Legacy Through Choices: Insights from Influential Lives

““Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffett

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Introduction: Legacy as Presence

Recently, my Podcast Partner on Open Doors and I, Lauren, recorded an episode and in it we added a segment called, “What’s on my Mind.” I had spent that morning as I normally would, listening first to “Morning Brew Daily,” followed by The New York Times, “Daily” Podcast. That morning on the Daily, was a recap of Charlie Kirk’s memorial where his wife Erica Kirk so elegantly forgave his killer, in the name of her husband’s work and her own belief system in her relationship with God. As I listened to her words and thought about the tragedy that was the loss of life for this young man and his family, the word that came to mind for that moment for her, for her children, and for him, was legacy. Legacy, a word that sits somewhere between the personal and the universal, and these past weeks have reminded me that legacy isn’t about titles, awards, or wealth. Legacy is about how we consistently show up in the world. It’s written in our choices, our presence, and the spaces we create for others.

Gary Vee often says: “You are writing your legacy every day.” I believe that’s true. We all get the chance to write our legacy every single day by how we live, how we treat people, and what we choose to build—or disrupt.

For me, this post is not a piece or a space for anything other than acknowledging, we all get one life, we all get one chance to be humans on this earth as part of a community of people. People with thoughts, opinions, opportunities to action, ways to show up and leave this space better than we found it. There are countless people who have built and shaped legacies, some quiet and others loud, but that’s the thing about legacy, we all build our own. The people I have chosen to highlight have struck me in their actions, in their intentions and what they did (and in the case of the 95 year old Warren Buffet) are still doing.

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The Wisdom of Letting Go: Warren Buffett

I started writing this post 4 weeks ago (good things take time and this one is a bit heavy and I was nervous), and had intended to include Warren Buffet in this post in the context of harnessing your legacy while you are still here to make daily choices and also knowing when it’s time to let go. Then 2 weeks ago, October 3, 2025, a major news story hit the wire: Berkshire Hathaway’s acquisition of Occidental Petroleum’s chemical division, OxyChem, for $9.7 billion. To me this suggested many things, but one is that 95 year-old Warren Buffet is still very much stewarding the legacy of the company he built, even while practicing the art of letting go. In the acquisition, is both the heart and science of one of the most legendary business men of all time doing what may be his final deal.

For context, Buffett has seemingly struggled to find attractively priced major acquisitions in recent years. The deal is a the use of Berkshire Hathaway’s substantial cash reserves, which have been growing and notably speaks to the pending leadership transition as the announcement materials for the deal did not include Buffett’s name, instead quoting his successor, Greg Abel, who will take over as CEO in January. A brave new chapter for all.

To me, Warren Buffet is a masterclass in the complexities and opportunities of the crafting your legacy in action across dimensions and phases of life. The series of moments, chapters and choices. Family, business, personal pursuits/interests, giving back are not always in lock step, and if we are honest, almost never are they congruent. I have learned, life is a series of tradeoffs and legacies are not made up of just spontaneous moments – they are a connected and also disparate series of choices. He focused much of his life on being a businessman and this deal will be the one, that last BIG one.

But, in digging deeper, he is so much more and his unique arrangement with his wives and 3 children will live on through his role as a philanthropist. In 2024, he announced that, after his death, his donations to the Gates Foundation will cease and where he had given given billions of dollars in stock to the foundation over since 2006, significantly expanding its resources for global health, poverty, and education initiatives. After this passing, the bulk of his remaining fortune will be managed by a charitable trust overseen by his three children, who will have a decade to distribute the funds. Additionally, In June 2025, he doubled-down on his own distribution of his philanthropic gifting and made one of his largest single donations to date, giving away approximately $6 billion in Berkshire Hathaway stock. All separate moments in time, but all connected to a vision to ensure that his children have a direct role in his philanthropic legacy, and his impact will live on to serve future generations.

“The decision to keep every share is an economic decision because I think the prospects of Berkshire will be better under Greg’s management than mine.” – Warren Buffett

Source: CNBC

He has written and curated this chapter to leave his family, his business and the causes he cares deeply about in way that he can both architect, protect and be proud of in the hands of people he trusts, and in a way that he believes will better society. He is legendary for his business acumen, and it’s no surprise that he would choose how he would leave the business he founded, nurtured and grew to one of the most successful companies in the world which is why I am so interested in his retirement announcement is as it was a different kind of disruption—the quiet disruption of humility. After six decades at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway, he chose to step back and hand leadership to Greg Abel. His choice not to mention himself in his final acquisition and business deal shows us that legacy isn’t only in the numbers (though they are staggering), but in his wisdom: knowing when to step aside.

