A few years ago I was at a crossroads. My last high-tech job was winding down. So much so that my employer “converted” my status from a full-time employee to a consultant in January of 2003 so that they could avoid paying out the bonus I earned the year before (a totally illegal maneuver, by the way). The economy and the job market were tough then – much as it is now – and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I remember going on one interview at another small technology start-up and I could barely answer questions in a believable manner. “Yes, I love writing long, dry, boring technical white papers that no one will read just to make the geek CTO happy.” It was getting increasingly difficult saying such things without wanting to throw up in my mouth a little.
Anyhow, it was around this time that one of my oldest friends Colleen called. She was in town, which was rare since she moved to Ireland when we started junior high school. We kept in touch over the years, mostly through letters. During college, she would spend summers in the US, which was always fun. In more modern times, emails a few times a year. In 2003, it was really nice to see her in the dark winter months of my employment discontent. We had a long chat about what we were doing professionally and neither of us was very happy with our chosen career paths and we were looking to make some changes. Colleen had been a vegetarian for many years as many of my friends are, and I pulled my cocktail party sarcasm with her. “You wouldn’t eat a hamburger, but your shoes and bag are leather. How can you do that?” This may sound obnoxious, but this is New York and it’s really a gentle poke – not a serious criticism.
And I truly wondered how so many vegetarians and vegans could do the same thing with their passion for animals. We had a long chat about how there were really no other options. Most of the non-leather shoes she said were cheap-feeling and uncomfortable not to mention having little to no style. She said that if there were a cool non-leather shoe, she’d be thrilled. In that moment, I told her that this was a million dollar idea.
I thought about that conversation on and off for a few months. It was an idea that never really left me. I did some research and thought that the idea had legs. But life got busy. I had a second child, and a few months later I clued Jodi in to “the big idea” of a vegan shoe company, and we started moving it forward about a year later.
I think it’s important to acknowledge Colleen; she was an inspiration and a muse of sorts. And if you’ll afford me a Forrest Gump moment: Life is like a game of pinball; you never know who you’re going to bounce off of and what new direction you may head in.
By Lauren Carroll
Image: Colleen holding a Charmone shoe, which she helped to inspire!
