Dear You — A celebration-in-life, for someone who deserves to hear it.

Who it's for How it works Examples The story FAQ Join Create a Dear You

Appreciation, given now

Most people never fully know what they mean to others.

Dear You changes that.

Create a deeply personal gift for someone who deserves to receive it, made from the words, memories and reflections of the people whose lives they’ve touched.

See an example ↓

You already know what you’d say about them. So do the people in their life.

But most of the time, those words stay private.

Not because they aren’t there.
Just because the moment to say them never quite comes.

Dear You creates the moment.

Who it’s for

A parent. A mentor. A colleague. A friend. A team.

Any occasion. Any relationship. If the feeling is there, Dear You can gather it.

Personal

Birthdays. Milestones. Difficult moments. A friend going through something hard. A parent who deserves to hear it. Someone who needs reminding of who they are.

Community

Coaching cohorts. Retreats. Mastermind groups. Schools. Women’s circles. Any community where people grow together and want to honour that.

Professional

Team appreciation. Leadership moments. Retirements. Onboarding. Founder circles. When words from colleagues mean more than any award.

The story behind Dear You

It started with my dad.

For his 81st birthday, I asked everyone close to my dad to send me three words to describe him. Within days, I had messages from across his entire life — family, neighbours, friends he’d known for fifty years.

I turned them into a word cloud as a gift.

Nicole and her dad

He was in the last months of his life, and the final stages of dementia. I wanted to give him something simple enough to take in, but powerful enough to matter. Something that captured, in a single page, what the people who loved him actually carried for him.

Kind. Generous. Interested. His smile. Curious. Funny. Devoted. A true gentleman.

I hope with all my heart it reached him.

But the gift became as much for me as it was for him.

Reading through all those messages. Seeing my dad through the words of the people he’d helped, supported, befriended, loved and cared for. Watching the same words appear again and again. And feeling, in that repetition, the integrity of the person he was.

It made me understand something I hadn’t quite put into words before: most of us never get to experience this.

The collective portrait the people who love us carry around privately. The impact we’ve had. The way we are remembered, appreciated, held.

Most people move through their whole lives without truly understanding what they mean to others.

The words exist.
They’re just never gathered.
Never given.

We save our appreciation for the speech, the card, the eulogy. We mean to say it. We just keep not saying it.

That’s why I’m building Dear You.
Meet Nicole, the founder →

How it works

One person. Three steps. Something they’ll treasure forever.

1 Choose

Tell me about the person — the occasion, who they are, and who in their life you’d like to hear from. I’ll be in touch within 48 hours to talk it through.

One person highlighted in a circle surrounded by the people in their life
2 Invite

I set up a personalised form and send you a link to share. Contributors answer a thoughtfully chosen set of prompts — takes five minutes, comes from the heart.

Three speech bubbles with handwritten words inside
3 Celebrate

I shape everything into something they’ll never forget. You review it, I refine if needed. Most Dear Yous are ready within two weeks — yours to give whenever the moment is right.

An open envelope with a letter emerging and sparkles around it

Examples of Dear You

Words that stay with you.

Three people. Three portraits. This is what a Dear You looks like.

But there are countless looks and feels to choose from — every Dear You is adapted to the person and the occasion.

A Custom Site
DEAR Carlos, Here’s your word constellation.
Deep ×2 Engaged Holistic Thoughtful Guide
❝

“His manifesto is his work. Everything he’s building is proof of that.”

Happy MBA Cohort · May 2026 · Open site →
A Printed Card
Happy MBA Cohort · May 2026 DEAR Nicole, this is what you mean to us.
Warm ×2 Joyful Sparkling Pure joy Cerebral
Pure joy

“You radiate joy and authenticity and depth.”

Happy MBA Cohort · May 2026 · Open print ↓
A Keepsake Book
Sandra
DEAR Sandra, You deserve to receive
these words.
A keepsake book for Sandra · In development

✦ Each card is clickable — Carlos opens the full site, Nicole opens the print edition.

FAQs

Everything you need to know to create a Dear You.

When you commission a Dear You, you’ll get to choose the prompts that feel right for the person you’re celebrating — one, two, or three questions that everyone answers. Things like a favourite memory, three words that describe them, or what they’d want them to know. The form is thoughtfully designed to draw out a portrait, not just a pile of lovely things.

Once you’ve selected the questions, you’ll receive a link to share the form with contributors — by WhatsApp, email, or however you normally reach people. They click, they answer, they’re done. No account needed, no faff. Takes about five minutes.

The minimum is one — a single, beautifully shaped appreciation from you to someone you love is a Dear You in its own right. But I typically recommend between five and fifteen contributors for a really rich portrait. More than that is wonderful too.

Absolutely. Contributors can choose to be named or not. Many people find it adds something to know who said what — but some of the most beautiful contributions come from people who needed the safety of anonymity to say it properly. Everything shared is seen only by me and the person who commissioned it.

Every Dear You is different, but typically around two weeks from our first conversation to delivery. This includes a recommended one week to collect all the responses. I’ll give you a clear timeline once we’ve spoken.

Yes, always. You’ll see a draft before anything is finalised. I can refine, adjust, add — nothing goes anywhere until you’re happy with it.

The digital Dear You is free to commission right now. Dear You is in its early days and I’m building it one person at a time — so each one gets my full attention. Printed cards and keepsake books are available on request; pricing depends on the format and we’ll talk it through when we speak.

A custom website — just for them. It has their name, their word constellation (the most-used words from contributors, sized by frequency), and the quotes and memories people shared. It’s designed in Dear You’s colours and style, and it’s theirs to keep. You can share the link directly, or build up to a reveal moment. See an example →

A beautifully designed physical card that captures the word constellation and a selection of quotes — something they can hold, frame, or keep. It’s printed and sent to you ready to give. The design matches the digital version if you have one, or works beautifully on its own. Pricing on request — get in touch when you fill in the form. See an example →

A bound book of contributions — longer memories, photos if contributors share them, the full portrait of what people said. It’s the most complete format and the one people tend to keep forever. Currently in development. If this is what you have in mind, mention it when you fill in the form and we’ll talk it through.

“Don’t wait. Say the thing.
Make it beautiful. Let them know.”

♡ dear you,

Join the journey

Let’s make appreciation a way of life.

Dear You is growing. Get behind-the-scenes stories, examples and updates, plus ideas for celebrating the people you love.

Say the thing. Don’t wait. They deserve it now. ♡