June 28th, 2025

Have you ever considered changing up your entire life?

Uprooting it from the bottom and starting over?

Ever thought that maybe your hobby is actually your biggest dream? Or have you already gone down that road—only to feel overwhelmed or unsure?

Rylee sitting in the lake at sunset on July 22nd, 2016

The thing most people don’t realize is that it takes commitment to yourself to make those leaps. To quit your job, to shift everything, to create something from scratch—you have to believe in yourself, and accept that not everyone will understand.

Running your own business can be a lonely road. No one tells you when to work or if you did a good job. There’s no manual, no manager, no gold stars. It’s all on you—to stay consistent, to self-motivate, to keep going even when it’s hard.

This journey has humbled me. I’m not the same person I was three years ago when I started Green Paws. I’m also not where I thought I’d be. Things are harder than I expected—shocker, right?

Two very wet Border Collies in Maryland at a clinic June 14th, 2025

Consistency has always been my weak spot. Blame it on ADHD or my tendency to hyperfixate and bounce between passions. I’ve started many things, but this business has lived in my heart a long time—and I don’t want to mess it up.

I’ve tried podcasts, business coaches, routines. And while they help, none of them can do the work for me. The late nights, the hard calls, the constant problem-solving—that has to come from me.

And yes, it’s exhausting. There are hours filled with nothing but questioning and calculating, only to hit another obstacle the next day. Owning a business isn’t for the faint of heart. But I’m still here. Still working 90-hour weeks. Still trying.

Why am I writing this?

No, I’m not quitting. No, I’m not moving. I just wanted to say it out loud in case you’re also struggling. You’re not alone.

My grandmother always said therapy was something everyone should do—“a study of yourself through the lens of an unbiased guide.” I fell off the wagon for a bit, but I’m trying again. I want to work through the grief, the trauma, the stuck places.

So here’s the takeaway: get a therapist. Not because something is wrong with you, but because learning about yourself is the first step to truly helping others.

And what does this have to do with Green Paws?

Everything.

Emma herding the ewes and lambs to the shed on June 25, 2025

My dream is to grow this into a training and boarding sheep farm that also welcomes children—through after-school and summer programs. I want kids to be in nature. To know the joy of being outside with dogs and animals, like I did. To stop growing up so fast.

Because adulthood can wait. Childhood can’t.

Happy training,

Addi and The Girls