03/14/2026
Yesterday was Friday the 13th. For me, that date will always live in infamy.
In January 2020, I was juggling a seven-month-old, barely sleeping, and working full-time in PR and communications for a fintech company. On the side, I was building the business model, defining the client experience, and networking my ass off for my new design studio. In February, I took a massive leap, gave a six-week notice, and scheduled my final day for Friday, March 13th.
My final week was a blur of early COVID confusion. On Wednesday, I was at a tech conference feeling weird about not shaking hands (our company handed out hand sanitizer as swag—ahead of the curve!). On Thursday, I was writing internal guidelines on how to wash your hands and wipe down surfaces that, in hindsight, didn’t even touch what was about to happen.
That afternoon, the whole company crammed into conference rooms to announce a “test” work-from-home day for Friday. I ended up spending my last day with a company I loved—logging my final 8 hours as hire #75 out of 200+ employees—completely remote. I didn’t know it then, but it was the last time any of us would be in that office for a very long time.
March 13th is my annual reminder of what betting on yourself actually looks like. You can have your ducks in a row and a perfect launch plan, only to be hit with the surprise of a lifetime. Entrepreneurship is wild and never looks how you expect.
I’m glad I didn’t know a global pandemic was coming—I probably would have used it as an excuse to play it safe. I’m so glad I took the leap instead. 🥂
**2nd photo is of my daughter and I sitting on the floor for hours while I spiraled on the world and she discovered door stops 😂 This memory always makes me laugh. The perfect balance of fear and curiosity 👯
Where were you when you realized things were actually shutting down? I can’t be the only one with a crazy March 13 story!
