As Valentine’s Day approaches, it’s easy to default to the familiar script: flowers, chocolate, reservations made weeks in advance. Romance, after all, has been carefully packaged and marketed into a single day on the calendar.
But in a recent episode of Leadership Story Talks, hosts Jerome Deroy and Julienne Ryan invited listeners to pause — and to reconsider what Valentine’s Day might really be about.
What emerged wasn’t a rejection of romance, but something broader, deeper, and perhaps more urgently needed: love as presence, kindness as action, and listening as a leadership practice.
A Quiet Act of Courage
Julienne brought to the conversation a powerful and moving example: a group of Buddhist monks walking silently from Texas to Washington, DC. Their journey, undertaken in cold and challenging conditions, is not a protest in the traditional sense. There are no slogans, no speeches shouted into microphones, no demands made.
Instead, their message is embodied. As they walk, communities gather. People line the roads with children, elders, and loved ones who are sick. Strangers meet strangers. No interviews are conducted. No explanations are demanded. The monks simply meet people where they are — with stillness, dignity, and openness.
In a world saturated with noise, their silence speaks volumes.
The Power of Collective Spirit
For Julienne, the monks’ journey represents what becomes possible when we choose intention over reaction. Their walk is an invitation — a reminder that peace and connection aren’t abstract ideals, but practices available to us all.
The response from the public has been just as telling. People are drawn not by spectacle, but by sincerity. They come to witness, to offer help, or simply to stand quietly in the presence of something humane. It’s a powerful example of collective spirit at work — what happens when individuals choose kindness and awareness, and how quickly that energy spreads.
Leadership in Times of Conflict
Jerome reflected on how resonant this message feels in the current global and cultural climate. With wars unfolding across the world and deep divisions playing out daily on our screens and in our communities, it can feel as though conflict has become the default language.
Against that backdrop, the monks’ walk represents another possibility. It reminds us that listening is still available to us. That compassion is still a choice. And that leadership doesn’t always look like taking a stand — sometimes it looks like holding space.
For leaders especially, this is a critical reminder. In moments of polarization and pressure, the ability to listen deeply, to acknowledge humanity on all sides, and to respond with intention rather than urgency is not weakness. It’s wisdom.
Reclaiming Valentine’s Day
This is where Valentine’s Day takes on new meaning. Rather than a single, transactional celebration of romantic love, Jerome and Julienne invite us to reclaim the day as a broader reflection on how we show up for one another. Love, in this sense, is not confined to couples or rituals. It’s expressed through presence, attention, and care.
Maybe this Valentine’s Day isn’t about buying more.
Maybe it’s about noticing more.
A conversation where you truly listen.
A moment of recognition for someone who feels unseen.
A small gesture toward someone who could use kindness.
As Jerome put it, perhaps the greatest gift we can offer right now is the gift of our listening.
Love as a Daily Practice
The monks walking toward Washington, DC are a living metaphor for this idea. They endure discomfort. They move slowly. They don’t demand understanding. And yet, everywhere they go, connection forms.
They remind us that love doesn’t have to be loud.
That leadership doesn’t always require authority.
And that humanity, when recognized, has a way of responding in kind.
As Valentine’s Day arrives, maybe we take a cue from them — and from this conversation — and choose to practice love not as a performance, but as a daily discipline.
Listening.
Being present.
Meeting people as they are.
That may be the most meaningful celebration of all.
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