The Quiet Power of Storytelling: Robert Redford

When Robert Redford passed on September 16, 2025, the world didn’t just lose an actor—it lost a visionary. Yes, he gave us unforgettable performances in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President’s Men and my personal favorite Up Close and Personal ( yes, I was inspired by Michelle Pfeiffer and I did get a bob cut after this movie). But his most enduring contribution was Sundance: a platform that empowered independent voices who would otherwise have been silenced.

That’s the essence of positive disruption. He didn’t lobby against a system or yell at it or about it —he leaned in with curiosity and grace and he expanded it. Not only did he do it through creating a forum for these films and film makers, he literally created a space. Named after this famous character in the film and his resort in Sundance Resort, just outside of Salt Lake City, The Sundance Institute was formed in 1981 to support independent film makers. In addition to the establishment of the institute, he had been involved with the Utah/US Film Festival in Salt Lake City which was established in 1978, and later its move to Park City in 1981. In 1985, when the Sundance Institute officially took over operations for original Utah/US Film Festival the festival was officially renamed it the Sundance Film Festival. By creating space for filmmakers like Ava DuVernay and Ryan Coogler, he demonstrated what happens when cognitive diversity thrives: storytelling becomes richer, more inclusive, more human.

Source: Sundance Institute

One of Robert Redford’s most famous quotes about the Sundance Institute and Film Festival encapsulates his core mission:

“For me, the Sundance Institute is just an extension of something I believed in, which is creating a mechanism for new voices to have a place to develop and be heard.”

As Barbra Streisand said: “He was charismatic, intelligent, intense, always interesting—and one of the finest actors ever.” And yet, his greatest role may have been as a builder of platforms where others could shine.

On a personal note, in 2016 I was invited to go the Sundance Film Festival as part of Brand Storytelling. I had never been and I didn’t even really understand exactly what is was at the time. From the moment I arrived in Park City, I was instantly captivated. The air felt different. As if somehow, we were now breathing the oxygen of creativity. The ideas that bring new stories and storytellers to the forefront and let us imagine new worlds, voices and new paradigms. It has truly become one of my favorite events every year. Countless memories of learning new things, laughter over stories pitched late night over whiskey and beer that would never see the light of day, and countless adventures untold. The hills and Main Street in Park City are vibrant and buzzing with the energy of self-expression and passion, however this too will now be part of Park City’s legacy. Beginning in 2027, Sundance will move to Boulder, Colorado making January 2026 the final Sundance Film Festival in Park City and will surely be the most poignant in a tribute to the lasting legacy of Robert Redford.

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Science Reimagined Through Empathy: Jane Goodall

I was saddened when Jane Goodall passed away two weeks ago. As the world-renowned primatologist and anthropologist, best known for her groundbreaking, six-decade-long study of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania. The images of her interacting with the purest joy and acceptance of her beloved Chimpanzees will never be forgotten. She was unconventional. Her methods were different that that of her industry, which is what made her so special and ultimately successful. She was much more than a researcher and scientist, she was attuned to what it means to be part of an ecosystem. That one thing or organism is not better than another, that we are all equal as we all play a role in how our planet operates. In her space, she was patient, open and curious and she demonstrated to an entire community and beyond how empathy can create portals of understanding and learnings we didn’t know existed. Her approach and methods were not only dismissed they were criticized. Different than her counterparts and traditional methods, she believed in giving the chimpanzees names instead of numbers and documenting their individual personalities and emotions, and they responded to her in kind because she was kind to them. This approach changed an entire methodology and course of study as it is now a cornerstone of modern animal behavior studies.

She didn’t just show up for her research. she was also an advocate for environmental and wildlife conservation, traveling extensively to speak about threats to the natural world. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 to continue her work, and the global youth program, Roots & Shoots, in 1991. The connection between the animals she loved and the habitats they and we occupy and inextricably linked and instead of just talking about these things, she took her platform and learnings and created something that would outlast her.

