I Quit

It's been a long road. Twenty years, to be exact. Today is a big day, because it's the day I decided to officially stop selling my time.

My first job was working for my parent's small business - doing mail sorting, and other menial tasks that could be handled by a young teenager, before I got "fired" for eating a bacon, egg and cheese on the job. (Now a big inside joke in my family.) After that followed a slew of "real jobs," including handling the front desk at my dance studio, hostessing, waitressing, bartending, various student-employment jobs at my college, coatcheck, VIP guestlist management, and cashiering at various Boston nightclubs, a marketing job at a real estate company, various sought-after music industry positions at record labels and agencies in my 20s, regular live performance gigs and session work as a musician year-round, vocal coaching, and finally starting my own business at 22 years old.

Since then, I've run my company and worked for myself exclusively for the past 14 years. It has been equal parts thrilling and inspiring, as it has been stressful and anxiety-inducing. Entrepreneurship is not for the weak. But building something of my own was always important to me, and I'd always desired to be my own boss. And I did it! I accomplished far more than I would've even imagined, expanding my business to multiple divisions, hitting record numbers, and even founding and operating my own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to benefit underserved youth in my community. I traveled for speaking engagements, performed and hosted fundraisers, partnered with Berklee College of Music to prepare students for admission to their programs, donated thousands of dollars to charity, created a robust internship program for aspiring adolescents, attended the Grammys yearly, recorded multiple podcast shows, run dozens live music concerts annually, wrote, recorded, produced, engineered, and released my own studio album (which was entered for multiple categories at the 2024 Grammy Awards and earned over 140 million streams worldwide), and continue to be a member of prestigious organizations like The Recording Academy and ASCAP.

I felt guilty when my priorities started changing.

Here I was, decades deep in working toward where I am and what I've earned and suddenly, it felt empty. What was it all for? I no longer look at working late nights until 3am with a badge of honor, or living for my career in order to prove my value to society. Now in my mid-thirties with a family of my own, you know what I want? Balance.

I want to be healthy - mentally, physically, and spiritually. I don't aspire to be "booked and busy" anymore. I like taking it slow, and getting to know my children. I like not letting the clock run my life. I like being home and available to make meals, and I like decompressing on the porch in the afternoons with my husband. I like going on mid-morning walks, and I like getting to bed at an hour that gives me ample time to rest. I like going to the farm to get my food for the week, and care more than ever about investing in the wellness of myself and my family.

But most importantly, my time is not for sale any more, and it will never be again.

And guess what? I no longer feel bad about it. So to my old life, I finally say... "I quit." I am closing the chapter on my former endeavors, and reimagining everything in a way that is more conducive to who I am today, and what matters to me the most now. Work that is creative, allows me to keep my priorities straight, and excites me, is the only thing on my docket now.

Maybe one day that will change, and perhaps I'll have a desire to "grind it out again," though I'm not sure that's what life is really about. I think interests are seasonal, and people (especially women) should have the flexibility to explore those interests without the additional stress to manage a household, raise kids, and work a full-time job simultaneously.

I worked hard and took risks early on, and these are the fruits of my labor... choice. I get to choose what kind of life I want to have now, and I have the freedom to change course if I want to, and I do. So I will. I'm not worried about the next chapter, because I know I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. And so are you!

Whether you are in the stage of life where you're climbing, content where you are, itching for a change, or in the middle of making one - I dare you to have the courage to do what your gut tells you is best for you, to unlearn the things you were taught as a child, and to go for what makes you feel truly happy and at peace... whatever that looks like for you in your current season of life. And I dare you to invite change when your season changes, too. Life should ebb and flow. Your life should inspire you and inspire others. Your life should be meaningful. And your life should be in your control.

As I begin writing this new chapter, I implore you to believe that anything is possible. The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll be able to enjoy your next destination. Carpe diem, baby!