From the Field Blog

A few months ago I wrote about a dinner I hosted in Boulder for ten post-exit founders. This is something I do as the Colorado Co-Lead for PEF, Post Exit Founders. Chef Lance's food. The wine was good. The conversation started polite and ended somewhere most networking nights never get to. In the months since, two things have happened that feel like the natural next chapter of that night.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about exits. Before mine, I thought about them the way most founders do — as the finish line. The moment when everything gets resolved, when the hard work pays off, when you finally get to exhale.

There's a moment around midnight on Acatenango when you stop talking. You have hiked five hours uphill into thinning air with a pack you packed too heavy and dust in your teeth. You have eaten whatever was handed you. You have set up your tent at twelve thousand feet with hands that are not entirely yours yet.

The mistake I made on day one of a six-day men's retreat in Guatemala — and why it's the same mistake we bring to most rooms.

Earlier this month I did something I would not have said yes to if anyone had told me what was actually in it. I drove to the GoRuck HQ in Jacksonville Beach, FL with my two nephews — Andrew and Adam, both twenty-somethings — and their good friend Parker, and we did Ruckapalooza. GORUCK's twenty-four-hour, six-part endurance gauntlet. Rucksacks on. Beach sand in your shoes. Sleep, theoretically.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about cofounders. Who you start with — whether you start with anyone at all — and what happens when a partnership has to grow up alongside the company you're building.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about exits. Before mine, I thought about them the way most founders do — as the finish line. The moment when everything gets resolved, when the hard work pays off, when you finally get to exhale.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about exits. Before mine, I thought about them the way most founders do — as the finish line. The moment when everything gets resolved, when the hard work pays off, when you finally get to exhale.

Five old friends go to Japan and rediscover what's important.

Periods of major change in a founder’s journey often bring uncertainty and deep reflection. Whether it’s after exiting a business, pivoting to a new idea, facing career crossroads, closing a venture, or starting fresh, these moments demand clarity and renewed purpose. Travel offers a powerful way to navigate these transitions, providing space for insight, creativity, and growth. Why Travel Matters During Major Transitions Transitions challenge our usual routines and mental fr