The Beginning of Endless Discovery

Growing up as an athlete I had one goal: Division 1 basketball. 

It wasn’t just a dream. It was the dream. The goal that shaped every decision I made as a teenager. But while my teammates, who I called my closest friends, were stepping into the dream I thought would be mine, I found myself on a different path. And halfway through my sophomore season at a small D3 school, I made the decision to walk away from the game.

Basketball was my identity and how I measured my worth.

I was as good as what I could achieve. It's how I understood myself and connected with others. So when I closed that chapter, I asked a lot of questions. I experienced a lot of self-doubt and low self esteem. Now what?

The performance pressure didn't disappear, it just showed up in new forms.

I needed to find something that I could still compete and prove myself, and also an escape from emotional challenges. Long-running became my outlet, and it also became my new place of validation.

That pressure followed me into school, work and social environments. 

I started believing that my self-worth was really tied to how much I could do, accomplish, or push through. And in that constant striving, I often missed the moments unfolding right in front of me.

Somewhere in the middle of my story, I met my husband at the college I never expected to attend. What followed was a winding stretch of years: transferring schools, four years of long distance, personal struggles, getting married, leaving my hometown, moving to a new city, making friends, changing jobs, adversity, adventure, joy, pain, grief, and a lot more in between.

My own journey through many challenges and the ongoing work of healing, taught me about endurance - the power that lives within each and every one of us. The courage to show up and keep going no matter the circumstance. 

For a long time, I defined myself as an athlete.

And in a lot of ways I still see myself as an athlete, but it’s no longer the way I know myself. There’s much more to my story. And to you reading this, I know there’s more to yours too. 

At my core, I’m a lifelong learner who is endlessly curious about the world and people in it. I’ve come to see each new chapter, transition, and unexpected season as part of that learning. Shifting paths opened me up to experiences I never could have planned for.

I’ve shared meals in homes where I didn’t speak the language, traveled to places that I never before imagined, and found myself immersed in environments my younger self would have avoided out of fear or discomfort. But these moments have stretched my perspective and reminded me that growth doesn’t always look like achievement. Sometimes it’s simply being open enough to receive the gift of whatever is unfolding. 

And I know that younger version of me, the one who carried the weight of the world on her shoulders, would be proud.
Because she’s learning to give herself permission to choose differently, to evolve, to ask questions, and to use her voice. Carrying with her the insight, wisdom, and perspective that only lived experience can offer.

That’s what Endurance Diaries is about.
It’s the thread that runs through our shared humanity. The stories that connect us, challenge us, inspire us, and remind us of the strength that lives within. 

Because life doesn’t always go as we plan, and that’s how we build endurance to keep going.