I just got back from 9 days on the road — well, more like in the air, going coast to coast at back-to-back events in Philly, then San Diego.
✈️ Gotta love flying directly over your house en route from one coast to the other!
These were two great events with great people. The rooms were full, the conversation was meaningful, and I even got to deliver a closing keynote I was genuinely excited about.
Traveling is so much fun, and as a former engineer who loves people, I’m sure you can guess how much I love a room full of humans.
But I love coming home more. ⛰️
1️⃣ You Don’t Notice Fit Until You Leave It
Philly has a gritty energy about it I do really enjoy. It’s also chock full of Italian people (and food), which I don’t get enough of living out west.
And then there’s San Diego, which has everything people move to San Diego for, including perfect weather with temperatures that swing less than 5 degrees per day.
I will forever be confused by my lack of need for a coat every time I visit that city.
I enjoy visiting cities: walking crowded streets, indulging in all the luxuries of a populous area, and taking advantage of the availability of Uber Eats (and Insomnia Cookies 😂), but I also know they’re not my place.
💡 Fit isn’t something you think your way into. You feel it.
2️⃣ Everything Takes a Little More Effort Away From Home Base
Being away from home takes effort, even if you’re traveling with your coach bestie who makes it feel like a vacation.
From different beds and pillows to a packed-to-the-gills carry-on suitcase that filled my travel needs for nine days — without doing laundry, we have to think, adjust, and spend more energy when we’re out of our routine.
🎭Don’t worry, I’m not being dramatic.
I’m on the road enough to have a whole non-home routine, but there’s no doubt that things are less automatic. I find myself having to muster up more willpower to workout, not eat dessert, and otherwise remember that when travel becomes part of business, a plane ride doesn’t equate to vacation mode!
💡 Pay attention to where things feel easier. That’s not an accident.
3️⃣ Energy Is Contextual
I closed CTL in San Diego with a keynote on why the future of coaching is human — one of my favorite topics, especially when delivered to a room full of engaged people.
That’s my kind of room.
Energy is such an interesting thing. The work isn’t necessarily easier or harder. It just requires different input depending on where you are and what you’re doing.
Home has one rhythm. The road has another. Same me. Different environment. Different baseline.
💡 Where you are affects how you show up. That’s not inauthenticity — that’s awareness.
4️⃣ Where You Live Shapes More Than You Think
If you’ve read Scary Good: Discovering Life Beyond the Sunday Scaries (and if you haven’t…grab it right now while the Kindle copy is still $1.99 from the flash sale I was just in), you know that moving to Colorado was a pivotal moment in my life.
For me, the mountains had a way of simplifying things.
They helped me find myself.
Understand what matters.
Let go of what doesn’t.
I wrote about it in Scary Good because it’s hard to talk about who I am without talking about where I landed and how much of an impact that has had on my trajectory – in life and work.
Can you say the same about the place you call home? 🤨
💡 Your environment is either working for you or it isn’t.
5️⃣ You Build Yourself, Then You Build Around That
The mountains weren’t a random landing zone for me. I got bit by the ski bug, came to visit Colorado, and instantly knew it was the place I was meant to be. I just didn’t know how much would change (for the better) because of that one little choice.
They became part of how I live, how I think, and what I prioritize — which then shaped the work I do and how I do it.
😵💫 We tend to do this backward.
We build a career, then try to squeeze a life around it.
What if we flipped that script? What if we designed the life we wanted and then found (or created) the work that supports it? Sounds like a pretty good way to avoid mediocrity, if you ask me!
💡 Lesson: Build the life first. Then make everything else fit into it.
6️⃣ Most People Don’t Question Where They End Up
We follow a job, a partner, or just the path of least resistance. And then one day we look up and we’re just… there. Settled into a place we never actually chose.
Studies actually do show that people with a strong sense of place report higher well-being, lower stress, and better focus. Based on my experience, that totally tracks and reinforces the fact that home isn’t just sentimental — it’s functional.
😶 Not saying you need to move. Just saying, it might be worth asking the question.
💡 Where you live is a bigger decision than most people treat it.
7️⃣ Coming Home Tells You a Lot
Jim came to pick me up at our tiny little mountain airport, and before I saw the car, I spotted Steve down the sidewalk. Well, let’s be honest. I spotted Steve’s ears.
As soon as I said his name, he came running towards me, butt wiggling, with all the unconditional love one only gets from a dog. 🐕
It wasn’t just cute; it was the first, and best, reminder that I was home.
💡 Pay attention to where you feel like yourself.
Nine days on the road reminded me how much I love the work — and how much I love where I get to come back to.
Hope your week feels like somewhere you actually want to be. 🏔️
Your Friend and Coach,
Angie
