In the fall of 2010, I was temping while looking for a full-time ‘real’ job.

For one month, I sat at the reception desk of a big non-profit, accepting packages and reading books. My break was 10:30 - 10:45 and lunch was 12:30 - 1 in the cafeteria upstairs. Otherwise, just sit at the desk.

The HR guy asked if I was interested in the job full-time.

Nope, no thank you. 

A job chained to a desk with dictated breaks would not work for me. The structure was much too constraining and suffocating. I craved more freedom of movement and time. 

The insights I gained about how much I value freedom were immensely helpful in future decisions.  Starting with leaping into self-employment in 2016 and my current ambitions of hosting a two-day summit for solo business owners in October 2026. 

The importance of freedom and the power of supportive structures are core elements that have shaped how I run my business, how I design my life, how I partner with people, and how I choose to participate in communities.

What are you doing this summer? Likely a mix of work, life, adventures, and surviving the weather. 

An entirely empty summer calendar with the freedom to do whatever you want is lovely in theory, but daunting in practice. Not to mention boring and uninspiring.  It’s a blank page. 

And one crammed with overlapping commitments, aspirational hobbies, unwanted meetings and chains that drain your body, brain, and bank account sucks too. 

A blank page problem is overwhelming but create a design and it’s easy to color to the edges. A full calendar is just heavy to carry and requires deliberate subtraction.

The trick is to balance the openness of options with deliberate constraints. 

So, how might you design a life for the freedom you crave and the structure you need?

Freedom: What does freedom look and feel like for you?  

For me it means I have agency over my movement, time, and ability to follow my energy. From naps, gardening and board games to the extensive effort required for my ambitious business goals related to the Solo Together Summit.

Structure: What supportive structures might you need? What happens if there isn’t enough structure? Too much?

The structural rhythm of my life is in repeating weeks with seasonal variations. This is the level at which I design my approach. 

These days I’ve built a dynamic structure that flexes based on my life, the weather, and the projects I’m working on. 

It’s so much more freeing.