Jane Goodall had the courage to think differently and. more than that, she had the courage to behave differently. She was honored in several ways throughout her life including being named an UN Messenger of Peace, and an educational achievement of being one of the few people to be admitted to the University of Cambridge to pursue a Ph.D. without first earning a bachelor’s degree.

As a mother of a 12 year old girl, I want her to know the legacy of Jane Goodall. The one that not just tells her to have courage and believe in her own ideas and dreams, but demonstrates how her ideas and dreams can come to life through actions taken. Jane Goodall has inspired generations of girls and women to puruse science and conversation while giving them the tools and resources to make it real.

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall

Source: National Geographic

Like Redford, Goodall reminds us that legacy is not only about impact in the moment, but about creating ecosystems that endure.

The recognition that positive disruption sometimes comes from letting go, from trusting others to take the reins.

Prompting Discourse and Holding Space Becomes Legacy: Charlie Kirk

The assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025, was a tragic reminder of the fragility of spaces for human life, dialogue, and discourse. Whatever your politics, his willingness to show up and engage — even amid deep disagreement — reflects one kind of legacy: showing up. Campus after campus, he created rooms where ideas collided and conversation happened.

In this particular part of this post, I feel the need to make the point that I chose this story very specifically. and with some hesitation. I don’t like political conflict, and the thought that people may show up in my comments and say things, or that they may erroneously judge me without knowing me, makes me uncomfortable; but, in that I realized, by not writing it, then I am also self-silencing (or avoiding) a topic that is important to me, showing up and how that impacts legacy. So here I am.

What I do appreciate is productive debate and discourse. It’s where I learn and grow and am able to see the other side of data points or experiences I may not have had…or maybe the same experience internalized through my own lens. Those thoughts, ideas and POVs may even make me uncomfortable but they make me think and I appreciate when the people can share without the need for coercion, right or wrong, or berating, just sharing of ideology with the return ability to listen and try to understand other ways of thinking or experiences. For me, legacy isn’t defined by accolades or shouting, or even what he said, because they were his opinions and in a world filled with a sea of opinions- these were his take and alignment on issues and agreement is subjective. The agendas and platforming will bow to the next media headline and cultural moment, but his death and his legacy can be honored by his presence— his actions to try to engage where it mattered most – including his family.

Legacy through discourse is cognitive diversity in action: choosing to stand in the hard spaces, to lean into conversation even when it’s uncomfortable. His loss reminds me how important those spaces remain, how college campuses should be a safe place for discourse, and how we can engage around “how to think, not what to think.” Erica’s memorial speech reminds me that every moment is a moment to write your legacy and ultimately our life is a series of moments and choices. She reminded all of us in a moment that was so painful for her, a moment where other people had their own experience of his death and his service meant something different to each person present, she was part of his legacy. She was the steward of his legacy for their babies and she stepped into the moment of writing her own legacy for herself and her family.

If you are still with me, thank you for staying. This is last section but for me and maybe most of us who aren’t celebrities or influencers, but we are people…this is for us.

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Legacy in the Everyday

All of this said, I think for most of us, we can deeply understand that not all legacies make headlines because we have family members and friends, or people we have known in our lives who forever leave a mark on our hearts. I don’t know that I had thought about legacy in this way, even though I had lost my beloved grandparents on my Mom’s side in my early thirties. Their legacy lives on with me in my memory of them; but it wasn’t until my Dad said to me once in the context of his friend who he was caring for and had Cancer: “Nobody wants to be forgotten.” I could never get his words out of my head, and a year later I was sitting with him and my Aunt Bonnie at my Aunt Willa’s funeral. Willa was like a mother to my Dad. 11 years older than him, she had stepped in to take care of him and his siblings when times were hard with my grandparents who were struggling to care of their children. Willa and Steve, and their children, lived in San Mateo and had a house on the lake in Clear Lake. Our family wasn’t close in distance and reunions were scarce, but I treasured lake visits and sitting around listening to stories of their childhood. Understanding where my Dad came from helped me feel closer to him, and Willa in her scratchy throaty voice would share endless stories somehow in the recounting of a lost childhood, she could still create a sense of home.

