Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting the “Dear New York,” exhibit at Grand Central Station. As part of the installation, local children were asked to photograph a neighborhood hero and write about why they chose them. Their photos and stories lined the walls around the exhibit.

As you can imagine, there were plenty of proud moms featured 😄 —but one display in particular stopped me in my tracks. It read:

“In this photo journal there’s a limited number of people who could be chosen but they wouldn’t want their pictures being published. So I chose myself, and as selfish as it sounds, it made more sense. In my life, people come and go, they take or they leave and then in the end all that was left was me. As selfish or prideful as it seems I think I deserved to be honored, I pushed myself to get up from bed, I gave myself motivation to try and do better when all I could really do was fail. Depression is not an easy thing [sic] to escape from. As much as I could’ve given up, I couldn’t anymore. I had to be better for myself by myself, because that’s really all I had.”

That message has stayed with me. It resonated so deeply that I’m still thinking about it weeks later.

I, too, have felt deeply alone at times. One of the hardest seasons of loneliness was when I was struggling in my business. People around me often underestimated what running a pet care company truly requires. I’d hear, “How bad can it be? You work with puppies all day.” 🫩 Meanwhile, I was drowning—working long hours, giving up time with family, juggling every role, and carrying the weight of client care, finances, schedules, safety, and expectations… all on my own. I often felt like I was holding myself together by sheer force of will.

The hardest part wasn’t even the workload... it was the isolation. Day after day of working alone, with almost no work/life balance, and the constant pressure to hold everything together. That feeling—of fighting an uphill battle by yourself—was one of the most painful parts of being a pet business owner.

What I took away from that moment at the exhibit was this: we are not alone when we share our experiences. When we talk about the hard parts… when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable… when we let others in.

So today, I hope we all take a moment to slow down and connect with someone who gets it. Whether that person is a family member, a trusted friend, or a fellow pet professional, reach out and share something real. Let someone support you. Because meaningful connection is not a luxury; it’s essential to our happiness, and every one of us deserves to be supported, seen, and heard. ❤️
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