Every year around this time, I brace myself. November has always been intense for me. I’ve worked Black Friday since I was 22 years old, which means this is my 25th one. Fourteen of those were for my own company. November has always meant long hours and high stakes.

But this November is different. I didn’t know I’d be losing a member of my family this month. Our dog, Jasper, passed away a coupl of weeks ago and I didn’t know I’d be living in a quieter house, without the sound of his paws tapping on the floor. He was just shy of 17 years old, and his absence is loud.  

When I closed Erin’s Faces this spring, I thought the summer ahead would be a season of reflection and rest. I imagined long walks, spacious mornings, and gentle afternoons working with entrepreneurs. And then something unexpected happened. Two days after I announced the closure, I received three emails from people who wanted to acquire the company. One of them was Earth Harbor. I was surprised and genuinely honored that people saw the value of what we had built. By the beginning of June, I had signed a letter of intent with them, which meant we were committed to each other. June became a blur of contract work, while at home and when on vacation, but I was grateful that the work meant Erin’s Faces might continue on in some way.

And then there was Jasper.

As the weeks went on, Jasper needed more and more support. At first, I couldn’t leave him alone for more than a few hours. By September, it was closer to an hour. He wasn’t walking well and needed help while he ate. I got to have loving, tender moments with him, and I’m grateful every day for that time.

Going into the fall, both threads continued. Jasper’s health declined and the sale of Erin’s Faces moved forward. And when the deal finally went through, people asked if I was excited, if I was celebrating, if I was relaxing and eating bonbons on the couch. The truth is that I had been living in a kind of home hospice with someone I loved dearly.

This year, it felt like I ran three marathons.
One was deciding to close Erin’s Faces and actually doing it.
The next was selling the company.
And the last was losing Jasper.

It’s been a season of release. Some of it good. Some of it painful. Honestly, all of it painful at different times. And closing Erin’s Faces was still the right decision. It was a calling toward something new with my coaching work, and I knew I needed to follow that pull. Saying goodbye to Jasper was the right decision too, he let me know it was time. And somehow, in the same year, I found myself releasing two things I had loved for so long.

Now, the two things that filled my entire day are suddenly gone, and it’s happening in the month that used to be the busiest one of all, and I feel like I don’t quite know what to do with myself.

I had a summer of caregiving. A fall of transition. And a November of quiet. And yet, I was free to do all of that. That’s the gift. That’s the timing.

I didn’t have to juggle Black Friday. I didn’t have to race between responsibilities. I could snuggle with Jasper in the middle of the day and take a nap. I got to be fully present for his last months, and I’m so grateful for that.  AND Erin’s Faces gets to continue on, with the products you’ve loved still out in the world.  Major blessings.  

And now I’m here in this quiet November. My course is running and I’m still coaching founders. But there’s more space than I’ve had in years, and I’m letting myself admit that I don’t quite know what this next season will look like. For the first time in a long time, I’m not rushing to fill it.

I’m trusting that this is the space I’m supposed to be in. A pause. A recalibration. A soft beginning.

I’ll share more as I figure it out. But for now, I’m holding the gratitude. For Jasper. For the timing. For this sale.  For you.  For the chance to start again, even if I can’t yet see the shape of what comes next.

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