Actually, I Can.

About a year ago, my whole entire world began to change. If I had known just how much was about to be completely overhauled, I don't know that I would have made the leaps that I did. Thankfully, my naivety ushered me through. 

How it started.

After trying his hand at SaaS startup life, my husband was let go from a role that he had poured himself into for about a year. And now, he was pursuing an opportunity to return to the global enterprise where he had worked for a decade prior to jumping over to the startup dark side. Fabulous! How amazing is it that he had that opportunity, right?!

Here's the catch - returning to the world where he was known, appreciated, valued, and successful, would mean a major move for our family. We would have to relocate from Indianapolis, where we had lived for a decade, to Boston, where my husband and our boys had never ever visited. Ever. 

It seemed insane.

Our three boys (10 year-old twins and a 12 year-old at the time) had friends and school and a life in Indy. Even the idea of looking at their sweet faces and telling them we were moving made my stomach turn. 

And I had a life there, too. I loved my friends and my church and my community. The thought of finding new doctors, creating a new village of my people, building a new professional network, and starting all over again in a brand new place was so overwhelming. 

Then there was our house. We had built my dream home just a few years prior. And I LOVED every square inch of that place. And it felt like we had JUST gotten settled. And it was glorious. 

It felt impossible to even think about leaving. 

Then there was the business...

I was also the founder and CEO of a venture-backed SaaS startup based in Indianapolis. I had given absolutely everything I had to building that business. I put so much time and energy and expertise into our customers, our brand, our team, and our product. I started the company with a vision to introduce the next generation of B2B marketing - and I had the passion and the unique experience needed to create the change I wished to see. 

I loved our mission. I believed in my vision. There were very high highs and very dark and lonely lows, but I absolutely loved what we created. And I loved getting the world excited about it, too.

But after five years, three rounds of capital raised, a pandemic, a banking collapse, and our fair share of team turmoil, my role had become more about managing the board, aligning with investor expectations, and adjusting financial models than about the things I really loved. I realized I wasn't spending my days creating, helping, inspiring, empathizing, listening, and sharing. I really wanted to take all the lessons I learned as a founder and use it to help other founders and leaders.

I wanted to be safe place, the empathetic voice, and the trusted advisor I wish I had when I was CEO. 

But, as founders know, the world will tell you that you can't just leave your company. It's just not something founders do. 

How it's going. 

More to be shared here on this blog on how it all unfolded. The good, the bad, and the very, very ugly. But long story short: we did it. All of that fear and doubt and feeling that "I can't make this move" and "I can't leave my company" was overruled by my constant affirmation of, "Actually, I Ban." 

In April 2024, we left Indiana and I left my company. 

It was one of the hardest and best things I've ever done.

I've spent the last several months reconnecting with myself. Focusing on my family. Unexpectedly renovating a house that we didn't think needed much work... Caring for sick parents from 800 miles away. And building this business and this platform that you're visiting now. 

It's ALL about being helpful. No hacks. No hidden agendas. No money-making schemes. Just help. Lessons shared. Connections made. Gratitude given. 

I'm pouring my ♥️whole entire heart♥️ into it. Because what we're each building matters. And it's hard. And I believe in you and your story. 

So let's do this thing, shall we? Because, Actually, We Can.