I turn 53 this year, and when I look back at the last year, I almost don’t recognize my own life. I am healthier, stronger, more adventurous, surrounded by new friends, and having more fun than I would have imagined a year ago.
And it started with something ridiculously small.
I answered an email.
Some backcountry skiers were looking for people to join them on an outing. “All modalities welcome.” I snowshoe. Sure, I hadn’t done it in a few years, but I thought, why not? So I went.
That one decision introduced me to a group of people who became friends and, as it turns out, some pretty persistent cheerleaders. I kept showing up, and they kept encouraging me to try something new. Somewhere along the way, snowshoeing turned into learning to backcountry ski.
I am not good at it. At all. But I have an amazing time.
There was resort skiing, backcountry skiing, and skinning up PCMR on Friday nights just to earn that one run down, followed by dinner and drinks afterward. I was getting stronger and healthier without really setting out to do either. But more importantly, I had found people I enjoyed being around. They invited me, taught me, encouraged me, and made trying something completely new feel possible.
Then summer came, and apparently we weren’t done.
Friends took me rock climbing at a gym. I fully expected to hate it. I was afraid of heights, and hanging from a rope didn’t exactly sound like my idea of a good time. But they explained the gear, the math behind it, how everything worked, and why I could trust it. More importantly, I trusted them.
I made it to the top.
And I loved it.
So I bought climbing gear with a friend. As we were checking out, she told the salesperson, “Go ahead and take the tags off.” Apparently, we weren’t going home. We were heading straight out so I could learn to climb outdoors. There was something terrifying and very permanent about watching those tags come off my shiny new gear. I wasn’t just trying rock climbing anymore. I was going to climb actual rock.
And I did.
One adventure started leading to another. More climbing. New places. Backpacking. Things I never would have imagined myself doing became things my friends would suggest and I would say, “Sure, let’s go.”
Backpacking deserves its own mention because I am pretty bougie. I like hotels. I like showers. I like nice dinners. I really like bathrooms and indoor plumbing as a whole.
So carrying everything I needed on my back and sleeping on the ground was already a stretch. And then we need to discuss the poop-in-a-bag situation.
Really?
Apparently this is part of my life now too.
And somehow, I love it.
Recently I realized that I hadn’t spent a weekend at home in almost eight weeks. A year ago, I could not have predicted any of this. There wasn’t some huge moment when I decided, “I’m going to change my life.” I didn’t set a goal to become a backcountry skier. I didn’t decide to become a rock climber. And I definitely didn’t decide to become someone who poops in a bag in the wilderness.
I just kept saying yes.
But looking back, I realize there was another part that was just as important. There were people on the other side of those yeses. People invited me. They taught me things I didn’t know. They lent me gear. They answered my questions. They encouraged me when I wasn’t sure I could do something. They celebrated when I did. And then they invited me to the next thing.
Sometimes changing your life isn’t just about being brave enough to say yes. Sometimes it’s about finding people who make you feel safe enough to try.
That’s probably the biggest lesson I’m taking with me into 53. Change doesn’t always require a five-year plan, a huge goal, or some dramatic reinvention of yourself. Sometimes it starts with answering an email. Then you meet someone. You try something new. You make a friend. That friend introduces you to something else. You discover you’re capable of more than you thought, and each yes makes the next yes a little easier.
One simple email introduced me to people I never would have met, places I never would have gone, and eventually a version of myself I didn’t know existed.
And that’s also why Women in Leadership means so much to me.
We talk a lot about mentorship as career development, and of course that’s part of it. But connection can become so much more than that. The right person can encourage you to apply for the job you don’t think you’re ready for, introduce you to someone you need to know, help you through something difficult, celebrate your success, or simply become a friend you didn’t know you needed.
Our next Women in Leadership mentorship program kicks off in January, and I hope you’ll consider this your invitation to say yes.
Be a mentor. Be a mentee. Volunteer and help us build this community. Come to an event even if you don’t know anyone yet. Show up, introduce yourself, and meet someone new.
Maybe you’ll find a mentor who changes the way you see your career. Maybe you’ll be that person for someone else. Maybe you’ll find an opportunity you weren’t looking for. Or maybe you’ll make a new friend who, a year from now, has become part of your life in a way you never could have predicted.
I answered an email because I thought I was going snowshoeing.
I had no idea I was saying yes to new friends, new adventures, better health, and a completely different version of my life.
So here’s my invitation to you.
Come with us. Say yes.
You never know where it might lead.
And you don’t have to wait until January to start saying yes. Join us on October 21 for Beyond the Boardroom: Your People Skills Are Showing, a conversation about turning aggressive, easygoing, or avoidant communication into assertive communication and learning how to be effective when the situation isn’t easy. Come learn something, meet someone new, and take one small step outside your usual circle.
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