This week seven years ago, I went to Las Vegas to stand on a stage and say, “I’m starting a company.” But what I remember most from that day isn’t the talk I gave or the leads I generated. I don’t even remember what I was wearing. What I remember most about that day were the people who showed up to support me. 

It was my friend Mike who sat on the floor in the back corner with me as I studied my slides to offer words of encouragement. He was so enthusiastic about my new business,  you would have thought I was paying him to do it. Every word of encouragement from him fed my wonder - the wonder if I could really leave corporate America and work for myself. I had a company for 3 days the first time I tried entrepreneurship. Failure felt like a very realistic outcome. That pat on the back was the jolt I needed to imagine it could work out. 

I remember Shannon reading my introduction, recently rewritten to include this name I just made up: “Three Ears Media.” As I walked on stage, I looked out over the dark room. The first four rows were basically empty and then full rows of people I knew who were just there to cheer. Former coworkers, friends I met online, and people who I still affectionately call “Uncle.” Their smiles and laughter gave me even more energy. It made me believe I could do this thing. 

Last year was the first time I genuinely considered quitting. Sitting in the discomfort and silence of a business that is actively changing is so much harder than anyone tells you. The hardest part wasn’t business planning or strategy. It’s not about what to offer. The hardest part was realizing I had to change first. That staying still and doing what I had always done was a liability. 

In every moment where I was filled with doubt just like that day seven years ago, someone showed up with the exact thing I needed to help me wonder what was next. They were filled with encouragement, curiosity, and truth. My bold friends, full of vulnerability and honesty, healed and helped me grow when I wanted to collapse more times than I can count. They helped cure my deep sense of burnout, create from a place of love again, and see that change isn’t a bad thing. In fact, they taught me to be proud of the discomfort I willingly and regularly subject myself to - at work and in my personal life. Well, them and my therapist. Shoutout to her, too. 

Today I’m celebrating this seventh anniversary by the grace of God and good friends. Whether we talk once a year, once a month, or once a day - thank you for being the voice of reason and guide I needed. Thank you for sharing your truths and helping me imagine a happy future when fear feels familiar.