Today I spent the morning with a few local entrepreneurs here in Charlotte—people I never would’ve met if I hadn’t said yes to helping out Sauna Culture with their social media a few months ago. On literally day one, I cold-called a few local founders to do a collaborative post for us… and now, a few months later, we’re friends.

Wild, right?

What’s even wilder is that I almost canceled.

Not because I didn’t want to go. But because I convinced myself that maybe I needed the time back.
“I was traveling all week.”
“It’s probably better to use today to run errands.”
“It’s okay to rest.”

And listen—sometimes that voice is right. I’m learning how to tell when I’m being thoughtful with my time… and when I’m just scared to put myself out there.

Today? That was fear in disguise.

I still can’t believe I nearly canceled.
If I had, what would I have gained? A few extra hours in my day?
Time I probably would’ve spent by myself half-heartedly checking things off a to-do list?

I say I love to write—and I do—but sometimes I almost rob myself of the very thing that makes me a better writer: living. Being out in the world. Saying yes to things that could go nowhere… or could shift everything.

Earlier today, as we sat there sweating (literally) and talking, I had one of those quiet, out-of-body moments. The kind where you feel your life being written as you’re living it.
Not in some overly poetic way—just this simple, gut-level knowing that the conversation I was having was exactly the one I was supposed to be in.
Some of the sound bites will probably find their way into my writing one day.
(Actually, here we are.)

It got me thinking about decisions.
The little ones we make every day—like whether to make coffee at home or go buy it at the shop down the street. Whether to take the fast route to the grocery store or the scenic one with the oak trees.

And then the bigger ones—leaving a job, ending a relationship, signing the lease, saying yes to something that scares you.

We love to think of decisions as categories: big vs. small, smart vs. risky, right vs. wrong.

But here’s a new one:
There are decisions that sound good in a job interview, and decisions that sound good in an interview with Oprah.

The job interview decisions are the polished ones. The safe ones.
You stayed at the job for five years. You met your KPIs. You followed the ladder.
Clean. Linear. Easy to explain.

The Oprah interview decisions? Those are messier.
They’re full of detours, pivots, gut instincts, “I just knew I had to do it” moments.
They don’t always make sense at the time.
They often come with risk, failure, tears, and a ton of “was this a terrible idea?” nights.

But those are the decisions that make you who you are.
They shape your character—not just your résumé.

And the funny thing is, you never know which kind of decision you’re making in the moment.
You only find out later, in hindsight, when the ripple effect finally reaches the shore.

So the next time you’re at a crossroads—or even just debating whether to cancel plans—ask yourself:

Is this the version of my life I’ll be proud to tell in a job interview… or the one I’d be honored to share with Oprah?

Both have value.
But only one tells the truth of who you really are.

With love,
Casey