08/29/2026
45
I’m not sure when I started believing that by 45 I was supposed to have life figured out. Maybe that’s one of the funny things about getting older. You realize there really isn’t a finish line where everything suddenly makes sense.
Instead, here I am, 45 years old and in year two of starting something completely new.
Building Trail Goods Co. has been one of the scariest things I’ve ever done. There have been moments of doubt, exhaustion, uncertainty, and plenty of times when I’ve wondered if I made the right decision.
But I keep coming back to one thing.
I’d rather fail trying than spend the rest of my life wondering what could have happened if I had been brave enough to try.
Failure can hurt. Regret can stay with you.
So I’m learning to embrace the uncertainty. To take the chances. To keep putting one foot in front of the other, even when I can’t see exactly where the trail leads.
And I’ve learned that the people walking beside you matter more than anything.
I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has believed in me, encouraged me, shared a meal, placed an order, made an introduction, offered advice, celebrated the little wins, or simply reminded me to keep going.
And especially for the person beside me through all of it.
The one who sees me when I’m completely exhausted, when the weight of everything feels like more than I can carry, and when I’m not sure I have another step in me.
She somehow always finds a way to pick me back up.
Not by fixing everything, but by reminding me why I started. By believing in me when I’m struggling to believe in myself. By standing beside me until I find my footing again.
I don’t think you can take a journey like this without realizing how much the people you love become part of it. I’m incredibly lucky to have people around me who have embraced this crazy chapter, believed in what I’m trying to build, and loved me through all the messy parts of it.
At 45, I think I’m finally understanding that the destination isn’t really the point. It’s the journey.
I don’t know exactly where this road leads. I just know I’m grateful to still have the courage to take it and grateful