Sometimes the hardest step is loosening your grip
For the last season of my life, my biggest concern was simple and heavy at the same time, consistency in income.
Six months ago, success meant helping clients succeed, finding more clients, building recurring revenue, and keeping Dynamic Spark moving forward. I was doing meaningful work, work I cared deeply about, but the stress of inconsistency sat quietly in the background, always present.
Today, success looks different.
It looks like being happy with the work I’m doing.
It looks like less stress about income.
It looks like peace with working for an individual business again.
That shift did not happen overnight, and it definitely did not happen according to my plan.
Choosing faith before the math worked
One of the clearest faith moments in this journey had nothing to do with work.
I proposed to my girlfriend of four years during a season when income felt anything but stable. From a purely logical standpoint, it did not make sense. But after conversations with a spiritual leader, prayer, and consistent confirmation through Scripture and daily devotionals, it became clear that faith was asking me to value the future more than the present.
That decision set the tone for everything that followed.
Shortly after, a part-time position kept showing up on my radar. At first, I resisted it. It felt like a distraction from the business I was trying to grow. But the more I prayed for provision, the more I realized something uncomfortable, if I was asking God to provide but unwilling to take a step when an opportunity appeared, I was closing the door myself.
So I applied.
When a step is not the destination
That step required letting go of some control, time, and pride. The role itself was never the destination, but it softened my grip and widened my perspective. Going through the process gave me permission to imagine a different rhythm of work and life, one that did not revolve entirely around carrying everything on my own.
Through interviews and conversations, I caught glimpses of a healthy culture and what it could look like to be part of a team again. It reminded me that while remote work has served me well, I have spent a significant portion of my career behind a screen. I thrive on real connection, and even recognizing that longing helped me loosen my hold on what I thought I needed to protect.
That openness mattered. Without it, I would not have been willing to consider what came next.
Around the same time, a new client opportunity experienced a delay. Another reminder that even my best plans were still fragile.
And that is when a different door opened.
The role of friendship and timing
My friend Tommy reached out to see if I would be open to learning more about working with Patio Pleasures in a marketing role.
Tommy and I go back to college at UW–Whitewater. We’ve stayed in contact over the years and have been in the same fantasy football league for more years than I’d like to admit. He knows me well enough to recognize not just a skills fit, but a values and personality fit.
What mattered most was that he advocated for me before I ever stepped into the building. He helped leadership see the value of having marketing in-house and had me in mind as someone who would align with the culture they were intentionally building. I’m deeply grateful for the role he played in making this career change.
Even then, I didn’t rush into it. It took me until the next day to have peace about learning more about the business. But once I visited the store, heard about the company, and spent over an hour talking with his manager, something felt different.
There was no pressure. No pitch. Just conversation.
The more I learned, the more everything lined up. The people. The culture. The integrity. The way they view marketing as education and relationship, not noise or manipulation. Without realizing it, I was describing how I have always believed marketing should work, and they were nodding because that is how they already operate.
That alignment felt like confirmation.
Why this chapter makes sense
Accepting the Marketing Manager role at Patio Pleasures came with mixed emotions.
There is real excitement about the work ahead and the opportunity to enhance an already strong foundation. There is peace knowing income will be consistent. And there is also some grief in putting Dynamic Spark on hold, at least for now.
Dynamic Spark has shaped me deeply. It taught me that I love people and thrive on authentic interaction. It taught me grit, how to finish projects when there are no clear answers, and how growth often requires doing uncomfortable things first. Networking, presenting, and talking to strangers all felt awkward early on. With practice, they became formative.
Putting this work on pause does not erase those lessons. If anything, it builds on them.
At Patio Pleasures, I get to focus fully on marketing. I get to work within an established business that already has a strong base, adding clarity, personality, and one-to-one connection to what is already working. I get to test ideas, help shape execution, provide consistency, and work alongside a team that trusts me to make decisions.
I’ll also be stepping back into an in-person environment for the first time in a long while. I’m looking forward to the connection, even as I acknowledge some natural discomfort in the transition. Growth often carries both.
What I am learning through all of this
This season has reinforced something I am still learning to live out.
Faith requires action. Faith without action isn’t faith at all.
Sometimes God does not provide far in advance. He provides at the moment of need. That means control often has to be released before clarity shows up. Leaps of faith can feel ill-timed or uncomfortable, but they can also lead you exactly where you are meant to be.
This chapter is not about walking away from something. It is about walking toward peace, alignment, and growth.
If this season has taught me anything, it is that control often feels safe, but surrender creates space.
If you are holding tightly to something because letting go feels risky, maybe the question is not what you might lose, but what you are not allowing room for yet.
What would change if you loosened your grip just enough to take the next step, even without seeing the whole path?
