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Peter Brooks shared thisWhat serves you in this harvest season--the Monarch's tale On the eve of this year's Autumn equinox, I took Pepe for a walk at his favorite park, and came across this beauty, feeding on thistle. When I was young, there were Monarch butterflies everywhere, but populations have cratered, dropping by 80% since the 1980's. So seeing this increasingly rare creature was a delight in itself. But as I reflected on it, she also is a living example of a miracle in two regards. First, she started her life as an egg, became a catepillar (larva), encased herself in a chrysalis (pupa) and emerged as an adult butterfly, all in about 30 days. What's truly remarkable is that when she enters the chrysalis, she doesn't simply transform; her entire body literally dissolves and then reconstitutes as an entirely different creature. She shed what no longer served her--without grasping, clinging or wishing for something else. Having demonstrated one miracle, she quickly embarks on another. The Eastern Monarch takes flight in Autumn, travelling over 2,000 miles to forests in central Mexico to winter over. Assuming it survives, it will make the repeat journey back up the East Coast as weather warms. Just think of the intelligence there. A creature weighing less than a paperclip, having liquified and reconstituted itself, then crosses a continent, guided by the sun, heading to a forest it has never seen or been taught to find. It's said that there is great practical wisdom in understanding the season you're in--whether on the annual calendar or in the arc of your life. The butterfly understands this, and just gets on with its business, not hoping for a different reality or grasping to a stage that no longer serves it. (On accepting reality, poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer says, you can complain all you want about the rain and wish it was sunny, but even while you torture yourself, pining away for the sun, you're still going to get wet). As I enter Fall (both in the annual sense and the life sense), I'm taking a moment for reflection. What in my life no longer serves me? Like plants leaving the growth season, focused no longer on growth but on sending roots deeper for a more solid foundation, I'm taking the opportunity to discern what needs to be clipped and sent to the compost heap. And also thinking about what helps nourish my roots and establish a deeper, more solid foundation. The monarch arrives at the threshold of autumn, a living testament to transformation and courage. As summer loosens its hold and the earth begins its slow turning inward, this small traveler reminds us that change asks for trust: to release one season, open our wings, and enter the next. What serves you this Autumn season? As Mary Oliver asks, what will you do with this one wild and precious life? Regardless of what season you're in--or how you decide to approach the change in seasons--I wish you well, I wish you ease and I wish you happiness.
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Peter Brooks shared thisWatching My Friend Pretend Her Heart Is Not Breaking On Earth, just a teaspoon of neutron star would weigh six billion tons. Six billion tons equals the collective weight of every animal on earth. Including the insects. Times three. Six billion tons sounds impossible until I consider how it is to swallow grief— just a teaspoon and one might as well have consumed a neutron star. How dense it is, how it carries inside it the memory of collapse. How difficult it is to move then. How impossible to believe that anything could lift that weight. There are many reasons to treat each other with great tenderness. One is the sheer miracle that we are here togetheron a planet surrounded by dying stars. One is that we cannot see what anyone else has swallowed. --Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer (Kaua'i before the hurricane, now a place where great care and tenderness is required)
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Peter Brooks shared this"Life and Death are of supreme importance. Time passes swiftly and opportunity is lost. Let us awaken. Do not squander your life." These words, chanted in monasteries for centuries, invite us into the preciousness of this fleeting life. During Suicide Prevention Month, I find myself reflecting on what it means to truly awaken to one another. To notice the suffering behind a smile, like the brave one that Robin Williams wore for all those years. To make room for a difficult and crucial conversation as a manager or friend. To sit with someone in their dark night of the soul without rushing to fix what hurts. Sometimes the most sacred thing we can offer another human being is our wholehearted presence. A listening ear. A strong shoulder. A gentle hand. The simple assurance that they belong, just as God made them, that their suffering matters, and that they need not carry it alone. And for those who are struggling, may you find the resolve to reach toward another. A boss. A friend. A helpline. There is help. There is tenderness in this world. There are people who want you here. I am proud to work for a company that fully supports the mental health and well being of our employees, their families and all of those in the communities in which we serve. May be awaken to the preciousness of every life, including our own. May we become a refuge, a safe harbor for one another. May all beings find their way toward healing, belonging and peace. I have lost friends and colleagues to suicide. It has impacted my family. You can delete all my other posts and comments if you will only take this message to heart: The world needs you. Please stay. There is help. #SuicidePreventionMonth #HowAreYouReally #YouAreNotAlonePeter Brooks shared thisAs we recognize Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, I’m reflecting on an initiative we launched six years ago to address the invisible challenges that impact employee wellbeing, and therefore readiness and performance. In a workforce where many are veterans and hold security clearances, outdated stigmas can still make people hesitate to reach out. But the facts matter: prioritizing mental wellbeing strengthens performance, and clearance issues tied to seeking care remain extremely rare—well below 1%. Most importantly, help is always available. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and a powerful reminder that you don’t need perfect words—just the willingness to check in, listen without judgment, and remind people they matter and help is always available, whether it be company resources, or calling the 988 suicide prevention hotline. Sometimes it begins with “How are you, really?” Start a conversation that could save a life.
