On what happens after.

A reflection on exits, identity, and finding your footing between chapters.

We love to talk about the highs of entrepreneurship. The growth, the big wins, and the elusive acquisition. But what we don’t talk about enough is what happens when you get the thing you’ve spent years working toward.

For more than a decade, being a founder shaped how I spent my days, how I introduced myself, and how I understood my place in the world. Like many founders, my exit wasn’t as neat and tidy as I envisioned. The earnout meant spending two years between chapters, trying to let go while still holding on. And when the chapter finally closed, I found myself asking questions like, who am I without the company? What does success look like now? What am I working toward? How do I let go?

Over the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on ambition, identity, motherhood, purpose, and what makes a meaningful life. I’ve spent more time in the garden, hosting family and friends, watching our daughters grow, writing and investing in meaningful relationships and community.

The irony isn’t lost on me that after spending years building a company, I’ve become increasingly interested in building a life. I’ve realized that achievement and fulfillment are not the same thing. Achievement is about reaching a destination. Fulfillment is about how you spend your time once you get there.

In a recent conversation with my friend, Megan Telpner, we talked about the grief that can accompany success, the identity shift that follows an exit, and the challenge of creating space for what comes next. I’m very grateful to Meghan for encouraging me to share this chapter more openly and helping me realize how important it is that we tell the whole story, not just the highlight reel.

I wish someone had talked to me about this when I was building my company. So if you’re in the middle of a transition, or contemplating one, I hope you’ll find something useful in this conversation. The space between chapters can feel lonely, but you’re not the only one navigating it.