Getting There One Step at a Time: Part 1 – Small Steps, Big Mountains
When I landed in Tanzania, I was carrying more than gear. I was carrying grief from losing my mother the prior month, loss related to some ongoing family changes, and the weight of some big looming decisions upon my return. But I was also carrying hope—hope that slow, steady steps could lead to something new.
Over a year ago, when my friend invited me to climb Kilimanjaro with her, I hadn’t ever considered the goal or idea of scaling a major mountain. Yet, when she explained that the hike was for the purpose of raising money for her nonprofit–Kilimanjaro Kidz Education Foundation https://kilimanjarokidz.com/–that provides school tuition/supplies/food for the children of those Tanzanians who work on the mountain as porters and guides, I knew that I was destined to go with her on that trip.
As I readied myself for this challenge, I hoped that I’d be able to walk step by step alongside her on the trek up the mountain to an elevation of 19341 feet. Yet, I didn’t realize how the mountain and the people of Tanzania would change me so profoundly. In this blog series, I’d like to share what I learned from this climb and how it relates to the process of change and growth in therapy.
On Kilimanjaro, every day began the same way: wake up, pack up, walk forward. Some days were steep and breathless, others marked by illness or exhaustion. Still, the rhythm was simple: one step, then the next.
I followed the guides’ strong guidance and accepted their loving encouragement each step of the way until I finally made it to the summit of Kilamanjaro, UHURU Peak on Saturday, September 6, 2025.
Over those 8 days of the climb, the porters and guides would remind us, “pole…pole” (pronounced poh-LAY poh-LAY), which means slowly, slowly in Swahili. And with each slow step, we were closer than we’d been before.
That became my lesson. You don’t need to leap to reach something monumental—you just need to keep moving, even when your legs shake.
And you don’t have to move alone.
The Tanzanian guides reminded me of this truth every day. Their kindness, laughter, and steady pace taught me patience. Their attention and care showed me a love that I hadn’t experienced before. These Tanzanians lived out their love with a gracious pursuit for more and better that kept family and friends at the center of everything they did.
I was astounded by their strength and overwhelmed by their kindness again and again.
As the founder of The Sibley Group and Parent Practices, I’ve built businesses brick by brick, with the same steady rhythm. As a leader in both groups and in my family, I plan to hold the Tanzanians that I met as exemplars of servant-leadership.
They reminded me of this simple truth. Like parenting, like therapy, like climbing—it’s the small steps that create transformation.