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Peter Brooks shared this9/11 Remembrance Most mornings, I begin the day with a workout. But I’ll begin this September 11th with a walking meditation. Each step like a prayer on the Earth. A practice of deep devotion. A wholehearted remembering. Remembering lives lost. Remembering the families who still carry painful absence in their hearts. Remembering the courage of those first responders who ran toward suffering (and great danger) to serve others. For my brother, who had to evacuate past the WTC as bodies fell from the sky. I remember the helplessness I felt that day, bearing witness to great suffering. Watching smoke rise over charnel grounds, reaching through the crystal clear sky and into the heavens. I remember a quiet prayer, whispered through tears for all those lives forever changed. May we remember without turning away from the suffering of the world. May hatred soften into compassion. May fear give way to understanding. May ignorance give way to wisdom. May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. And may our remembering become a vow to live more peacefully in this world. 🙏
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Peter Brooks shared thisOn Global Talent Acquisition Day, I find myself thinking less about recruiting and more about recruiters. The summer of 1997, in the midst of the dot com boom. A friend called me, "Peter, if you're interested in moving back to DC, I can get you a job as a technical recruiter." "I'm not technical nor a recruiter," I responded. "Don't worry, you just need to be able to talk to people all day, and you can do that." 😊 That started a long and rewarding career, and I have been blessed to work with some of the absolute best in the business. The people I work beside today. The people I have had the privilege to lead and learn from over the years. And the many people who have made this profession their craft. They say that recruiting is at the pointy of the spear in any organization, and that is certainly true. But echoing David Whyte, I think about it a little differently now. Recruiters meet people at threshold moments. A first job. A long-awaited promotion. A return from military service. A leap into something unknown. A chance to begin again after a layoff. A role that might change the trajectory of a family. At BEYA several years ago, I remember a young women, who had just finished her engineering degree. She was the first in her family to go to college. When we gave her an offer, she was thrilled beyond belief. We asked if there was anyone she wanted to talk to, and she said her Grandmother. As she shared her news, there was not a dry eye in the booth. Such a beautiful conversation. If you're a recruiter, I'm sure you've got a mental folder chock full of similar stories (which, I'd be happy to hear!) And it's not just people. Organizations, too, stand at thresholds. New capabilities. A new, critical mission. A transformation waiting for the right leaders and the right team to bring it to life. Standing in several places across those thresholds, across dreams and hopes, stands a recruiter. Listening. Searching. Advocating. Providing options. Delivering hard news with humanity. Opening doors. The tools will continue to change. AI will reshape much of our craft. Labor markets will rise and fall. Yet human beings stand at the center of this work: helping people and possibility find one another. To my team today, to those I have shared this work with over the years, and to remarkable recruiters everywhere: I am grateful for you. Thank you for the hard work you do everyday. Thank you for such an enriching journey. I would not change it for the world. Happy Global Talent Acquisition Day. 🙏 (Picture from our last all-hands....and can't wait to get the band back together!
