If you’re between the ages of 28 and 34, and you’re a female, it’s highly likely that you’re currently picturing this:

 

 

That moment when Jenna gets her wish to be, “thirty, flirty, and thriving,” after being embarrassed at her thirteenth birthday party. If you haven’t seen this reference, then we can’t be friends. I’m cutting out the negativity in my life, starting now.

Thankfully, I saw this coming. It obviously doesn’t physically feel any different to be thirty – minus the prolonged hangovers and the incessant mysterious body aches. But it does feel like a good point to take stock of the last decade to make sure I’m heading in the right direction. If you follow along my blogs you’ll know that in February, I started a new role as the Product & Operations Manager at Pamoja Life in Nairobi. Six months ago, I was applying to business school, and nine months ago I was still trying to open a bar… Life changes fast.

At 20 I started my first internship at BP in Toledo, OH, and completed my second one in Naperville, IL. I ran my first full marathon, the Flying Pig in Cincinnati, OH, and I was one year into a relationship. I quit the UD Women’s Rowing Team, and joined the Men’s Team as a coxswain.

At 21 I moved to Los Angeles, CA for my third internship with BP, and then Bellingham, WA for my fourth. I joined the University of Dayton Triathlon team, and competed in my first Collegiate Nationals. I also went to Vegas for the first time…

At 22 I finished my fifth internship with BP in Bellingham, WA again, competed in the Boston Marathon, USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals, and completed my first Ironman in St. Geroge, UT, all within 12 days. I also graduated from the University of Dayton as a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering. I accepted a job offer to work for Schlumberger in the Gulf of Mexico, drilling for oil.

At 23 I moved to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with the University of Dayton ETHOS Program to work as an intern designing, building and testing injera rocket stoves with GIZ and Peter Scott. I then quit my job (before starting) with Schlumberger to move to Pondicherry, India to set up a regional emissions testing lab with Prakti Design Lab.  I learned how to ride a motorcycle, surf, and won my first marathon – barefoot.

At 24 I moved to Oskaloosa, IA to start a job as a Production Management Engineer with Cargill. I completed my second full Ironman in Tempe, AZ, and went on my first Vipassana meditation retreat. I became a full-fledged Rotarian for the first time!

At 25 I celebrated my birthday in Paris, France and Lisbon, Portugal reconnecting with friends from Pondicherry. I was accepted into the Leadership Iowa Program, Greatest Class Ever :). I then quit my job and moved back to Dayton, OH to work with the University of Dayton ETHOS Program.

At 26 I became the director of the ETHOS Program and set up four new partnerships. I completed my third full Ironman in Louisville, KY, after which I had surgery on both legs. I joined the Go Fast Multisport Tri team, and started working at Cycle-Logik as a spinning instructor.

At 27 I completed my last two Ironmans in Boulder, CO and Louisville, KY (two weeks later). I raised almost $6,000 for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and shaved my head. I started a masters in exercise science, and two months later experienced a debilitating head injury that forced me away from work, studying and exercise for almost four months.

At 28 I had just moved to Nairobi, Kenya to work with Peter Scott (re: Ethiopia) at Burn Manufacturing, as a management fellow. After the fellowship, I stayed in Kenya, and took on a role as the Commercial & Operations Manager at Wasafiri Consulting – helping to establish the Kenyan business. I took up kick boxing, kite surfing, and rock climbing.

At 29 I started looking for more growth. I became a part of the Great African Road Trip. I ventured down an entrepreneurial path of establishing a bar a Kenya, I ran a half marathon, welcomed several American visitors!, and got my scuba diving certification.

At 30 I got promoted to the Chief Operations Officer of Pamoja Life! I just finished celebrating my birthday with friends in Paris. I ate at my first Michelin star restaurant, Benoit Paris, explored the city by foot, and laid in the grass near the Eiffel tower, picnic-ing with wine, cheese, baguettes, saucisson, and macarons.

What a fucking decade. It feels a bit selfish to recount that on a blog, but one of my “new decade resolutions” is to care even less about what other people think. Nine different jobs, in nine working cities in four different countries, the closest I’ll ever get to being a professional athlete, leisurely travel to over 25 different countries. And the friends. I’ve made some pretty incredible friends, in some pretty beautiful places.

In my twenties, I can sum up my decisions, and the motivation for my decisions as “Epic,” constantly answering the question, “If I died tomorrow, would I regret not doing this?” Seeing that I’ve survived my lifetime of short-term, last minute, spontaneous adventures, perhaps it’s time to stabilize a bit and focus on self-preservation. Or perhaps it’s time to double down [insert purple evil smiley face here]

I may not be posting pictures of engagement rings, puppies, babies, or houses, but the passport stamps, food porn, solo-travel selfies, and point of view shots seem to be a pretty fair trade. I’ve never been happier, never felt more free, never felt so at home, and so comfortable in my own skin. If this is what it’s like to get older, bring it on. Here’s to 30 more years of “Epic” decision-making.