The First Time She Put Her Business on the Line

I may not be an entrepreneur, but as a Quality Manager and ISO Lead Auditor, I've learned that leadership sometimes means having the courage to make the uncomfortable call. My first major internal audit finding was issued to our CEO a moment that reinforced my belief that accountability has no title, and that if I'm not willing to challenge our organization to hold itself to a higher standard, I'm not fully serving the seat I've been entrusted with. Growth isn't always comfortable, but when we hold one another accountable and choose to become better together, we don't just build a stronger company we become stronger ourselves.

The first time I truly felt my future in my career depended on a decision I had to make was during a difficult case where the safety of a child was at stake. I had to make a professional decision based on the information available to me, while knowing that my decision could have a lasting impact on a child and family. That experience taught me that working in child protection requires courage, sound judgment, and the ability to put the child's best interest first, even when the decision is difficult or uncomfortable. It also showed me that every decision I make contributes to the trust placed in me as a social worker and to the kind of professional I want to become.

The first time I felt the future of my business depended on a decision was when I chose to leave the agency where I had built my career and start EverWild Travel Co. I had spent years becoming a travel advisor, building relationships with clients, and learning how much trust people place in us when they hand over something as meaningful as a vacation. Starting my own agency meant giving up the comfort of an established place in the industry and taking responsibility for every part of what came next. I had to ask myself whether I trusted my vision enough to build a business around it. What made the decision difficult was that I wasn't starting from nothing. I was leaving something familiar that I had worked hard for. But I knew the kind of agency I wanted to create: one where people felt genuinely cared for, where curiosity was encouraged, and where travel could become part of their story. I wanted the way I ran the business to reflect those values, too. So I made the decision and built EverWild. I still have moments when being a business owner feels intimidating. But that first choice taught me that leadership doesn't always feel like certainty. Sometimes it means being clear about what matters to you, accepting the responsibility that comes with it, and moving forward anyway.

When I started Iris and Earth, I poured everything into it. I named it after my daughter, designed every label myself, and built it from a farm stand into something I was proud of. Then my health took a turn I didn't see coming. I had to make a choice I never expected to make so early: keep pushing and risk my health and my family, or pause production and trust that what God started, He would sustain. Everything in me wanted to keep going. Stopping felt like failing. But I've learned that wisdom sometimes looks like rest. I paused production, protected my family, and stepped back to heal and focus on my education. It was the hardest business decision I've made, and the most important. A business built on burnout isn't worth building. Iris and Earth is still mine. It's just waiting for the right season. And when it comes back, it will come back stronger, because I'll be stronger too.

Shortly after opening my law firm, I pulled into a gas station and had a realization that stopped me in my tracks: "Wait. Who's paying for my gas?" I'd planned for everything I could think of. Malpractice insurance, office expenses, software, marketing, payroll. But somehow, something as ordinary as filling my gas tank hadn't made the list. It was a small moment that represented something much bigger. I'd spent my career advising business owners, but now I was one. And I was discovering just how much you don't know until you're the person responsible for absolutely everything. Starting Zhilo Law was one of the biggest bets I've ever placed on myself. I wasn't just putting my finances on the line. I was putting my professional reputation, my judgment, and a vision I'd worked toward for years into something that had no guarantees. That moment at the gas station taught me something I carry into my work with clients today: expertise doesn't eliminate blind spots. Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is recognize what you don't know and surround yourself with people who can help you see it.