How to Bring Your Values to Life—Even When It’s Hard: Welcome to ValuesCrafting
For purpose-driven people crafting culture through values
View from where I write, reflect, and begin again.
How to Bring Your Values to Life—Even When It’s Hard
If you pause long enough, you can feel it—
that quiet tug between what matters most
and the way life sometimes insists you live.
That’s the space where ValuesCrafting lives.
It’s a place for people who care about values like integrity, empathy, and trust—
people who don’t just want to say what matters but show it,
even when it’s uncomfortable.
Most people talk about values.
Here, we try hard to live them.
They are the center point of my life.
Each week, I share reflections and real stories—
drawn from decades of helping leaders, employees, families, and friends
figure out how to align their choices with their beliefs.
The kind of choices that build trust.
Shape culture.
Strengthen relationships at work, at home, and in the spaces in between.
You’ll find honesty here. And encouragement.
Because living your values isn’t easy.
It never has been.
Living your values asks more of you than slogans or intentions ever will.
It means pausing when others rush,
listening when silence would be easier,
and standing firm when comfort calls louder than conscience.
But that’s where meaning lives—
in those small, challenging moments that test who we really are.
Most people talk about values. ValuesCrafting shows you how to live them.
Why ValuesCrafting
I started ValuesCrafting because I’ve seen both sides—
what happens when words and actions align,
and what happens when they don’t.
When we live our values, trust deepens.
Energy rises.
People bring their best selves forward because they know they matter.
When we don’t, even the best teams lose something essential.
So do families. So do we.
ValuesCrafting helps bridge the gap between knowing your values and living them—
between the person you hope to be and the choices you make every day.
It’s not about perfection.
I could spend my whole life trying to demonstrate values and never reach my goals—because I’m human.
It’s about awareness, intention, and grace,
especially when life is messy and the right path isn’t obvious.
Fortunately, I’ve witnessed countless people living their values in the toughest moments.
So, I have a lot to share.
Who ValuesCrafting Is For
You might lead a team, coach clients, raise a family,
or quietly hold things together behind the scenes.
You believe people matter, and you want that belief to show up
in how you live and lead.
You care more about honesty, depth, and connection than about control.
If that sounds like you, this space will feel like home.
Many of my readers are HR professionals, educators, helpers, managers,
or steady souls others rely on for clarity.
But job titles don’t matter much here.
What matters is how you show up—
for yourself, for others, and for what you believe in.
What You’ll Find in ValuesCrafting
Each issue offers reflections and real examples you can carry with you:
How to navigate challenging conversations without losing your center
How to make decisions you won’t regret, even under pressure
How to build trust—the foundation of every meaningful relationship
How to stay true to your values as life shifts and tests you
These aren’t theories.
They’re lived lessons—sometimes hard-earned, sometimes gentle reminders—
that we’re all still learning.
The ValuesCrafting Philosophy
ValuesCrafting and the recommendations you’ll find here are built on one simple, life-changing belief:
People are trustworthy, capable, and worthy of respect and care—
unless they clearly show you otherwise.
I’ve spent more than three decades teaching, consulting, and building a values-based workplace at TechSmith, and this truth has held steady through it all:
When you set high expectations for people, they almost always rise to meet them.
When you begin with cynicism, they often live down to that instead.
This philosophy shapes every article I write and every example I share. It’s the heart behind my work—and why ValuesCrafting exists.
If you want to go deeper, you can read the beliefs that guide everything I teach:
An Invitation
If you believe the world doesn’t need more talk about values
but more people who are willing to live them,
I hope you’ll stay.
Subscribe to ValuesCrafting,
and each week we’ll walk this path together—
slowly, thoughtfully, and with heart.
Because when you live your values,
you don’t just change your day.
You change the world around you.
— Susan Heathfield
ValuesCrafting is for purpose-driven people who believe culture is built—one values-based choice at a time.
A beautiful rewrite of your About page. So clear and inviting.