Terri-Ann Feindt
The most common and typical New Year’s resolutions are to get in shape, lose weight, eat healthier and give up a vice like smoking or drinking. But INTIX members are anything but common and typical. So, to kick off the year, we surveyed several to see what they have resolved to do (or not do) in 2025.
Work
Not surprisingly, work was on the minds of several interviewees. Terri-Ann Feindt, Founder of Double Eagle Consulting, says, “I would say my New Year’s resolution is to expand my business network by attending and supporting more industry events and professional organizations to build meaningful relationships.”
Excelling in one’s professional life in 2025 was also on the mind of Simone Hogan, Director of Ticket Operations for the Dallas Mavericks. “This year,” she says, “I plan to focus on my personal growth. I am going to set small, achievable goals each month that push me out of my comfort zone.”
Personal
Jeff Hecker
Others are acknowledging that their jobs have become so time- and thought-consuming that they have resolved to find a better work-life balance in the weeks and months to come. This group includes Jeff Hecker, Vice President of Ticket Operations for the New York Jets. “My New Year’s resolution is not very earth shattering,” he says. “It’s to take more time for me.”
Echoing those sentiments is Christina Allen, Senior Manager, Box Office, for the Ottawa Senators. She states, “This past year has been crazy busy at work so my 2025 resolution is to prioritize ... me! 2025 is the year to make sure I’m taking care of me. Getting those steps in, walking more, reading more, more friends and family time. Not always making work the priority.”
HALM Development co-founder Jacque Holowaty concurs, adding, “My New Year's resolution is to be more present for people in my life, including myself. I turned 40 this year, and I realized that the average age for women in the US is 81 years old — meaning that if I am lucky enough to live that long, I have only lived half of my life so far. I have an entire new lifetime ahead of me!”
She continues, “The best part is this lifetime will not be filled with self-doubt and questionable decisions as I navigated childhood and early adulthood but will be filled with a greater understanding of knowing myself and being confident with who I am and the energy I choose to be surrounded by. 2025 is a year of comfort and self-assurance, and I want to sit in the moment with that feeling a lot more and hopefully be a safe space that others can allow themselves to also feel at peace with who they are.”
Dawn Zappitello
Dawn Zappitello, Senior Manager, Park Arrival and Guest Relations, for the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, was equally introspective when setting her resolve for 2025. “I have some New Year’s resolutions this year and they focus on committing and taking action. Number one, intentional travel. My bucket list grows longer and longer each year on the places I want to see and things that I want to experience. There is no time like the present. So, one of my resolutions this year is to pick a few of those destinations that are calling out to me and to start making plans.”
She adds, “Number two is spending quality time with friends and family. So often we get caught up in saying ‘Let’s make plans’ rather than taking action. When it gets to be this time next year, I want to be able to look back and acknowledge time well spent engaging with friends, family and colleagues in meaningful ways. If I am lucky, these two resolutions can cohabitate and I can experience new places with friends and family, or travel to visit childhood friends or to meet a long-lost relative!”
Then, there’s David Damerell, Assistant Director, Ticket Services for the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, who has a very personal reason behind his New Year’s resolution: “It’s to eat healthier because my wife is due with our first child this summer! I want to be healthy when the child comes.”
I Don’t Make Resolutions, But…
Then, there are those INTIX members who wouldn’t admit to making New Year’s resolutions, per se. Instead, they referred to them as pledges, vows, objectives — anything other than resolutions. Deb Cummins, Ticket Operations Manager for the Buffalo Bills, says, “I really don’t do New Years resolutions — but I do set up goals for myself. Examples would be: add more steps in my daily walks, get out and photograph more and finish that insane 1,000-piece puzzle that’s almost all the same color.”
Hayley Chapman, Senior Director of Ticket Operations and Administration for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), expressed similar sentiments: “I am personally not a New Year’s resolution kind of person. However, I always choose a word each year to keep me focused on goal setting and grounds my decision making — my word for 2025 is thrive! This word guides my intentions in areas I am striving to enhance both personally and professionally; growing as an individual, leader, mom and wife; and steering towards decisions that lead to joy in my life. I push for optimistic results, and I am excited for what 2025 will bring.”
Derek Palmer, Chief Revenue Office for Project Admission, says he doesn’t do specific resolutions either. He reasons, “Life — and this business, in particular — is ever changing, and you have to be ready and willing to adapt quickly. I guess as a blanket statement I would say I hope to be a bit more patient in 2025 and continue trying to be a good example for my kids. From a professional standpoint, 2025 should be a big one and I am excited to be part of that.”
JaeTi Randal-Valdes
JaeTi Randal-Valdes, Assistant Director of Ticketing Services for San Diego Theatres, also says, “I am not typically one for resolutions,” before adding, “but I actually have a few things I am working on that I suppose would qualify. For 2025, my professional goals include prepping for and obtaining the ADAC certification. This is a certified Accessibility Coordinator title. We have seen a huge increase in requests for accessible accommodations — notably ASL needs. We’re thrilled that the community is becoming more interested and engaged with our events and want to be sure we’re doing our best to serve them. And, as we all know, ticketing is generally the first point of contact for our guests.”
“In addition to the ADAC,” JaeTi continues, “I am looking at our spaces and reevaluating the manifests to meet the minimum requirements for accessibility. This will be a large project involving potential seat removal, installation of railings, as well as revising some seats to become transfer locations.”
A Final Resolution
Then there is Crystal Clinton, Entertainment Ticketing Director for Opry Entertainment. Or, more specifically, the newly retired Entertainment Ticketing Director for Opry Entertainment. She concludes, “I am not sure if this is a resolution or more of a prayer, but here goes. As I move into this new season of retirement, my resolution is that my heart finds peace and my hands find purpose. May any challenges that come transform me into a better version of myself, and any setbacks become stepping stones towards greater strength and wisdom.”
And we resolve to let Crystal have the last word!
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