Goodbye Australia & Hello Colorado, USA

I wrote this on the 2nd leg of my journey to the USA, in January 2019. My little family and I decided to move on over from the tropics of Australia! 50% for our startup, and 50% for adventure if I'm honest! Mindset Our cottage will be rented out, we’ve sold and donated literally everything we own apart from 3 suitcases (each!). I’ve said goodbye to friends and family. And now, I’m on a plane heading to Denver. I’m starting out our experience by experiencing the RVC HyperAccelerator with my amazing colleague Madi, who said yes to also leaving her family behind for 6 weeks to ensure our startup - Becon Health is off to a solid start. I love Australia (I am going to miss my tropical oasis in north Queensland as depicted above), but I also love the USA. Each state feels like I’m in a different country. Moving to the USA will challenge our mindset, have us think bigger, encourage us to differentiate more and overall make our company better. I’m really looking forward to a startup ecosystem that has been around for a long while.

Leaving

I have beautiful friends, the kind where I can see them in 10 years, and we will connect like we always have. I’m going to try and not be lazy, and schedule in regular video chats. Leaving my toddler, however, was another thing altogether. We’re only apart for a few weeks, but that kid is just so special, as is my husband who is no doubt one of the brightest people I will ever know. My toddler’s favorite saying right now (apart from ‘no’) is ‘I’ll make you a deal mummy’. She will be my next CEO. Having support from family to move to another country to ‘give it a crack’ makes things easier – it's even empowering.

Moving

It’s fascinating the type of information I need to know to get set up in the USA. I need to get a license so need to learn road rules all over again, and remind myself to drive on the right (or wrong) side of the road. I need to read something like ‘how to buy a car for dummies’, so I don’t get a lemon (how much rust, is too much for a car that’s lived in the snow?). I need to YouTube how to put chains on tires. I need to get a bank account and get a credit history. Oh, and I need to find a daycare, a place to live and the psychologist in me wants to establish good exercise, new hobbies, and yoga habits asap.

But first, my focus is on our Startup and learning and implementing as much as we can. Go hard or go home hey (said with a deep breath and a mix of excited and nervous energy!). With my love of adventure and learning, along with a very adaptive little kid and a husband who is a giant supporter, I’m off on the next chapter of my life.

In addition to our startup, my side hustle - working with startup founders on mental health and wellness - has made me really reflect on the sort of crazy stuff we do as founders to make amazing things happen (like move countries with your whole family).

If we listen, ask the right questions and change our behaviors accordingly, we’ll always be good enough, and "success" will be much more reachable.