as kind acts are completed.

06:23 – Gresham Harkless

Nice, I absolutely love, love, love that. And everything from, you know, who, you know, one of my most favorite, I think, events and part of Christmas is hearing like the Christmas stories and all of that. So who doesn't want to add another Christmas story that they know to the list? And then too, like again, that act of kind, especially during the pandemic that we just went through and people weren't necessarily able to spend as much time as they would have liked with their loved ones. And to get to kind of share that, whether in a printable version or on the app version, you get that opportunity to kind of share that kindness that I guess the community feels, some of the things that we might've been missing over the past year. So I love that.

07:02 – Beth Dessen Duffy

Yes, and Gresham, you know what? It's a great way, our kids are not living at home at the moment. And it was, you know, it's a great way to invite them to the same tree and we can work on it cooperatively. So even though we're separated, you know, the spirit of the season is alive and it's something, it's a shared experience.

07:23 – Gresham Harkless

Yes, absolutely, love that. And so I wanted to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce. This could be for yourself personally or the business or a combination of both, but what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?

07:36 – Beth Dessen Duffy

So Gretchen, maybe you would agree with this, but we truly believe that the Christmas tree of kindness is a new slant on an old tradition, meaning that we all love the tradition of decorating Christmas trees. But, you know, it's a pretty amazing thought that each ornament added to a tree can represent a kind act. And, you know, Christmas trees are beautiful because of the beautiful ornaments, but also to have meaning to each ornament, really adds to the beauty and the meaning of the tree.

08:10 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. And that's why I love, I would definitely agree with everything that you said, because I think I love the spirit of, you know, getting the opportunity to decorate the Christmas tree and getting it to see beautiful, obviously beautiful in the way that it looks. But I think beautiful on a really even deeper level where everybody who contributes has made a positive impact, you know, in somebody else's life or in society, or something like that. And they see a representation of that, no matter where you are is something that's pretty awesome.

08:38 – Beth Dessen Duffy

Yes, and another thing that maybe you would agree with this is that sometimes, especially with the kids, and we look at the news and there's a lot of bad things going on and we don't ignore that. And, you know, we're very aware of that and sometimes we feel powerless. You know, what can we do? And, You know, maybe we're not called to really do big things, but you know, we can do small things starting in our world, in our home. And you know, hopefully, that branches out to other communities. And I think that's really powerful, not only for parents but for kids. And to have a visual, you know, at the end to show that, hey, you know, we really did do something good.

09:22 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. And that kind of reminded me of there's a story that someone sent to me actually and I still remember of a kid that was, you know, on the beach and he was throwing starfish back into the water and a man went up to him and he said, you know, why are you doing that? You're not making an impact. And he looked at the man and he said, I made an impact for that one. And I think if we have that kind of mentality, we understand the things that are quote-unquote small and end up building up to be big and you never know how those acts of kindness can impact people's lives. I think that's a phenomenal you know kind of spirit and mentality that we all need to have.

10:00 – Beth Dessen Duffy

I agree. That's a great story.

10:02 – Gresham Harkless

Yes, absolutely. And so I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

10:16 – Beth Dessen Duffy

So Gresham, I think, you know, being a CEO, I really have to control my thoughts and stay positive because, you know, so many things happen through the course of a day that can really throw me for a tailspin. And I do keep sayings around the house, whether it's at my desk, in the kitchen, or even in our hallway, we have positive thoughts. And the one thing, you know, I find sometimes if I get off in a trail of worry or off, you know, doing things that aren't important, you know, it gives me a chance to regroup focus on the positive and pick up and get on the right track. So I don't think that's an original thought, but I think it's something that's been very helpful for me.

11:12 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. And I think it's something that we all kind of remind ourselves of the beauty of what I love about hacks is that a lot of times they allow you to be more present. And I think so many times, as you said, we can get lost in the sauce, so to speak, and, and, you know, forget of like, why we're doing what we're doing, or maybe we, you know, heard some news, And it kind of completely like took us off what, you know, the really good, you know, positivity we might have had, but to be able to kind of have those things and those constant reminders to get back and to understand or be, you know, appreciative of certain things. I love that hack because I think it reminds us of the opportunity that we have and to stay focused on that.

11:49 – Beth Dessen Duffy

Yes, I agree. Well said.

11:53 – Gresham Harkless

Yes, definitely. And so I wanted to ask you now for what I call a CEO nugget. And this could be a word of wisdom or piece of advice, or it might be something if you were to hop into a time machine you would tell your younger business self.

12:05 – Beth Dessen Duffy

So Gresham, you know what, this kind of rolls into your last question, but it's one of my favorite quotes that are in our kitchen. And it's a quote from Babe Ruth. And it's, this is it, It's hard to beat a person that never gives up. And boy, that 1 comes in handy as a CEO and a promoter of a business. So you know, that reminds me don't give up and just keep going.

12:35 – Gresham Harkless

Yes, I love that quote. And I think so many times we don't realize, you know, where we're talking about, whether we're talking about business or we're talking about life, you know, I think there's a quote, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. And I think if you continue to kind of take those steps, you continue to kind of move forward. Like Babe Ruth probably would say, if you continue to kind of show up to bat and continue to kind of, you know, try to hit, even if you strike out, you get back up there again. I think it's such a great, obviously business lesson, but I think it's a deeper life lesson as well too, that we can kind of remind ourselves of the journey of life of business and how that kind of overlaps.

13:10 – Beth Dessen Duffy

Yes, I agree 100%.

13:13 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome. And so Now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO.

13:20 – Beth Dessen Duffy

We're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So Beth, what does being a CEO mean to you? So Gresham, you might laugh at this, but I would like to say that I'm not just a CEO, I thought about this question, but I'm a CEOF, which is something new. And what that is, is I'm a chief educator and opportunity finder. So really, you know, what I find as a CEO, it's my job to educate others about the app. So my background in environmental education really kicked in years later. And then opportunity finder. Things are happening every day, both good and bad. And we look for ways to be relevant. And it's my job to keep up.

14:08 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome. Well, Beth, truly appreciate that definition. And I appreciate your time even more. What I want us to do is just pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know, and of course how best they can get a hold of you and find about all the awesome things that you're working on.

14:24 – Beth Dessen Duffy

Yes, Gresham, thank you for this opportunity to mention that, you know, we realize that there are a lot of children and families all over the world that are in serious need. And that includes families near us and far away. And since Christmas is a celebration of children and children at heart, we thought a perfect way to give back was to donate a portion of our profits to World Vision, which supports children and families all over the world, regardless of their background.

So we're really happy to have made that connection with World Vision. Their website appears, This can be clicked from our website. And we're thankful to be helping them in our way. The other thing I'd like to mention, please, if you're interested, please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, because we try to come up with entertaining and fun, positive thoughts year-round, pertaining to Christmas and other things, but mainly as reminders about kindness. We'd love it if more people would join our Christmas Tree of Kindness community.

15:47 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome. Well, thank you so much again, Beth. We will definitely have the links and information in the show notes as well too, so that everybody can follow you on social. Of course, download the app. And just like you said so well, I think it's something that we can always, you know, remind ourselves of, is that kindness never goes out of fashion. It's something that you can do year-round. So I love that you reminded us of that and how we can kind of stay connected in order to do that and participate in doing that as well, too. So thank you so much again. And I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

16:15 – Outro