The Gratitude Shift: From Survival Mode to Empowered Leadership

10 hours ago
3 min read

By Brittany Rogars

I didn’t grow up with gratitude journals or morning affirmations. I grew up in survival mode. My dad was in and out of prison, my mom fought alcoholism, and by the time I was a teenager, gratitude looked like a roof over my head and the lights staying on.

For years, I thought strength meant grit without grace. Push harder, hustle more, keep going no matter what. Gratitude felt like a luxury for people whose lives weren’t falling apart. But what I’ve learned is this: gratitude isn’t fluffy. It’s firepower. It’s the fuel that can take you from surviving to leading, from scarcity to expansion.

The shift didn’t happen overnight. In 2019, when I lost my best friend to addiction, I poured my grief into a handcrafted soap business in her memory. When I later lost my sense of smell and had to shut it down, I felt gutted - like I’d failed her and myself. But in the ashes of that chapter, gratitude cracked me open. Gratitude that I had the chance to honor her at all. Gratitude for the lessons the business taught me about resilience. Gratitude for the clarity to know when to pivot.

That pivot became SKF Practice Solutions, the consulting firm I lead today. We help dental practices streamline systems, reduce burnout, and reclaim both time and sanity. But here’s the truth: the company only thrives because it’s built on gratitude.

Gratitude is woven into how I lead my team. We don’t just celebrate the big wins like landing a new client or hitting revenue milestones. We pause to recognize the everyday victories - an insurance claim finally resolved, or a team member stepping up on a project. Those acknowledgments don’t just boost morale; they create a culture where people feel seen. And when people feel seen, they give their best.

Gratitude has also redefined my relationship with success. For a long time, I chased numbers - more clients, more income, more validation. And yes, I hit milestones. I went from making $30K a year to $30K a month. But numbers without gratitude are empty. Now, success feels like watching my kids see their mom build something meaningful. It’s hearing clients say their team isn’t burning out anymore. It’s waking up and knowing I’m aligned with my values.

Gratitude doesn’t mean ignoring the hard stuff. I’ve lived through grief, burnout, and more setbacks than I can count. But gratitude reframes it. Instead of asking, “Why me?” I ask, “What is this teaching me?” That question changes everything.

As women - especially those of us who grew up in survival mode - we have the chance to model a new kind of leadership. My daughter doesn’t just see me hustling; she sees me pause to say thank you, to celebrate progress instead of perfection, to show grace when things don’t go to plan. That’s the inheritance I want to pass down. Not money, not status, but the ability to find strength in gratitude.

To the woman reading this who feels like gratitude is out of reach: I see you. Gratitude doesn’t erase pain, but it gives you a path forward. Start small. One thing. One moment. One breath you can be thankful for. That’s where power begins.

Gratitude has taken me from gas station clerk to CEO, from survival to significance. And if it can do that for me, it can do that for you.

Because gratitude isn’t just a mindset, it’s a movement. And once you make the shift, you’ll never lead, love, or live the same way again.

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