OUR STORY

Welcome to Chief Gratitude Officer! Although we've been around since October of 2015, our story starts a bit further back with our Founder and CGO, Caroline Clavin. Here's her story and the story of how CGO began.

A MESSAGE FROM CAROLINE:

Hi and welcome! I hope my story will inspire you to harness the transformative power of gratitude.

The last several years of my life have brought significant challenge, growth, and change. Much of this was prompted by my husband and my realization, 8 years ago, that our journey to have children was not going to come easy. As some of you may relate, challenges like this often cause a reevaluation of priorities. For us, this is exactly what happened.   

For many years, my career defined me. I was a “corporate climber," and my identity was wrapped up in my fast-paced, demanding job. For a long time I loved the workaholic lifestyle, but eventually the job and travel became great distractions from what was happening (or not happening) in my personal life. After a few unsuccessful rounds of in vitro fertilization, I could no longer deny that the stress of my job was likely contributing to my health challenges. Even though my heart understood this, it was not easy to break away from the familiar and comfortable. After many months of wrestling with the inevitable, I finally gained the courage I needed to make a change, and I began redirecting the energy, that I had used to achieve success in my career, toward finding a path that allowed for "whole" living.  

I left the organization to which I had dedicated 9 years of my life. My husband and I left Los Angeles and moved to a rural area in Oregon. I’m now following my heart, and letting my soul lead instead of my ego. I'm enjoying figuring out ways to make my career fit into the personal life I desire, versus the other way around. I am working hard to be "unapologetically me." This is who I am. These are my priorities. This is what we’ve been through, and this is what I want to do with my life. I'm in the driver's seat every step of the way, and I can't think of a time when I’ve been happier.

For a long time, I held back on sharing my story, because it felt too personal and too private, and I hadn’t fully processed or come to terms with what was occurring in my life. Instead of admitting to my colleagues what I was going through, I kept it to myself. When people would ask if my husband and I planned to have kids, I would just say, “yes, but not yet” or "I'm not sure yet." I didn't know how to share that we had been trying for some time without success, and I simply couldn't bare the looks of pity. At the time, a single, "I'm so sorry, I had no idea," had the power to bring me to tears. 

I’ve realized now that sharing my story is cathartic. I'm also hopeful that it will help others. Authenticity is my goal. I know I am not the only one who has been through challenges like this, and I hope that by putting myself out there, I will help at least one person find greater peace in life.  

Everything is happening right on time, and I am incredibly grateful that the challenges I’ve encountered have afforded me the opportunity to revisit what I want out of life. We would not be where we are today if it weren’t for those challenges.  

It was this realization that prompted me to create Chief Gratitude Officer.  Promoting myself to Chief Gratitude Officer (you too can be a CGO) was my way of honoring the shift that was occurring in my life. I’ve found that leading with gratitude is a beautiful way to shift from scarcity thinking to conscious recognition of the abundance in our lives. And, amazingly, life’s challenges become a little less daunting when you realize the unexpected gifts that accompany them. 

Since I started CGO, we’ve been blessed with two beautiful boys, and our cups are fuller than ever. Everyday I look around our house and I’m amazed at how life has transformed in a few short years. When things were really hard, I told myself, “someday, this will all make sense.” I was right. Everything is clear now, and for that, I am so grateful.

For a dose of gratitude and inspiration, please check out our products and follow us on Instagram or Facebook by clicking on the icons below or by searching for Chief Gratitude Officer. Our Mission is to inspire, empower, and spread joy, and we keep that mission front and center in all that we do. I hope my story resonates with you and brings you peace. Sat Nam.