The Wednesday Play: Planting Seeds

Hi Playmakers,

Legacy is a word we hear a lot, especially in business.

But the kind of legacy I’ve been thinking about this week has nothing to do with titles or trophies. It’s the kind you build quietly, without applause. The kind that looks like showing up, day after day, for people who might never fully understand the weight you carried for them.

My mom dropped out of high school and was a cashier for 32 years. She didn’t love it. In fact, she hated it.

But my dad was blind and someone had to keep food on the table to feed us kids. So she went to work. Every day. Without breaks, without complaints, without ever making it about herself.

She never used words like “vision” or “impact.” But she gave me the chance to have both. I became the first in my family to graduate from high school, then college, then move to America, and eventually become a venture capitalist. Even today, she still doesn’t totally understand what I do. I just tell her, “It’s kind of like Shark Tank.”

But none of it would have happened without her.

She planted the seeds. I got to grow the forest — scratch that, I am the forest.

And she’s not the only one. There are millions of people who quietly sacrifice so others can move forward. Parents. Grandparents. Caregivers. Teachers. They give everything and rarely get credit. They may not get to see the results of what they built, but they do it anyway.

According to Pew Research, more than half of first-generation college graduates had parents who didn’t finish high school. That’s a powerful reminder of what’s possible in one generation, and how far we can go when someone else decides to stay grounded so we can fly.

This week’s newsletter is a tribute to them. The people who planted seeds in fields they’d never walk. The ones who never saw the forest, but made it possible for us to grow one anyway.

And maybe, whether you realize it or not, you’re planting those seeds too.

A lot of people I know right now feel lost. They’re tired and they’re wondering what the point of all this work really is. It’s okay if this is you, but here’s something I want you to consider:

None of us know what our role is in this life.

And maybe you’re not meant to see your whole forest in this lifetime. Maybe you’re the one planting the seeds and the forest has yet to grow. Maybe what you're building won’t fully bloom in front of you, but it will grow because of you.

Jenny

P.S. Who planted the seeds for your life? Hit reply and tell me.

Before she became one of the richest self-made women in America, Thai Lee was a 12-year-old immigrant landing alone in Massachusetts with no English, no family, and no support system.

Today, she’s the longtime CEO of SHI International, a $14 billion global tech firm and the largest woman-owned business in the United States.

Read the story now.

Thai Lee was born in 1958 in Bangkok to Korean parents and raised primarily in South Korea. Her father, a successful entrepreneur, deeply believed in the power of education. He knew the only success would come with making a big move.

At just 12 years old, Thai was sent to the United States for school, alone.

Dive into Thai Lee’s incredible rise to success.

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Insights are only valuable if they’re acted on. Let’s turn this knowledge into impact with small but powerful action steps.

This week’s challenge: do something nice for a stranger.

Sometimes the purest acts of kindness are towards those that don’t know our names and will never see us again. This week’s challenge can be tough. Look for an opportunity to genuinely help a stranger, and ask for nothing in return. I’m not talking about holding the door for someone. I’m talking about helping someone carry their groceries, paying for their meal, or genuinely taking time out of your day to help a person you don’t know.

Call to Action:

1️⃣ Find an opportunity to help a stranger with no strings attached.

2️⃣ Report back and let me know how it went! Drop a comment or share your post below.

Every week, I spotlight somebody from the community who is making a big play in their career or industry. This week’s play comes from Jasmine Garnsworthy of Female Founder World, who is here to remind us that:

Yes, social media is fake. And no, you shouldn’t believe everything you see.

In an era of constant digital “keeping up with Joneses”, it’s always great for the reminder of how to keep it real.

Want to be featured next?

Make sure to tag @Jenny Stojkovic on your post for a chance to be featured.

The Wednesday Play isn’t just a newsletter — it’s a community. I’ll be announcing much more in coming weeks and months! For now, let’s connect across social.

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