My Grandpa had worked in the mines and on the railroad and struggled with alcohol, so the kids, who were separated by several years with 2 of the 5 having cognitive disabilities, were spread out across geographies in order to ensure they had care. The stories were ripe in the stories with the ripple effects that affected generation that endured The Great Depression (addiction, poverty and hard-working people and resilience). From the stories, it was also clear that Willa had stepped up and in to create safety and love for her siblings. I don’t know what I expected Isitting in the pews of the church at Willa’s funeral next ot my Dad, just before the world shut down for Covid, but when my cousin John, her oldest son came to the podium to deliver her eulogy and said four words. “My mother is love.”

She is love. I immediately burst into tears at his words. Goose bumps flared all over my skin. It was so beautiful and I could feel his words in my soul. I could see Willa in my mind those times at Clear Lake. Bustling around the kitchen, telling us what to do to help before we could go outside and race around the lake on their jet skis. Her laugh. The warm affection she had for everyone she would look at when we were visiting. Her soft, tan arms wrapping around you for a warm hug and small shake to say, “how are you, you’ve gotten so big.” Racing into crystal clarity, I flashed forward to my own moment of passing and I knew in that moment watching John, I hoped my children would say that, and believe it. That I am love. That somewhere and in their lives, I showed up and gave to them and those around me love. That they would feel the light like a warm fingerprint on their hearts to know I will always be with them. I often think about E and what will happen for her as we currently build out her future plan now that she is 16. Noone handed us a roadmap or a playbook for how to have a child with significant disabilities. How a marriage can end but you can still be partners in every sense of the world with your children as your North Star. So that love is their compass. We collaborate to figure it out, but we know that ultimately our legacy will be how we support her, how we allow our Q and M to now have to own the experience of caring for her, but to want to lean in and advocate and spend time with her to include her in the lives of their own families and children after KSP and I are gone. These are the things that I think about in the wee hours of the morning. The ones that pull the threads of my heart knowing how important they are, and yet sometimes fearing the gravity of their impact. It’s the trees in the forest, that sometimes I cling to one by one, until I can see the path and throw myself forward toward the unknown.

In one of our Open Doors Podcasts, we interviewed Maha Abouelenein about her book “The 7 Rules of Self Reliance.” In our interview, she said something I will never forget as we discussed her courage in caring for both of her parents who were suffering debilitating illnesses as she was just a young woman and trying to care for them – she would ask herself everyday, “what can I do to make their day better.” That is love. Some days it’s an extra hug, some days it’s sitting quietly, some days it’s bouncing on the trampoline, some days it’s doing for a walk or it’s shuttling them somewhere, or making a meal they like, or just listening when THEY are ready to talk. That is love. Love is them knowing they are the North Star and you set the direction to your love is always with them no matter where they go.

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We will also have different experiences. Our paths, ways, influences and outputs will be diverse; but, we get to choose how we show up. Like my Aunt Willa, her legacy wasn’t tied to professional success; her legacy was in the fabric of the daily ways she showed up with love. Aunt Willa reminds me that being remembered isn’t about what you’ve done, but it is how you show up and make them feel.

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Closing Reflection: Legacy as Daily Choice

Legacy isn’t reserved for the famous, the wealthy, or the powerful. It’s something we shape in small ways, every day —through our choices, our curiosity, our courage, and our love. Robert Redford, Jane Goodall, Warren Buffett, Charlie Kirk, Erica Kirk and Aunt Willa remind us that legacy is not about being remembered for achievements, but for how we showed up in big and small ways, and if we are able how we can create in service of something bigger than ourselves.

To Q, E, and M, I hope that one day, you read this post and though you may never totally comprehend how much I love you, you know that in your hearts, for you, I make big choices and small ones daily that I hope one day, you will also say, “My Mother is Love. ” And, if I do this right, you will also feel that our family has left something in Quinn’s Cocoa $4 the Cure and in honor of people with Angelman Syndrome (and maybe something to come) that lived in service of something bigger than ourselves. You are my North Star, my compass, and the role I am most proud of in this life, no matter how long it lasts, you are my legacy. You are my loves forever and ever from wherever we may be and as you know:

“I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I am living my babies you’ll be.” – Robert Munsch (and beyond).

For all of us for this moment, is not What will our legacy be? but How will we show up today? Here we go. Close my eyes, deep breath, and hit publish.