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Peter Brooks shared thisI love this. If you're feeling swallowed by depression: 1. you are not alone. 2. talk about it. SImple. Courageous. #theWorldNeedsYouPeter Brooks shared thisSuccess Doesn't Guarantee Happiness. And Happiness Doesn't Require Success. We've all met people who seem to have everything... The title. The money. The recognition. Yet they're unhappy. And we've met others with far less who radiate gratitude, joy, and fulfillment. That's because happiness isn't always found in what we have. It's often found in how we see. Life isn't always easy. Some days are heavy. Some mornings the sky feels gray for reasons we can't explain. And that's okay. One of the most powerful things we can do is acknowledge what we're feeling, talk about it, and remember that we're not alone. But we also have a choice in how we respond. We can focus on what's broken, or we can focus on what's possible. We can see obstacles, or we can see opportunities. The lens through which we view life often shapes the life we experience. Put on your happy lenses. Meet challenges with enthusiasm. And remember, some of the most meaningful victories happen inside your own mind. #Mindset #Leadership #Growth
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Peter Brooks shared thisKauaʻi is a magical place, an invitation to a deeper, more ancient form of remembering. We have a tradition in our family. While we take plenty of family trips together, each of our 3 kids gets to choose a ‘super trip,’ a solo trip with them to any place in the world they want to explore. This year, it was my oldest son’s turn. Our firefighter, out zip code kid, chose Kaua’I for his trip. I’d never been to Hawaii before. It was breathtaking. Not just in the purely aesthetic sense, although it was beautiful beyond compare, particularly watching dolphins swim along the Na Pali coast. No, the whole island had a resonance, a palpable sense of ancient wisdom, as if the DNA of its earliest settlers was baked into the terroir. Ancient. Alive. A place where the mountains disappear into clouds, the ocean keeps its own steady rhythm (intensified by the passing hurricane), and the wind carries the whispers of people who understood long before us that the land is never merely scenery. They understood our relationship with nature and the fact that we are not separate from it. A wisdom understood long before science verified the same On our last morning, we hit the beach for a final time, and were delighted to see a Hawaiian monk seal, swim up to the beach, stretch out in the morning sun to warm, and just relax. (pictured). Decimated by overhunting, habitat destruction, and in the case of a recent tourist, just plain cruelty, there are now only about 1,600 of these extraordinary animals left in the wild. There was something moving about encountering a creature whose ancestors have inhabited these waters for millions of years, resting on a small piece of earth that has itself risen from the depths of the Pacific. An island first found by Polynesians between 300-400 CE. They crossed a vast and powerful ocean with extraordinary courage and practical wisdom, reading stars, swells, currents, winds, birds and clouds as a living language, trusting their inherited knowledge as well as their own intimate attention to the world. Kauaʻi invites this kind of remembering. The Hawaiian idea of mālama ʻāina speaks to caring for and honoring the land. I love that the language carries reciprocity within it. We care for the earth because the earth is continually caring for us. Perhaps stewardship begins there. With attention. With allowing a monk seal her stretch of sand. With leaving the reef a little more healthy than we found it. With remembering that the forest, the ocean, the birds, the coral, the rain and these ancient creatures are fellow participants in a world we have inherited only briefly. You can almost hear the ancestors whispering through the palms, carried on a lovely island breeze: Take what you need. Give something back. And leave this beautiful world alive for those still coming. Mālama ʻāina. 🌺🌊
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Peter Brooks liked thisPeter Brooks liked thisRIP my dear Brother - In October 2022, I received news that changed my life: my brother, Jorge Luis, had been diagnosed with cancer. At the time, I was in a demanding chapter of my career, doing the kind of work I had spent decades preparing myself to lead. But suddenly, success had a different meaning. By March 2023, I made a very intentional decision. I didn't stop working or walk away from my professional ambitions. I changed the pace and structure of my career so I could have the flexibility to continue working while also traveling to another country, helping my brother navigate his illness, searching for options, and being present for him and for my family. It was one of the most important decisions I have ever made. For more than three years, I learned how to balance professional