Today, October 4th, marks the 1-year anniversary of leaving Techstars, an org that I helped birth, that I spent 14 years at, an org that has my fingerprints all over it, from the content taught in the program to the way the accelerators are run. When you spend so long on something, it becomes part of you. You become part of it. And it can be hard to separate the two, which is one of the reasons I left. It was time.
The last year has been a time of rest and recovery, and with some space from it, I have tremendous gratitude for my time and experience there. For David Cohen who saw something in me that I’m not sure I saw in myself and whose deep trust and belief formed the foundation of how I want to work with others. For David Brown, who put up with me and my ever-changing demands at work. For Brad Feld, the ultimate mentor, philosopher, and investor, your words ring in my head often. For Jason Seats, my best friend and partner in crime and work, and someone I dearly miss working alongside every. single. day. For so many people.
I had no idea it would take almost 8 months before I stopped waking up feeling anxious that I was missing something important. It took a concentrated effort to let go of the judgment by people who discovered I was of no use to them. Their looks usually meant one of two things: 1) oh, you’re one of those people who don’t work or 2) I can’t get anything from you? NEXT. It took a while to discover what was interesting to me again, to see who I wanted to spend time with versus having to spend time with. It took some self-examination to not tie my self-esteem to a fancy title or a big company. It took some time to catch up on life projects that I always meant to get around to, and then realized I would never actually get around to them, and the freedom that comes with just removing them and most of the other bullsh*t from my to-do list. It took a while to see the horizon again, rather than only my feet or the rearview mirror.
A year in, I’ve never felt fresher, clearer, and more alive. It takes a whole year, people! I know time like this is a privilege, and it’s one I wish for everyone. Universities are onto something, giving professors an extended sabbatical – it provides clarity, inspiration, and rejuvenation in a way that a two-week vacation just cannot offer. I hope you can plan a personal extended sabbatical for yourself. And while I’d love to share with you what I’m working on currently, today I just wanted to take a moment to say out loud, Thank You.
Nearly Nicole 
Hi Nicole,
Didnt realise you left Techstars, I knew you via the Venture Deals course and I found you the sharpest and perceptive of the venture capitalists there, that is why I subscribed to your blog. I felt like commenting as I am going through the same phase. Work and identity are tied, hard to move next phase.
Hope you will find your bliss.
Thanks for everything
Mohd
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Thans Mohd, I feel you! With some space, you can see who you are is different than what you do, and while they influence eachother, they are not the same thing. I’d actually say that intense work, without clarity, can drag you down into someone you’re not – and that’s why long recovery periods are such a great idea. They can help you regain your clarity and focus on what you want to do, rather than what other people want you to do. I hope you find your jam…
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Thank you for sharing this. I look forward to that extended vacation one day.
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I hope you get one too. Start planning for it now, and it will happen!
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Hi Nicole! Congratulations on feeling back to your best self! I just wanted to say that I was unaware you left Techstars. For some perspective, in the past year, I’ve been in the early stages of starting a business, while you’ve been taking time and space for yourself. You have taught me how to craft a single sentence to describe what my business does and how to deliver a concise and compelling pitch. I even took inspiration from your blog post when your office was filled with balloons and applied it to my current day job. I booked an introductory call with a huge enterprise logo, and yes, you guessed it, there were balloons!
I guess this is just a reminder that even when you’re resting, you’re still educating and inspiring. Excited to see what you do next and thank you for all you’ve done!
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Thank you for sharing that, sometimes you never know who you’re impacting positively and just hearing it makes me smile. Thank you!
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Love this post. Thanks for sharing.
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This makes my heart sing!
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[…] a post I wrote last year, I hinted at a couple of projects I’ve been working on – and […]
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