Origin
The Gold Thread Story
My mom was an upholsterer and a seamstress. She ran a sewing machine at an upholstery shop. I watched her work with breathtaking precision. I also watched her run over her thumb and pull the needle out by herself, then get back to work. Twice. That's where I learned ownership. When something breaks, you fix it yourself. You don't wait for someone else to solve your problems.
I think of gold thread as the beauty that connects our stories, the craftsmanship that holds transformation together, and the strength that runs through everything we build.
My father, Earl Averill, was a former Major League catcher — the son of a Hall of Famer. From his crouch behind home plate, he learned to see the whole field when everyone else was focused on the ball. He taught me systems thinking before I knew the term existed. Every decision shaped by invisible context. Every pattern revealing something deeper.
These weren't leadership principles I studied. They were patterns I lived. And they proved more valuable than any advanced degree when everything started breaking at once.
