An avalanche is forming — not loud, but unmistakable. The kind of change you feel before you see it. For years I floated steady and capable in a lucrative day job I was good at, even proud of. There was nothing wrong with that life… except that everything I truly loved had to be squeezed into the margins. Nights. Weekends. “Someday.” And all the while, I kept wishing I could flip the script.
Then, without warning, the ground shifted.
The small, family owned company that I’d called home for more than 17 years was sold. Overnight it became something else. Larger, noisier, corporate. And just like that, the familiar disappeared.
So did the version of me that fit inside it.
A year and a half in this new world triggered a slow-burn reckoning. Subtle at first. Then impossible to ignore. The thing I had done successfully for years no longer worked. Not for my spirit, not for my future. And once that truth surfaced, there was no unseeing it.
Which left only one question echoing louder than than the rest: What did I want to do for the rest of my days?
The answer came easier than expected and it all started here, with this website.
Just like my career, this space needed more than a refresh — it needed a reinvention. A clean slate. The kind of overhaul that demanded a professional. So I found one, and weeks later, this new version is nearly ready to launch into the world.
But somewhere during the development, something unexpected happened.
Building this site didn’t just give me a new digital home — it gave me clarity. What started as a redesign turned into a realization. One that arrived quietly at first, then all at once, and a fire began to ignite.
I finally saw the path I’ve been circling for more than a decade — not as a someday dream, but a real direction forward. Writing has always been my compass. Travel, my passion. And suddenly the answer was obvious: I wasn’t meant to choose between them. I was meant to weave them together. The life of a travel writer is for me.
And because real change only happens when you choose it — out loud, on paper, with consequences — I took a leap that made it all real. I turned in my Intent to Retire notice at the day job. I’m going all in.
And then I took it one step further. I launched a Substack newsletter — not as a side experiment or a half-formed idea, but with commitment, curiosity, and a clear sense of where I’m headed. If you’re curious about where this new direction leads and find yourself thinking, what the heck, why not see what she’s building, you can join me over on Substack with the link below.
Fair warning though — it’s a voyage of discovery, so don’t expect normal. I might know where I’m headed, but the road there is unknown. And yet, the way I see it, there is no wrong direction. Every turn, curve, and hill is a chance for exploration and adventure.
I’d love to share that road with you.
And one day, in the not so distant future, you will stop by this website and notice a big change. Don’t be alarmed. It’s just the new me, all packed and ready to hit the trail.
Monica McCabe 