Before our favorite Fox left the big red box, we sat down with Shaleiah Fox, former Chief Advancement Officer, to hear about her Thinkery journey — from being a new mom to joining the leadership team at Thinkery.
As a first-time mom, Shaleiah would bring her six-month-old son, Miles, to Baby Bloomers. Feeling unsure in her new role as a mom, she felt pressure to be perfect. But Thinkery taught her something invaluable: to slow down, get on the floor, and connect with Miles on his level.
“[Kids] want you to interact with the same things that they play with, and they want you to love it as much as they love it.”
She took that same approach when she began leading Thinkery’s Advancement team in 2020. She discovered the power of playfulness, learning that being goofy and silly wasn’t just for kids—it could be a strength in leadership. This approach allowed her to connect with her team on a deeper level and inspire creativity and innovation.
“As a parent, Thinkery made it okay for me to be as playful as I am. The spaces that it provides made it so I didn’t need to be anything other than just a playful caregiver. I love that.
If I think about it through the staff lens, the same is true. It just gave me permission to be goofy and silly and made it okay – that was a hallmark of my leadership.”
As Shaleiah looks back at her time at Thinkery, she is going to miss the people the most, along with Halloween parades, the New Year’s balloon drop (especially being in the shop blowing up thousands of balloons before the event) walking down the hall to pick up her daughter, Zuri, from Little Thinkers Preschool, and countless other adventures at Thinkery.
“I’m going to miss being able to say, I work at Thinkery and hearing people say, oh, my gosh, I love that place.”
Although this Fox may no longer be at the big red box, Shaleiah’s time at Thinkery has given her the skills to create and pursue joyful learning experiences for her children, herself, and those around her. She is committed to carrying the spirit of joyful learning with her, no matter where her journey leads.
“I continue to be curious and always look for ways to supplement my children’s learning. And nine times out of ten, it’s spaces like Thinkery that are completely joyful learning and inquiry focused spaces.”