responsibility with something much bigger and deeply personal. I would not trade that time for anything. I was able to be the sister I wanted to be and the daughter my parents needed me to be. In August, after a courageous four-year battle, we lost Jorge Luis. Grief changes you. But so does witnessing someone fight for his life with courage, humor, faith, and an extraordinary ability to lift others even while carrying his own burden. My brother was also one of the people who continually reminded me of who I am. He wanted to see me fully embrace my career again—to lead, to challenge myself, to dream bigger, and to keep moving forward. And now, I am ready for that next chapter. I am not starting over. I am moving forward with more than two decades of leadership and engineering experience behind me, the same determination that has always driven me, and a much deeper understanding of resilience, purpose, and the value of time. I am ready to once again take on the kind of complex challenges, leadership opportunities, and transformational work that energize me—and to bring everything these last few years have taught me into whatever comes next. One of the greatest lessons my brother left me is that our dreams do not have an expiration date. Life may require us to change course, adjust our priorities, or walk a different path for a season. But we can always choose to keep going. That is how I intend to honor him. By continuing to lead, grow, lift others, and pursue the dreams he always believed I could achieve. Jorge Luis, I carry you with me into this next chapter. This one is for you. ❤️ #Leadership #Resilience #Purpose #CareerJourney #WomenInLeadership #EngineeringLeadership #NewChapter
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Peter Brooks reacted on thisA topic that is very close and important to me, I could not have said it better. Thank you Peter Brooks and thank you General Dynamics Information Technology for supporting such an important issue. I realize LinkedIn is about our professional careers, but we are more than that. Take the time to pause and let the people around you know how much you love and appreciate them. It could make all the difference.Peter Brooks reacted on thisAs we recognize Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, I’m reflecting on an initiative we launched six years ago to address the invisible challenges that impact employee wellbeing, and therefore readiness and performance. In a workforce where many are veterans and hold security clearances, outdated stigmas can still make people hesitate to reach out. But the facts matter: prioritizing mental wellbeing strengthens performance, and clearance issues tied to seeking care remain extremely rare—well below 1%. Most importantly, help is always available. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and a powerful reminder that you don’t need perfect words—just the willingness to check in, listen without judgment, and remind people they matter and help is always available, whether it be company resources, or calling the 988 suicide prevention hotline. Sometimes it begins with “How are you, really?” Start a conversation that could save a life.
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Peter Brooks liked thisPeter Brooks liked thisThis weekend we participated in the National Fallen Firefighters 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. Zach made the climb in remembrance of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center, standing alongside his community to honor the fallen heroes of September 11th and ensure that we Never Forget. Our Five Alarm Charm x NFFF Collection was also available for purchase at the event. 50% of proceeds from this collection went directly back to NFFF and their mission to honor America’s fallen fire heroes and support their families. #NFFF #NeverForget #FiveAlarmCharm #FDNY
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Peter Brooks liked thisTrees have a very positive impactPeter Brooks liked thisIn Brazil, this couple planted 2 million trees in 18 years, returning 172 bird species, 33 mammals, 15 amphibians, 15 reptiles and 293 plant species. The whole world should know them. This is Lélia Wanick and Sebastião Salgado. The couple decided to start the Terra Institute, a small organization that planted 2 million plants and revived the forest. "There is only one creature that can convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, and that is a tree." We need to replant the forests. " Using only local plants, the couple rebuilt the entire ecosystem from scratch and the area flourished significantly, allowing the fauna to return; thanks to their work, Lélia and Sebastião saved dozens of endangered species. "The earth was sad as I was, everything was destroyed. Then my wife got a fantastic idea to replant this forest: all the insects, fish and birds returned, and thanks to the new growth of the trees I was born again." Credit: Blaženka Benkus
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