Growing Roots, Building Forward

I recently had one of those pause-you-in-your-tracks moments.

I’ve been in credit unions for over 20 years.

And I’m only 40.

I laughed when it hit me. Partly because it sounded wild when I said it out loud. Partly because I realized how long I’ve been carrying this story without fully seeing it for what it is.

I didn’t stumble into this industry late.

I grew up in it.

I started young. I learned by doing. I watched how decisions actually affect people, not just metrics. I learned service before strategy, relationships before results, and trust before transactions. Credit unions didn’t just give me a career. They shaped how I see people and how I approach leadership.

For a long time, I treated those 20 years like time served. Like something that simply passed while I stayed loyal, consistent, and steady. Somewhere along the way, experience became something we’re taught to downplay, especially in a world that glorifies speed, disruption, and constant reinvention.

But here’s the truth I’m finally owning.

Those years weren’t holding me in place.

They were helping me grow roots.

It means I’ve seen trends come and go. I’ve lived through rebrands, leadership changes, economic shifts, and technology evolutions. I’ve learned what works, what doesn’t, and what looks great on paper but falls apart in real life. I’ve developed instincts you can’t fast-track. Pattern recognition. Judgment. Calm under pressure.

That kind of experience compounds.

At 40, I’m not behind.

I’m built.

I know who I am as a leader now. I know how to balance empathy with accountability, creativity with discipline, and vision with execution. I know that real growth is rarely linear, that people matter more than campaigns, and that the strongest strategies are rooted in trust.

This realization didn’t make me nostalgic.

It made me energized.

Because the next chapter isn’t about proving myself from scratch. It’s about leveraging everything I’ve learned and choosing what comes next with clarity and intention. Experience is no longer something I explain away. It’s something I stand on.

If you’ve ever minimized your own timeline, wishing you had moved faster, pivoted earlier, or chosen differently, consider this your permission to reframe it.

Strong roots don’t limit growth.

They make it possible.

Sometimes the most powerful shift isn’t changing your path.

It’s finally seeing it clearly.